balcony champagne breakfast

On our last cruise, through the Panama Canal, we took advantage of a really special opportunity that's available on Princess Cruises--a champagne balcony breakfast! Princess has a terrific reputation on itineraries like the Panama Canal and Alaska, where scenic cruising is a big part of the itinerary. And when you sail one of those itineraries, did you know that you can have a fabulous champagne breakfast on your balcony?

Well, you can!

We knew about the champagne breakfast option, because we're certified experts with Princess Cruises, having completed our training to become "Commodores" in their travel agent program. (Alas, the rank of Commodore does not come with a fun nautical hat to wear onboard.) But, if you're new to cruising, or new to Princess, you might be forgiven for overlooking the notification of the option, among all of the other papers in your cabin.

Call the night before, and for a reasonable supplement (on our cruise, it was $45), you'll have a delicious breakfast delivered to your room. Ours included coffee, juice, smoked salmon with all the fixin's, a basket of pastries, strawberries and cream in a cantaloupe bowl, individual-sized quiches, and crab legs. Oh, and a split of champagne.

It's delivered by room service, and they set it up on your balcony, with a tablecloth and place settings. All-in-all, it's luxurious and delicious.

For us, as we were approaching the entrance to the canal, we were really excited to see all of the ships waiting for their turn to enter the canal. First, it was just one or two ships in the distance, then more and more, until finally we were in sight of the canal itself, and the amazing new bridge being constructed on the Caribbean side.

While all of this was happening, of course, we were enjoying our exquisite breakfast, toasting our excitement with champagne and marveling at how lucky we were to be having such an incredible (and kinda romantic, actually) experience.

If you're thinking about cruising to the Panema Canal, to Alaska, or to another destination where you're likely to have amazing views from your stateroom, give us a call. We can find those added touches that will make your sailing extra special, and through our relationships, we may even be able to find you on-board credits that would cover the nominal charges of adding something like a champagne balcony breakfast to your itinerary!