Welcome Aboard Dinner

click images to enlarge

Majestic Princess
Concerto Dining Room

After the mandatory safety drill it was time to get ready for dinner since we had early seating.  We had an assigned table in Concerto Dining Room, one of the main dining rooms on deck 6.   

We like meeting other people during dinner, so our requested seating arrangement was large table.  When we arrived at the dining room, we were escorted to our table by the window which was set for 8 people.  The first night there were only three of  us there but later on in the cruise there were six of us most nights.

Princess Menus

Some of you may not be familiar with Princess Cruise's menus, so we'll give you a run down before getting to the specifics of our welcome dinner.  Each night there is a theme for the meal.  On welcome night the theme was "Australia / New Zealand Cuisine".   The left hand side of the menu features information about the theme and the "Princess Favorites".  These are main dishes which can be selected any evening.   On the right hand side are the featured "Starters, Soups, and Salads" and the "Mains".   This is the variable portion of the menu.

You can select as many starters as you like and then a main dish.   Typically you select a starter along with a soup or salad, but you can have all three if you like.  Sometimes we ask for one of the main dishes in a small portion as a side.  This works great when you have a pasta you'd like to sample along with your main meal.

If you click on the menus to the right to enlarge them, you can get a good idea of the types of choices you have each night.

I've not forgotten the most important part of the meal - the Desserts.  That is a separate menu which is brought to you after the main course.

Dinner is Served

We both started off with the same two starters, something we rarely do. The first starter was "Chilled Apple and Cider Soup" with cinnamon and creamy yogurt.  If you've never had chilled soups before, we highly recommend you try them on your next cruise.  Princess does an excellent job with the chilled soups.  Close your eyes and imagine you are eating a freshly made apple pie.  That's exactly what this chilled delight tasted like.

Next we had "Fried Dim Sum Dumplings" with gingered soy sauce on the side.  Since our cruise was originally sailing to Southeast Asia, we were looking forward to getting many meals with oriental cuisine.   We savored every bite of these yummy dumplings.

My selection for the main dish was "Pad Thai - Southeast Asian Favorite" wok-fried rice noodles with tofu, eggs, vegetables, cilantro chili, lime, and peanuts.  My husband had the "Grilled Spring Lamb Chops" with roasted rosemary potatoes, grilled tomato, butter beans, and thyme jus.   Both of these dishes were excellent.

By now we were both full and dessert was yet to come.  The waiter tempted us with all sorts of cakes but we selected two scoops of ice cream.   I had plain chocolate and hubby had a sundae.

We sailed shortly after dinner started.  The next day would be a relaxing day at sea, which is typical of most voyages we've sailed. The night was still young, so onto some entertainment in our next post.

For more dining images from our cruise, see our Concerto Dining Room photo album.

For more images, see our Shutterfly Photo Page.
Hopefully, you've followed us live on our social media channels as well.  Don't worry if you didn't, as our anchor post will tie everything together for you.  Just click the image (left) to our diary post.
We have lots more coming - so come back again.

Connect With Us On

        

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers


Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat  

Each week we post images from our trips and participate in several travel chats on Twitter.

Take advantage of these resources to assist in you in planning your dream vacations.  Of course, we are always available to answer any questions you might have about travel and the industry.

Welcome Dinner

If you are new to cruising or Princess Cruises, this post will give you an idea of a typical evening in the main dining room.

Where's Dinner?

click images to enlarge

Among the decisions you make when booking a Princess cruise, is your choice for dining  - traditional or any-time.   There are other choices such as specialty dining and buffet, but we'll just focus on main dining in this post.

With traditional dining, you pick your table size and dining time, and the cruise line matches you with other passengers with similar requests.   We reserved early traditional dining (5:30 pm) for this cruise.  We actually prefer that to late seating (8:30 pm). Our assigned table was #65 in International Dining Room which is located on deck 6 aft.  Note that it is necessary to get there via deck 7 Promenade.

There are several dining rooms on Sapphire Princess. Your stateroom card contains information about your dining room, table number and dining time.  On the first night of the cruise, you present your stateroom card to the header waiter or Maître D' who then informs the waiting servers who escort you to your table.   Had we selected any-time dining, we would have been at one of the dining rooms and each night would be escorted to a different table and wait staff.  We enjoy having the wait staff and table mates get to know us, so traditional dining is our preferred choice.

We were escorted to our table, which was located in the rear of the dining room.  It was a nice location, and warmer than other parts of the dining room. The table was set for 8 people.  Another couple from Australia were already seated. We placed our dinner orders and shortly after that were joined by two other couples.They were continuing their voyage, having begun in Bali on December 30th.  They preferred to arrive at 6 pm and asked if we didn't mind doing that as well for the remainder of the cruise. The wait staff has several tables and that was OK with them.  We all agreed.  It was quite an enjoyable dinner as we got to know one another and exchanged travel stories.

Dinner is Served

For those that aren't familiar with Princess dining options in the main dining rooms, you are
presented with a menu that has Princess Favorites (available every night) and the evening's menu options (which change daily).   You select one or more starters and your main course.  Later, the waiter will bring the dessert menu.   Our choices:

Starters:
Crispy Hand-Rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls - hoisin-peanut dip, lemongrass, cilantro

Main:
Basa with Pineapple-Papaya Salsa - pan-seared filet, pea pods, bamboo shoots, daikon sprouts, potato cake.

Stir-Fried Beef with Scalliions - oyster and dark soy sauce.

Dessert:
Creme Brulet & Make your own sundae

Note that you typically pick one or two starters.  You have several options from either the favorites or daily menu, as well as appetizer size portions of one of main entrees (such as a  pasta dish).

We were finished with dinner about 7:15 pm which gave us time to get to the Princess Theater for the evening's show which started at 7:45 PM.  We found out that on production show nights, it was necessary to get to the theater early or it would be completely filled.

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Related Album:

Welcome Dinner

Additional photos can be found on our Southeast Asia Shutterfly page

View Our Other Shutterfly Share Pages

Follow Us On

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Relaxing on Carnival Conquest

Looking for a Place to Relax

On Carnival Conquest?

One of the best things about cruising in the Caribbean is the time to enjoy the sun and warm temperatures on one of the open decks.  Carnival Conquest has two pools - the main pool has a water slide and is open for all ages.

The aft pool on Lido Deck is only open to adults.   There are four hot tubs in addition to the pool which were quite popular throughout the cruise.   There's a bar right there as well, so need to go far to get your favorite beverage (or you can order from the wait staff that comes around to check on guests).

If the weather doesn't cooperate, there is a sliding roof which can shield guests from the weather.   We had some light showers a couple times during the cruise and the top was closed. 

There are lounge chairs along both sides of the pool as well as tables for those that want to sit poolside and have some pizza or other refreshments.  You can relax in a lounge chair by the main pool as well, but expect a lot more activity with families enjoying the pool area.  We were blessed with beautiful weather during our cruise so the pools were always busy.

Carnival has a policy of not saving lounge chairs.  You can leave your belongings if you like, but they can remove them if no one occupies the chair for 45 minutes.   We didn't see that being enforced during our cruise and there were unfortunately some people not following the rules.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

Tip: For prime lounge chair spot, eat your breakfast early and then go camp out at your favorite location.

We'll continue with St. Thomas and more about the ship in our next installment.   If you are just joining us, we have several articles in this mini-series already.   You can either page backwards or check our main article (click image).

Good-bye Nassau Hello Evening

Early Dining

Monet - Carnival Conquest

As we continued sailing away from Nassau, Bahamas, it was time for our first dress up night.  The dress code for the evening was "Cruise Elegant".   You didn't have to dress up if you didn't want to but there are some guidelines:

Not Allowed: Shorts, T-Shirts, jeans, flip flops, bathing suit attire, sleeveless shirts for men, sportswear and baseball hats.

