Warning about Ultimate Balcony Dining

[Sn0cruiser]

I was excited to see UBD offered again and booked (and of course paid for it) in the website.  I did print out my travel summary before we left since that appears to be the only proof you have that you have paid.

I phoned guest services this morning (we’re currently on the Caribbean Princess) because I had booked for tomorrow and hadn’t heard anything yet.  Seems they don’t offer UBD and had no information that I had booked it.  I had to take my printed travel summary down to (hopefully) get a refund to my OBC which I then hope to see as a cheque sometime in the next month or four.

 

It may just be this ship, but you may want to wait until you are on board to book UBD just in case.

 

[voljeep]

thanks for the update ... we are on CB in a few weeks and hoped to book UBD once onboard with OBC.

[PRNole47]

For those of you who have done this in the past, doesn;t the food get cold quickly? I had a pot of coffee delivered once to drink on the baclony and it was lukewarm-to-cool by the secund cup. 

[mina]

3 hours ago, PRNole47 said:

For those of you who have done this in the past, doesn;t the food get cold quickly? I had a pot of coffee delivered once to drink on the baclony and it was lukewarm-to-cool by the secund cup. 

Meal is served by course,  the waiter and assistant time each course and goes to kitchen to get it.  I think the main entrees are cooked in the crown grill.  

[Oscar13]

We just did the dinner on the Grand.  They delivered everything at once to avoid excess contact.  There were covers on everything and it was "not off the grill" hot but still warm enough.

 

It was a fun experience, we were in San Fran looking over toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

K2

[hobo1937]

37 minutes ago, Oscar13 said:

We just did the dinner on the Grand.  They delivered everything at once to avoid excess contact.  There were covers on everything and it was "not off the grill" hot but still warm enough.

 

It was a fun experience, we were in San Fran looking over toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

K2

So if all the courses were delivered at once did the waiter stay to serve them or you just served yourself? We have done UBD twice and our experience is as mina stated. We have prebooked  an UBD next year on the Discovery and if they are doing it like on the Grand I will cancel it. We will be in a suite and can order off the regular menu so why pay $100 just to have some flowers and a photo when I have to serve myself. 

[texasgirl29]

On Enchanted in September 2022 and all of our courses were hot and fresh. Steak was wonderful. (We we’re inside as it was rainy.)

[wowzz]

9 hours ago, PRNole47 said:

For those of you who have done this in the past, doesn;t the food get cold quickly? I had a pot of coffee delivered once to drink on the baclony and it was lukewarm-to-cool by the secund cup. 

No, the food is hot. 

And obviously you won't be drinking coffee during the meal!

[PescadoAmarillo]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

No, the food is hot. 

And obviously you won't be drinking coffee during the meal!

Why not?  Many people do just that. 

[Thrak]

8 hours ago, texasgirl29 said:

On Enchanted in September 2022 and all of our courses were hot and fresh. Steak was wonderful. (We we’re inside as it was rainy.)

 

It's 10:15 PM and I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooo very hungry. I have had very little to eat today (my own fault) and this picture just nailed me to the wall. Sigh.....

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Why not?  Many people do just that. 

Really?  Just seems wrong.

Edited November 7, 2022 by wowzz

[Potstech]

Then many of us have been wrong for a very long time.

[suekel]

I just booked this for my 11/27 Hawaii on the Royal.  We have a front facing mini with the huge balconies.  We overnight in Honolulu and we're doing it the night we stay there so no wind.  Hopefully it comes in courses but either way, it will be wonderful.  

[PescadoAmarillo]

3 hours ago, Potstech said:

Then many of us have been wrong for a very long time.

My dear grandparents, who were born in the first decade of the 20th century, were convinced (!!!) that drinking anything but a hot beverage with a hot meal would cause the food to become an undesolvable mass in the stomach. No matter how I tried to convince them otherwise, they were resolute. I drank coffee when I dined with them from my early childhood. That’s why the original remark struck me as being so funny. 

Edited November 7, 2022 by PescadoAmarillo

[wowzz]

I must admit, in a proper UK fish and chip shop restaurant, I will drink tea with my fish and chips, but proper strong tea, none of your fancy Earl Grey, or herbal concoctions !

[Steelers36]

On 11/6/2022 at 8:15 AM, Sn0cruiser said:

I was excited to see UBD offered again and booked (and of course paid for it) in the website.  I did print out my travel summary before we left since that appears to be the only proof you have that you have paid.

