Dinning?

[ramrax4]

Hi,

We're booked on our first Princess cruise, sept. 29th! We will be on the Sea Princess and I have a few questions I hope someone could answer for us.

 

How do I go about requesting an egg crate? Should I just ask my TA to e-mail Princess?

 

We have anytime dinning and I have read that there can be a long wait, what are the best times to dine and what time should we avoid to minimize this?

 

Is there a charge for the items at the IC? What do they offer at IC? I know that the specialty restaraunts have a sure charge, what other dinning venues charge a fee and what is free besides the buffet? Is Coffee, ice tea or any other beverage complementary?

 

Thanks in advance,

Robin

[Toto2Kansas]

Sorry to inform you but the Sea Princess does not have an International Cafe, and no plans to add one that I know of. They do have the Patisserie which is more or less a coffee bar with a few danish in the AM and cookies in the afternoon. But nothing like the IC on the larger ships.

 

The only Specialty restaurant offered on the Sea Princess is the Steakhouse, which on the this class of ship is in part of the Buffet in the evening, as there is no dedicated specialty restaurant/s onboard. They do offer the Ultimate balcony dining, for $100 per couple. But those two options are about it.

[geoherb]

We only had anytime dining once. We usually waited until late to eat and never had to wait then. The downside was that we like sharing a table, and no one else going late wanted to share. We always ended up at a table for two.

[Dani24]

To request an egg crate mattress, send a fax to 661-284-4885. Include your booking number and room number (if you have it). Ask them to have the egg crate mattress put onto the bed. Be aware that sometimes this doesn't work, and when you arrive to your room the egg crate may not be on the bed. If that's the case, just ask your room steward as soon as possible. As long as there are still some available, they should take care of it for you.

 

I've read Anytime dining on the Sea Princess can get crowded too... I'll be on her in 11 days, so I'll report back on my experience. However, from previous Princess cruises, it seems that it tends to get busiest between 6:30 - 8pm. If we go early or late, we've found it to be no problem. You may just need to feel this out in the first couple of days. Or maybe introduce yourself to the maitre d' and ask him for his opinion on when the best time to arrive is (this is what I plan to do). It's possible you may be able to call the DINE line and make a reservation in the morning for the Anytime dining room. We have successfully done this on past cruises -- but there's no guarantee it will work on this cruise (every maitre d'/ship/itinerary, and even every individual sailing is different and sometimes they don't allow reservations).

 

Dining venues on the Sea Princess include:

- main dining room (where you can get breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea -- all free)

- Sterling's Steakhouse ($15 fee, I think, and it includes all-you-can-eat super-yummy steaks and other dishes)

- Horizon Court Buffet (free & open 24 hours)

- Cafe Corniche (restaurant style pizzeria & Italian dishes - free)

- Riviera Grill (hamburgers and hot dogs, free, up by the pool)

- room service (all free, with the exception of one or two items, like delivery pizza -- available 24 hours, but you should tip the delivery person a buck or two)

- Patisserie (free pastries, I think, otherwise you pay for coffee and specialty beverages)

- Wine bar (I think it has some food, but you have to pay for it)

- Ice cream bar (I think this has free soft serve, and then some items you can purchase, like milkshakes)

 

 

For beverages, basic coffee and tea (hot and iced) are free and readily available. I have read recently that you can get lemonade free too, by request (in the buffet/dining room). There are free juices and milk available in the buffet/dining room in the morning for breakfast. Tap water is also always available.

 

You will need to pay for drinks such as sodas, specialty coffees, alcoholic beverages, and juices outside of breakfast time.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

While it has only a steak house it does have the pizza place can not recall its name.

 

yours Shogun

[ramrax4]

To request an egg crate mattress, send a fax to 661-284-4885. Include your booking number and room number (if you have it). Ask them to have the egg crate mattress put onto the bed. Be aware that sometimes this doesn't work, and when you arrive to your room the egg crate may not be on the bed. If that's the case, just ask your room steward as soon as possible. As long as there are still some available, they should take care of it for you.

