Dining in the Lido

[CowPrincess]

MMoB, are you back already????

[fun*n*sun]

Am I understanding correctly that the menu is the exact same as the menu in the didning rooms? On Pricess and NCL, the Lido dinner buffet was very limited, so we never ate there. Having to do formal dining has been a factor in keeping us from cruising HAL until now, but we think we're going with HAL for our next Alaskan cruise (waiting for schedules to book).

 

There are quite a few options if you don't want to dine in the dining room on the formal nights including the Lido ( 5:30 - 8:30 pm with pizza and pasta available until 1 am ) regular room service 24 hours and you can order off the dining room menu during dinner hours.

[twinkletoes4445]

We are sailing on the Nourdam on Feb. 22nd. We have been on 3 other HAL cruises. We always take breakfast and lunch in the Lido, but we have never had dinner there. What is it like to have dinner in the Lido? How crowded? Easy to get tables for 2? Do you just pick your tables like you do at lunch? Any waiter service, or just cafeteria style? What about wine? Do you have to wait in line as long as you often do for breakfast and lunch? Any information you could give me would be appreciated. Thanks. Rudy

 

We just got off the Noordam on Monday. I started a thread and a lot of questions that you might have are on the thread. There's a lot there, so scroll on past what doesn't interest you, but there may be some things that do. I am going to scan the Daily Programs and post those this week. I also have posted the menu (minus the descriptions-which I am going to add this week along with photos). I have posted the hours of the Lido and other dining areas on this thread (I think), but if not, here are the hours for the different food stations...

 

Breakfast

Continental Buffet 6:00am - 11:00am

Full Buffet 6:30am -10:30am

Table service 8:00am - 9:30am

 

Lunch

Full Buffet/Asian - 11:30am - 2:00pm

Deli - 11:30am - 5:00pm

Salad Bar - 11:30am - 8:30pm

Pizza & pasta, ice cream - 11:30am - 1:00pm

Burgers, hot dogs, tacos - 11:30am - 6:00pm

Table service - 12:00 NN - 1:00pm

 

Dinner

Early Fixed Seating - Doors open at 5:45pm

Main Fixed Seating - Doors open at 8:00pm

Open Seating - 5:15pm - 9:00pm

Casual Alternative (Lido) 5:30pm - 8:30pm

 

 

Here's a recap for you. :)

 

We initially thought we'd do dinner in our cabin (we didn't want to do formal nights) or dinner in the Lido while on our cruise. We enjoyed dining in the Lido so much that we only made it to the dining room once (for AYWD-and enjoyed that) and never ordered off the menu to be delivered to our cabin.

 

Here's how the Lido for dinner worked for us...and I think you're going to love it, I know we did.

 

I don't recall for sure, but I think the Lido only operated on one side in the evenings. I could be wrong, but I remember specifically there were evenings when the Lido was only open on one side but I am not sure if that was every night or just a few.There was never a wait, well, no more than five or six people ahead of us. The line moved very quickly. It's nothing like breakfast or lunch and on formal nights, the place was practically empty.

 

The menu wasn't the exact same menu as in the dining room. One night I had Chicken Fingers as a main dish (that's what they were offered as), but on the dining room menu, the chicken fingers were an appetizer. You can mix and match. You want two appetizers and a piece of pizza...it's yours. If you want soup, salad, no entree, a couple of appetizers and a dessert...it's yours. That's the great thing about the Lido for dinner...you pick out what you want to eat.

 

If you enter the Lido area from the center elevators, you'll be starting at the front of the Lido dinner line. In the middle of the Lido (both sides are identical), you'll first come to the salad bar and the drink station is opposite this. You can get your drink or the waiter will do this for you. I do not recall seeing any of the salads that were listed on the menu in the Lido. However, the salad bar is wonderful. Lots to choose from and you can make your own.

 

Most of the time there were trays at the beginning (where the appetizers are located) and sometimes there was someone there handing you a tray, and sometimes there wasn't.

