The night before, we’d been dining in Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, one of the Specialty Dining category restaurants on Discovery Princess®, the newest Princess ship. Somewhere between our appetizer and entree, we heard trumpet music playing and turned around to see a group of passengers happily parading through the restaurant behind two brass-playing musicians. Some moved to the music, others sheepishly smiled as they followed along. But soon, they disappeared into the kitchen. What the heck? Turns out it was all part of a very special dining event available on Discovery Princess, “360: An Extraordinary Experience.” The next night, it was our turn. Having gone through it, I wanted to tell RealFoodTraveler.com readers what to expect plus a bonus list of 6 ways to make the most of the dinner. Be sure to watch our video at the end of this article to see the experience in action.
Save this article about Discovery Princess and their 360 dining experience to Pinterest to keep it handy. Photos and graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.
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Editor’s Pick: Discovery Princess “360: An Extraordinary Experience”
But first, an overview of the dining scene on Discovery Princess
When cruising on Discovery Princess, the newest ship in the fleet, which March 27, 2022, with 19 decks and 1,830 cabins, there are different levels of dining opportunities. The entire culinary experience on Discovery, and every other Princess cruise ship, is overseen by Chef Rudi Sodamin, who has authored numerous books and has an impressive and extensive pedigree in the culinary world. His presence and guidance over each ship’s Executive Chefs and their teams, takes Princess’ culinary scene to a new level.
Dining options on Discovery Princess include buffets, dining rooms and casual dining restaurants that are included with your cruise plus specialty dining restaurants that require reservations and charge a fee. That cost is modest given the quality and quantity of the food and would cost two or three times as much at a restaurant “on land.”
And then, there’s the 360 option which, I think, is the pinnacle of the dining experiences aboard Discovery Princess.
360: An Extraordinary Experience is Wonder-ful!
The guests we’d seen happily parading through the dining room, who seemingly disappeared into the kitchen, were actually being led into an enclosed, secret room where their 360 experience would happen. It all starts out near the central piazza area of the ship, with a welcome cocktail and a bit of mystery. Here’s what to expect:
A 360 banner and roped off area just off the Piazza is the starting point for the evening. After checking in with the hosts and receiving a pretty welcome cocktail that has the logo floating on top, we received a little teaser of an introduction and were then told to follow the horn players. Parade time!
Now WE were the group of people cheerfully meandering through Sabatini’s while others looked, smiled, and wondered “What the heck?” as we had the night before. Into the back area, with a quick peek to the right into the kitchen (we love behind-the-scenes glimpses!), we were led to the left into a large, round room with two half-circle tables, and to our assigned seats. (I had to chuckle a bit because the person checking me in said my spot at the table was his favorite – there couldn’t be a bad seat in this circular configuration!).
Soon, dinner and the show began! Every diner had a perfect view of what was being shown on the LED screens surrounding us (don’t worry, they weren’t those gawdawful bright LED lights). Most of the time, both sides of the room were showing the same thing, but sometimes, it was different. One of the first images that appeared was of… wait, is that actress and model Brooke Shields? Why yes, yes, it is! She serves as our “fellow” cruise ship passenger, relaxing on the deck, recalling and journaling about her fabulous journey, experiences, and cuisines throughout the Mediterranean, enjoyed on Princess cruise lines!
I heard a few murmurs near me of “wow, she’s doing THIS now?” and “this is going to be one big commercial for Princess.” Yes, and kind of yes. But the snarkies soon went away and we were all immersed in the beautiful scenes, the words of the local farmers and artisans from the culinary stops on which we were embarking with 360.
Here’s the true delight of 360: An Extraordinary Experience – in this room, everything comes alive! You SEE beautiful photographs and video of various Mediterranean regions, HEAR the words of these artisans talking about what’s special about what they provide (seafood, cheese, wine, olive oil, etc.), WATCH your actual table covering change into visions of interactive things that go with the food you TASTE as it is brought in, on cue, by a friendly team of servers. The host and servers showed all of us how to take advantage of these playful animations such as pounding on the table to break the plate in Greece, tap on the image of a flamenco dancer in Spain to make her do a twirl and flutter her fan (see it in our video below), and “dig” in the dirt to reveal a precious truffle. Oh, and you’ll SMELL aromas as different courses come out. Lemon was my favorite. Or maybe lavender.
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The courses were:
Greek mezze with the cutest-ever mini pita bread rounds, tzatziki sauce, olives, and Greek extra-virgin olive oil.
Wonderful nibbles to start with, from Greece, including tiny pitas, tzatziki sauce, olive oil and olives.
Also from Greece, grilled octopus that had been marinated with olive oil for flavor and tenderness was served with Greek Manouri Parnassou cheese, pickled red onion and feta cheese.
Grilled octopus was prepared perfectly.
