Shortly after we booked our 14-day cruise on Royal Princess, we learned about one of the special dining experiences offered on the ship and knew we had to book it. As it turned out, my husband, Harry, would be celebrating his birthday during the cruise, and we decided the Chef’s Table Lumiere would be the perfect way to mark his special day. We learned we wouldn’t be able to book a seat at the table (which is not offered on every night of a cruise and seats no more than 10 or 12 guests) until we boarded the ship, so we bided our time and hoped for the best. The dinner alone would be $85 per person, with the wine flight adding an additional charge. (All charges on board were billed in Australian dollars — and the exchange rate was very favorable; dinner plus the flight was quoted at AUD 233 per person.)

Just a few weeks before our departure, Harry was talking to a Princess representative about another matter and happened to ask about the Chef’s Table. Somehow, he was magically able to hold a place for us, but we wouldn’t know the exact date of the meal until we sailed. What makes this meal so special? It’s a multicourse affair accompanied by a wine flight hosted by the ship’s executive chef and the director of restaurant operations. The menu is developed exclusively for this event; the dishes are not available in any other venue on the ship; and it includes other perks such as commemorative photos and menu, a tour of the galley, and a chat with the chef.

Once on the ship, we learned the special meal would be one day after Harry’s birthday; no matter, we’d just celebrate his day at another of the ship’s specialty restaurants! We received a letter informing us where and when we would meet along with some notifications outlining strict health guidelines, since we would be visiting food prep areas. We arrived with our travel companions, Julie and Paul, at the appointed time at a special table in one of the main dining rooms. Another couple and two solo travelers would share our experience, making a cozy group of eight. We were welcomed by Silvio Zampieri, the director of restaurant operations, and Executive Chef Joel Directo. We were offered a flute of sparkling wine (Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir) and a plate of four large, beautifully presented hors d’ouevres. (The menu referred to them as “amuse-bouche,” but these were far too large to fit that description!) From left to right in the picture above, they were a Shrimp and Scallop Cake with balsamic sauce; a warm Potato Timbale with sour cream and caviar; a Lobster & Crab Margarita with avocado, mango and lime, cleverly served in a tiny cucumber “bowl”; and a Mini Quiche Fontina Cheese with a white turtle truffle oil. It was a lovely start to the meal, but we did remark that for all the color, the flavors were rather muted.

Next, we were ushered through to the galley and walked past the many stations where meals in large numbers were being prepared for the diners outside. Everything gleamed, and while everyone seemed busy and on-task, there was a great sense of order and efficiency. Our guide, Silvio, provided narration along the way, giving statistics such as how many meals were prepared in a day or how many pounds of butter were used daily, but with the roar of the ventilation system, it proved difficult to catch everything he said. It was fascinating, nonetheless, and we were cheerfully greeted by everyone we saw. Once through the galley, we passed into another dining room and headed to our special table, set in the middle of the room and overhung with a faceted glass ceiling. Once we settled into our seats around the table, centered with an illuminated-from-within glass sculpture, a curtain of lit crystal beads arose from the floor to the ceiling, shielding us from the gaze of curious diners outside that exclusive circle.   Then the dishes began to arrive, each one a work of art. First came salmon gravlax and caviar, served on a large leaf with a cloud of transparent “wasabi crystal,” a playful “fish bone” tuile and dill.   On its heels came two generous slices of fois gras on toasted brioche with caramelized calvados apple wedges . . . so rich!   The soup course was a creamy seafood bisque with brandy cream accompanied by Oysters Rockefeller and mussels in white wine. Such an opulent dish! This was followed by a deliciously light and palate-cleansing lemon sorbet with Champagne, providing a pleasant pause from all the rich fare.

We had our choice of two entrées, Veal Oscar with crab meat or a roasted salmon fillet. I opted for the salmon, served with a red wine sauce (yes, you can have red wine with fish!), “shingled” crisp potato confit, oyster mushrooms and romanesco. I have to say, at this point in the meal we were all feeling very full, and the really large portions, especially of the entrées, were bigger than we needed. It wasn’t that the meal was too quickly paced, because we did not feel rushed at all, but there was just too much of some very good things. With our various courses we were served some nice California wines: a Stag’s Leap Hands of Time Chardonnay and a Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cab. Dessert was a real show-stopper: an arch of shortbread surrounding a lemon-shaped lime crémeux and hazelnut crumble served with another California wine, a sweet Moscato from St. Supéry. Full as I was, I did enjoy both, with the crémeux a nice, light(er) finish to a great meal.

Before we left, the ship’s photographer took a round of group and individual photos to help commemorate a wonderful evening. We very much enjoyed the company of our other dining companions, feeling like old friends by the time we departed three hours after the start of the evening.

One more surprise greeted us when we returned to our stateroom later that evening. Each of us received a “token of appreciation” in hosting us that evening in the form of a plate of assorted dipped strawberries. Though appreciated, they were put away for another day because I could not look another morsel of food in the eye at that point!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor