An overall great ship with a hardworking and friendly crew

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon tea was very enjoyable, with plentiful tea and scones. We attended on our first sea day, along with several hundred other guests. Based on conversation with others, this was a very highly attended tea, likely because it was too chilly to be on deck (low 50s). Staffing was a little light, but once everyone was seated, service moved quickly through the room and I observed multiple special requests being accommodated (e.g. a different tea, additional scones, etc.) with a smile.

Sabatini's Italian Trattoria

Very good, and very big meal. Of the three specialty restaurants (Crown Grill, Sur La Mer, Sabatini), this was my favorite —- we ate at all three. The burrata appetizer and lobster tortelloni were excellent. My wife had the osso bucco, which was also excellent. We both had a desert sampler, which included mini portions of the four main deserts.

Main Dining Rooms

Overall, the food and service are good. We only ate two evening meals at main dining, opting for speciality dining three nights, pizza another night, and one night off ship. We ate brunch/lunch in main dining on one of our sea days (when there was an extended wait at Gigi’s). All meals were good, though no particular dish stands out in my mind. I would happily eat again in main dining on this ship, though definitely appreciate a difference between the main dining and specialty dining options.

Crown Grill

Very good, and very big meal. Steaks were nicely done, and this was our preferred location to have a surf and turf meal. Service was excellent.

Gigi's Pizzeria

Excellent pizza, with gluten free crust option. We ate at Gigi’s twice, and would have eaten at Gigi’s a third time if the wait had not been close to an hour. The extended wait was on our second sea day at lunch. Primetime dinner and later evening seatings are much easier to obtain, and I believe Gigi’s is also available for room service order.

Bistro Sur La Mer

Solid meal. We ate at Sur La Mer the final night of our cruise. Our main dishes (scallops and sea bass) were cooked perfectly. Appetizers were similarly good. The location is a bit odd, as it is in the open on deck seven (Crown Grill and Sabatini are both more privately located). In a certain respect, the menu overlaps Crown Grill, which has a lot of similar seafood options. Both are very good, but I would rate Crown Grill as slightly better overall —- Crown Grill is also a more plentiful meal.

Casino

I do not smoke, and fully appreciate that those who do should have options for smoking on the ship. However, I do not understand why Princess permits smoking in the casino (Celebrity does not). The primary problem with allowing smoking in the casino on Discovery is that the casino is located on deck six, just about the Piazza, and just outside of the sushi bar. When the casino is open, smoke flows throughout these areas and it can become overwhelming, especially to those who are sensitive to smoke. For us, this completely ruled out eating at the sushi bar, which looked good. It also made Bellini’s a bit tough to frequent at times.