Solarium Bistro dinner reservations

[blueridgemama]

When can you make reservations on line? Lots of other dining options in my cruise planner  but not for the Solarium Bistro.

[mk-ultra]

The Solarium Bistro is just a scaled-down buffet like the Windjammer.  You just walk in and serve yourself.  No reservations.

[orville99]

21 minutes ago, mk-ultra said:

The Solarium Bistro is just a scaled-down buffet like the Windjammer.  You just walk in and serve yourself.  No reservations.

Not true - at least not in the evenings. While they have a really good selections of side dishes where the buffet would be, it is a sit down and order from an excellent cooked-to-order menu. Reservations are a good idea, and they can be made through the cruise planner the same way that one would book any specialty restaurant. From our May Harmony Cruise Planner:

 

 

 

BTW, the grilled salmon and the grilled shrimp are excellent

Edited February 22, 2019 by orville99

[mk-ultra]

Just now, orville99 said:

Not true - at least not in the evenings. While they have a really good selections of side dishes where the buffet would be, it is a sit down and order from an excellent cooked-to-order menu. Reservations are a good idea, and they can be made through the cruise planner the same way that one would book any specialty restaurant. From our May Harmony Cruise Planner:

 

 

 

Wow.  I stand corrected.  I've never seen reservations for this before, on any Oasis class ship I've been on.

[orville99]

1 minute ago, mk-ultra said:

 

Wow.  I stand corrected.  I've never seen reservations for this before, on any Oasis class ship I've been on.

We actually book the Bistro 3-4 nights on every cruise. At night it becomes one of the nicest, most romantic venues on the ship for dinner. They dim the lights, put "candles" on the tables, set most of the tables as two tops, and seat guests in a way that encourages private conversation. (all while having the best ocean views of any venue on board).

[orville99]

1 hour ago, blueridgemama said:

When can you make reservations on line? Lots of other dining options in my cruise planner  but not for the Solarium Bistro.

Should be available on line at the same time the other specialty restaurants open for reservations (~90 days out). When you get to the cruise planner, hover over the dining tab, and the solarium should be one of the choices available. If you click on Solarium Bistro, it will ask you to add it to your cart so you can select dates, times, and guests. Alternatively, if you click on "all Dining" it will take you to the reservations page where you can book your restaurants for every night of the cruise.

 

 

 

BTW, if you scroll down that page, the Solarium Bistro show up towards the bottom of the page

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by orville99

[Chiliburn]

On the ovation a few weeks ago,the solarium bistro was great.

you have to book,one night we went there with out a booking even though the place was half full,they said we had to have a booking ? They told us we could do a takeout ,which was strange but we did and took a plate back to our cabin.

The food was better than the Windjammer but limited in the menu,which became repetitive.

[orville99]

1 hour ago, Chiliburn said:

On the ovation a few weeks ago,the solarium bistro was great.

you have to book,one night we went there with out a booking even though the place was half full,they said we had to have a booking ? They told us we could do a takeout ,which was strange but we did and took a plate back to our cabin.

The food was better than the Windjammer but limited in the menu,which became repetitive.

We've done take out a few times from the Solarium, and they do a really nice job of packaging everything to go - they'll even pack up plates with sides, desserts, etc. along with your main courses. Since they also function as an "overflow" venue for MTD, they tend to hold back a % of their tables for them, and since it is a true dining venue in the evenings, they know guests will be there for a good hour+ to enjoy their meal. They also don't open the entire venue (no outdoor seating in the evenings), so the venue itself becomes quite a bit smaller than it is during the day.

[cementhands]

4 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

When can you make reservations on line? Lots of other dining options in my cruise planner  but not for the Solarium Bistro.

On Anthem I met the chef first day. We enjoyed quite a few meals there. I don’t remember reservations. But he took great care of us.

It was supposed to be Devinly Decadent but was quickly changed to more regular RCL food. Was supposed to be similar to Aqua Spa healthy cafe on Celebrity in solarium which is also changed. Loved the healthy salad and grilled to order salmon for lunch.

More healthy options are needed.

[Chiliburn]

On the ovation there was some good seafood,we did a cruise around New Zealand and they had NZ mussels in a wine sauce and  battered squid in pepper and salt .

That was in the buffet,all you can eat.

[Ralphinsc]

Yes. We have a Ressie booked for our upcoming Symphony cruise

[37645]

For the sit down dinner, not buffet, are there any vegetarian options? It appears to be very limited so I’m not optimistic. Thanks 

[orville99]

10 hours ago, 37645 said:

For the sit down dinner, not buffet, are there any vegetarian options? It appears to be very limited so I’m not optimistic. Thanks 

There is always a pasta dish available (changes every evening), and their selections of vegetables and rice (the lemon rice is outstanding) that come with the main courses would make an excellent vegetarian entrée if combined onto a main course. There are also several excellent vegetarian sides and salads on the menu. They have their own kitchen and chef, so I'm sure they could make almost anything that would please a vegetarian palette.

Edited February 23, 2019 by orville99

[vacationlover_mn]

Does the Solarium Bistro also have a menu in addition the buffet for breakfast?

[TeeRick]

What is the fee to book for dinner?

[jdg623]

Solarium Bistro is complimentary for dinner

[CRUISEFAN0001]

21 minutes ago, jdg623 said:

Solarium Bistro is complimentary for dinner

Yup.  Our group of 6 scheduled dinner one night, and actually enjoyed it - a nice change of pace, menu, and location/view.

[orville99]

2 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Does the Solarium Bistro also have a menu in addition the buffet for breakfast?

No, all buffet for breakfast and lunch.

 

[vacationlover_mn]

5 minutes ago, orville99 said:

No, all buffet for breakfast and lunch.

 

Ok, thx!

[bhsolo]

Oh wow I did not realize they had breakfast there as well. This is very exciting. What types of food is there for breakfast? I assume it's different from Windjammer and 270.

 

Also, when people say romantic at night - would it be awkward as a solo cruiser or not noticeable?

[jean-lynd]

What ship will you be on?  On Allure the Solarium Bistro is converted into the Samba Grill in the evening which is a specialty restaurant.  I'm not sure if any of the others do this but it could explain why you are not seeing it as an option for dinner reservations.  I hope this helps!

[HOSKI]

9 minutes ago, jean-lynd said:

What ship will you be on?  On Allure the Solarium Bistro is converted into the Samba Grill in the evening which is a specialty restaurant.  I'm not sure if any of the others do this but it could explain why you are not seeing it as an option for dinner reservations.  I hope this helps!

This explains why I could not find it in the cruise planner for our Allure sailing.

[tomatosauce]

On the Ovation there is always a big line for breakfast at the Solarium Bistro.