scottam Posted October 28, 2011 #1 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hi Everyone, DH and I will be on the CB this January and thinking of trying our first ever Ultimate Balcony Dining experience. I've read through many threads on the subject and haven't found answers to the things I'm wondering about, so I'm hoping someone out there can help! Thanks in advance!!! Timing - I've read many recommendations to sched UBD for a late port departure to avoid wind. On our cruise the only late departure is on embarkation and it sounds like they don't do UBD on the first night. So, I need to figure out another "Best night" for our UBD. We depart St Marten and St Lucia at 6, Bonaire at 7 and Aruba at 5. Which would provide us with the most beautiful scenery during sailaway? I'm thinking St Lucia because of the Pitons and we'd schedule our UBD for 6pm. Any thoughts from those of you who have done this before? We're on the starboard side, if that makes a difference. Balcony Size - We are booked in a BE categeory and I want to be sure there will be enough room for the dinner on the balcony. Thanks for your help and insights! Tammy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted October 28, 2011 #2 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Wind is wind. We did ours on a sea day and had no issues until we approached a storm, which you will have no idea about... And we did this on one of the bump out corners that gets the most wind on the ship... As far as space, we managed fine on said bump out corner for 2 people and the balconies don't get much smaller than that... Here's a pic of the setup on the bumpout: Hi Everyone,DH and I will be on the CB this January and thinking of trying our first ever Ultimate Balcony Dining experience. I've read through many threads on the subject and haven't found answers to the things I'm wondering about, so I'm hoping someone out there can help! Thanks in advance!!! Timing - I've read many recommendations to sched UBD for a late port departure to avoid wind. On our cruise the only late departure is on embarkation and it sounds like they don't do UBD on the first night. So, I need to figure out another "Best night" for our UBD. We depart St Marten and St Lucia at 6, Bonaire at 7 and Aruba at 5. Which would provide us with the most beautiful scenery during sailaway? I'm thinking St Lucia because of the Pitons and we'd schedule our UBD for 6pm. Any thoughts from those of you who have done this before? We're on the starboard side, if that makes a difference. Balcony Size - We are booked in a BE categeory and I want to be sure there will be enough room for the dinner on the balcony. Thanks for your help and insights! Tammy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoburm Posted October 30, 2011 #3 Share Posted October 30, 2011 You will thoroughly enjoy the UBD. At least we did!! We did it on the Crown Princess back in April 2010. It was $50/person and you could order just about anything you wanted. They give you a menu but you don't necessarily have to order off of it, at least back when we did it you didn't have to. We ordered Escargot, which was not on the the menu they gave us. Check out this video I did of the whole thing, setup to breakdown, including the photographer. The whole thing lasts about 2 1/2 hours. I did my homework before the cruise and managed to schedule it around sunset, very romantic. We were in Cabin E731, which is the extended balcony, so space was not an issue for use. Enjoy!!!! Well worth it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimau Posted October 30, 2011 #4 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Do they bring in that table and chairs? I have always assumed you used the small table that was there. Only had a balcony twice and both times had a fairly small table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted October 30, 2011 #5 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Do they bring in that table and chairs? I have always assumed you used the small table that was there. Only had a balcony twice and both times had a fairly small table.They bring in the table but use the chairs on your balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loonbeam Posted October 30, 2011 #6 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Actually they brought chairs for us not the balcony ones... They bring in the table but use the chairs on your balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted October 31, 2011 #7 Share Posted October 31, 2011 They bring in the table but use the chairs on your balcony. Actually they brought chairs for us not the balcony ones... It obviously varies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysundecided Posted November 1, 2011 #8 Share Posted November 1, 2011 You will thoroughly enjoy the UBD. At least we did!! We did it on the Crown Princess back in April 2010. It was $50/person and you could order just about anything you wanted. They give you a menu but you don't necessarily have to order off of it, at least back when we did it you didn't have to. We ordered Escargot, which was not on the the menu they gave us. Check out this video I did of the whole thing, setup to breakdown, including the photographer. The whole thing lasts about 2 1/2 hours. I did my homework before the cruise and managed to schedule it around sunset, very romantic. We were in Cabin E731, which is the extended balcony, so space was not an issue for use. Enjoy!!!! Well worth it!! What a great video. We are sailing on the Ruby in March and cannot wait for the UBD experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottam Posted November 4, 2011 Author #9 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Geoburm, Thanks for the video! That convinced us to book an UBD! I think we'll try for the night we sail out of St Lucia. It would be perfect if we're on the correct side of the ship to see the Pitons! I've read that they do the UBD at 6 and 8pm. Was this your experience, or can you schedule it for a time of your liking? Thanks again. Enjoy your cruises, everyone! Tammy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love.II.Cruise Posted November 4, 2011 #10 Share Posted November 4, 2011 It obviously varies. Were you in a mini-suite? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love.II.Cruise Posted November 4, 2011 #11 Share Posted November 4, 2011 You will thoroughly enjoy the UBD. At least we did!! We did it on the Crown Princess back in April 2010. It was $50/person and you could order just about anything you wanted. They give you a menu but you don't necessarily have to order off of it, at least back when we did it you didn't have to. We ordered Escargot, which was not on the the menu they gave us. Check out this video I did of the whole thing, setup to breakdown, including the photographer. The whole thing lasts about 2 1/2 hours. I did my homework before the cruise and managed to schedule it around sunset, very romantic. We were in Cabin E731, which is the extended balcony, so space was not an issue for use. Enjoy!!!! Well worth it!! That was a great video! But at first I thought you were trying to zoom into your DW's breasts. :p After that I got the idea you were just trying to show what she was eating too. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IECalCruiser Posted November 4, 2011 #12 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Were you in a mini-suite?We were in a mini-suite. The roses looked nice on the table in the sitting area for the rest of the cruise. Book for an early day in the cruise if you want to enjoy your flowers longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted November 4, 2011 #13 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I can't wait. Our cruise is in 43 days (but who's counting). I booked the UBD last month. I'm hoping to do it the night we're in Curacao until 10 p.m. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoburm Posted November 14, 2011 #14 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Geoburm, Thanks for the video! That convinced us to book an UBD! I think we'll try for the night we sail out of St Lucia. It would be perfect if we're on the correct side of the ship to see the Pitons! I've read that they do the UBD at 6 and 8pm. Was this your experience, or can you schedule it for a time of your liking? Thanks again. Enjoy your cruises, everyone! Tammy If I remember correctly we did ours around 7:00-7:30PM....I was trying to catch the sunset and did so quite well. Everything worked out well. So, not sure about the times they offer...sorry, can't help you there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky3 Posted November 14, 2011 #15 Share Posted November 14, 2011 Thanks for posting the video. What a lovely evening! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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