What a treat I had, attending a conference ON a cruise ship! Learning and luxuriating, it was a wonderful experience. Even if I hadn’t been on the IFWTWA (International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association) conference, I would have loved sailing on the Discovery Princess Cruise Ship, their newest ship in the fleet. It sailed between Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California, with ports in Victoria, BC and San Francisco. In this Editor’s Pick article, I share with Real Food Traveler readers some of the things I learned that will make your time on this ship even more relaxing and wonderful. Enjoy our video from our YouTube channel at the end of this article to see our journey in action.

Save this Editor’s Pick article about making the most of the Discovery Princess cruise ship to Pinterest to help you plan your trip. Photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Ways to make the most of Discovery Princess Cruise Ship IN ADVANCE:

Sign up to be on Princess’ email list for frequent, and really good, discounted deals and other perks. You can do this right at the top of the Princess.com website where it says “Special Offers Sign Up.” Editor’s Tip: Do this 6-12 months in advance of when you think you might want to book a trip.

While it’s pretty easy to make all of your cruise plans on your own, take advantage of the free service of Princess’ travel advisors. We learned, after the fact, that working with someone could have helped us make our restaurant and excursion plans. There are a lot of steps to take and choices to be made when planning a cruise and it’s helpful to have someone familiar with the cruise line and ship help passengers keep all of their ducks in a row.

Arrive early to embark. While the ship might not depart for hours, you’ll have a chance to get your bearings, grab a bite and even go for a swim. You may as well get your vacation going as early as possible!

As soon as reservations are open on the website for specialty dining while you’re in the planning stage, make them, taking into account which days you’ll be on excursions. Editor’s tip: Distribute these dinners throughout the trip so you have something extra special to look forward to.

Plan your embarkation time to be on the early side so you can dive into your vacation early.

Ways to make the most of time ON THE SHIP:

On the first day, walk around, getting familiar with where things are, including every restaurant, your muster station and your cabin. Learn where your cabin is in relation to the things you need the most such as the muster station, buffet area, pool, theater, and where you get off the ship, etc.

Take advantage of the electronic informational panels by the elevators that help you find things and see what activities are happening.

Check out the daily schedule and plan which activities you want to go to, including the fabulous shows (so you plan when to eat dinner), when musical groups you like will be playing and where, and other activities. You could run yourself ragged going to everything you want so pick the things you want to go to most BUT allow time to get there – it can take a while to make your way around the ship.

Hopefully you made specialty restaurant reservations in advance of sailing. But sometimes you can still make a reservation onboard. Be flexible because the restaurant, date and times might not be exactly what you wanted. Rest assured, you can’t go wrong with any of them!

While most people only think of the main dining rooms for dinnertime, breakfast and lunch are available there too. Enjoy them for the upscale, white tablecloth experience. Editor’s tip: Save that for days at sea because service in these restaurants has a slower pace to accommodate the multiple courses available. When in a rush, head to the buffets.

Getting acquainted with what’s where on Discovery Princess early helps you get where you want to go more easily during the course of the journey.

Ways to make the most of EXCURSIONS while sailing on Discovery Princess:

Off-ship fun: If possible, add on a day or two before your cruise out Vancouver, British Columbia to explore the city and to venture into nearby Surrey. Go hungry and explore a world of international cuisines there, along their popular Surrey Spice Trail. Take advantage of excursions during the cruise in Victoria, BC and San Francisco. Stay tuned for an upcoming article with recommendations for pre-, during-, and post- cruise excursions. And recommendations for things to do on your own.

Whether you make plans through Discovery Princess or on your own, take advantage of pre-, during-, and post-cruise excursions to places including Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria, BC plus San Francisco where the ship ports overnight.

The stellar dining scene on the Discovery Princess Cruise Ship:

Anyone who has gone on a cruise knows that the food is a big draw. That’s certainly the case on Discovery Princess where our group had the pleasure of meeting Chef Rudi Sodamin, the most decorated chef at sea and Princess Cruises’ first Head of Culinary Arts. Before taking on this role with Princess, he was the master chef for Holland America Line, a position he has retained. Chef Rudi’s culinary career started when he was a kitchen apprentice at age 14. Highlights of his 50 years in the culinary world (being celebrated in 2024) include being named corporate executive chef onboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. He has also worked for Norwegian American Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and more. He is the author of 14 cookbooks. The most recent is Rudi’s Sel de Mer: For the Love of Seafood.

