heatherb1958 Posted July 13 #1 Share Posted July 13 Hi all , we are on Caribbean princess soon in a true aft balcony and after seeing some videos on YouTube about the Ultimate balcony dinner for 2 thought it would be a great opportunity to experience it at sailaway which is scheduled for 6pm on the day I have chosen. What have folks experiences been like? . First off , you do only purchase in one person's name and it is for 2 people right ? Secondly , what is the earliest time you could start the evening off ? I am guessing it is from restaurant open hours maybe . I saw somewhere that a photo is included, is that still the case ? Princesses' website doesn't show every minute detail of what is actually included so any responses from folks who have done it in the past 6 months would be appreciated. I know there are cutbacks in all areas with all cruiselines so recent first hand experience replies would be truly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PacnGoNow Posted July 13 #2 Share Posted July 13 Our favorite dinner to book! If you’re doing it the first night, put that in the notes when you book it. Then call RS upon boarding and make sure it is okay. They will take your order and any food restrictions. Have another date in mind, just in case. First day is a little busy for the MDR’s and I usually choose another port day, with a beautiful backdrop. But, your cruise, your choice! The earliest is usually 5pm when the MDR is open. Sometimes they do it at 530p earliest. Depends on the ship. Yes, you can reserve for 1, it is a dinner for two. Click on both names if you have the option. Yes, photo is included. But, remind the waiter you would like the photo. They will bring photographer up. You also get a small vase of a couple of flowers on the table. Still our favorite, not many cuts here. A lot of food, so pace yourself. Thank goodness there is a mini fridge! We do it every cruise and they never disappoint! Do check your weather ahead of time. You want a great weather day. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EtaC Posted July 13 #3 Share Posted July 13 My wife and I did this dinner in an aft cabin on Caribbean Princess as well. The larger balcony helped as we didn't feel cramped. It was pre-covid so the details may have changed. We had it around 7 after we left St. Maarten and had a wonderful view of the island as we sailed off. I don't recall getting a photo, although we took many ourselves. We got a pre-dinner cocktail of our choice, wine, appetizer, the main course, and dessert. Overall, it was a great experience. It felt like we had our own private dining room with dedicated waiters. The table is set with a white tablecloth, flowers, and candles (electric of course). Highly recommended over the other specialty restaurants and not that much more expensive given what's included. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabookkeeper Posted July 13 #4 Share Posted July 13 We were on the Sky at the end of December. My son and his husband used our balcony to do a balcony dinner. It was their first cruise and we insisted they do this as we have done it on every cruise we have been on and never disappointed. They were very pleased with the service and the food. For the picture they had to buy the picture and then go to the person in the photo area to have the charge reversed. They changed the meal from surf and turf to just the steak and I believe this was the only change they made. It is well worth the money. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Flyer Posted July 13 #5 Share Posted July 13 3 hours ago, heatherb1958 said: so any responses from folks who have done it in the past 6 months would be appreciated. I know there are cutbacks in all areas with all cruiselines so recent first hand experience replies would be truly appreciated. We have enjoyed many UBDs and most recently in April on Discovery anchored off Cabo San Lucas…no cutbacks & just as good as previously including pre pandemic. I was surprised to learn that you could book it on the busy first day. It’s been our experience that times were at 6:00 and 8:00 but they’ll make it earlier if that works best for you. We’ve enjoyed it on larger (9’x9’) and smaller (9’x4’) balconies…even once inside due to inclement weather conditions. Here are a few photos of our most recent UBD 😋 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDWalt Posted July 13 #6 Share Posted July 13 We did the UBD on the Caribbean Princess pre-covid. We were booked in the Grand Suite and had the dinner for 4 inside instead of on the balcony. The heat and humidity were overwhelming in the Caribbean at the time, so we opted for inside. Best experience ever. We were provided with pre-dinner cocktails & wine I think as well as hors d'oeuvres/appetizers. We all ordered the surf & turf (with veggies, etc.) and also received the always great fettuccine alfredo (+ grilled shrimp!), salad, desert, etc. It did come with the photos. The photography took a bunch we were able to choose from. Maybe we got some extra special treatment since we were in the suite, but the staff didn't seem that anything was out of the ordinary. We've got a AUS/Nz planned with friends in Jan 2026 & I think we'll try a repeat since we have an aft penthouse booked. Definitely go for it! Spectacular! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare tulok Posted July 14 #7 Share Posted July 14 We had it during St Kitts sail away around 545p as we left at 6p. I requested steak with shrimp as I don’t care for lobster. It came with probably 8 shrimps. The food was very good. The photographer came without asking and with the sun behind us took 15 pictures. We could choose one for free and we ended up buying another one. They were very good with the sun setting behind us. If we did again, I would ask to bring everything at once as I didn’t care for the in and out. A great waiter and even more the assistant. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare karatemom2 Posted July 14 #8 Share Posted July 14 We just did this on the Sky a couple of weeks ago and it was a wonderful experience. I had pre booked it for my husband’s birthday. When we arrived in our stateroom there was a certificate there with the “card” I had written. Within the first couple of hours of arriving in our room, we got a call from room service confirming our date and time. We scheduled for 5:30 pm which was the earliest time offered. They also confirmed our preferences - surf and turf, or all surf or all turf. Also how we wanted our filet cooked. They confirmed we had no food allergies and also what our preference was for our included cocktails. On the date of our dinner our wait team arrived right on time, served our cocktails, and set up our table and seated us. A photographer was there who took several photos. They weren’t included but we opted to purchase one. The food and champagne were wonderful and service was attentive and flowed smoothly. It was fabulous. We would absolutely recommend it and do it again. A very special evening! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatherb1958 Posted July 14 Author #9 Share Posted July 14 Thank you all so much for the replies , so so glad I booked it now. Our itinerary is a cold one but we are from Northern England so will just put on an extra jumper 😆. One more question re the cocktail... we are on Princess plus anyways but can you literally order what you want or is it from a set list, quite fancy sitting there with a Vodka martini and our 'butler' serving it 😆. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mina Posted July 14 #10 Share Posted July 14 12 minutes ago, heatherb1958 said: Thank you all so much for the replies , so so glad I booked it now. Our itinerary is a cold one but we are from Northern England so will just put on an extra jumper 😆. One more question re the cocktail... we are on Princess plus anyways but can you literally order what you want or is it from a set list, quite fancy sitting there with a Vodka martini and our 'butler' serving it 😆. In the past, we have exchanged the cocktails and champagne for a bottle of wine. The wine options are limited, but you can ask when picking your options. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare tulok Posted July 14 #11 Share Posted July 14 When I talked to the dine line, they asked if we wanted additional drinks with the champagne. I ordered martinis. I should have said with the appetizers. Instead they delivered the drinks with dessert. I also asked the assistant for coffee and they had it by the end of the meal. They took the drinks from our package. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjpj Posted July 14 #12 Share Posted July 14 Anyway to do the UBD if you don't have a balcony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherri1 Posted July 15 #13 Share Posted July 15 Ask to have in set up in a "non used" evening area. I..e. The sanctuary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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