Dining room hours, formal nights, and embarkation times on the Star

Where can I find the hours that the MDR serves dinner, and which nights are the formal nights on our cruise? We are on the Star leaving 5/25 (just two weeks!) I thought I saw it on the Princess website somewhere, but now I can't seem to find it.

I am starting to put together my clothes and trying to figure out if I will be having dinner at the MDR each night. Depending on when it stops serving, I might miss dinner one night since my excursion doesn't get back until 8:30 that night. And if that turns out to be one of the formal nights, then I'd need to bring only one formal outfit. I figure that they wouldn't schedule the formal night when the ship is in port until late, since many people wouldn't be on the boat. But who knows...

One other question, I just saw that Emerald deck embarkation starts at 1:30. We are driving up from visiting relatives in Oregon that morning, so should we not bother arriving before 1:30? Or is that more of a suggestion and it would be worth arriving early?

Thanks, all!

Here's a link to dining info. Use it as a guide only as times are subject to change. Correct times will be in your Patter.

Lew

We are going to Alaska on the star in August and our formal nights are: the first day (at sea not embarkation day) and day 6 (when we will have visited Ketchiken in the morning) Hope this helps.

Where can I find the hours that the MDR serves dinner, and which nights are the formal nights on our cruise? We are on the Star leaving 5/25 (just two weeks!) I thought I saw it on the Princess website somewhere, but now I can't seem to find it.

 

I am starting to put together my clothes and trying to figure out if I will be having dinner at the MDR each night. Depending on when it stops serving, I might miss dinner one night since my excursion doesn't get back until 8:30 that night. And if that turns out to be one of the formal nights, then I'd need to bring only one formal outfit. I figure that they wouldn't schedule the formal night when the ship is in port until late, since many people wouldn't be on the boat. But who knows...

 

One other question, I just saw that Emerald deck embarkation starts at 1:30. We are driving up from visiting relatives in Oregon that morning, so should we not bother arriving before 1:30? Or is that more of a suggestion and it would be worth arriving early?

 

Thanks, all!

As Lew stated above, often the dining times may change. We have had late seating every time, except for one time when we booked just weeks before a cruise and got stuck with anytime, which we hated. But the times for late seating has varied from cruise to cruise, and we don't worry about it, as long as we can see the time in the first day's Patters (a few cruises ago, it wasn't listed even then, the info book on the deck didn't have the time, and even our cabin steward wasn't sure -- because the seatings were going to be changed for our sailing, but finally we found out somehow that night).

As for formal nights, it usually isn't the first or last night of any cruise. The attempt is made to have it on sea days, but for port intensive cruises, it'll be on a day when the ship leaves by 4 or 5pm. If there's holidays involved (which probably wouldn't be for an Alaskan cruise), often formal nights will fall on the holiday eve or day.

Usually we haven't been on cruises on which there is an evening in port (except for two of our Hawaiian cruises, but we went back to the ship for dinner and Victoria for our Alaskan cruise, and we were planning to just go to the Horizon when we got back, but we went by our dining room and the head waiter was still letting people in).

I know that it doesn't help you in terms of packing, unless you bring an outfit that you can wear for one of the formal nights, and vary slightly if wearing for a second (my hubby will even wear the same suit when we had three formal nights, but bring two shirts -- washing one between -- and three different ties; a woman can bring a dressy pair of pants or skirt and a couple of different silky blouses).

Formal night will not occur when you are in port late.

I did the Star itinerary last year. Formal nights were the first and second sea days.

Where can I find the hours that the MDR serves dinner, and which nights are the formal nights on our cruise? We are on the Star leaving 5/25 (just two weeks!) I thought I saw it on the Princess website somewhere, but now I can't seem to find it.

 

I am starting to put together my clothes and trying to figure out if I will be having dinner at the MDR each night. Depending on when it stops serving, I might miss dinner one night since my excursion doesn't get back until 8:30 that night. And if that turns out to be one of the formal nights, then I'd need to bring only one formal outfit. I figure that they wouldn't schedule the formal night when the ship is in port until late, since many people wouldn't be on the boat. But who knows...

 

One other question, I just saw that Emerald deck embarkation starts at 1:30. We are driving up from visiting relatives in Oregon that morning, so should we not bother arriving before 1:30? Or is that more of a suggestion and it would be worth arriving early?

 

Thanks, all!

