Eating outdoors on Spirit for dinner

Whenever we travel in the Caribbean we expect to be able to eat outdoors in the evening.

Will this be possible on the Spirit in December?

You produced some lovely images when I asked about deck loungers. Am I in for another treat? Hope so.

T&C

We have not been on the Spirit but have done the Caribbean on Legend and there are two possible venues for outside dining. As I recall, there is a nightly grill on deck with a buffet of salads, desserts, etc. I think they do steaks, fish on the grill. This is set up in the Sky Bar area on Deck 8.

Also Restaurant 2 (Veranda Café becomes Restaurant 2 in the evening) on the small ships has outside space and we have eaten there.

I know you have to have reservations for Restaurant 2 and I'm pretty sure you need reservations for the Sky Grill.

I don't have pictures. Sorry.

Why not google images of Seabourn Spirit verandah cafe?

Hello Poppy.

Google Images shows me a mass of pictures taken outdoors in the daytime.

But thanks for the suggestion anyway.

Tony

Hello Poppy.

 

Google Images shows me a mass of pictures taken outdoors in the daytime.

 

But thanks for the suggestion anyway.

 

Tony

You're right Tony I didnt realise that. We too love eating outside and try too book Restaurant 2 outside on the smaller ships as often as possible. Enjoy Seabourn.

Thanks Poppy.

I'm totally new to this game and learning fast. Somewhere I read someone grumbling about not being able to book what they wanted. Is this an issue?

Tony

They do not usually grill outside on the small ships at night but on sea days they do set up the grill for lunch next to the Sky Bar. Usually once during the cruise they will also do a full deck BBQ at night and that will be set up on deck 7 with dining tables set up on deck 8. And then of course you will have the Beach BBQ (weather permitting).

Thanks Chairsin.

I'm not bothered as to whether it is a grill or cooked in a kitchen.

What concerned me was reading about one of the restaurants on the Spirit being dark as the curtains were always shut - and we hate aircon, especially when the alternative is eating under the stars!

Tony

Then do try to make dinner reservations for the Verandah/R2 most evenings and specify that you would like a table outside.

Thanks Poppy.

 

I'm totally new to this game and learning fast. Somewhere I read someone grumbling about not being able to book what they wanted. Is this an issue?

 

Tony

We've rarely had a problem booking R2. Think one of our most memorable meals was on the Pride and we docked overnight in the centre of Seville. We sat outside, watched the Seville rowing club racing competition and then the wonderful sunset. Another was on one of the larger ships eating outside the Colonnade in Greece in a thunderstorm. The lightning was purple, pink etc was amazing. I agree with Chairsin about the beach BBQ. We did it in Ko Kood in Thailand and its a great day.

Oh, and regarding the curtains in the Restaurant -- there are sold panels to the side of each window with horizontally striped sheers that cover the windows so you can still see out.

And as for the grumbling you will always find someone grumbling about something.

I think the frequency of the grill depends on where you are. When we were in the Caribbean in 2011, I believe the grill was set up every night. In the Med last spring, I think it was only out two or three times in 16 days.

Thanks everyone.

I'm reassured it will be dinner under the Caribbean stars.

Can't come soon enough - though the UK is unseasonally sunny at the moment. Can't last!!

T&C

This past spring we did a crossing on the Spirit. Our friends from Scotland suggested we eat outside at the Sky Grille on our last night and so we did. We are relatively new to Seabourn so this was the first time we did this.

The weather was lovely and they served filet and shrimp from the grill with a small buffet for additional items, salads, etc. The evening was magical! The setting was so beautiful, stars were out, sea like glass, so serene. We discussed our future travel plans, on Seabourn of course, and decided to book the 2014 crossing on the Spirit when we got home. We reminisced about our voyage and had a thoroughly wonderful evening.

It was the perfect ending to our crossing. Two weeks later our friends called us to say they had booked the fall crossing for this year so we did as well.

We have decided that weather permitting this is the way we will spend our final evening on board after each voyage.

Why not start another tradition and do the first night out as well, assuming they offer it and weather permits.

That's what we do ! That is our tradition, albeit only 4 SB cruises under our belt and another one in the pipeline, but we always go to R2 for the surf and turf and clam chowder on our first night.

Sounds good to me.

We were on Spirit last summer in the Adriatic, and had a fine cruise. The Spirit does miss opportunities for passengers to dine outside in the evening. They lack sufficient space. But they could plan better, too. We could hardly ever get reservations to the secondary restaurant in the evening; but we could see vacant tables. heir grill, which produced very good meat on the days it was open over the noon hour, wasn't usually open at night. However, one night there was a outdoor grill buffet in which tables were set up all over the decks and the regular restaurants were closed. We had a fabulous time--good food and wonderful setting. LittleRedJohn.

You are referring to the Deck BBQ -- never more than once a 7 or 10 day cruise on the little ships -- it takes the whole afternoon to set up and they have to close the spas early to do so. On the big ships with the built in grill and different deck configuration it is much easier to do more frequently.

I could have started a different thread, but our question seems very related.

Does anyone have experience dining outside on the Spirit during Barcelona to St. Martin Transatlantic?

A lovely outdoors dinner at Restaurant 2 (In Europe somewhere!)

Yes,I'm in.

Good question zich6.

Am I missing something in the answers?

I am a total novice around here but I would have guessed that mid Atlantic eating on deck after dark might not be all that comfortable. But that's only my uninformed suggestion.

T&C

Some people will dine outside under almost any conditions. When we were on the Spirit in November/December in the Med it was fairly chilly and windy in the morning -- nonetheless there were a number of our fellow German and other European passengers having breakfast out on the Verandah every morning.I don't quite understand the attraction of dining outside under less than optimal conditions. We don't even usually dine outside for the deck BBQ -- the plastic chairs are flimsy and uncomfortable and it is usually so windy that I end up with my long hair in my mouth along with my dinner. We much prefer the quiet elegance of the dining room for dinner and then join the others post dinner for dancing on the deck. Then again, we are blessed to live in a place where we can comfortably dine outside poolside 9 months of the year.