newbie questions

[kirby1200]

1. Are you allowed to bring a bottle of wine onboard? Do you have to hide it?

 

2. Are the special restaurants you have to pay for worth it? Or can you get great food in the dining room? If we only eat at one, what is your favorite Diamond Princess Restaurant?

 

3. On the formal dress nights, I'm assuming they just turn the dining room into a formal restaurant? And serve different food?

 

4. Is it worth paying extra $$ to get a AA cabin?

 

5.

[ssbeagle]

The best way to bring a bottle of wine on board is to pack it very well in the checked luggage. Sometimes it will be confiscated if you carry it on.

 

The specialty restaurants are well worth the extra $s. We always eat at the Sterling Steakhouse when on board one night. We haven't been to Sabatini's because they just serve too much food and the food in the dining room is always good. We usually pick a night we don't care for the dinner menu to eat at the steakhouse.

 

The fomal nights means everyone dresses from smart casual to formal dress (no jeans, shorts, tees, etc.) and they usually have cocktail parties (Captain's welcome aboard) on those nights. Men wear jacket and tie and everyone looks very nice. If you don't want to dress up you can always eat up in the buffet.

 

Having a balcony is really nice especially if you are in a good climate. We use our balcony quite often even if it's just to poke our heads out and see what the weather is like before we get dressed.

[tvaud]

Princess allows one bottle of wine or champagne per passenger, so no need to hide it in your luggage.

Yes, the specialty restaurants are worth the extra fee. Which you choose is up to your own personal taste. They are both wonderful. The food in the main dining rooms is very good as well.

On formal evenings, the dining rooms are pretty much the same, but the waiters are dressed more formally as are the passengers. Most passengers follow the dress guidelines set by Princess, so you will see most men in tuxedoes or dark suits, while the ladies will be in gowns and cocktail dresses. A few people don't care to dress formally and partake of the buffet instead. The food on formal nights in the dining room is usually a selection of lobster, beef wellington, escargot...the high end food items as well as others. If you like the high end food items, it's best to not book one of the specialty restaurants then.

The only difference in mini suites is location. Those on Emerald Deck will have covered balconies, while the Dolphin Deck minis will be open with no covering. AA will be in the center of the ship, which is more desirabe for some. Otherwise, the minis are identical.

[paul929207]

You may carryon 1 bottle of wine per adult passenger. If you want to drink it in the dining room there will be a corkage charge.

 

On formal nights the Traditional and Anytime dining rooms are formal. The meal is nicer those nights.

[Babs02]

The best thing to do with these is go along to the restaurant where they display the menu, you can then decide if you like the food and book a table. Thats what we did.

 

Babs

 

 

Crown Princess June 2007

Navigator of the Seas February 2008

[Colo Cruiser]

I don't think it is worth the extra $$$ for an AA, stay with a mini though and pick a cheaper cat. The only difference is location on the ship. :)

[MSN-Travelers]

1. Are you allowed to bring a bottle of wine onboard? Do you have to hide it? One bottle per person. No need to smuggle it aboard.

 

2. Are the special restaurants you have to pay for worth it? Or can you get great food in the dining room? If we only eat at one, what is your favorite Diamond Princess Restaurant? Great food is served in all of the dining rooms. The value added while dining in a specialty restaurant, is a matter of personal choice. We enjoy a real good steak with superior service so we will eat in the steak house at least once.

 

3. On the formal dress nights, I'm assuming they just turn the dining room into a formal restaurant? And serve different food? The dining rooms are the same as any upscale restaurant. There is additional decor on formal nights, the staff is in fancier dress and the food is slightly higher end (lobster, etc.). The real difference is in passenger dress.

 

4. Is it worth paying extra $$ to get a AA cabin? The difference between different cabin classes is often size and location on the ship. Within the same cabin class, the difference is primarily location. If you are a group of three, I would stay with an A? mini-suite. Do I think an AA mini-suite is worth the extra money vs. another mini-suite ... no.

 

Enjoy!

[Gunman]

You are allowed to bring wine aboard, even from port visits. It is much less expensive to buy wine ashore and drink it in your cabin. If you take it to the dining room, there is a corkage fee. On a 30 day cruise, I brought my wine aboard and replenished when we arrived in Hawaii. I was not limited to one bottle. Security checked my bags and passed me through each time. In Australia and New Zealand many folks brought their own wines onboard.

[phatmatt]

We ate at Sabatini's and felt it was well worth the additional cost. Be prepared, though. It really is a HUGE amount of food. We were expecting slightly more upscale food, but similar to the dining room. Instead, we were served food that was several steps above what we'd come to expect in the dining room (which in our opinion wasn't bad at all), with better service than we'd received anywhere else on the ship. Additionally, they have a large number of appetizers, but you don't need to pick from the list: all of them are served. If you are going to eat at Sabatini's, make sure you are hungry.