Table With a View

Our assigned table was on deck 4 of Monet Dining Room with a very nice view.  We requested a large table when we made our reservation, so we did get one set for 8 people however there were only 4 of us on most nights.  Two nights one couple went to "The Point" Steakhouse.

Menu

We had a lovely dinner with our new friends.  For starters we had the Strawberry Bisque chilled soup topped with fresh mint leave, spring rolls, and shrimp cocktail.  The last two items you can have every day.  Each day there's a chilled soup and hot soup amongst the starters.

Our two selections for the main entree were Broiled Maine Lobster Tail with Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp and Tender Roasted Prime Rib of American Beef Au Jus.  The lobster dish came with yukon gold mashed potatoes and broccoli florets and the prime rib came with baked potato with all the trimmings.  For dessert we had Cherries Jubilee.

The food was cooked the way we liked it and the wait staff were very attentive checking to see if we wanted anything more.

Lemoncello

We capped our dinner off with an after dinner drink of Lemoncello. If you have ever been to Italy, you'll instantly know about Limoncello. Lemons seem to be one of the important staples in the food of Sorrento. The most famous product is Limoncello. Every store or restaurant has it’s unique or favorite brand of Limoncello for sale or to taste. It is wonderful as a palate cleanser or as an after dinner drink. Limoncello is the generic name for an Italian citrus-based lemon liqueur that is served well chilled in the summer months. Limoncello is now considered the national drink of Italy and can be found in stores and restaurants all over Italy.  On Carnival Conquest, the price of the drink includes the souvenir glass which is yours to keep.

Entertainment

Playlist Productions show Divas featured songs from the great pop Divas like Gaga, Beyonce, Christina, Madonna, Whitney, and Celine. There were two shows in the Toulouse Lautrec Theater. Prior to dinner you could meet the Captain and Senior Officers, have your picture taken with them, dance to music and enjoy a cocktail. In days gone by, Carnival would provide the drinks free of charge, but now they simply offer a $1 discount. We now skip the Captain's party the majority of the time since it just means hurrying up getting changed. We had our drink at dinner instead.

Our after dinner entertainment of choice throughout the cruise was the comedy club.  Carnival brought 2 comedians onboard for the beginning part of the cruise:  Kim Harrison and Smiley Joe Wiley.  Each night, there would be two family oriented shows and two adult only shows in the lounge.  They were very enjoyable.

Click for Mini-Series Articles / Images

Tip: Be sure to check your Fun Times before dinner to plan your evening.

Tuesday was a sea day so we opted to sleep in and have a late breakfast.  We'll tell you more about our Sea Day in our next installment.   If you have any questions that you'll like us to address, be sure to post here, on our Facebook page, or email us.

Powering the Allure of the Seas

Allure of the Seas Main Engine Room
Photo courtesy STX Europe

As one might imagine the 225,000 gross ton Allure of the Seas requires some powerful engines to produce the power for the ship.  In fact, the total power output of the ship's engines is 97,000 kW, giving a cruise speed of 22 knots.

On this Day 9 of the Allure's transatlantic crossing,  Captain Zini is still watching Hurricane Tomas, which is expected to cross paths to the south of the ship.   Tomas is quite the powerhouse of its own producing category one hurricane-force winds.

In this video, we'll have a behind the scenes look at the engine room of the Allure of the Seas.  Few people ever get to see the engine room on a large vessel, such as the Allure, so enjoy your virtual visit and learn about what powers the latest wonder in Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Video: Moving a Wonder: The Engines of Allure Bring Smooth Sailing

Moving a modern wonder like Allure of the Seas through the ocean takes a lot of power. See how the complex combination of six engines provides 135,000 horsepower and a smooth ride for guests onboard.

AMAWATERWAYS Oktoberfest Offer

Photo Courtesy AMAWATERWAYS

CELEBRATE THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF OKTOBERFEST
Then enjoy a 7-night cruise from Nuremberg to Amsterdam

When you think of Oktoberfest, what comes to mind? German Beer? Dancing? Celebration? Yes, it's all of the above and more!