 

First up on the Lido buffet is the rolls. You pick your own. Then you move on down to the appetizers and soup. A server will get your soup, but you will choose your own appetizers. The next thing you'll see is "samples" of the entrees. I liked this because I have a hard time visualizing what things are and if I am interested, so seeing the items makes it very easy to choose. At this point, you're going to be standing in front of a podium and Mucklis (he was on our cruise) will greet you with a smile and probably know your name by day two. He'll ask you what you'd like to have for your entree. He will also ask you for your cabin number.

 

If you want to stop and get your dessert, you can do this at this time, or you can come back later, or your waiter will gladly go and get you the dessert of your choice. Next to the dessert case is where you get the ice cream. There is a board on the wall that lists the flavors they have that day.

 

Then you will be whisked off to a table. You can tell them where you'd like to sit, or they'll find you a table. It's all very relaxed. We had no problems finding a table. By the time you've eaten your appetizer, your entree will arrive.

 

If you want pizza, or pasta, that area is just beyond the dessert case and ice cream station. I had a piece of cheese pizza and it was good. Each night they had 4 or 5 out at all times (peperoni, cheese, a meat pizza, and a couple of others but I don't recall what they were at this time).

 

A wine steward will come around offering wine. There are also servers who will come to your table to see if you want a soft drink or beer.

 

Some nights were busier than others, but there are plenty of tables. We mostly dined alone (just the two of us) and sat at a table for 4 or 6. There are a few tables for 2, but they are right across from the buffet area, and a few near the entry areas to the Lido. So don't worry about getting a table, it won't be a problem. The tables are covered with white tablecloths, and there's a candle on each table. It's very relaxing and very enjoyable.

 

One night we were expecting people at our cabin and we had 15 minutes to grab a bite to eat. We went down to the Lido, grabbed a piece of pizza and an iced tea and ate it and left. Not that you'd want to do this, but you can do what you want...grab a piece of pizza or order your entree and have it brought to you.

 

It's also very casual no matter what the dining room dress code is that evening. On one formal night, we saw people in shorts and men and women in formal wear. In the evening the Lido is quiet and relaxing...nothing like the dining room.

 

We loved the flexibility and the casual and quiet atmosphere of the Lido in the evening. Almost always we had a young man name Fiji help us to our table. What a nice young man he is. So polite...always calling us by name and if we did need anything, Fuji would go get it for us. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was our first Lido dining experience, but it turned out to be a very positive experience.

 

Here's the link..

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=914051

[fun*n*sun]

I don't know if it's true on all ships, but on our Noordam sailing the pizza/pasta station was open until 1 am, not 1pm. It was a big hit with the teens :D

[kryos]

We loved the flexibility and the casual and quiet atmosphere of the Lido in the evening.

I agree with you on all counts! In the past, I wasn't too crazy about Lido dining in the evening simply because the hours and selections were rather limited. But on my last cruise I was very pleasantly surprised by how things had changed. Just about everything served on the dining room menu was offered up there, and I found the service and ambience to be wonderful. The hours too were greatly expanded, making that venue a very convenient option for me. Best of all, I could dine however I was dressed with no worries about annoying any of my fellow passengers with my uncooperative attitude where conforming to the stated dress code was concerned. On this particular cruise, I was doing a lot of writing and sometimes planned to just return to my cabin after dinner to work (LOL ... if you could call that work.) :) So, if the evening dress code was formal, I hated to get all dressed up just to go to dinner. Seemed such a waste. So the Lido was an answer to my prayers.

 

Had I known about all of these Lido changes, I wouldn't have even bothered bringing a single even "semi" formal outfit with me. That was a 35-day cruise, and I had enough regular clothes to deal with, not to mention the "overage" I would be bringing home because of things I acquired in the course of my journey.

