Specialty restaurants on Zenith?

[cruiseforus]

Are there any specialty restaurants on Zenith? Hoping to pack light and avoid formal nights.

[doublemm16]

No, the Zenith does not have any specialty restaurants, but there is an alternative dining option in the buffet area for a small fee.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[cruiseforus]

Thanks for the quick response. Is it nice? Did anyone try it? Also what is the fee.

[doublemm16]

I believe it is the same food served in the dining room, but you do not need to get all dressed up. I was on the Zenith in 2000, my first cruise to Bermuda. It is a great ship. I went back to Bermuda last year on the Horizon (right before she was sold), and had an equally great time. The reason I mention that is because the Horizon was an older ship, yet it was always sparkling clean and the service top notch.

 

Be prepared for a nice intimate experience on the Zenith (compared to some of the mega ships out there now). You will meet some terrific people and will not be disappointed.

 

I am going on my first European cruise on the Galaxy in August...she too is an older ship, but the largest I have been on yet.

 

Again...have a great vacation!!

 

Mindi

[CaroleSP]

Thanks for the quick response. Is it nice? Did anyone try it? Also what is the fee.

It used to be about $2/pp to cover tips for the staff. You have a small selection, but it is nice enough. You can definitely dine in shorts. The catch is that you are always asked to dress per code when wandering the ship, so you be the judge.

You can post the question of the alternative dinner menu. Someone has probably photographed it, or remembers enough to list the options.

[CaroleSP]

I believe it is the same food served in the dining room, but you do not need to get all dressed up. I was on the Zenith in 2000, my first cruise to Bermuda. It is a great ship. I went back to Bermuda last year on the Horizon (right before she was sold), and had an equally great time. The reason I mention that is because the Horizon was an older ship, yet it was always sparkling clean and the service top notch.

 

Be prepared for a nice intimate experience on the Zenith (compared to some of the mega ships out there now). You will meet some terrific people and will not be disappointed.

 

I am going on my first European cruise on the Galaxy in August...she too is an older ship, but the largest I have been on yet.

 

Again...have a great vacation!!

 

Mindi

Have a wonderful time on the Galaxy; she is an old faborite of ours; sailed 4 times!

We did a 14 night out of Jacksonville on the Zenith in 2004; we're back for the 13 night repo in October. She is an older, imtimate ship with wonderful staff, if not the glitz of the newer ships. She is a bargain costwise and has some great itineraries.

[DancerOT]

The reason for the $2 fee is for tips for the staff of the alternative dining room. It is instead of the tip you would be giving to your "regular" dining room staff. So really it isnt much of a fee. Just a suggestion, make sure if you are skipping a night in the dining room that you let your tablemates and waitstaff know ahead of time - just a courtesy thing.

 

Also, Celebrity states that formal attire is the attire for the entire ship for the entire night so going to alternative dining may not completely solve your dilemmna.

 

Enjoy your cruise! I am jealous!

[jessemon]

Are there any specialty restaurants on Zenith? Hoping to pack light and avoid formal nights.

We have cruised on both Zenith and now gone sister ship Horizon. Great ships. Just the right size abd great staff.

For a sample go to www.cruiseclues.com and click on menus in the menu.;) Then scrool down to "HORIZON"... "Diningroom menu including casual menu...

This is a menu from the Horizon from last year. It probably hasn't changed much.

The thing no one has mentioned yet is they have a complete "Sushi" bar set up also...yum-yum...:D from 6 till 10 there.

Have a great cruise.

[nat9511]

We also don't do formal nights when we cruise. We found the dinner in the casual dining area to be great on the Zenith and the Infinity. They only have two menus which they alternate. There is a steak, fish, pasta and chicken choice on each one. The tables are set with white table cloths, nice dishes, glasses and they wait on you just as in the dining room. I wear slacks on formal nights and shorts or capri's on other nights. At least you won't be out of place wearing slacks on a formal night because many people tend to change clothes after dinner even tho it says to stay formal all night. A $2 tip per person is suggested but we always leave a $5 bill. You should make a reservation sometime during the day. The phone number will be listed in the daily newsletter. It is very relaxing and you don't feel rushed at all. The waiters are waiting for a promotion to the dining room so try extra hard to please and if you are interested they will talk about their families or homeland. Give it a try, you will like it.

[dougnewmanatsea]

I've always found it slightly odd that Celebrity want reservations for casual dining - not sure any other lines do.

 

That said, it sounds quite nice. I like the idea of training future dining room stewards in the casual dining area - this makes good sense!

[cruiseforus]

It sounds nice. Think we'll give it a try. Slacks are a good idea. We just don't feel like "formal" on this trip and that sounds good to us.

Thanks again.

[Charles4515]

It sounds nice. Think we'll give it a try. Slacks are a good idea. We just don't feel like "formal" on this trip and that sounds good to us.

Thanks again.

 

The food in the alternative dining on Zenith is not very good. Ate there one evening because we had something to do in St. George during our regular seating. I suggest avoiding it.

[SailBadtheSinner]

The food in the alternative dining on Zenith is not very good

 

I don't agree with that statement. On our cruise to Bermuda in April, we ate all but one meal at alternative dining, and would say that they were all good, and I even would put one in the excellent category.

 

 

SBtS

[Charles4515]

The food in the alternative dining on Zenith is not very good

 

I don't agree with that statement. On our cruise to Bermuda in April, we ate all but one meal at alternative dining, and would say that they were all good, and I even would put one in the excellent category.

 

 

SBtS

 

The meal we had was lousy. Had to get some stuff from the Sushi Bar to eat. The regular dining room was excellent every night except the last night. If you only ate one night in the dining room, that is a shame.

[Babs-03]

Join the fun and get dressed up .It's not too hard and you certainly don't need anything terribly dressy.I wore a very simple short summer dress with heels and I fit in fine.It's just part of the cruising experience.Look for a table serviced by Raphael and Deniz.They were our attendants at dinner each night and they made us feel special no matter what we wore.Have a great trip.ps.....bring seasick meds....don't let that ruin your trip.