Ultimate Balcony Dinner

[TAW1963]

2 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Thank you for the warning, but we are very familiar with forward facing balcony cabins on the Royal class ships and we seek them out when available for specific types of scenic cruises. We have had the absolute joy of having them in Alaska several times and also a couple of times on our Mexican Riviera cruises. So we know both the incredible advantages as well as some of the pitfalls. We are beyond thrilled to have snagged one of these cabins for sailing through the Norwegian fjords. 
 

The night I have in mind for our dinner we will be sailing out of Olden through Njordfjord so we will be in very protected waters and going slow - very similar to

our Alaska scenic cruising, although likely even more protected. We used our balcony nonstop in Alaska - rain or shine. 
 

We will be exiting the fjord for several hours and so I’m really not that concerned about wind. Rain I know could potentially be a problem, but fingers crossed it will be a glorious June evening in Norway. The balconies are partially covered and we can always set up by or just inside the door if need be. I’m not worried - just really looking forward to giving my DH this wonderful surprise for his birthday!

We are the very same and have several forward facing cabins booked for the next two years.  We are in one of the four corner reserve collection mini-suites for Alaska next month.  We are super excited.

[TAW1963]

8 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

Thank you for the warning, but we are very familiar with forward facing balcony cabins on the Royal class ships and we seek them out when available for specific types of scenic cruises. We have had the absolute joy of having them in Alaska several times and also a couple of times on our Mexican Riviera cruises. So we know both the incredible advantages as well as some of the pitfalls. We are beyond thrilled to have snagged one of these cabins for sailing through the Norwegian fjords. 
 

The night I have in mind for our dinner we will be sailing out of Olden through Njordfjord so we will be in very protected waters and going slow - very similar to

our Alaska scenic cruising, although likely even more protected. We used our balcony nonstop in Alaska - rain or shine. 
 

We will be exiting the fjord for several hours and so I’m really not that concerned about wind. Rain I know could potentially be a problem, but fingers crossed it will be a glorious June evening in Norway. The balconies are partially covered and we can always set up by or just inside the door if need be. I’m not worried - just really looking forward to giving my DH this wonderful surprise for his birthday!

It will be a great birthday surprise for your DH!  I am sure you will have a lovely meal and a great evening.  

[karatemom2]

1 minute ago, TAW1963 said:

We are the very same and have several forward facing cabins booked for the next two years.  We are in one of the four corner reserve collection mini-suites for Alaska next month.  We are super excited.

 

Oh my gosh - lucky you!! We have tried to book one of those corner cabins but never had any luck because they go quickly. It will be amazing for you in Alaska. Our last trip in 2022 we had the two middle cabins right next door and we got to know our neighbors because we were literally always out on our balconies on cruising days. They said it was their favorite cabin they have ever had on a Princess ship. You are in for such a treat. Enjoy!!

[TAW1963]

2 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

 

Oh my gosh - lucky you!! We have tried to book one of those corner cabins but never had any luck because they go quickly. It will be amazing for you in Alaska. Our last trip in 2022 we had the two middle cabins right next door and we got to know our neighbors because we were literally always out on our balconies on cruising days. They said it was their favorite cabin they have ever had on a Princess ship. You are in for such a treat. Enjoy!!

Thanks so much!  One of these became available last month while we were on the Discovery and I was searching the Alaska cruises.  I purchased a FCD and then went down to the future cruise desk and had them book it.  They are usually always booked this late so we lucked out this time.

[Cruise Raider]

On 4/14/2024 at 5:53 PM, Astro Flyer said:

Was that recently? None came last week on Discovery but that was okay as the waiters used our iPhone to take photos.

We did ours on the night leaving Manzanillo and had a photographer.  Although, it was so windy in port so, we all look like we were fighting the winds until we got out of the port.  I think some of the nice champagne glasses but the dust even before the start.  Still, it was one of the best meals I have ever had!  
 

