Ultimate Balcony Breakfast

[SteelerFanXL]

Can the Balcony Breakfast be booked once on board and if so how far in advance is required?

thank you

[EDDY0827]

Call room service or the DINE line to schedule.

[Perky1]

Depending on the ship but the Enchanted Princess balcony is too small to try and manage breakfast, table is too low and too small to set anything other than coffee on. IMO

[t&atravel]

15 minutes ago, Perky1 said:

Depending on the ship but the Enchanted Princess balcony is too small to try and manage breakfast, table is too low and too small to set anything other than coffee on. IMO

They bring a folding table for the UBB or the UBD.

[Perky1]

30 minutes ago, t&atravel said:

They bring a folding table for the UBB or the UBD.

Did not know that.  That is why we never tried it.  Maybe next year.  Thanks

[Mary Ann 2]

We booked two weeks ago right after we had boarded.  They did not bring a table for breakfast, but we had a large balcony at the very back (aft) with a small round table that worked fine.  They did bring a table for UB dinner.

[wendellman]

9 hours ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

We booked two weeks ago right after we had boarded.  They did not bring a table for breakfast, but we had a large balcony at the very back (aft) with a small round table that worked fine.  They did bring a table for UB dinner.

@Mary Ann 2We have booked the UB dinner for our April cruise on Discovery. Any comments or recommendations? How did you select menu? Are flowers and a photo still part of the package?

[Mary Ann 2]

14 hours ago, wendellman said:

@Mary Ann 2We have booked the UB dinner for our April cruise on Discovery. Any comments or recommendations? How did you select menu? Are flowers and a photo still part of the package?

They will call you to discuss the menu. Previously on a different cruise, we didn't want a salad so that was omitted. On this cruise, I asked for wine rather than a half split champagne and they substituted that. They are pretty good about asking for your preferences. There are multiple courses starting with canapés and ending with dessert ( a wonderful trio of chocolate mouses with chocolate wrapped around it).  There has always been surf and turf (lobster and steak) for the main course.

 

Yes there were flowers though it was a small rose arrangement in a vase rather than the previous centerpiece with mixed flowers.  The photographer was very late (supposed to come early on) and the supervisor had to ultimately call him at the end of the meal, but he took more pictures than ever (maybe due to being late).  We had the Premier package and we got all the digital files of those pictures whereas previously we had always gotten just one printed picture.

 

We usually do it each cruise.  We like the private dinner and since we usually have a balcony overlooking the wake it is very large and private and a special time. Have fun!!

[wendellman]

1 hour ago, Mary Ann 2 said:

They will call you to discuss the menu. Previously on a different cruise, we didn't want a salad so that was omitted. On this cruise, I asked for wine rather than a half split champagne and they substituted that. They are pretty good about asking for your preferences. There are multiple courses starting with canapés and ending with dessert ( a wonderful trio of chocolate mouses with chocolate wrapped around it).  There has always been surf and turf (lobster and steak) for the main course.

 

Yes there were flowers though it was a small rose arrangement in a vase rather than the previous centerpiece with mixed flowers.  The photographer was very late (supposed to come early on) and the supervisor had to ultimately call him at the end of the meal, but he took more pictures than ever (maybe due to being late).  We had the Premier package and we got all the digital files of those pictures whereas previously we had always gotten just one printed picture.

 

We usually do it each cruise.  We like the private dinner and since we usually have a balcony overlooking the wake it is very large and private and a special time. Have fun!!

Thanks for the feedback. We are looking forward to the UB dinner. We have done specialty dining many times and the Chef's Table, but given what we have heard of the UB dinner it seems that it is a great value. We also have a large balcony, forward facing on Discovery's Lido deck. I think we'll also request wine instead of champagne split.

[wendellman]

@jwattleI remember some of your posts when we were first considering forward facing cabins on Princess Royal class ships. We have since been on a Coastal on Majestic and an Alaska on Discovery in forward cabins. Not sure we would consider any other location now. Great location on the Lido deck and a great value (Category DW). We now look forward to another Coastal on Discovery this April. We are looking forward to  testing the UB dinner the evening we are in San Francisco late. If you have any comments or recommendations regarding the UB dinner, they would be appreciated. I remember you appeared to be experienced Princess guests. Have you had the chance to experience the 360 dining event? I'm lobbying for that but, given that we are not in a suite, doubt our chances. But, we will continue to ask and hope! Do I remember you correctly for bringing some very nice wines on your cruises?

