The cruise industry continues to elevate its food and beverage offerings, and Princess Cruises just made a major splash. Following a two-week drydock in Portland, Oregon, Sapphire Princess has set sail with two exciting new specialty dining venues that are already creating buzz in the hospitality industry. The addition of Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill represents a significant investment in premium culinary experiences that could reshape how cruise lines approach their food and beverage services.
For food and beverage professionals watching cruise industry trends, this move signals a clear shift toward chef-driven concepts and authentic culinary experiences at sea. The 115,875-ton ship, carrying 2,670 guests, underwent extensive refurbishments that transformed two existing venues into these highly anticipated specialty restaurants, both opening to guests on November 16, 2025.
Makoto Ocean: Bringing Authentic Edomae Sushi to Sea
The most exciting addition might be Makoto Ocean, the acclaimed sushi restaurant by Chef Makoto Okuwa that previously debuted on Sun Princess and Star Princess. Taking over the former Internet Café space on Deck 7, this isn't your typical cruise ship sushi bar: it's a genuine expression of traditional Japanese culinary artistry.
Chef Okuwa's Edomae-style sushi represents one of the most respected traditions in Japanese cuisine. For food and beverage directors looking to understand this approach, Edomae-style focuses on the careful preparation and aging of fish, combined with perfectly seasoned rice. It's a technique that requires both exceptional skill and premium ingredients: exactly what makes this addition so significant for cruise dining.
The menu showcases this expertise with standout offerings like truffle salmon, snow crab temaki, and toro tartare. But Makoto Ocean goes beyond sushi with a carefully curated beverage program featuring handcrafted cocktails that blend Japanese traditions with modern mixology. The Genmai Negroni offers a refined Japanese twist on the classic cocktail, while Kodai No Hana blends yuzu juice with Doburoku, an ancient sake that adds historical depth to the drinking experience.
For hospitality managers, this represents a masterclass in authentic cuisine implementation. Rather than adapting traditional recipes for mass production, Princess Cruises chose to maintain the integrity of Chef Okuwa's vision while scaling it for cruise operations.
Crown Grill: Award-Winning Steakhouse Excellence
The second major addition is Crown Grill, taking over the former Savoy Dining Room on Deck 5. This isn't just any steakhouse: Crown Grill has been recognized as one of the "Best Cruise Ship Steakhouses at Sea," bringing that reputation to Sapphire Princess for the first time.
What sets Crown Grill apart in the competitive steakhouse market is its commitment to premium aged beef, fresh seafood, and an atmosphere that rivals land-based fine dining establishments. The restaurant features warm, elegant design with attentive service that creates an intimate dining experience despite being on a massive cruise ship.
For food service industry professionals, Crown Grill represents an interesting case study in maintaining consistency across multiple locations while adapting to unique operational environments. The challenge of delivering steakhouse-quality dining at sea requires significant investment in equipment, training, and supply chain management: areas where Princess Cruises continues to excel.
Strategic Pricing and Package Integration
Both dining experiences are priced at $60 per person, positioning them as premium offerings while remaining accessible to a broad range of guests. More importantly for food and beverage management teams studying cruise operations, both restaurants are included as specialty dining options for guests who book the Princess Premier package.
This packaging strategy demonstrates sophisticated revenue management, encouraging guests to purchase higher-tier packages while ensuring the specialty restaurants maintain consistent occupancy. For hospitality industry leaders, this approach offers valuable insights into how premium dining experiences can be integrated into broader service packages without cannibalizing individual restaurant revenues.
Global Itineraries and Market Expansion
Fresh from her revitalization, Sapphire Princess sets sail for Mexico before repositioning for South America/Antarctica cruises, followed by Mediterranean and Northern Europe voyages in spring and summer 2026. The ship will then offer Canada/New England cruises in fall 2026.
Perhaps most significantly, March 2027 will mark a historic first for Princess Cruises: the reunion of sister ships Sapphire Princess and Diamond Princess in Japan. Both ships, originally built in Japan, will sail from the Tokyo region for Princess Cruises' most expansive Japan season ever, running from March through December 2027.
This itinerary strategy is particularly relevant for food and beverage companies looking to understand global market expansion. The combination of Japanese-inspired dining (Makoto Ocean) with the ship's eventual return to Japanese waters creates authentic cultural connections that enhance the overall dining experience.
Industry Leadership and Vision
"With the addition of Makoto Ocean and Crown Grill, our guests aboard Sapphire Princess will enjoy two of our most popular dining experiences, elevating the culinary journey across her itineraries," said Sami Kohen, Princess Cruises Vice President of Food and Beverage. "We're especially proud to bring these enhancements as Sapphire Princess prepares for remarkable seasons ahead, including our historic dual-ship deployment in Japan in 2027."
Kohen's comments highlight a crucial trend in cruise food and beverage management: the integration of dining experiences with destination-specific itineraries. This approach creates opportunities for food and beverage directors to develop menus and experiences that complement travel destinations while maintaining brand consistency.
What This Means for the Food Service Industry
The Sapphire Princess transformation represents several important trends that food and beverage professionals should monitor:
Authenticity Over Adaptation: Rather than creating cruise-friendly versions of popular cuisines, Princess Cruises chose to maintain authentic preparations and techniques, even when more challenging to execute at sea.
Chef-Driven Concepts: The prominence of Chef Makoto Okuwa's name and technique demonstrates the growing importance of celebrity chefs and authentic culinary personalities in hospitality branding.
Premium Experience Integration: Both restaurants succeed because they're integrated into broader service packages rather than positioned as expensive add-ons.
Cultural Connection: The timing of Makoto Ocean's addition with the ship's future Japan deployment shows strategic thinking about how dining experiences can enhance destination connections.
Looking Forward
As Sapphire Princess prepares for her diverse itineraries, these new dining venues position the ship as a leader in cruise culinary experiences. For food and beverage trends watchers, this represents a significant investment in premium dining that could influence how other cruise lines approach their own culinary programs.
The success of these venues will likely influence future cruise ship designs and refurbishments, with implications for equipment suppliers, food service contractors, and hospitality technology providers. The integration of traditional techniques like Edomae sushi preparation into large-scale operations also demonstrates opportunities for authentic cuisine concepts in other high-volume hospitality settings.
For more details about Princess Cruises' culinary innovations and booking information, visit princess.com. The food and beverage industry continues to evolve, and developments like these remind us why staying connected to hospitality trends matters for all sectors of our industry.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