 

The Lido suits me perfectly, and I know that on my upcoming Zaandam cruise in October I have no intention whatsoever of bringing anything that even hints at formal. I will simply dine in the Lido on all formal nights, and probably on many of the casual nights as well.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[hammybee]

The Lido hours expanded with the implementation of AYWD/Open Seating which will, mark it's two year anniversary, this May on the Noordam.

[Cruising-along]

The Lido hours expanded with the implementation of AYWD/Open Seating which will, mark it's two year anniversary, this May on the Noordam.

 

How time flies, didn't know it had been that long! ;)

 

We also have had dinners in the Lido. There was one cruise (lots of overseas flying involved, plus land time before and after cruise) and we just didn't want to bring formal that time. It worked very well for us, we couldn't have been happier.

 

Isn't it great we have so many choices?? :)

[sylteach]

I believe I read the the Lido is open in the evening on the Ryndam from 6:15 pm until 7:45 pm. People who are on excursions may have difficulty meeting that time-frame and then are stuck eating in the dining room or having room service. If it is a casual night I don't think it is a big deal-but if it is a formal night that may be a problem. Some people refuse to go to formal night. My elderly dad is one of them. I have to encourage him not to wear sweats all the time. When I was on the Sun Princess several years ago it seems to me that the Horizon buffet restaurant was open almost 24 hours.

[sylteach]

Sorry!! Ignore my previous post. I missed post #25-which answered a lot of questions!! Now I am rethinking whether I even want to go to the Dining room for formal night with my daughter. It sounds more relaxing to stick with Dad in the Lido!!

[MadManOfBethesda]

MMoB, are you back already????

 

Already?? :D

 

Yes, I am home now. The Ryndam returned to San Diego Tuesday morning, and DW & I arrived home last night.

 

Although we had a wonderful time, and saw some beautiful sights, we both discovered that cruising for a month is a little too long for us at this stage in our lives. In fact, on our last night on the Ryndam, I told my wife that if I had a choice of either staying on the ship for another 30 days for free, or having to pay $1,000 to get off the ship the next day, I'd happily pay the money.

[kryos]

Sorry!! Ignore my previous post. I missed post #25-which answered a lot of questions!! Now I am rethinking whether I even want to go to the Dining room for formal night with my daughter. It sounds more relaxing to stick with Dad in the Lido!!

It will be ... and far quicker too! :)

 

I know a lot of people like to "linger" over their dinner and they don't mind a meal taking 2+ hours to enjoy. But I'm of a different breed. I don't necessarily want to eat and run, but I generally do have things I want to do onboard ship in the evening hours, and don't want the evening meal to be the highlight! Also, if I've been on an excursion all day, especially a physically active one involving a lot of walking, swimming, etc. ... I'm generally tired come dinnertime, and the thought of parking myself in the dining room just to eat makes me inclined to just skip dinner altogether. That's why I love the Lido option. Works great, especially in these situations.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[MadManOfBethesda]

It will be ... and far quicker too! :)

 

I know a lot of people like to "linger" over their dinner and they don't mind a meal taking 2+ hours to enjoy.

--rita

 

Just got off the Ryndam's 30-day cruise and had early seating. We couldn't take 2 hours for dinner even if we had wanted too. Early seating was 5:45 with a 15 minute grace period, so waiters usually didn't begin taking orders until around 6:00. The dining room was mostly empty by 7:15. In fact, at exactly 7:30, one of the staff walked through the dining room chiming bells to indicate to all of the remaining diners that it was time to leave. This was understandable considering they had to reset everything for the 8:00 sitting. The late seating diners may have been able to linger over their meals, but the early seating diners sure couldn't. So if you want a relatively quick dining experience in the future, just sign up for early seating.

 

As a side note, I didn't really want early seating, but was told late seating was full when I booked. Ironically, many people who booked earlier than I did, wanted early seating, but couldn't get it because they were told that early was full. As it turned out, I only ended up eating about 7-10 meals in the dining room anyway. I usually had a late lunch around 2:00 or 3:00, then went to HH from 4:30 - 5:30. I would then go back to my cabin to get ready for the evening activities and show up in the dining room between 6:30 and 7:00 just to join my tablemates for coffee and dessert. I ate "dinner" on those nights in the Lido between 11:00 & 12:00.