[XBGuy]

@lgonquin. you asked about the menu.  @Astro Flyer posted some terrific pictures of their UBD, and that is a great representation of the UBD.  Here is the menu that accompanied our meal on the Emerald Princess some years ago,  Over the years, the menu has not changed that much.  The main course is always a choice between Filet Mignon, Lobster Tails or Surf 'n' Turf,  In four UBDs I have seen some slight changes in the starters.  Also, though, as you might expect, sometimes supplies do not get loaded onto the ship prior to departure, and, so, adjustments might be required.

 

 

 

 

 

Some people have reported that they have been about to make off-menu requests.  We are very OK with the standard choices and have never made a special request.  I would think that special requests are at the discretion of the Room Service management.

 

You can instruct them on when to serve beverages.  We have always had the Champagne served immediately with the Canapes.  We have always requested a glass of wine for our cocktail and ask for that to be served after the canapes.  To be honest, the wine is not that great.  So, we have bottles of our own wine standing by to enjoy with our meal.  Coffee and tea are available and will be brought when you specify. 

 

 

 

[Astro Flyer]

1 hour ago, XBGuy said:

Some people have reported that they have been about to make off-menu requests.  We are very OK with the standard choices and have never made a special request.  I would think that special requests are at the discretion of the Room Service management.

We’ve never requested any changes but once mentioned that one of our favorites (Twice Baked Goat Cheese Soufflé) was on the MDR menu that night. They offered to include it with the UBD however we declined their offer because we enjoy the standard menu…and we didn’t need another course to be even more full. ☺️

 

[Suite Susie]

We had it after we left Olden in July last year. Unfortunately they had to move us inside as it started to rain. It maybe pretty chilly though, but as long as it’s dry and you something warm to put on, you should be fine. The food and service was fantastic. We are sailing to Norway again on 27th April, but are fortunately are staying on for the 14 night Med cruise that follows. We hope to schedule a Balcony Dinner on this leg, where it should be warmer. 

Edited April 16 by Suite Susie
Error

[karatemom2]

4 minutes ago, Suite Susie said:

We had it after we left Olden as well. Unfortunately they had to move us inside as it started to rain. It will probably be very cold though, but as long as it’s dry and you have warm boots and coats, you should be fine. The food and service was fantastic. We are also on your sailing on 27th April, but are fortunately are staying on for the 14 night Med cruise that follows. We hope to schedule a Balcony Dinner on this leg, where it should be warmer. Hope to bump into you on board. 

 

Thanks for sharing your experience! We will hope for dry weather, but be prepared for anything. That has been our experience in Alaska as well - we just go with the flow and accept whatever nature offers.

 

We are actually on the June 15 Land of the Midnight Sun cruise, so unfortunately won't meet up with you on your Norway cruise, but I hope you come back and share your experiences. We did the Med cruise on the Sky last September and it was fabulous. We are so looking forward to experiencing Norway. Enjoy your upcoming cruises!!

[Suite Susie]

I just realised that and edited my earlier post, but you saw it too soon!  You will love the Land of the Midnight Sun cruise. That was the one we were on last June and we were mostly blessed with hot, sunny weather. Suggest you book it as planned, but keep an eye on the weather forecasts and maybe try and shift it if the forecast doesn’t look good. We had 75F in the North Cape!

[fetzablu63]

I also booked the Balcony Dining on the Emerald Princess on our July Canada cruise out of Boston, MA. We were fortunate to book a corner aft cabin on the Caribe deck. We will be departing Sydney, Canada at 6pm on the night of the Balcony Dining. What time do you suggest that we schedule the dinner for to get the best views.

TIA

[suzyed]

On 4/15/2024 at 9:57 AM, karatemom2 said:

I went ahead and booked and paid for it last night and had the confirmation sent to my work email so DH won’t see it. It was nice to find that they let you select for whom it is being purchased as a gift and write a short message. I’m wondering if there will be a card waiting in our stateroom when we arrive?   
 

I am ok with no photographer - I imagine they would charge for the photo anyway. I had to buy the photograph from our 360 dinner, which I didn’t mind because it was a really nice family photo, but after so many cruises we don’t usually do the whole photo thing anymore. I will probably follow@Astro Flyer’s idea and just ask our waiter to take a picture with my phone. 

They did not charge for the photo.  But we also had our waiters take some pics with or phones.