alternate dining...

[abrowncow]

our cruise is on the Zuiderdam 7/17 -

we are travelling with a 2 year old so dinner in the dining room will not always be a viable option for us.

 

my questions are these...

how closely does the lido menu mirror the main dining room?

would you recommend it for regular dining (we will definitely be there on formal nights)?

is it always a buffet, or do they make it sit-down dining in the evening?

 

thanks, i just want to get everything straight before we go...

(just to clarify... this will be our 8th cruise, 3rd with the child, 1st on HAL)

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) The Lido menu for dinner is very similar to the main dining room.

 

It is usually posted outside either the main dining room or the Lido.

 

Most of it is buffet - the main course is the only item delivered to the table. You go through the line for salads, desserts, etc.

 

That is the way it has been - but who knows what is happening as HAL keeps changing things.

 

:)

[swmichigan cruiser]

Just an idea some nights you may want to consider room service.. We took our 4 1/2 grandson with us in late February and we never ate in the dining room. We didn't feel he could sit through an hour and half meal without getting bored. And we ordered off the dinner menu from the dining room and they delivered it to our cabin. We were fortunate to be in a suite but I think anyone could do it. We ate in the Lido the other nights and that worked out well also.

[abrowncow]

swmichigan -

quick question on ordering from the dining room - how did you do it?

did you call room service and request specific items from the dinner menu or did you order at the dining room and have them bring it to your cabin?

 

on our last cruise we sort of did that - got to dinner, ordered and then had to go back to the room with the boy (he just turned 2 at the time) because he wasn't feeling well. when the food came my husband had it covered and brought it to the room. we don't have a suite, but we thought it would be nice to eat dinner out on the balcony some nights.

 

i'm just wondering because i really really want my Beef Wellington!

[swmichigan cruiser]

We did it through the concierges at the Neptune lounge but I think you can just call room service and have it done that way. In the suite they send you a copy of the dinner menu for that night so you may want to go to the dining room and look at the menu they have posted for that night. It worked out really well for us because we could eat before we got dressed up for the evening. They bring everything in one trip and just like the dining room you can order extra portions if you want. We've got two cruises planned and the grandson won't be with us because he's starting school and I'll miss him because he adds a sense of adventure to the cruise..Enjoy the Zuiderdam were going back for our 4th trip on the Zuiderdam in November. One other thing the crew will enjoy your son I really think they miss their own children so any little one attracts their attention.

[Ellya]

The Lido is very easy with kids because there are so many foods to choose from! There are high chairs available and it is pretty much all self serve (tables are set with silverware/napkins). One of you could sit with the child while the other goes through the buffet lines.

 

If you want to experience the dining room more than just formal nights you might consider a breakfast or lunch there since those meals don't take quite as long, but you still get the table service.