Oosterdam - Lido Buffet Set Up - a few queries.

[cjm66]

How is the Lido set up - as a series of "stations", a line with an entry and exit or a mixture of the two? We eat lightly at lunchtime and I collect for both of us. My preference is to do this in installments and not load up a first plate with eveything from salads and starters to hot entrees, cheese and fruit. Is it customary to skip sections, where there is a line or would this be considered queue jumping? I would not dream of cutting into a line for a special and rarely served delicacy or at a cook while you wait station.

 

Colleen

[pepsigirl64]

It is a combo of a line, and stations. After the first day (because the Lido is usually so busy), you can go to what you want in line, a line might form for the hot entrees, but you can get the soup before. They have a nice salad bar, which is the omelet station in the morning. A sandwich station is also seperate. Also pizza and pasta are in their own station. It is very user friendly. Hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken sandwiches with fries are available in the pool area, Terrace Grill. I am drooling just thinking of it!! ENJOY.....:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Also the dessert and ice cream stations are separate. There are 2 of them and one side may have different ice creams than the other side.

[JCrewz]

There is one station in the morning that is dedicated to eggs benedict and several variations of eggs benedict. The station moves pretty slow because the attendant does not toast the English muffin until you order and he only kept about 6 poached eggs premade. The fresh eggs benedict dishes are probably the tastiest dish on the ship, if you like Hollandaise sauce.

 

One of the variants is eggs benedict Stanley, presumably named after the seafood restaurant in New orleans with a similar dish. Instead of Canadian bacon, a handful of fresh crab meat....real crab, not imitation....is placed on the muffin, topped by a perfectly poached egg and creamy Hollandaise sauce.

 

I think that if more passengers knew that the fresh crab rivaled the lobster tail, the station would be packed. I am diabetic and supposed to stay away from the waffles, but I had one because they smelled so wonderful....and they do taste as good as they smell. Breakfast was our best meal each day.

 

Anyway, the station moves a little slow. The omelet station goes extra slow because the cook did not use very high heat on the eggs. There are fruit and pastry selections that are self serve and, on Day 3, the beverages and the Sunshine Parfaits are self serve as well. However, it is really not accurate to call the Lido Deck food service a "buffet"....which has always meant self serve to us.

 

Try a trick with dining if it fits your style at all. Get to the restaurant or the Lido Deck early and you will have a better time finding a table and avoiding long lines. If you can make yourself eat at 5:30 p.m., your meal will go faster than 7:00 p.m. service.

 

While I know the food has been criticized on the Oosterdam, I highly doubt you will lose weight on your cruise. Have a great time in Alaska.

[SwissMyst]

There are also some, but not all, duplicate offerings on both sides of the Lido Buffet so if the line is too long on one side, walk around to the other. Don't forget the pizza, taco bar and grill can also give you a light lunch snack. HAL french fries are quite good - the Dutch know their potatoes.

[cjm66]

Thank you everyone for your very useful replies - just what I wanted to know. Gives us even more to look forward to - especially the Eggs Benedict station - must talk Harry into a late breakfast one morning instead of his preferred room service. I know I can write in a menu item but I do like the bit of drama involved in "while you wait"!

 

Colleen

[big green]

There is one station in the morning that is dedicated to eggs benedict and several variations of eggs benedict. The station moves pretty slow because the attendant does not toast the English muffin until you order and he only kept about 6 poached eggs premade. The fresh eggs benedict dishes are probably the tastiest dish on the ship, if you like Hollandaise sauce.

 

One of the variants is eggs benedict Stanley, presumably named after the seafood restaurant in New orleans with a similar dish. Instead of Canadian bacon, a handful of fresh crab meat....real crab, not imitation....is placed on the muffin, topped by a perfectly poached egg and creamy Hollandaise sauce.

 

I think that if more passengers knew that the fresh crab rivaled the lobster tail, the station would be packed. I am diabetic and supposed to stay away from the waffles, but I had one because they smelled so wonderful....and they do taste as good as they smell. Breakfast was our best meal each day.

 

Anyway, the station moves a little slow. The omelet station goes extra slow because the cook did not use very high heat on the eggs. There are fruit and pastry selections that are self serve and, on Day 3, the beverages and the Sunshine Parfaits are self serve as well. However, it is really not accurate to call the Lido Deck food service a "buffet"....which has always meant self serve to us.

 

Try a trick with dining if it fits your style at all. Get to the restaurant or the Lido Deck early and you will have a better time finding a table and avoiding long lines. If you can make yourself eat at 5:30 p.m., your meal will go faster than 7:00 p.m. service.

 

While I know the food has been criticized on the Oosterdam, I highly doubt you will lose weight on your cruise. Have a great time in Alaska.

 

I am sure the crab at the eggs benedict station is canned real crab meat.

 

BG

[JCrewz]

I am sure the crab at the eggs benedict station is canned real crab meat.

 

BG

 

You may be right.....I can't imagine that it was just pulled from the ocean, but it was delicious even if it was canned or frozen.