Capri, Portofino and Amalfi Dining Rooms on Star Princess

Choosing to buck the industry trend towards huge, multi-storied main dining rooms, Princess, for Star Princess, instead, provides three dining rooms, each more intimate than is the norm today. Two of these dining rooms are conveniently located mid-ship, on the two lower levels of the Grand Plaza, which makes for an excellent place for passengers to meet, shop and to be entertained before dinner. These two dining rooms, Portofino and Capri, each seat 486 guests for open style dining. Passengers receive no table assignments or dining times in these rooms. Instead, passengers may just show up anytime between 5:30 PM and 10:00 PM as they would for a land-based restaurant. In addition, much like would be the case with a popular restaurant on land, showing up at 6:30, probably will mean a wait of some sort. Otherwise, passengers join the typically short queue at the door, receiving an expeditious escort to their tables. Wait times, in our experience, are minimal. If a line is to be encountered, most likely it will be found outside of Portofino, on the higher deck of the two rooms. A short walk down one flight to Capri should reduce any wait times. Passengers desiring private tables for two could expect waits of longer duration.

For the more traditionally minded passenger, Star Princess has the slightly larger, 504 seat Amalfi dining room, located all the way aft on Fiesta Deck. Many passengers assigned here complain of its awkward, somewhat inaccessible location: For anyone on either Plaza or Fiesta Decks, you first must go up, at least to Promenade deck, walk to the stern stairs/elevator and then go down to Fiesta Deck. It sounds confusing, and it is, but, after a couple days, you will get the hang of things. Two traditional dining seatings are available for dinner: 6:00 PM and 8:15 PM of which, one will be assigned and noted on the passenger cruise card (ID card).

Amalfi provides the dining experience about which past passengers have grown accustomed, with guests keeping the same wait staff, table and tablemates throughout the cruise. Here, passengers will find waiters with whom they become familiar and who, over the course of the cruise, become familiar with them as well. Regrettably, Princess' introduction of automatic, pooled tipping has caused the staff to become less concerned with their tips and thus, their service as well. It is not bad, mind you; it is just not what it was when their income depended on having provided excellent service, with a good dose of personality.

Although approximately two thirds of Star Princess Passengers will receive assignments to Personal Choice dining in Portofino or Capri dining rooms, this does not mean they are locked into open seating requiring them to stand in line for a table each evening. For those desiring a more traditional approach to dining, the Maitre D, gladly, will provide an assigned table and dining time in either of the Personal Choice dining rooms for the duration of the cruise. In this way, passengers may keep the same waiters and dining companions just as they would for traditional dining, WITH THE ADDED ATTRACTION of being able to personalize a dining time more in accordance with the group's OWN preferences! They will not be locked into choosing either early or late, but rather, anything in between as well…or…REALLY late!

Passengers ordering wine do so from the Assistant waiter, NOT from the wine steward as was done in the past on Princess Ships. For those in Personal Choice wishing to have the opened bottle kept for the next night, they may do so. I have not a clue as to how the bottle is filed, but I have watched and, whatever their system is, it works! The proper bottles are found and presented, even when passengers are seated at different tables with different waiters.

Many passengers originally assigned to traditional dining in Amalfi find themselves, over the length of the cruise, gravitating to the Personal Choice dining rooms. Traditionalists as many of us claim to be, it is just very nice to be able to select WHEN we wish to dine instead of being told. Over time, I expect traditional dining to disappear from Princess entirely.

Due to the constant inflow and outflow of passengers to Personal Choice dining rooms, passengers forfeit the personalized dishes specially prepared tableside by the Maitre D. If it's Cherry's Jubilee you need to make your cruise a success, make certain you are booked into the traditional, Amalfi dining room.

Since Princess first introduced the concept of "Personal Choice Dining" with an obvious preference for it, it has been a constant question to me as to the reason why. Why was Princess so determined to provide a system of dining that many people, on the surface, were against and that required more work to implement? The logistics of it must be a nightmare. I knew the reason had to be economic, but could not understand what it was. I believe I now know:

Traditionally, passenger capacity on board ship has been limited, not by Coast Guard regulation, by number of berths on board, or by numbers of seats in lifeboats as many people think, but rather, by absolute capacity of the dining room factored into two dinner seatings. On Star Princess, if she offered traditional seating only, this would provide her a maximum capacity of 2,952 passengers (486 in Portofino, 486 in Capri and 504 in Amalfi, times two seatings). By switching to Personal Choice, Princess has discovered a methodology of expanding the capacity of the dining rooms, without the need, physically, of enlarging them. Where, before only 1944 guests could be accommodated in Portofino and Capri, now, their capacity is governed only by the ability to turn tables within the allocated period. This stroke of genius permits Princess the ability to fill every available on board berth without need to consider dining capacity! It is purely profit driven and for that reason, eventually, EVERY mass-market line will follow Princess' lead!

Dining room location can be important for more than mere convenience. Portofino and Capri, both, are centrally located in the most stable area of the ship. Amalfi, located aft, is located in about the unstable area of the ship possible. In the event of rough seas, passengers in Amalfi will feel it much sooner than will those dining in either of the other two dining rooms. For anyone concerned with motion, do not accept a table in Amalfi! When will cruise lines learn, dining rooms DO NOT BELONG in the back of a ship!??

The question could be asked, why did Princess choose to locate a dining room as inconveniently as is Amalfi? After all, not only is this dining room located in an area most susceptible to motion, it's also quite difficult to even reach, being accessible as it is by only the aft stairs or elevator banks. Further hindering accessibility is the fact that just two of the four aft elevators will provide access to Amalfi on Fiesta deck. Get on one of the others, and you will go for a nice albeit unexpected ride to parts of the ship other than the intended dining room. Further still, for those who DO arrive via the correct elevator, you will find yourself deposited in the midst of a horde of people waiting to get in; all cloistered into an elevator lobby too small to accommodate them and without chairs! Knowing all of the problems with locating a dining room here, why then did Princess do it?

The answer lies in the fact that Star Princess has two main galleys, each serving two dining rooms. Two, I say? Star Princess has only three dining rooms. True, but it also has a fourth, crew dining room that shares galley space with Capri. Amalfi and Portofino share the other galley, explaining the lack of thoroughfare on Fiesta deck for passengers wishing to reach Amalfi. They cannot because the galley lies in their way! The decision to have dining rooms share galleys in many ways makes sense. While many other ships with aft located dining rooms, ugh, require their waiters to use escalators to access the galley, carrying back trays piled high with passenger platters, on Star Princess, for them, everything is on the same level. Passengers are inconvenienced, slightly, but waiters enjoy a safer, more efficient means of food delivery. In this instance, I think the trade off to be a proper one.