I phoned guest services this morning (we’re currently on the Caribbean Princess) because I had booked for tomorrow and hadn’t heard anything yet.  Seems they don’t offer UBD and had no information that I had booked it.  I had to take my printed travel summary down to (hopefully) get a refund to my OBC which I then hope to see as a cheque sometime in the next month or four.

 

It may just be this ship, but you may want to wait until you are on board to book UBD just in case.

 

I can speak for Island Princess.  It was offered in the CP prior to cruise date and I ordered it via DINE line after boarding.  So, they are doing it here.  The day has not yet arrived, so IDK if it is the traditional serving or all-at-once.  Since Covid protocols are gone (other than suggestions or recommendations), I hope they are doing it as usual.  Perhaps I will call again and let them know we have zero issues with team members being in our cabin and near us.  Our waiters in the DR are maskless.

[c-boy]

21 hours ago, hobo1937 said:

So if all the courses were delivered at once did the waiter stay to serve them or you just served yourself? We have done UBD twice and our experience is as mina stated. We have prebooked  an UBD next year on the Discovery and if they are doing it like on the Grand I will cancel it. We will be in a suite and can order off the regular menu so why pay $100 just to have some flowers and a photo when I have to serve myself. 

   🤨  I see your not the romantic type

[Kay S]

4 hours ago, wowzz said:

I must admit, in a proper UK fish and chip shop restaurant, I will drink tea with my fish and chips, but proper strong tea, none of your fancy Earl Grey, or herbal concoctions !

I know it will surprise you, wowzz, but people often have different customs in different countries. 🙂  However, even in neighboring Leicestershire, there is a man who does hot coffee with his chips.  He is my cousin. 🙂

[Oscar13]

23 hours ago, hobo1937 said:

So if all the courses were delivered at once did the waiter stay to serve them or you just served yourself? We have done UBD twice and our experience is as mina stated. We have prebooked  an UBD next year on the Discovery and if they are doing it like on the Grand I will cancel it. We will be in a suite and can order off the regular menu so why pay $100 just to have some flowers and a photo when I have to serve myself. 

They just dropped everything off at once.  They were masked but didn't stay.  We still very much enjoyed the meal and the "spoiling".

 

Karen and Kevin

[hobo1937]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

   🤨  I see your not the romantic type

The reason for booking this UBD is for our 50th anniversary,  so yes I would want it to be a romantic dinner. We have booked for the evening we are in SF, which has special meaning as that is where we started our married life together. . I have spent the better part of the last 2 years mostly doing takeout or cooking/serving meals and I want a nice dinner with someone serving me a course at a time not all delivered at once and maybe lukewarm. The flowers and photo are nice but not worth it if the rest of the experience is as Oscar 13 explained. 

 

[Wakepatrol]

23 hours ago, hobo1937 said:

So if all the courses were delivered at once did the waiter stay to serve them or you just served yourself? We have done UBD twice and our experience is as mina stated. We have prebooked  an UBD next year on the Discovery and if they are doing it like on the Grand I will cancel it. We will be in a suite and can order off the regular menu so why pay $100 just to have some flowers and a photo when I have to serve myself. 

The waiter is comfortably laying in your bed watching television , Once a course is finished he props up and serves the next course

[hobo1937]

As long as he keeps the TV volume down and doesn't snore no problem.

[hobo1937]

34 minutes ago, Oscar13 said:

They just dropped everything off at once.  They were masked but didn't stay.  We still very much enjoyed the meal and the "spoiling".

 

Karen and Kevin

Thanks for your response. Since there are about 5 courses to this dinner and there is no way they would all fit on the table at one time, where did they put them?

[PRNole47]

23 hours ago, wowzz said:

No, the food is hot. 

And obviously you won't be drinking coffee during the meal!

Coffee is the only thing I have ever had delivered to our cabin to drink on the balcony, which is why I asked.

[cr8tiv1]

9 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

My dear grandparents, who were born in the first decade of the 20th century, were convinced (!!!) that drinking anything but a hot beverage with a hot meal would cause the food to become an undissolvable mass in the stomach. No matter how I tried to convince them otherwise, they were resolute. I drank coffee when I dined with them from my early childhood. That’s why the original remark struck me as being so funny. 

 

I also prefer coffee with my meal.  But no one else understood that.  Thanks for letting me know that I wasn't the crazy one.