[twinkletoes4445]

On this particular cruise, I was doing a lot of writing and sometimes planned to just return to my cabin after dinner to work (LOL ... if you could call that work.) :)

 

I wondered if you were a writer. Your grammar and punctuation is always perfect. :)

 

 

Had I known about all of these Lido changes, I wouldn't have even bothered bringing a single even "semi" formal outfit with me.

 

We did not bring a single piece of formal or semi-formal clothing on our cruise. IMO, packing was so much easier this cruise than the others we've done. I limited my Capri's to black or white and by doing so, I only had to bring two pairs of shoes and two purses.

 

The Lido suits me perfectly, and I know that on my upcoming Zaandam cruise in October I have no intention whatsoever of bringing anything that even hints at formal. I will simply dine in the Lido on all formal nights, and probably on many of the casual nights as well.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

We absolutely loved going to the Lido for dinner. We wanted a non-structured vacation and that's what we got. I am sure the next time we cruise we'll do the same thing because we loved dining in the Lido. It's great that HAL offers us so many options. The only reason we went to the dining room was to try the AYWD. I was even impressed with the AYWD (and if you recall, I was one who was pretty adamant that I wouldn't like it), but we found the Lido to be much more to our liking.

[southt00]

Hello! Is it OK to dress casual in the Lido during formal night? Thanks!

[twinkletoes4445]

Hello! Is it OK to dress casual in the Lido during formal night? Thanks!

 

Yes. We saw everything from shorts/t-shirts, Dockers/Polo shirts, sundresses, Capri's, and even a couple of men in tuxes in the Lido on formal nights. It's casual and a very warm and relaxed atmosphere. We loved it. The menu is posted in front of the stairs (across from the center elevators). It's the same as the main dining room, minus a few items.

[llamirand]

After our second or third cruise we began to realize that we are, deep down inside, Lido People! Now we can even admit it to anyone who asks without feeling shame.;)

 

We carry very little luggage, not needing fancy clothing or shoes. We are among others like ourselves.

 

We are treated royally even to the extent of being served my own birthday cake on the Prinsendam.

 

Lido chefs remember us from previous trips. The food is outstanding. What's not to like? We are Lido People. Come and join us!

[kakalina]

After our second or third cruise we began to realize that we are, deep down inside, Lido People! Now we can even admit it to anyone who asks without feeling shame.;)

 

We carry very little luggage, not needing fancy clothing or shoes. We are among others like ourselves.

 

We are treated royally even to the extent of being served my own birthday cake on the Prinsendam.

 

Lido chefs remember us from previous trips. The food is outstanding. What's not to like? We are Lido People. Come and join us!

 

Bite your tongue!! Do you want "our" Lido to get as crowded as the dining room? :eek: :D

[janiceah]

I'm going to post to this thread even though it's old because there seems to be alot of discussion about formal nights. I honestly had no idea that the Lido had such a nice dinner service available. We plan on eating there quite a bit as DH and I just don't like to get dressed up. What a great thread this was/is about a great option available on HAL. I for sure will pack lighter now for our cruise in February!!

[sofiegsd]

Eating in the Lido and not having to dress-up for formal night sounds good

but what about the dress code for the evening? Since HAL asks that we stay appropriately dressed for the evening what about attending the show or enjoying the lounges? Does it matter that you aren't wearing formal wear when that is the dress code for the evening?

[kakalina]

Eating in the Lido and not having to dress-up for formal night sounds good

but what about the dress code for the evening? Since HAL asks that we stay appropriately dressed for the evening what about attending the show or enjoying the lounges? Does it matter that you aren't wearing formal wear when that is the dress code for the evening?

