Boarding Sapphire at Southampton and lunch

We are due to board (embark) the Sapphire Princess in Southampton on Saturday and were hoping to have lunch in which ever MDR was open. We have, however, been given a check-in time of 1pm and I'm not sure whether the MDR will still be open by the time we get on board.

I have a couple of questions on this having not sailed with Princess before...

1. What time will the MDR stop serving lunch?

2. Can we check in earlier than our allotted time and wait on-board for our cabin to be made ready or will we simply be turned away at check in until 1pm?

Whenever we have sailed from Southampton with Royal Caribbean we have been able to board straight away and simply wait until our cabin was available but not sure how Princess handles this.

Thanks

The MDR serving lunch stops seating people at 1:30.

The arrival time you've been given is a "suggestion." You can arrive any time after about 10; boarding usually begins about 11:15.

On our last cruise (April) we were told that the cabins wouldn't be available till 1pm. We took a chance and hoped that we'd be allowed to drop our carry on luggage. We found our cabin totally ready at 11:30, although I can't address the rest of the ship's cabins.

A few weeks ago we boarded at 11-15 and our cabin was available. After depositing the hand luggage we took a stroll around the ship and at 12.30 went for lunch. However the MDR was not open and we were directed to Horizon Court.

Ah, that's good to know. We are quite happy (and used to) wandering around ship with our hand luggage.

If the MDR is not open then I think we will head for Alfredo's.

Thanks

Hi, We were on Sapphire 5-12 May.

As soon as we arrived by taxi just before 12 noon a porter took our luggage and it was in our room when we arrived back from lunch. Although our designated arrival time was 1pm there was no problem arriving early. We went straight to the main dining room for lunch although staff and Patters (the daily news sheet) advised going to the Horizon buffet. We had a wonderful lunch with very friendly waiters in the main dining room, which closed at 1.30pm. It was a great start to our cruise.

Hope you will have a wonderful time.

Lynne:)

Thanks Lynn. We always like to avoid the buffet restaurant on our boarding day as it can get a bit hectic up there. Glad we can arrive early. We will be staying at a local hotel friday night and I'd rather hang about on the ship than at a Premier Inn

The embarkation day Patter will show the lunch time hours (12:00 to 1:30) against which ever MDR is open.

A few weeks ago we boarded at 11-15 and our cabin was available. After depositing the hand luggage we took a stroll around the ship and at 12.30 went for lunch. However the MDR was not open and we were directed to Horizon Court.

How did you determine that none of the dining rooms was open for lunch?

OP ..last August we arrived on a transfer and boarded as priority at 2pm in South Hampton and those without priority were told to have a seat, there was still a crowd seated waiting to be called, at 2pm??....I do not know if there was a hold up..but just relaying our experience.

May 12th out of Seattle I got on at 12:30 and cabins were not opened until an announcement was made about 12:45....when I entered the ship they guided everyone into an elevator and told you that u were gng for a snack upstairs and the rooms were not ready.

I mentioned I wanted to go to the MDR and they told me I needed to use the elevators in the middle of the ship...I took my carry-on, my only piece of luggage with me to the dining room it was totally dead.

Being an Alaska cruise lots of Newbies(follow instructions)...but the way they guided us in an elevator, I had never experienced that before, and I was just on the same ship on a PC 5 weeks ago.

We have had the cabins not being ready until 1pm on a few of our cruises in the last couple of years. On this Alaska cruise the cabin ready announcement told pax they could PU their luggage at the "storage area" so when they went up to the HC they must of collected luggage in a common location.

Always something new on each cruise......it always works out.

I have also been on cruises where the dining room has been closed for lunch on embarkation day. But, now with Club Class I would doubt if that would happen.

Hi, We were on Sapphire 5-12 May.

 

 

 

As soon as we arrived by taxi just before 12 noon a porter took our luggage and it was in our room when we arrived back from lunch. Although our designated arrival time was 1pm there was no problem arriving early. We went straight to the main dining room for lunch although staff and Patters (the daily news sheet) advised going to the Horizon buffet. We had a wonderful lunch with very friendly waiters in the main dining room, which closed at 1.30pm. It was a great start to our cruise.

Hope you will have a wonderful time.

Lynne:)

This is so good to know 😊 we have a boarding time of 1.45 & we weren’t sure whether we could arrive earlier (we haven’t sailed from Southampton on Princess for a while) as we were looking forward to starting our cruise with a lovely lunch onboard 😊 We have preferred/priority boarding but didn’t know if that meant we could turn up any earlier either.

Happy cruising everyone 😊

Having sailed with Royal Caribbean a few times, we are used to wandering around (well, sitting in an eatery) with our hand luggage. Our cabins have never been ready before 2pm with RC and we are usually onboard by mid-day. So, if we can do the same with Princess, that will be good.

On the back of the above comments does Southampton provide a Elite lounge pre - cruise ,in the terminal.

And what time is this available if there is .

Many Thanks .

Will be embarking on Sapphire on June 2.

Many have mentioned the found the MDR open for lunch but no one said which MDR.

We have had lunch in a dining room only once, and enjoyed it thoroughly, and want to do it again

Can others please say which MDR was open for lunch on embarkation so we can at least check there frist

Thanks in advance for your responses

On the back of the above comments does Southampton provide a Elite lounge pre - cruise ,in the terminal.

And what time is this available if there is .

Many Thanks .

Yes, it's just a cordoned off area in a corner. No idea what time it's available from.

Will be embarking on Sapphire on June 2.

Many have mentioned the found the MDR open for lunch but no one said which MDR.

We have had lunch in a dining room only once, and enjoyed it thoroughly, and want to do it again

Can others please say which MDR was open for lunch on embarkation so we can at least check there frist

Thanks in advance for your responses

On each of our cruises it’s been in one of the two MDRs located adjacent to the atrium on deck 5 or 6. Although on the Sapphire the two MDRs are divided into four MDRs.

Sometimes the location is shown in the Patter but not always. And when asking staff they’ll direct passengers to the buffet. Instead we go to each MDR entrance to determine which MDR is open & is seating passengers for lunch between noon & 1:30.

We’re boarding the Sapphire on 6/23 & if possible would appreciate knowing which restaurant was used & about your Southampton boarding experience.

On each of our cruises it’s been in one of the two MDRs located adjacent to the atrium on deck 5 or 6. Although on the Sapphire the two MDRs are divided into four MDRs.

 

Sometimes the location is shown in the Patter but not always. And when asking staff they’ll direct passengers to the buffet. Instead we go to each MDR entrance to determine which MDR is open & is seating passengers for lunch between noon & 1:30.

 

We’re boarding the Sapphire on 6/23 & if possible would appreciate knowing which restaurant was used & about your Southampton boarding experience.

Yea - on my last Sapphire cruises (multiple but years ago) - it was always the aft dining room. I hope it has changed.

I would like to know which dining room also. Not sure if I will make it in time.

Astro Flyer

Thanks for the information

I will post which MDR was open on June 2

Astro Flyer

Thanks for the information

I will post which MDR was open on June 2

Thanks...we’re looking forward to once again sailing on the recently refurbished Sapphire Princess. It’s been over 4 years since last sailing the Sapphire before beginning its Asian deployment.

We were told on a Princess cruise the only place for lunch is the buffet. Being Elite passengers, we went to every dining room and of course one was open! There were only six people in the dining room. It was a nice quiet lunch. Never believe what they tell you!