 

I've read Anytime dining on the Sea Princess can get crowded too... I'll be on her in 11 days, so I'll report back on my experience. However, from previous Princess cruises, it seems that it tends to get busiest between 6:30 - 8pm. If we go early or late, we've found it to be no problem. You may just need to feel this out in the first couple of days. Or maybe introduce yourself to the maitre d' and ask him for his opinion on when the best time to arrive is (this is what I plan to do). It's possible you may be able to call the DINE line and make a reservation in the morning for the Anytime dining room. We have successfully done this on past cruises -- but there's no guarantee it will work on this cruise (every maitre d'/ship/itinerary, and even every individual sailing is different and sometimes they don't allow reservations).

 

Dining venues on the Sea Princess include:

- main dining room (where you can get breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea -- all free)

- Sterling's Steakhouse ($15 fee, I think, and it includes all-you-can-eat super-yummy steaks and other dishes)

- Horizon Court Buffet (free & open 24 hours)

- Cafe Corniche (restaurant style pizzeria & Italian dishes - free)

- Riviera Grill (hamburgers and hot dogs, free, up by the pool)

- room service (all free, with the exception of one or two items, like delivery pizza -- available 24 hours, but you should tip the delivery person a buck or two)

- Patisserie (free pastries, I think, otherwise you pay for coffee and specialty beverages)

- Wine bar (I think it has some food, but you have to pay for it)

- Ice cream bar (I think this has free soft serve, and then some items you can purchase, like milkshakes)

 

 

For beverages, basic coffee and tea (hot and iced) are free and readily available. I have read recently that you can get lemonade free too, by request (in the buffet/dining room). There are free juices and milk available in the buffet/dining room in the morning for breakfast. Tap water is also always available.

 

You will need to pay for drinks such as sodas, specialty coffees, alcoholic beverages, and juices outside of breakfast time.

 

Thanks so much for your reply, I know these things have been answered numerous times but it's not often easy to find the answer you need even after doing a search. Appreciate the help!

Robin

[Dani24]

Thanks so much for your reply, I know these things have been answered numerous times but it's not often easy to find the answer you need even after doing a search. Appreciate the help!

Robin

 

Glad I could help. Enjoy your cruise!!!

[Treven]

Hi There,

 

While it has only a steak house it does have the pizza place can not recall its name.

 

yours Shogun

Shogun, it's the Cafe Corniche. I ate there several times during my recent 15-day cruise.

[Cruisin' Chick]

from the title of your thread, I thought you were talking about how to darken your cabin.

[shepp]

from the title of your thread' date=' I thought you were talking about how to darken your cabin.[/quote']

 

Actually, I thought he was talking about making noise.

 

But seriously, CCers are a bright lot, so why (and not just by the OP, but by many, many folks) the persistent misspelling of "dining?" If there's a long vowel in the first syllable, the following consonant is generally not doubled. Filling vs. filing, dinner vs. diner, etc. Got it?

 

Don't make me go in there and copyedit you!

[cathatgirl]

Just a few other things to note since @Dani24 covered all the basics.

 

- Traviata Dining Room on deck 6 is open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea. It is limited to traditional dining for dinner. Rigoletto Dining room on deck 5 is open for anytime dining for dinner.

 

- If you do anytime dining, call the reservation number to make a reservation in the morning. I made reservations that suit my daily schedule since a fixed dinner time ie, traditional dining doesn't work well for me. Anytime dining with reservation is still in Rigoletto, but there's a separate entrance/line for "dinner with reservations". Arrive 5-10 mins before your reservations and you won't have any wait at all. Arrive at your reservation time and you may have a 5 minute wait as all the reservation folks arrive and are seated according to the queue.

 

- Orange juice and milk (at breakfast), hot tea, iced tea, coffee, lemonade and water are available at no additional charge in the buffet. Hot tea, iced tea, coffee, and water are available for no additional charge in the dining rooms (orange juice and milk available at breakfast), no lemonade available. Coffee and water are available for no additional charge in the pizzeria, but they only have Snapple iced tea available and will charge for it. I'm not certain about what's available for no additional charge at the bars except for water.