When we were on the Star in April the MDR times were:

Traditional dining 5:30PM and 8PM (this could be adjusted a little for Alaska).

Anytime: 5:30PM onwards

Dining times did not change when we were in port late.

You can always go to the Buffet any night.

We always focus on our activities, and then let the dining fit around them.

Princess does not "enforce" staggered boarding. Just arrive and you will be checked in.

We are going to Alaska on the star in August and our formal nights are: the first day (at sea not embarkation day) and day 6 (when we will have visited Ketchiken in the morning) Hope this helps.

This is correct. This year the Star is doing the same itinerary that the Golden has been doing previously (Saturday departure) and the formal nights have been these nights for the past 3 years on the Golden.

You will be able to go to dinner the night you get in late (8:30) but you won't have a lot of time to primp. It's not unusual for people to be pretty casual for dinner on late port nights.

I have never seen the staggered boarding times enforced in Seattle. Of course, Princess has been enforcing things lately that they didn't previously... :rolleyes:

We leave on Saturday for Alaska RT out of Seattle and so far, I haven't seen anything in our paperwork regarding a staggered boarding time. Could someone direct me on where to to to find that?

Thanks.

EPC:

Go to Princess.com. Click on Cruise Personalizer. Click on View Itinerary.

Staggered boarding times listed at very bottom.

EPC:

Go to Princess.com. Click on Cruise Personalizer. Click on View Itinerary.

Staggered boarding times listed at very bottom.

Wow, thank you, I never would have seen that without your help. Kind of like reading the fine print of a car lease or something like that, lol. :confused:

Wow, thank you, I never would have seen that without your help. Kind of like reading the fine print of a car lease or something like that, lol. :confused:

It looks (from some of your other posts) that you'll be staying in E729 on the Star. I'm booked in that room in August. If you're able to take pictures, especially of the sofa (or loveseat) and the balcony, it would be greatly appreciated.

I read a review from a year ago that said the couch hadn't been replaced...any info about the room will be appreciated.

Have a great cruise!

As Lew stated above' date=' often the dining times may change. We have had late seating every time, except for one time when we booked just weeks before a cruise and got stuck with anytime, which we hated. But the times for late seating has varied from cruise to cruise, and we don't worry about it, as long as we can see the time in the first day's Patters (a few cruises ago, it wasn't listed even then, the info book on the deck didn't have the time, and even our cabin steward wasn't sure -- because the seatings were going to be changed for our sailing, but finally we found out somehow that night).

 

As for formal nights, it usually isn't the first or last night of any cruise. The attempt is made to have it on sea days, but for port intensive cruises, it'll be on a day when the ship leaves by 4 or 5pm. If there's holidays involved (which probably wouldn't be for an Alaskan cruise), often formal nights will fall on the holiday eve or day.

 

Usually we haven't been on cruises on which there is an evening in port (except for two of our Hawaiian cruises, but we went back to the ship for dinner and Victoria for our Alaskan cruise, and we were planning to just go to the Horizon when we got back, but we went by our dining room and the head waiter was still letting people in).

 

I know that it doesn't help you in terms of packing, unless you bring an outfit that you can wear for one of the formal nights, and vary slightly if wearing for a second (my hubby will even wear the same suit when we had three formal nights, but bring two shirts -- washing one between -- and three different ties; a woman can bring a dressy pair of pants or skirt and a couple of different silky blouses).[/quote']

 

What if my ship departs at 8:30pm and the only sea day we have is the last day, does the formal night still happen? Also with anytime dining on princess, is it still formal and could we request a table for two instead of sitting with a group?

All Anytime Dining means is that you show up when you want. Dress code is the same, so if its formal, then the Anytime rooms are formal as well. If you wish to skip formal, there is always the buffet.

You can request a table for 2, but there will likely be a wait.

The dinning room hours are listed in the Patters you get each day.

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Previous Cruises

Alaska - 2008 Island Princess

Alaska - 2009 (B2B) Island Princess

Alaska - 2010 Royal Princess

Alaska - 2011 Golden Princess

Panama Canal - 2012 Coral Princess

Alaska - 2012 Star Princess

Western Caribbean - 2013 Crown Princess

Future Cruises

Alaska - 2013 Island Princess

Western Caribbean - 2013 Caribbean Princess

Eastern Caribbean - 2014 Royal Princess