[jwattle]

@wendellman Hi! We haven't been on with the 360 yet, but hope to soon! We will be back on Majestic in Australia in November ❤️

You do remember correctly about the wines. We took a case, some of our Wattle Creek, some other assorted nice ones, including a beautifully cellared 1979 Heitz Cellars Cabernet . We also enjoyed some of the ship's inventory a well.

For the UB dinner, we enjoyed our last one on a late port evening in Hawaii (I think that it was Maui). We had a large balcony, but the size is NOT essential, just the company 😊. We started with the cocktail, then champagne, and went with their suggestions, the full nine yards and it was perfect! We engaged our head server in conversation and it made for a very pleasant evening. My best suggestion is just sit back and enjoy; that is our favorite part of any cruise, and the UB dinner is a most special part of that. I am so glad that you remembered! If you have any questions, please ask! 😊

I admit to being the queen (or countess) of the details to get us to and from the cruise, but once we're there, it is just being "on holiday".

[wendellman]

13 hours ago, jwattle said:

@wendellman Hi! We haven't been on with the 360 yet, but hope to soon! We will be back on Majestic in Australia in November ❤️

You do remember correctly about the wines. We took a case, some of our Wattle Creek, some other assorted nice ones, including a beautifully cellared 1979 Heitz Cellars Cabernet . We also enjoyed some of the ship's inventory a well.

For the UB dinner, we enjoyed our last one on a late port evening in Hawaii (I think that it was Maui). We had a large balcony, but the size is NOT essential, just the company 😊. We started with the cocktail, then champagne, and went with their suggestions, the full nine yards and it was perfect! We engaged our head server in conversation and it made for a very pleasant evening. My best suggestion is just sit back and enjoy; that is our favorite part of any cruise, and the UB dinner is a most special part of that. I am so glad that you remembered! If you have any questions, please ask! 😊

I admit to being the queen (or countess) of the details to get us to and from the cruise, but once we're there, it is just being "on holiday".

@jwattleAh yes, the WCW butterfly collection, now I remember. We envy your Australian Majestic cruise. Although Discovery is a beautiful ship, we preferred Majestic's layout, especially Vines and the "free" Sanctuary. We are looking forward to the UB dinner on our more than ample forward facing balcony. We are in the same cabin we had for our Alaska cruise where we would have 10 family members gather on our balcony as we went slowly in and out of ports. We even enjoyed the northern lights one very early morning when the Captain woke everyone up at 2 am! We hope that our Pineapple Express Winter will be over by our SF evening. With respect to the 360 experience, I will continue to politely pester people until I pester the right one.😉 We will follow your advice and "sit back and enjoy". I am the detail man for our cruises; but, we invariably find that some of our best cruise memories are completely unplanned, like seeing the northern lights! WCW🦋🦋🦋🥂

[jwattle]

@wendellmanIt sounds like we share a love for the same cruising style!  😍

Can't wait to hear how your next one goes too, and looking forward to hearing back.

I hope that you get 360, it would be amazing from all accounts! ❤

Enjoy the entire experience, from booking, anticipation, and all the things that make cruising the holiday of choice to so many of us! Looking forward to cruising with y'all sometime, especially on the Majestic😊

[wendellman]

@jwattleI'll let you know if I finagle the 360; but no details, as I understand there is some sort of blood oath of secrecy involved. Happy cruising!🥂🚢

[XBGuy]

@wendellman you have been getting some good recommendations from one of my favorite Cruise Critic contributors, @jwattle.  I would just like to add a few things.

 

Here is the only hard copy menu that I have ever received in multiple Ultimate Balcony Dinner experiences.  This was from 2018, but, based on my brother's experience, last week, the menu is still, essentially, the same.

 

 

 

As you can see, you can choose your main course--surf, turf or surf & turf.  Like @jwattle we also bring our own wine (although we don't bring '79 Heitz).  For our cocktail, which you see on the first page, we order glasses of wine.  It's quite pedestrian, but we use the pretty glasses for our wine.

 

I'm not much of a dessert person, but I do enjoy the UBD dessert.