 

- Ice cream bar has soft serve (chocholate, vanilla or swirl) with limited selection of toppings available at no additional charge. They also have specialty coffee, milkshakes, and candy for sale.

 

- The Grill has (pretty kick ass) hot dogs, burgers and fries!

 

For more thoughts on the cruise, my review is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1234808 Enjoy your trip!!

[ramrax4]

Actually, I thought he was talking about making noise.

 

But seriously, CCers are a bright lot, so why (and not just by the OP, but by many, many folks) the persistent misspelling of "dining?" If there's a long vowel in the first syllable, the following consonant is generally not doubled. Filling vs. filing, dinner vs. diner, etc. Got it?

 

Don't make me go in there and copyedit you!

 

Sorry about the sp all I can say is I had 4 hrs sleep and the grandkids are over.

I hope that those of you wanting to ask a question won't be deterred by the grammar police:eek: Just ask away as I do and hope someone with the right answer won't publicly scrutinize every wrong spelled word as they answer your???? OOH........ I hope I spelled everything right:D

[Cali_Chick]

We were on the Sea Princess July 1st - 10th and had anytime dining.

 

From what we were told, from both the dine line and the Maitre D' is they only take reservations for parties of 4 or more and only for 5:30 or 8:00.

 

We arrived around 7:30 and seemed to get in just fine, little wait. That was for a table of two with no sharing.

 

Except on Formal nights. I don't know if there is a good time on formal nights. Just check in, get your pager, grab something to drink and wait it out. :D

[cathatgirl]

@Cali_Chick I was on the same cruise. :D

I've actually gotten a reservation at 7pm once and 6:30pm at another. I think if you call too late in the day for a reservation then the only ones available are at 5:30p and 8pm. I've always made a reservation for 4 so I guess I've lucked out in that respect.

 

On the first formal night, if you have anytime dining, I highly recommend making a reservation and then booze up on the free champagne until the reservation time!

[caribill]

- Orange juice and milk (at breakfast), hot tea, iced tea, coffee, lemonade and water are available at no additional charge in the buffet.

 

Hot tea, iced tea, coffee, and water are available for no additional charge in the dining rooms (orange juice and milk available at breakfast), no lemonade available.

 

Milk (at no charge) is available at all meals in the dining rooms and 24 hours/day in the buffet. It is not limited to breakfast.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Actually, I thought he was talking about making noise.

 

But seriously, CCers are a bright lot, so why (and not just by the OP, but by many, many folks) the persistent misspelling of "dining?" If there's a long vowel in the first syllable, the following consonant is generally not doubled. Filling vs. filing, dinner vs. diner, etc. Got it?

 

Don't make me go in there and copyedit you!

 

 

Oh, gosh, I'm not getting enough sleep to read n's as m's. Oh, well.

 

Sorry, OP, but there are so many people who stick that extra n in there, and I know that kids nowadays are learning the rule quoted above in first grade. I go nuts when I see people confuse "lose" with "loose," too. After all, I tried not to lose my loose change.

[BruceMuzz]

Hi,

We're booked on our first Princess cruise, sept. 29th! We will be on the Sea Princess and I have a few questions I hope someone could answer for us.

 

How do I go about requesting an egg crate? Should I just ask my TA to e-mail Princess?

 

We have anytime dinning and I have read that there can be a long wait, what are the best times to dine and what time should we avoid to minimize this?

 

Is there a charge for the items at the IC? What do they offer at IC? I know that the specialty restaraunts have a sure charge, what other dinning venues charge a fee and what is free besides the buffet? Is Coffee, ice tea or any other beverage complementary?

 

Thanks in advance,

Robin

 

Dinning and Dunning are big no-no's on ships.

Dining, however is perfectly acceptable and highly recommended.

 

Specialty restaurants never have a sure charge, but many do feature a surcharge, or cover charge.

 

Red wine is often thought to be complementary to a nice steak, but it is rarely complimentary - unless you are good friends with the Captain or Hotel Manager.

 

If you have any other questions, you can always ask Stewart. He is the guy who cleans your room.

[jomoin]

Thanks for your post. This was very helpful!!