Ideas For Sail-Away Party on Balcony?

[rdwinelvr]

My husband and I, along with two other couples, will be sailing the Enchanted Princess on November 5 departing from New York.  We have an aft corner suite and I'd like to host a sail-away party for our group since we've read we should be able to see the Statue of Liberty.  Does anyone have ideas or experience with getting food (appetizers) and drinks for this?  Is room service available on embarkation day?   Or would they have anything special available if I called customer service?

[reedprincess]

24 minutes ago, rdwinelvr said:

My husband and I, along with two other couples, will be sailing the Enchanted Princess on November 5 departing from New York.  We have an aft corner suite and I'd like to host a sail-away party for our group since we've read we should be able to see the Statue of Liberty.  Does anyone have ideas or experience with getting food (appetizers) and drinks for this?  Is room service available on embarkation day?   Or would they have anything special available if I called customer service?

You can order party platters such as cheese and crackers, shrimp, fruit or veggies, etc from the celebration packages. You'll have a card in your room and call for delivery.

There's sail away packages also. Champagne or cakes, etc .

No, regular room service isn't available til after sailaway.

You could go to the buffet and get plates of food and bring back to the cabin - straight shot up/down the aft elevators.. and outrigger bar is directly up from you, aft of Horizon Terrace buffet.. 

[rdwinelvr]

Thank you!

[arizonaperson]

To the op.All of you go individually or together  to the bar of your choice and get alcoholic drinks or non-alcoholic drinks, bring them back to your cabin  & have a couple people go to the buffet( if it’s open)  prior to sail away and load up some plates &  put them in your fridge. You can also- each person bring on board a bottle of wine .you could serve wine if you & friends are wine drinkers in your cabin . ( by your user name you enjoy wine)you would just have to get wine glasses from your wine steward ,of course all of this needs to be done before sail away ,so might be doable. Otherwise just enjoy the sail away with no food and drinks and then all of you go as a group to dinner shortly after sail away, if that appeals to you . Enjoy.

[rdwinelvr]

Thank you arizonaperson!  We will definitely have some wine.  😁  I don't usually bother with bringing wine aboard, but this might be a good opportunity to do so since I've been reading about service is backed up at the bars.

[JimmyVWine]

I would add to the earlier post that in addition to the buffet (cheese and charcuterie, olives, crudités, fruit) you can visit the International Cafe for other snacks as well as sweets.  While not used for purposes of a sail away party, my family does this routinely for afternoons on our balcony in the late afternoons to hold us over until dinner. We divide and conquer. Some to the buffet and some to the IC. No charge. And frankly, the offerings that they will deliver to your room usually look pretty sad. 

[Cruise Raider]

I love the idea of a sailaway party on the balcony of your suite.  Yes, BYOS(snacks).  Sounds like a great bon voyage party. 

 

[tonit964]

3 hours ago, rdwinelvr said:

My husband and I, along with two other couples, will be sailing the Enchanted Princess on November 5 departing from New York.  We have an aft corner suite and I'd like to host a sail-away party for our group since we've read we should be able to see the Statue of Liberty.  Does anyone have ideas or experience with getting food (appetizers) and drinks for this?  Is room service available on embarkation day?   Or would they have anything special available if I called customer service?

You can bring a bottle or two of champagne aboard to celebrate sail away and definitely go to the buffet & IC to get food/snacks for the balcony. 
Best way ever to do sail away, especially from NY!

Enjoy your cruise!

[janroatan]

Could you use the Ocean Now app to order snacks to cabin prior sailaway?

[EDVM96]

12 hours ago, rdwinelvr said:

since we've read we should be able to see the Statue of Liberty.

Princess most likely uses the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. You can see the SoL during departure, but you will not sail as close to it as you would do when departing from Manhattan Cruise Terminal.

[rdwinelvr]

7 hours ago, janroatan said:

Could you use the Ocean Now app to order snacks to cabin prior sailaway?

