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Best place for lunch on embarkation day


nancycoop1

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IMHO the best best place is the Main dining room they are supposed to have open for lunch on that day. Sometimes it is not so easy... But it is supposed to be open. (One time it was closed because they had a cooperate function in there. (Christmas party)). Another thing you have to board early enough in order to get to the MD during lunch hours.

 

The worst is the horizon court after a lot people have boarded. Good luck. If you get there early before the lines it is OK.

 

If here is a huge line at HC and the MD room is closed or not available , I would just get something from the grill or a pizza and take it to the cabin of find an empty table somewhere.

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The MDR is so pleasant on embarkation day! The buffet and other areas are crowded with passengers familiarizing themselves with the ship, but the dining room is generally not very crowded. You'll have a lovely meal and get your cruise is off to a good start

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In the main dining room however it's only open from noon until 1:30 PM. There are not as many menu options offered as a normal luncheon menu however the Châteaubriand and Salmon were excellent entrées. :D

 

We've done the MDR for lunch the past 2 years and plan to do it again in 2 weeks!! I've never seen chateaubriand on the menu. Here's the exact menu we've had:

 

Appetizers

Antipasto of Dry-Cured Salami and Roasted Vegetables

Avocado and Bay Shrimp

Tuscan-Style Chick Pea and Root Vegetable Soup

Limestone and Baby Oak Leaves with Cucumber, Carrot and Red Onion

 

Fresh Ground Sirloin Burgers and Other Dishes

Hamburger

Cheeseburger

Bacon Burger

(1/2 lb each, Traditional Garnish and Crisp Fries)

Veggie Burger

Large Plate of French Fries with Mayo and Heinz Tomato Ketchup

 

Pasta

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli in Velvety Tomato Sauce

 

Main Courses

Broiled Salmon with Lemon and Dill Sauce

Cacciatore-Style Chicken Braised in Tomato Wine Sauce, Tagliarini Ribbons

Grilled Herb-Spiced Beef Tenderloin, Vegetable Bouquet, Squashed Red Bliss Potatoes

 

Desserts

Apple Tart Tatin, Mascarpone Cream

Orange Souffle, Grand Marnier-Vanilla Sauce

Mandarin Orange Jello

Ice Cream (Nutella, Banana, Espresso, Papaya Frozen Yogurt)

Imported and Domestic Cheeses, Crackers and Biscuits

Seasonal Fresh Fruits

 

 

I love the Orange Souffle! What a way to start off a cruise! :D

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We've done the MDR for lunch the past 2 years and plan to do it again in 2 weeks!! I've never seen chateaubriand on the menu. Here's the exact menu we've had:

 

Appetizers

Antipasto of Dry-Cured Salami and Roasted Vegetables

Avocado and Bay Shrimp

Tuscan-Style Chick Pea and Root Vegetable Soup

Limestone and Baby Oak Leaves with Cucumber, Carrot and Red Onion

 

Fresh Ground Sirloin Burgers and Other Dishes

Hamburger

Cheeseburger

Bacon Burger

(1/2 lb each, Traditional Garnish and Crisp Fries)

Veggie Burger

Large Plate of French Fries with Mayo and Heinz Tomato Ketchup

 

Pasta

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli in Velvety Tomato Sauce

 

Main Courses

Broiled Salmon with Lemon and Dill Sauce

Cacciatore-Style Chicken Braised in Tomato Wine Sauce, Tagliarini Ribbons

Grilled Herb-Spiced Beef Tenderloin, Vegetable Bouquet, Squashed Red Bliss Potatoes

 

Desserts

Apple Tart Tatin, Mascarpone Cream

Orange Souffle, Grand Marnier-Vanilla Sauce

Mandarin Orange Jello

Ice Cream (Nutella, Banana, Espresso, Papaya Frozen Yogurt)

Imported and Domestic Cheeses, Crackers and Biscuits

Seasonal Fresh Fruits

 

 

I love the Orange Souffle! What a way to start off a cruise! :D

They recently eliminated that menu on our two recent cruises and now have a menu with fewer options but still enough to enjoy a great lunch in the MDR. :) The Châteaubriand & salmon entrées were both wonderful.

 

Since going to the more limited menu for lunch there have been no problems with being admitted to the MDR unlike in the past where sometimes they said it was only for those in transit and not for those embarking. I'll gladly accept a more limited menu to avoid the hassles of having to prove that Princess invites us to enjoy a lunch in the MDR at embarkation.

 

I'm pretty sure that they're still offering a soufflé along with ice cream. :D

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They recently eliminated that menu on our two recent cruises and now have a menu with fewer options but still enough to enjoy a great lunch in the MDR. :) The Châteaubriand & salmon entrées were both wonderful.

 

Since going to the more limited menu for lunch there have been no problems with being admitted to the MDR unlike in the past where sometimes they said it was only for those in transit and not for those embarking. I'll gladly accept a more limited menu to avoid the hassles of having to prove that Princess invites us to enjoy a lunch in the MDR at embarkation.

 

I'm pretty sure that they're still offering a soufflé along with ice cream. :D

 

That looks like the menu we had 3x in May on the Sapphire. At least the pasta (ravioli) and entrees were identical and the soufflé and ice cream were identical. I am not sure if they used the term Grilled Herb-Spiced Beef Tenderloin or Chateaubriand but on Princess, they seem to taste the same and are often used interchangeably.

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That looks like the menu we had 3x in May on the Sapphire. At least the pasta and entrees were identical and the soufflé and ice cream were identical.

 

The larger menu wasn't available on the Sapphire in March nor on the Island in May. There were a couple of options for each course but not the menu with more options like on previous cruises.

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The larger menu wasn't available on the Sapphire in March nor on the Island in May. There were a couple of options for each course but not the menu with more options like on previous cruises.

 

They could have brought it back for Alaska.

 

The 3 entrees seemed "slimmed down" to me compared to normal menus. I had the beef entree all 3x and know the other 2 were salmon and Chicken Cacciatore. I had the salad listed and also the Orange Souffle. The other items look very familiar as my mom tried the nutella ice cream and the Antipasto of Dry-Cured Salami. It looks like our menu in May.

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Am I correct in assuming that the main dining room is only open to past Princess cruisers? Would we be turned away if we tried to enter?

 

Ruth

 

It is open to everyone as long as you arrive on time. Make sure you get the right dining room as many ships have 3-5 dining rooms and only one is open.

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Thanks Coral, we've never been on a ship as huge as the Emerald but with a map and good questioning skills we'll track down the correct dining room.

 

However for this first Princess cruise we opted for the Princess pre cruise package and will be dependent upon their timing in Copenhagen.

 

Ever the optimist,

 

Ruth

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Thanks Coral, we've never been on a ship as huge as the Emerald but with a map and good questioning skills we'll track down the correct dining room.

 

However for this first Princess cruise we opted for the Princess pre cruise package and will be dependent upon their timing in Copenhagen.

 

Ever the optimist,

 

Ruth

 

It is usually the dining room on deck 5 aft, but not always.

 

Have a great time in Copenhagen! One of my favorite cities!

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They could have brought it back for Alaska.

That could be the reason why they brought it back or they discovered the passengers weren't happy with the more limited menu. We don't sail again until the end of the year & whatever the menu consists of I'm hoping they won't revert to making it more difficult like they have done on some ships in the past. :eek:

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