Moving on to Italy (that was a quick trip!), we started with Mozzarella di bufala, heirloom tomatoes, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar reduction and basil-infused oil.
Mozzarella di Bufala with tomato, basil leaves and basil oil.
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Perhaps my favorite thing in the dinner was the fresh, long spaghetti noodles, enrobed in an oven-roasted lemon sauce with lemon zest and parsley. My fellow diners were talking about this dish for days afterword, trying to figure out how it was made so creamy (the trick is typically a bit of pasta water!).
Real (and delicious) lemon pasta was served on a plate with a projected design. Can I get this technology at home so I can have any design I want?
Our culinary voyage then took us to Spain where I, personally, was taken right back to a recent visit to Palma, in Majorca, where I’d had this very dish – toasted bread rubbed with tomatoes whose juice then soaks in. That base is typically topped with whatever one has in the pantry like cheeses and meats for a casual meal. In this case, Pata Negra and Serrano hams and chorizo accompanied the flavorful bread.
Authentic flavors of Spain appeared in this simple dish with tomato-rubbed toasted bread and cured meats.
Still “in” Spain, we were next served grilled fillet of beef, fried eggplant, roasted baby carrots, and grilled shrimp perched on top and a nob of what turned out to be truffle butter, shaped like the elusive fungi.
Fillet of beef, carrots, shrimp and truffle butter.
Dessert was maybe the cleverest thing of all. With a whiff of lavender in the air, and little bees busying themselves on the tabletop of honeycomb, dessert was placed – a honey-lavender panna cotta-type round, with tiny golden “bees.” Made of gel-like honey, they were adorable, so technically creative, and tasty!
A lavender and honey dessert with edible bees.
Throughout the meal, there had been paired beverages (non-alcoholic alternatives are available). They included an ouzo cocktail, sparkling Champagne Drappier and a glass of the remarkable ElixSea, an underwater winery that ages its bottles deep in the sea (as evidenced by the remnants of sea plantlife uniquely attached to each bottle).
Being able to have a glass of ElixSea wine that had been aged at the bottom of the ocean, during the 360: An Extraordinary Experience,” made it extra special.
After a bit, I found myself giving up trying to figure out the “how do they do that?” and just relinquished to the experience. It was whimsical, technologically amazing, totally immersive, absolutely delicious (I’d had great food on this cruise but this meal was the best) and made me feel giddy and childlike at times. Yes, as someone who writes about seeking out the local cuisine and people and places behind it when traveling, it was all very interesting. But more than that, it was “wonder-ful”! I found myself filled with wonder at the whole experience, having had a great meal, connected with my fellow diners around the room, with the staff, and with the people, places, traditions, and ingredients we had experienced throughout the Mediterranean, and all while we were literally on a ship in the middle of the ocean.
When the final celebration came, signaling the end of the evening (reminding me of “Be Our Guest” in “Beauty and the Beast”), I’ll admit, I got a little choked up. I hated to leave this wonderful little world we’d all been in, so full of delicious, informative, beautiful things.
Leave we did though, stepping back out into reality (as much of reality as being on a cruise ship can be), with passengers bustling past. Little did they know what we had all just experienced, a world away, right on the ship.
Keep this list handy by saving it to Pinterest so you know how to make the most of your 360: An Extraordinary Experience dinner event. Photos and graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.
6 Tips for Making the Most of “360: An Extraordinary Experience“:
- Know that it’s absolutely worth the $149/person. It’s included for those in the Suite Class of sailing (they receive a special invitation to dine). For everyone else, make a reservation as soon as reservations open up before sailing.
- It’s okay to take photos and video but don’t let that keep you from really focusing on the experience.
- Be very mindful of the food itself – the appearance, textures, and flavors. There are seven courses but they can go by fast. Also, you can’t take uneaten food “to go” so just keep that in mind when pacing yourself. And don’t even think of asking for salt or A-1 sauce to augment your meal. Trust in the chefs’ expertise.
- Try everything, even just a bite, of what’s on your plates, even if you’re not sure about it. Someone near me didn’t eat the roasted octopus because he said it had always been tough and chewy when he’d had it before. Same for me but this dish was tender and amazingly good. His major loss.
- Pay attention and let yourself immerse in the visuals and the stories because these are not actors – they are the real deal, local people telling their stories. It’s the next best thing to you being with them, in person.
- Dress up a bit for 360: An Extraordinary Experience. You don’t have to go formal but it is a special dinner and a special occasion so dress to that level.
To learn more Discovery Princess as a whole, visit this website page. And to learn about the 360 dining experience specifically, including the vegan and vegetarian options available, visit this page.
Bonus: I was on Discovery Princess as part of a professional development conference with an organization I belong to, the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA). Several of us collaborated on an article about the 360 dining experience. You might enjoy reading other perspectives on the meal, here.
-Story and photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor of RealFoodTraveler.com.
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