 

 

Believe me when I tell you, it is a lot of food.  Do not eat lunch that day.  I always order the beef filet, and Mrs. XBGuy always orders the lobster tails.  I always get at least one of her lobster tails.  I also get most of her dessert.

 

For a couple reasons I recommend that you schedule the UBD early in your cruise.  First, you get to keep the floral centerpiece that is placed on your table.  This will last for several days.  Second, after you've finished that dessert, and your sipping some coffee thinking that you will not eat for the next three or four days, they bring more.  Do you see at the bottom of the second page of the menu a line that says "Friandises?"  That is a platter of more sweets.  This item seems to vary from cruise to cruise.  It can contain some sort of combinations of cookies and petit fours.  Again, these will last for several days.

 

Bon Appetit.

 

PS, my coffee shop buddy returns, tomorrow, from a cruise on the Discovery Princess.  A week or so before they left he received an email inviting them to the 360 experience--totally unsolicited.  So, you just don't know.  They declined because he has numerous dietary restrictions.  

Edited March 18, 2023 by XBGuy

[wendellman]

@XBGuyThanks for the information and pictures regarding the UB dinner. We have scheduled it early in our cruise, as our night in San Francisco is the only evening we will not be at sea by 5 pm. We will skip lunch and try to be as hungry as possible. Is it as much food as the Chef's Table? The night we did that we slipped into a food/champagne coma. Between your advice and @jwattle I think we'll be as  prepared as we can be for the gastronomical event. I especially like your recommendation to bring a nicer bottle of wine, although the closest I'll ever get to a beautifully cellared '79 Heitz is a well-pantried Heinz 57!🥂

[jwattle]

Instead of Fantasy Football, I think I'll make my Fantasy Cruise roster 😁

It would definitely have @XBGuy and Mrs. XBGuy, as well as the @wendellmans on it. 

I can think of some others as well. Oh, can't forget my other half, @c-boy! 😂😍

This could be a new thread, 'Make your favorite cruise roster"!

 

[wendellman]

10 minutes ago, jwattle said:

Instead of Fantasy Football, I think I'll make my Fantasy Cruise roster 😁

It would definitely have @XBGuy and Mrs. XBGuy, as well as the @wendellmans on it. 

I can think of some others as well. Oh, can't forget my other half, @c-boy! 😂😍

This could be a new thread, 'Make your favorite cruise roster"!

 

Royal Class/Lido Deck/Forward Cabins/Port to Starboard? We're in!🚢🥂🎉

[TN-Mountains]

Can someone explain the difference between “free” room service and the Ultimate Balcony Dinner or Deluxe Balcony Breakfast?  Is it just the menus?  We have a large balcony overlooking the wake.  I really want to do the dinner and/or breakfast, but I need to justify the cost.  🙂 Also, I see where I can book the day for Balcony Dining reservations, but it doesn’t show times.  How/when do I get to select a time?  I would love for it to be while cruising in/out of the fjords!

[XBGuy]

@jwattle I would definitely have @JimmyVWine on my team.

 

@wendellman I would say that I have felt more stuffed after the UBD than after the Chef's Table.  I don't necessarily feel that it is more food, but the more social environment of the Chef's Table either distracts me or enhances the digestive process.

 

Now, if you ask which one I prefer, there would be no debate in my mind that it would be the UBD.

 

Now, if you are cruising on a Royal Class ship, see if they are offering the Super Tuscan Dinner in Sabatini's.  In my view, this was better than the Chef's Table, but it is still behind the UBD.

 

@TN-Mountains The room service menu is very limited--think burgers, sandwiches, fries, salads, cookies, cake, various drinks. .  There will be a complete menu in your cabin, but I would not be surprised if you could find it if you invested some time in an internet search.   We have made dinner out of room service many times.  As much as we like dining, we prefer not to indulge ourselves every night.  So, I may order a burger and fries, Mrs; XBGuy might order a salad and a roast beef sandwich with a piece of chocolate cake, and we will drink wines that we have in our cabin.