	Capri, Portofino and Amalfi Dining Rooms on Star Princess A PARNAMI Cruise Page Choosing to buck the industry trend towards huge, multi-storied main dining rooms, Princess, for Star Princess, instead, provides three dining rooms, each more intimate than is the norm today. Two of these dining rooms are conveniently located mid-ship, on the two lower levels of the Grand Plaza, which makes for an excellent place for passengers to meet, shop and to be entertained before dinner. These two dining rooms, Portofino and Capri, each seat 486 guests for open style dining. Passengers receive no table assignments or dining times in these rooms. Instead, passengers may just show up anytime between 5:30 PM and 10:00 PM as they would for a land-based restaurant. In addition, much like would be the case with a popular restaurant on land, showing up at 6:30, probably will mean a wait of some sort. Otherwise, passengers join the typically short queue at the door, receiving an expeditious escort to their tables. Wait times, in our experience, are minimal. If a line is to be encountered, most likely it will be found outside of Portofino, on the higher deck of the two rooms. A short walk down one flight to Capri should reduce any wait times. Passengers desiring private tables for two could expect waits of longer duration. For the more traditionally minded passenger, Star Princess has the slightly larger, 504 seat Amalfi dining room, located all the way aft on Fiesta Deck. Many passengers assigned here complain of its awkward, somewhat inaccessible location: For anyone on either Plaza or Fiesta Decks, you first must go up, at least to Promenade deck, walk to the stern stairs/elevator and then go down to Fiesta Deck. It sounds confusing, and it is, but, after a couple days, you will get the hang of things. Two traditional dining seatings are available for dinner: 6:00 PM and 8:15 PM of which, one will be assigned and noted on the passenger cruise card (ID card). Amalfi provides the dining experience about which past passengers have grown accustomed, with guests keeping the same wait staff, table and tablemates throughout the cruise. Here, passengers will find waiters with whom they become familiar and who, over the course of the cruise, become familiar with them as well. Regrettably, Princess' introduction of automatic, pooled tipping has caused the staff to become less concerned with their tips and thus, their service as well. It is not bad, mind you; it is just not what it was when their income depended on having provided excellent service, with a good dose of personality. Dining for breakfast (7:30am -9:30 am) and for lunch (12:00pm -2:00pm) is open seating in Portofino only. Although approximately two thirds of Star Princess Passengers will receive assignments to Personal Choice dining in Portofino or Capri dining rooms, this does not mean they are locked into open seating requiring them to stand in line for a table each evening. For those desiring a more traditional approach to dining, the Maitre D, gladly, will provide an assigned table and dining time in either of the Personal Choice dining rooms for the duration of the cruise. In this way, passengers may keep the same waiters and dining companions just as they would for traditional dining, WITH THE ADDED ATTRACTION of being able to personalize a dining time more in accordance with the group's OWN preferences! They will not be locked into choosing either early or late, but rather, anything in between as well…or…REALLY late! Passengers ordering wine do so from the Assistant waiter, NOT from the wine steward as was done in the past on Princess Ships. For those in Personal Choice wishing to have the opened bottle kept for the next night, they may do so. I have not a clue as to how the bottle is filed, but I have watched and, whatever their system is, it works! The proper bottles are found and presented, even when passengers are seated at different tables with different waiters. Many passengers originally assigned to traditional dining in Amalfi find themselves, over the length of the cruise, gravitating to the Personal Choice dining rooms. Traditionalists as many of us claim to be, it is just very nice to be able to select WHEN we wish to dine instead of being told. Over time, I expect traditional dining to disappear from Princess entirely. Due to the constant inflow and outflow of passengers to Personal Choice dining rooms, passengers forfeit the personalized dishes specially prepared tableside by the Maitre D. If it's Cherry's Jubilee you need to make your cruise a success, make certain you are booked into the traditional, Amalfi dining room. Since Princess first introduced the concept of "Personal Choice Dining" with an obvious preference for it, it has been a constant question to me as to the reason why. Why was Princess so determined to provide a system of dining that many people, on the surface, were against and that required more work to implement? The logistics of it must be a nightmare. I knew the reason had to be economic, but could not understand what it was. I believe I now know: Traditionally, passenger capacity on board ship has been limited, not by Coast Guard regulation, by number of berths on board, or by numbers of seats in lifeboats as many people think, but rather, by absolute capacity of the dining room factored into two dinner seatings. On Star Princess, if she offered traditional seating only, this would provide her a maximum capacity of 2,952 passengers (486 in Portofino, 486 in Capri and 504 in Amalfi, times two seatings). By switching to Personal Choice, Princess has discovered a methodology of expanding the capacity of the dining rooms, without the need, physically, of enlarging them. Where, before only 1944 guests could be accommodated in Portofino and Capri, now, their capacity is governed only by the ability to turn tables within the allocated period. This stroke of genius permits Princess the ability to fill every available on board berth without need to consider dining capacity! It is purely profit driven and for that reason, eventually, EVERY mass-market line will follow Princess' lead! Dining room location can be important for more than mere convenience. Portofino and Capri, both, are centrally located in the most stable area of the ship. Amalfi, located aft, is located in about the unstable area of the ship possible. In the event of rough seas, passengers in Amalfi will feel it much sooner than will those dining in either of the other two dining rooms. For anyone concerned with motion, do not accept a table in Amalfi! When will cruise lines learn, dining rooms DO NOT BELONG in the back of a ship!?? The question could be asked, why did Princess choose to locate a dining room as inconveniently as is Amalfi? After all, not only is this dining room located in an area most susceptible to motion, it's also quite difficult to even reach, being accessible as it is by only the aft stairs or elevator banks. Further hindering accessibility is the fact that just two of the four aft elevators will provide access to Amalfi on Fiesta deck. Get on one of the others, and you will go for a nice albeit unexpected ride to parts of the ship other than the intended dining room. Further still, for those who DO arrive via the correct elevator, you will find yourself deposited in the midst of a horde of people waiting to get in; all cloistered into an elevator lobby too small to accommodate them and without chairs! Knowing all of the problems with locating a dining room here, why then did Princess do it? The answer lies in the fact that Star Princess has two main galleys, each serving two dining rooms. Two, I say? Star Princess has only three dining rooms. True, but it also has a fourth, crew dining room that shares galley space with Capri. Amalfi and Portofino share the other galley, explaining the lack of thoroughfare on Fiesta deck for passengers wishing to reach Amalfi. They cannot because the galley lies in their way! The decision to have dining rooms share galleys in many ways makes sense. While many other ships with aft located dining rooms, ugh, require their waiters to use escalators to access the galley, carrying back trays piled high with passenger platters, on Star Princess, for them, everything is on the same level. Passengers are inconvenienced, slightly, but waiters enjoy a safer, more efficient means of food delivery. In this instance, I think the trade off to be a proper one. Copyright © 2002 Mel Litzenberger. All Rights Reserved Continue Tour: Library, Writing Room, Card Room and Art Gallery on Star Princess Reverse Tour: The Grand Plaza on Star Princess Return to: MS Star Princess E-mail: PARNAMI@aol.com