Chef Rudi Sodamin, Head of Culinary Arts for Princess Cruises.

Chef Rudi’s influence is in every item of food on the ship but he is very good about letting his staff express their passion and expertise in their day-to-day work. All of that shows in the tiny details, beautiful appearance and delicious flavors of everything that comes out of the kitchen, whether it’s at a buffet, restaurant or special dining event. Part of Chef Rudi’s vision is encouraging ideas and recipes for regional dishes contributed by staff who are from around the world! You get to “eat local” while in the middle of the ocean. Chef Rudi’s influence is certainly felt in his newest restaurant at sea, The Catch by Rudi (more on that below).

Chef Rudi Sodamin, center, top, and members of the culinary team of the Discovery Princess during a celebration and cooking demonstration.

Dining options on Discovery Princess:

Our conference group got to go behind-the-scenes for a galley tour and meet the culinary team (I LOVE behind-the-scenes things!). We saw where everything is made, from scratch (including breads and gelato), daily, from the wee hours of the morning to late at night. It was fascinating to see the well-organized, well-run operation in action. It gave us all even more appreciation for every single food item on that ship.

Here are the dining options included in the cruise fare:

Main Dining Rooms have elegant décor, cloth tablecloths and napkins and pretty serve ware which makes these dining experiences feel special. Check your stateroom TV or Princess Patter (the daily newsletter delivered to your cabin) for hours of operation for breakfast, lunch and dinner availability. Each of the dining rooms has multi-course menus. Choose an item from each, make a meal of several appetizers, or try more than one entrée or dessert if you like. There are no rules! Editor’s Tip: While it may be tempting to go a little crazy with all of the tempting offerings, help reduce waste (and preserve your waist) by ordering only what you’re sure you’ll be able to eat – you’ll never go hungry on a cruise ship!

World Fresh Marketplace is the buffet area. So spacious and plentiful, it’s easy to get turned around and a little lost in there – but what a place to get lost! Help yourself to breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything inbetween. Some food items will be offered daily and others change. Princess has offerings from around the world, including regional favorites. On our trip departing from Vancouver, British Columbia, there was a Brazilian Dinner Churrasco, a British Dinner, All American Dinner and a Mongolian Stir Fry. It’s the place to get everything from a quick piece of fruit to a snack to full meals and gorgeous desserts.

Editor’s Tip: During prime times, the buffet is the busiest part of the ship and seating is limited (although there’s usually some out on the deck). We recommend going a little early or a little late surrounding breakfast, lunch and dinner for fewer people and more seating. World Fresh Marketplace is great for nights you plan at attend a show because you can eat according to your own schedule which you might not be able to do at one of the restaurants.

The Pastry Shop in Horizon Court is a special area within World Fresh Marketplace that is like walking into the dreamiest bakery shop ever! Not only are the treats delicious but they are works of art.

Here’s an example of some of the deliciousness passengers can enjoy as part of their cruise fare.

Slice Pizzeria makes Neapolitan-style right in front of you, on deck. See the dough being hand-tossed, then topped and slid in the big pizza oven. You may have to wait a few minutes for the kind you want but it’ll be hot out of the oven and worth the wait.

The Salty Dog Café also on deck, right by the pool, is a quick place for a burger, brat, grilled chicken sandwich, hot dog (each served on buns made right there on the ship – we saw them!). Editor’s Tip: Don’t forget the addictive fries, which you can get an order of on their own when you have a mid-afternoon, take-a-break-from-the-pool moment.

Dining options that cost extra

Specialty Dining – Other dining options are available for an additional (but very reasonable) fee (or, in some cases, two are included with Princess Premier level booking). These offerings are a great deal – you’d pay double or triple for this level of dining at a restaurant “on land.”

