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Ultimate Balcony Dining

Larry613

By Larry613,
in Princess Cruises

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Larry613

Larry613

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Thanks to all those who replied to this query! I thought you had to wait until you were actually onboard to arrange a date and time but Belle says this can be done online...I couldn't find a place to do this on the Princess website; the only dining reservations that I could find just referenced the Crown Grill or Portofinos. We are taking the 15-day round trip from LA on the Star embarking March 19,2018

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kennicott

kennicott

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That's a good question. On my cruise personalizer for our upcoming Princess voyage I find a number of links to dining and "Ultimate Balcony Dining" under "Onboard Experiences" and "Specialty Restaurants" however, this is what they say for U.B.D. "Available on all ships, the Ultimate Balcony Dinner is a unique Princess dining experience. This item may be ordered onboard by contacting room service or pre-purchased as a special service item (item #3011)." However, no where can I find a link to "Special Service Items" for purchase, in particular, item #3011. My hunch is that somehow one can pre-purchase a U.B.D. but not make reservations until after embarkation. By the way, we did this twice before and once, in port, it was a worthwhile experience the other time it was on Turkey Day (Thanksgiving) and a chilly windy day at sea so we ate inside, plus they were so busy and overloaded they refunded us part of our payment. I agree also, do it when in port for the evening.If you can't arrange balcony dining for an in-port night and since it is an anniversary, I would consider the "Chef's Table" instead. We did that once and it was out of this world

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

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Thanks to all those who replied to this query! I thought you had to wait until you were actually onboard to arrange a date and time but Belle says this can be done online...I couldn't find a place to do this on the Princess website; the only dining reservations that I could find just referenced the Crown Grill or Portofinos. We are taking the 15-day round trip from LA on the Star embarking March 19,2018

Follow this procedure on the Cruise Personalizer to book the UBD before your cruise.

  • Onboard Reservations
  • Culinary Delights

Ultimate Balcony Dinner For Two $100.00

  • A sumptuous four-course meal, including succulent lobster tail and juicy steak, beverage of choice, hors d'oeuvres, all served right on the balcony by our dedicated waitstaff.
  • Choose date

You must prepay with a chargecard to order the UBD prior to sailing. Apparently you’ll need to call once on the ship to set the time which is generally about 6:00 or 8:00.

 

We usually have enough onboard credit so we need to call room service upon boarding to reserve & use OBC to pay for the UBD.

 

I agree that it’s best to have the UBD in Hawaii which we did during the late evening in Honolulu. We had a port side balcony cabin & scheduled it early enough to enjoy the sunset.

 

Although you may be planning it for your actual 50th anniversary date...congratulations! :champagne-toast:

Edited by Astro Flyer
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Belle

Belle

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Yes do it online. I wrote the day I wanted it. On the ship they called me

to confirm the date and what time I wanted. They come to the room and

set the menu with you days before. We changed a couple of the food items, no problem.

It really is nice. Yes lots of food. you keep the flowers and get a picture.

 

Did this in Oct. on a port day that left late, if cruising it could be windy.

I would do it in Honolulu since there till 11 pm.

 

Happy Anniversary!

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

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Thanks to Astro Flyer I found it now. Onboard Reservations then Culinary Delights---Not only that, they have a scroll bar so you can select the date. Plus a place for special messages.

 

You’re welcome...it’d be much easier to locate under Specialty Dining Reservations than with Culinary Delights such as canapés, veggie platter and other snacks to have in cabin. I used their Website Feedback option at the bottom of the page to suggest changing the balcony dining options to Specialty Dining Reservations.

 

I think they put a card in the cabin during embarkation which can be an issue when wanting the UBD to be a surprise for the other person. Not sure if contacting Princess in advance would eliminate the card or if the person ordering the UBD has to enter first to hide the card.

 

It’s also possible to prepay to reserve the Deluxe Balcony Breakfast ($45) but it’s not limited availability. Unlike the UBD, the breakfast delivers all of the food at once & for us once was enough. We did it the morning after sailing from Lahaina Maui en route to the Mainland & it was warm enough however too windy to fully enjoy. That’s why we prefer to have the UBD in port or during sailaway to hopefully have the best weather possible. That’s worked for all of our UBDs except during a December sailaway from Santorini when inclement weather forced us inside our cabin & it was still great. :)

Edited by Astro Flyer
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geoherb "Live from...." Rare

geoherb

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We had the UBD on the Royal earlier this month. When I booked it, I had to specify the date. But apparently that info did not make it to the ship. The room service person asked me again when I called to arrange the dinner. She came to our cabin to go over the menu. They were able to fulfill our requests (no nuts on one salad, no pear on the other, no asparagus with the entrees, and a flourless chocolate cake). The last one was up in the air. She said she would check. The waiters brought us a menu of the desserts being served that day and we chose souffles. They brought the souffles, then brought me a birthday cake, and then brought a slice of flourless chocolate cake. Needless to say, we did not eat all of them that night.

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polmcs

polmcs

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And thanks to Larry 613 for bringing this up----since we will be passing through Honolulu on January 28th and not sailing until 10:00 PM I just made reservations on the Pacific Princess.

 

I was just about to suggest that you do it in Honolulu when there is a late departure. If you are in the MDR on that voyage, traditional dinning is not available and it reverts to any time dinning that night, so you won't be missing much. We did it in Honolulu on out last HI cruise on the Star and absolutely loved it!

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

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Just a quick question please. Can 2 couples enjoy the UBD or is it just for 2 people? Thank you!

 

I haven’t needed to have more than 2 people but have read posts that it was possible on a balcony large enough to accommodate 4 people such as the larger 9’x9’ Caribe deck balconies on most Princess ships although not on Royal-Class ships.

Edited by Astro Flyer
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tulips*n*truffles

tulips*n*truffles

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Just a quick question please. Can 2 couples enjoy the UBD or is it just for 2 people? Thank you!

 

I treated my parents to this for their 38th wedding anniversary as well as two of our birthdays just a couple of years ago. We were sailing past greece at sunset as we cut into incredible steaks and lobster and it was so perfect! There were 4 of us and we had a Caribe balcony - anything smaller I think would be really tight.

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tulips*n*truffles

tulips*n*truffles

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I'm so happy this is finally able to book online! A couple of years ago I treated my parents and BFF for their 38th wedding anniversary and our birthdays...it was just incredible! We called the minute we boarded the ship to reserve the date and choose our meals (steak, lobster, or surf n' turf) and were thrilled we had a clear night. Had a Caribe balcony and it was perfect for the 4 of us. Don't hesitate to book this and enjoy every bite! It's an insane amount of food but we were so wonderfully miserable from the meal!! :) It didn't hurt that we were sailing alongside Greece at sunset!

 

*First course: selection of small bites (smoked salmon, cheese, and pate)

*Second course: crab quiche with vegetables

*Third course: mixed salad with walnuts and goat cheese (balsamic or honey mustard dressing)

*Fourth course: we all chose surf and turf – the best steak I’ve had in my life with mushroom sauce and beautiful lobster tail with drawn butter, asparagus with hollandaise, carrots, and zucchini.

*Dessert course: quartet of chocolate mousse (dark, white, milk, and hazelnut) with raspberries and plate of petit fours.

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