 

You can see from the menu I posted previously, the UBD is a very complete dining event.  As much as I enjoy the meal, it is the service that makes it an over-the-top event.  Two servers are dedicated to you.  Before my first experience I was a bit nervous about having servers hovering over us while we ate.  However, these people are very well trained.  Once you are settled in with a course, they disappear.  We like to linger over our meals and not rush through them.  Somehow, the servers know that we like to relax for a few minutes between courses before they sweep away finished dishes and present the next course.  I think think the tariff for the UBD is $100

 

The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast is a bit different.  It is a very robust breakfast--from memory I recall orange juice, coffee/tea, a half-bottle of Champagne (?), slices of fruit, danish, quiche, rolls, lox and I have probably forgotten something.  However, this entire package is delivered to your cabin all at once. You serve yourself and enjoy it at your own pace.  My recollection is that the UBB costs $45.

 

Regarding the timing of your event, call room service as soon as you arrive at your cabin on embarkation day.

[wendellman]

@XBGuyI will ask about the Super Tuscan Dinner when I visit Sabatini's on embarkation day. It's actually one of my first stops on my 360 Experience begging tour. I also understand Sabatini's introduced a new menu.

@TN-MountainsUB Dinner is now $110 per couple and UB Breakfast is $50 per couple. Considering that the specialty dining is now nearly $80 per couple, I think the UB Dinner, with all it includes, looks reasonably priced.

[rwmiller]

We enjoyed the UBD on our recent (March) cruise on Discovery Princess. We loved the food but there were two aspects that made it less enjoyable than the one we had on Ruby Princess in January 2022. First, the balcony on our mini suite was small with a center support that made the space very tight when the table was set up such that one of us could not easily get by the table to go back into the room. 
 

Second, we had really only one waiter interacting with us and he also had to work two other UBDs at the same time which caused him to disappear for long periods of time between courses. The service was excellent when he was there but there was no periodic checking on how we were doing like on Ruby. 
 

I would still do it again as it was our favorite dinner. 
 

Bob

[Sea Hag]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:01 PM, wendellman said:

We are looking forward to  testing the UB dinner the evening we are in San Francisco late. 

You may be very well aware of this, but if not then you should know that it may be pretty cold in San Francisco in April. Or, actually, any other time of the year. I went to a concert there in July many years ago and nearly froze.

[EDDY0827]

"The coldest Winter of my life was a Summer in San Francisco."

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

[TN-Mountains]

20 hours ago, XBGuy said:

@jwattle I would definitely have @JimmyVWine on my team.

 

@wendellman I would say that I have felt more stuffed after the UBD than after the Chef's Table.  I don't necessarily feel that it is more food, but the more social environment of the Chef's Table either distracts me or enhances the digestive process.

 

Now, if you ask which one I prefer, there would be no debate in my mind that it would be the UBD.

 

Now, if you are cruising on a Royal Class ship, see if they are offering the Super Tuscan Dinner in Sabatini's.  In my view, this was better than the Chef's Table, but it is still behind the UBD.

 

@TN-Mountains The room service menu is very limited--think burgers, sandwiches, fries, salads, cookies, cake, various drinks. .  There will be a complete menu in your cabin, but I would not be surprised if you could find it if you invested some time in an internet search.   We have made dinner out of room service many times.  As much as we like dining, we prefer not to indulge ourselves every night.  So, I may order a burger and fries, Mrs; XBGuy might order a salad and a roast beef sandwich with a piece of chocolate cake, and we will drink wines that we have in our cabin.

 

You can see from the menu I posted previously, the UBD is a very complete dining event.  As much as I enjoy the meal, it is the service that makes it an over-the-top event.  Two servers are dedicated to you.  Before my first experience I was a bit nervous about having servers hovering over us while we ate.  However, these people are very well trained.  Once you are settled in with a course, they disappear.  We like to linger over our meals and not rush through them.  Somehow, the servers know that we like to relax for a few minutes between courses before they sweep away finished dishes and present the next course.  I think think the tariff for the UBD is $100

 

The Ultimate Balcony Breakfast is a bit different.  It is a very robust breakfast--from memory I recall orange juice, coffee/tea, a half-bottle of Champagne (?), slices of fruit, danish, quiche, rolls, lox and I have probably forgotten something.  However, this entire package is delivered to your cabin all at once. You serve yourself and enjoy it at your own pace.  My recollection is that the UBB costs $45.

 

Regarding the timing of your event, call room service as soon as you arrive at your cabin on embarkation day.

Thank you for such a detailed explanation!  It is greatly appreciated.  I feel much more comfortable splurging for the UBD!