That's a good question.  With all the reviews I'm reading about the long wait times or lack of delivery altogether, I am a bit nervous about relying on that.  Hopefully they will have a lot of that resolved before we board.

[Ret BC]

You also may consider reaching out to the staff in the Concierge lounge as soon as you get on board.  Our experience with the staff there was wonderful, and they couldn't do enough for us.  Helping with a party sounds like something that would love to do. Hope this may help.  Have a great trip!

 

[jinja0707]

Great advice for picking up snacks above.  If room in your luggage,  you could also pack some of your favourite snacks, dried biscuits, pototo chips, I think you may call them crisps? Packets of peanuts, cashews etc Pkt dried fruit to add to cheese plate . Have a wonderful,sailaway party.

[Fa-Li]

Remember, too, that when you get to your cabin there will be a welcome bowl of fruit, and sometimes a plate of canapes.  When we had a sail away party for our large group on our aft balcony, this actually was plenty of food, because everyone had boarded and eaten lunch, and then we were headed to dinner shortly after sail away.  

[MissP22]

21 hours ago, rdwinelvr said:

That's a good question.  With all the reviews I'm reading about the long wait times or lack of delivery altogether, I am a bit nervous about relying on that.  Hopefully they will have a lot of that resolved before we board.

Our experience has always been that the delivery service is extremely slow on the first day. Everyone seem to want to utilize room service.

 

[cr8tiv1]

Fruit bowls were not included in any of my post cruises.  5 pieces of something on the large canape plate would not go very far.  I've stopped eating those.  

 

My vote goes to cheese and crackers (bring your own) from the IC.  You can also pre-order a vegetable platter (not crudité) before you sail for delivery at a cost.

[geocruiser]

Here are some other things in the harbor to view as you are sailing out.

Fort Jay Governor's Island

 

https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/new-york-national-parks/governors-island-national-monument-park-at-a-glance/governors-island-national-monument/

 

https://www.govisland.com/history#:~:text=FORT JAY%2C CASTLE WILLIAMS AND SOUTH BATTERY&text=Castle Williams%2C the second of,were concentrated on Governors Island.

 

https://www.nps.gov/gois/learn/historyculture/fortjay.htm

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jay

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Island

 

 

 

Hoffman and Swinburne Island 

Just out side the V-bridge

 

https://www.oldstatenisland.org/hoffman-island.html

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffman_Island

 

https://www.abandonedspaces.com/hospital/swinburne-island.html?chrome=1

 

Brooklyn side of the V-Bridge is Fort Hamilton 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Hamilton

 

Staten Island side of the V-Bridge Fort Wadsworth

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Wadsworth

[rdwinelvr]

18 hours ago, Ret BC said:

You also may consider reaching out to the staff in the Concierge lounge as soon as you get on board.  Our experience with the staff there was wonderful, and they couldn't do enough for us.  Helping with a party sounds like something that would love to do. Hope this may help.  Have a great trip!

 

Great idea, thank you!  And we will be just down the hall from them.

[rdwinelvr]

2 hours ago, geocruiser said:

Here are some other things in the harbor to view as you are sailing out.

 

Great list - Thank you!

[JimmyVWine]

41 minutes ago, rdwinelvr said:

Great list - Thank you!

Also, in case you are planning on being in NYC for a day or more before the cruise, a couple of things to note.  The Christmas Plaza on Bryant Park will be operational by then.  I think it starts on 10/29. That is always fun.  Though the rink at Rockefeller Center does not open until just after you set sail.  Also, the NY Marathon will take place on November 6, so preparations will be well under way when you are there, (if you are going to be there.)  That will cause street closures and lots of police barriers in certain parts of the city, mostly the  Upper East Side and Central Park South.  

[JoRoy218]

This was on the Regal to New England. You do get a nice view of Lower Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty was not very close, I used zoom on my camera for  better pics. It’s also a beautiful “glide” under the Verrazano bridge. If you are disembarking in NY,  would be nice to get up early so you can get the full effect of arriving at dawn. (I grew up in NY so these are special pics for me!)