AMAWATERWAYS takes you into the heart of this extremely joyful festival.

Dance, drink & become immersed in German culture!

Then, take a luxury 7-night cruise on the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers.

Oktoberfest Escape - Brand New Program!

Spend 2 nights in Munich at Le Meridien and celebrate Oktoberfest with the locals. Your stay in Munich includes a city tour and daily breakfast. Then, enjoy an eventful 7-night cruise on board the MS AMALEGRO from Nuremberg to Amsterdam September 21, 2010 to October 1, 2010

Day		Destination		Activities
1				Overnight flight to Munich
2		Munich		Hotel check-in
3		Munich		Walking tour
4		Munich		Transfer to Nuremberg
		Nuremberg		City Tour
				EMBARKATION
				Welcome Cocktail & Dinner
5		Bamberg		Walking tour
6		Würzburg		City tour & Residenz Palace
				Optional Rothenburg tour
7		Wertheim		Free Time
		Miltenberg		Walking Tour
8		Rüdesheim		Siegfried’s Music Museum
9		Rhine Valley		Cruise past Rhine castles
		Cologne		Walking tour; Cathedral visit
10		Amsterdam		City tour & Canal cruise
11		Amsterdam		DISEMBARKATION
				Airport transfer

Ask me about River Cruising on Ms Amalegro or any of the other AMAWATERWAYS ships.

Introducing Celebrity Select Dining

Now Available to

Pre-Reserve Online Fleetwide

Celebrity Cruises Announces Flexible Dinner Option

Starting this Fall

Celebrity Select Dining is a new flexible dining option that allows you to choose when you dine on a day by day basis. You’ll still be seated in the ship’s main dining room, order from the same dinner menu, and enjoy the same amazing service that you’re accustomed to onboard Celebrity Cruises, but with more flexibility.

Once you’ve chosen Celebrity Select Dining in your reservation, you can make your day by day reservations pre-cruise, reserve once onboard or simply come to the dining room whenever you’d like to have dinner.*

Celebrity Select Dining debuts onboard Celebrity Equinox, beginning with the September 26, 2009 sailing. All other ships in the fleet will introduce the program during the first quarter of 2010.

Historically, guests on most cruise lines decided at the time of booking whether they wanted early or late seating for dinner in the main dining room. Sometimes that meant rushing to dinner after a relaxing spa treatment or cutting that shopping trip short so that you could get back to your cabin to change for dinner.

With this new program, plan your dinner around your daily activities. If you want to spend some extra time sightseeing in port, you’ll have the option to dine a little later that evening. Celebrity Select Dining is all about flexibility. You can choose to dine in the Main Dining room at any time between 6:00 and 9:30 pm each evening. If you wish, you can dine at different times throughout the cruise - the flexibility is yours.

For those that like to plan in advance, make your day by day dining reservations online before your cruise. Celebrity Cruises recommends online reservations for the best possible dining experience. Reservations will be accepted onboard the ship also.

Key Highlights of Celebrity Select Dining SM

• Same amazing service as traditional seating
• Same menu as traditional seating
• Still seated in the Main Dining Room
• Pre-paid gratuities are required to participate — this includes tips for your waiter, assistant waiter, dining room management, and all stateroom service.
• You have the choice to either dine with other guests or just with your own party
• Once Celebrity Select Dining is selected in the cruise booking, day by day reservations can be made pre-cruise online on celebritycruises.com
• Reservations are strongly encouraged in order to avoid a delay in seating, and can be made online pre-cruise up to 4 days prior to sailing, or onboard with the Maitre ‘d
• Only groups of 20 or less can be seated at one time
• Celebrity Select Dining is subject to availability

*Celebrity Select DiningSM is subject to availability, and gratuities must be prepaid in order to participate. Only groups of 20 or less can be seated at one time.

To make your reservations for Celebrity Select Dining, contact your travel agent or visit www.celebritycruises.com/celebrityselectdining.

Celebrity Cruises Overview & Itineraries