Princess Cruises Sapphire Princess

Overview

The décor of Santa Fe had more character than the other main dining rooms, though the design might be classified as Southwest-lite, a style we think went out of date some time in the 1990s. But other than a single menu item, there was nothing else southwestern about Santa Fe.

Food

For our dinner here we started with nippy peach soup with sparkling Prosecco, a cold soup that was mostly pureed fruit (and probably a dose of sugar)—it was a pleasant break from heavier foods. The salad of mixed greens and spinach was fresh and crisp, with pine nuts, pieces of bacon and pecorino cheese to round it out.

The special at Santa Fe (available nightly) is fajitas—chicken or steak grilled with onions, bell pepper and cheddar cheese melted in. We tried it and found the dish to be just okay, but with enough chili kick to distract us from an excess of oil used in cooking. The fajitas came with sides of guacamole, sour cream and salsa, and a pair of warm flour tortillas.

We happened to dine at Santa Fe on the ship’s Italian night, which was a slightly surreal event in itself. Against a southwestern backdrop our waiters were dressed in gondolier stripes, working on a massive cruise liner sailing the Pacific Ocean—perhaps one dichotomy too many? Nonetheless, the evening’s menu featured sautéed saltimbocca of turbot, veal scaloppini and other Italian specialties. For dessert we opted for tiramisu, which lacked much espresso flavor.

Although the right side of the menu changes nightly, the choices at Santa Fe basically mirror those at the four other “main” dining rooms.

Drinks

The ship’s standard wine list was available, and cocktails from the standard drink menu could be ordered.

Additional Details

Santa Fe Dining Room was open for dinner nightly from 5:30 to 10 p.m.