 

 

Very few people onboard really care or notice what you are wearing to the shows in the casino and etc. Of course, they will notice if you are dressed inappropriately such as cutoffs and such. Nice dockers and shirt, nice capris and a blouse are more than acceptable on any evening. My DH doesn't like the MDR he eats always in the Lido, I vary. On formal nights he sometimes dresses up and sometimes not. Sometimes we don't match as I am formal and he is not. Who cares?? We've never run into a problem on any ship we've been on.

[janiceah]

Very few people onboard really care or notice what you are wearing to the shows in the casino and etc. Of course, they will notice if you are dressed inappropriately such as cutoffs and such. Nice dockers and shirt, nice capris and a blouse are more than acceptable on any evening. My DH doesn't like the MDR he eats always in the Lido, I vary. On formal nights he sometimes dresses up and sometimes not. Sometimes we don't match as I am formal and he is not. Who cares?? We've never run into a problem on any ship we've been on.

Sounds perfect to me!!

[RuthC]

Eating in the Lido and not having to dress-up for formal night sounds good

but what about the dress code for the evening? Since HAL asks that we stay appropriately dressed for the evening what about attending the show or enjoying the lounges? Does it matter that you aren't wearing formal wear when that is the dress code for the evening?

The evening dress code extends through the public indoor areas for the entire evening. Will you be asked to remove yourself from such an area if you are not dressed to code? Probably not---it has not happened to my knowledge.

However, it will be seen as demonstrating a lack of respect for your fellow passengers.

[Jewel99]

Wow - great thread.

 

I had read different things about the Lido Restaurant, but in my mind, I'd always pictured it as a glorified cafeteria - great for a quick snack, but not what I wanted on my vacation for a sit-down dinner. We knew we might end up in the Lido if our son (age 5) didn't act appropriately in the MDR. He's usually great in restaurants, and I always bring along quiet things to keep him occupied if necessary (colouring books, picture books, a new little toy) but who knows how he'll be after a long day of fun on a ship or in port, and I'm not going to impose a wiggly kid on fellow passengers. My assumption is he'll be fine, but if he's not, then we'll either put him into one of the kids programs (unlikely), or just have a nice dinner with him in the Lido or order room service (which I'm sure he'll think is a real hoot).

 

Now I'm totally rethinking my impression (which I now think was way off base), and the Lido might be a great option for us on a couple of the nights. Our cruise is only 7 nights - we're doing Tamarind one night and Pinnacle on another night.

 

I didn't want to get stuck with chicken fingers and pizza and dried out pasta in the Lido (see how utterly wrong my vision was? :rolleyes: lol)... so I had assumed we'd eat in the MDR every other night. Also, as the last night of our cruise is also our 10th anniversary, I wanted to eat in the MDR as it seemed a nice way to end the cruise. I also worried about having set dining (early for us) at a table for 8, and then not showing up for some of the dinners in the MDR as I feared that would come across as rude.

 

But it might be nice to have a more laid back dinner, especially with our son along with us. Nice to know that it's a valid option that doesn't involve food that's been sitting in warmers for hours on end. :D

[pjs9876]

I'm going to post to this thread even though it's old because there seems to be alot of discussion about formal nights. I honestly had no idea that the Lido had such a nice dinner service available. We plan on eating there quite a bit as DH and I just don't like to get dressed up. What a great thread this was/is about a great option available on HAL. I for sure will pack lighter now for our cruise in February!!

 

 

Thank you ! I had been looking for this info and just figured I could not get the details I wanted. This answered all questions!

[CRUZBUDS]

Does the Lido manager ask your room number to re-assign tips? I was trying to think of another reason

To those that use it a lot... do you tip the servers that take care of you regularly or is the regular tipping enough?

I'm not trying to hijack the thread, but I am curious about it.

We've got more experience on Celebrity and they charge two dollars a head for the nice evening casual restaurant for the tip. It’s in the buffet area, but it's all waiter service.

Less than a month to the Zaandam - we're pumped!