Saturday, July 25, 2009

First night on the Zuiderdam

After a 45 minute delay the Zuiderdam finally was on its way. After sailing beneath the Lion's Gate Bridge we decided we should get ready for dinner.

Dinner selections on the Zuiderdam are the buffet style choices on the Lido Deck, casual dining, the Vista dining room on Deck 2, or make reservations at the Pinnacle Grill at a cost of $20 per person. We never ate there on the cruise. Meals are included and so we ate at either the Lido Restaurant or the Vista Dining Room.

The Vista Dining Room is open for dinner from about 5pm to 9pm to be seated. The restaurant is on 2 floors on the aft end of the ship. The people on Deck 3 are the ones who chose a confirmed eating time of either 5:30 or 8:00 when making their cruise reservation. The people who chose open seating go to Deck 2 any time during the dinner serving. You have the choice of a table for 2, 4, 6, or 8. If you have no preference you will either be at a 6 or 8 table. This is always the best, meeting new dinner companions each night. If you want a table for 2 you might have a wait.

The formal dining room Vista has menus with 4 courses. Each course has 4 or 5 selections. When the waiter returns, make a choice from each of Starter, Appetizer, and Entree. Once dinner is over the waiter returns with the dessert menu, again about 5 choices plus several ice cream choices. Expect to spend one and a half to two hours if choosing the Vista. Service is slow, but gives lots of opportunity to get to know your tablemates.

After dinner we went to the Vista Show Lounge on the bow of Decks 2 and 3 to catch the evening show, a variety act that introduced the Zuiderdam's singers and dancers. Show was about one hour long.

When it was done we headed back upstairs to the Lido Deck. Kerry was still hungry and got some more to eat while I ate another dessert. That was the danger of walking past the dessert station multiple times daily. Couldn't resist grabbing a cookie or danish or asking for ice cream in a waffle cone.

It was a nice evening so I headed up to Deck 10, a lounge chair, and a blanket and enjoyed seeing the lights of Vancouver Island.

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