Chef’s Table happens around a special, central table, shared with other passengers, during which the Executive Chef hosts the evening, explaining the multicourse dinner and wine pairings. The meal is created especially for this experience and cannot be found elsewhere on the ship. It is not included for Princess Premier level and is a separate fee for anyone of any level of sailing to purchase separately.

Crab Shack offers a four-course meal of seafood-lovers’ dream cuisine from chowder to steamer pots of seafood and even popcorn shrimp.

Crown Grill offers steakhouse and seafood.

Gelato, in the Atrium of the ship (great people-watching!), serves truly authentic Italian-style gelato made daily. Get a simple scoop or decadent sundae.

Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria serves traditional Italian comfort food, in multiple courses, with a great wine and cocktail menu.

Examples of some of the beautiful and tasty dishes that can be enjoyed at Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, a Specialty Dining restaurant on board Discovery Princess. Of special note, the image on the bottom is their dramatic, deconstructed Tiramisu!

The Catch by Rudi was not yet available on Discovery when we sailed but was going to be soon and the anticipation was high among guests and crew alike. When we spent time with Chef Rudi, his enthusiasm for the seafood-centric restaurant that would celebrate the best of the ocean (including catch of the day, oysters, bisques, lobster, and a raw seafood bar) was simply catching (fishing pun fully intended).

The Salty Dog Gastropub is the upscale version of the on-deck Café. Try signature burgers and other pub favorites plus beer, whiskey and cocktails. Oh, and desserts.

360, An Extraordinary Dining Experience is just that. This is a special dining opportunity that goes way beyond simply great food and drink. The interactive, theatrical, technologically-brilliant happening combines multiple courses of food and drink with surround-sounds-and-sites that take you to the Mediterranean, connecting real farmers, makers, and purveyors with the food you’re actually eating. It’s an amazing experience. Click on the bar below to read my article about it. You can make reservations for this add-on experience when you make your other dining reservations before the cruise. Spots are very limited. It’s worth every penny and then some.

The 360, An Extraordinary Dining Experience is simultaneously informative, immersive and an exquisite meal. 

Hungry for more? See what the 360, An Extraordinary Dining Experience is really like.

Bonus opportunity: Caymus Vineyards Winemaker Dinner
Princess has partnered with the Caymus Vineyards to create a delicious and very enjoyable food and wine pairing experience. It made the last evening of our voyage extra special. This is part of a larger endeavor with Caymus Vineyards that includes providing wine on the ships, with specific pairings in Crown Grill and the opportunity to visit the winery on shore excursions.

The Caymus Vineyards Winemakers Dinner was the culmination of other opportunities to learn more about wine while on the ship.

Fun Facts About Discovery Princess Cruise Ship:

Discovery Princess® is the third vessel that was designed from the ground up with Princess MedallionClass® and the final in their Royal-class ship classification. The ship can accommodate 3,660 guests and there are 1,346 crew members. There are 1,830 guest cabins, 19 decks, and its inaugural cruise was March 27, 2022.

What does MedallionClass mean? It pertains to a very handy, pretty-darned-brilliant technology that makes life easy while on-ship (where life is already wonderfully easy). The Medallion itself is a quarter-sized wearable device (provided for free on a lanyard or you can upgrade by having it as an attractive necklace or on-the-wrist device). It enables all sorts of convenient perks including touch-free boarding, locating your group anywhere on the ship, and unlocking your cabin door as you approach it (a panel outside your cabin “sees” you approach and then locks it after you leave again). Next to some elevators, there’s a panel with a map of the ship which makes it handy to find things. Touch your Medallion to it and it will direct you to your cabin!

To begin booking your trip on the Discovery Princess, visit their website, here.

Hungry for more? Discover 4 unique culinary travel experiences in San Francisco.

-Story and all photos by Courtney Drake-McDonough, Publisher and Managing Editor, Real Food Traveler

Please note: As a member of the media and attendee of the IFWTWA conference, certain opportunities were included in the cost of the conference and passage to our group, including the specialty dinners. As is our policy, that never influences our opinions which are our own and are relayed to our readers as a service.