Is dining room open for lunch on Diamond first day?

[Brad1185]

Have heard no, yes and maybe

[Lynda90]

My understanding is that the dining room is not open until dinner on the first day. The Horizon Food buffet is where everyone eats lunch on the day of sailing. Enjoy!

Lynda

[donna5]

Always check the patter for that day. Even the pursers office was telling people that the dinningroom was closed(Grand-2 weeks ago) and it was open(I ate there). It doesn't hurt to check.

[Beryl]

I do hope they start to open the dining room on the Diamond for lunch on embarkation day! On all my other Princess cruises it has been open and is a lovely quiet way to begin the cruise experience after the hectic period of "getting to the ship on time" [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] The Horizon court is a zoo....especially that first day! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Cruising! It's like being in the Garden of Eatin'!

[Coral]

I have not been on the Diamond Princess. On other ships, it has always been open on the first day. I also have asked people (purser's desk, those directing people in the hallway) if the dining room is open and they have always said no and when I went down to the dining room - it has always been open.

[sneekpeek]

We were told it was closed too when we sailed in March on the Diamond. But, then we were touring the ship and there were people in there eating!

[srphnx]

Just off Diamond two days ago. NO the only "room" open was Horizon, much overwhelmed by the rush of people and the scramble style system was not easily grasped by people who had waited mistakenly in a line to see others "butt in" ahead even though it was the proper use of the system.

Unless you board very early I would STRONGLY suggest you sit by the pool and wait for the pizza (prego) place to open as the pizza was quite good and no one seemed to have seen it albeit both were on Lido.

[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04
Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98
Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02
Vision o.t. Seas 04/02
Star Princess 12/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
Vision o.t. Seas 10/02
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96

[Lynda90]

What is the earliest time they allow you to board? Can those in the PS category board earlier? We unexpectedly got upgraded from a mini-suite to a PS and wonder if it makes any difference in the time we can board. Very excited about staying in this suite for the first time. I was perfectly happy with the mini-suite, but this will be great.

Lynda - going to Alaska on the diamond May 29.

[srphnx]

Suite holders do get "instant elite" type benefits,priority boarding being one of them. Along with wheelchair and those who are elite and platinum. A week ago we had boarding # 561, we were on board about 21 minutes after our friends who were platinum. Princess is VERY good at this process in general. As to time, there are too many factors to accurately say, so "first" will have to do.

[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04
Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98
Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02
Vision o.t. Seas 04/02
Star Princess 12/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
Vision o.t. Seas 10/02
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96

[Lynda90]

Thanks for your reply, it really helped--Lynda [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[BJS]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>On other ships, it has always been open on the first day. I also have asked people (purser's desk, those directing people in the hallway) if the dining room is open and they have always said no and when I went down to the dining room - it has always been open. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>In the past staff has always directed us to go to the Horizon Court the first day. We have then gone to the dining room where lunch has been served.

On the Island Princess in Nov. the dining room was closed the first day.


Found that on the 3/28 Dawn cruise the diningroom was also closed. We stayed on for the 4/4 cruise and a letter to us said it would be open for lunch. Four of us went and were the only ones served that day for lunch.

Maybe this is the reason they are closing for first day lunches.

Future cruises:
Sept. 04 Star Princess x 2
Jan. 05 Diamond Princess
July 05 Star Princess
Aug. 05 Star Pincess

Past cruises:
04 Dawn Princess x 2
03 Grand,Sun,Tahitian,
Royal Princess x 2,Island Princess
01 Ryndam x 2
00 Sky Princess
79 Sitmar's Fairwind

[Coral]

Maybe if there was more information about having the dining room being open - more people would go. Everyone directs everyone to a very crowded Horizon Court.

On the Coral Princess last year, I asked the Purser's desk about being open for lunch and they told me no and to go to the Horizon Court. I walked 30 feet at most and walked into the dining room and had a fabulous lunch. Go figure!

On the Golden in November - I had the best lunch in the dining room on the first day - it was a beef tenderloin entree and then a Grand Mariner Soufflee for dessert. YUM YUM!