Holland America expands its dining options with the reservations-required, 130-seat Odyssey Restaurant, a lovely room of silver and white horseshoes around the atrium. The chairs are especially noteworthy, with spindly arms and legs that look like silvery bones with little hands. The steel-reinforced aluminum chairs were heavy to move around, but the line said the next batch will be much lighter. The ceiling is ethereal, with transparent light fixtures that look like glowing, floating lily pads. (Or jellyfish, depending on your perspective.) The walls are covered with prints of old-time food spreads, taken from paintings in Boston and New York museums.
The menu in the Odyssey is centered on Pacific Northwest flavors of Holland America's home, Seattle, Wash., and neighboring states. Think salmon, premium beefsteaks, Dungeness crab cakes, venison carpaccio and other items featuring Washington apples and Oregon blue cheese. The wine list includes selections from some very good regional wines, including Chateau St. Michelle and Willamette Valley. The Odyssey includes a bar for pre-and post-dinner drinks. Some diners didn't like noise emanating from tables near the atrium; ask for a booth inside for a quieter spot. The Odyssey includes a $20 cover charge.
For main dining, the two-level Vista Dining Room features a lipstick-red decor with ebony-colored wood chairs with floral upholstery. Floor-to-ceiling windows line three sides of the room, and there are two grand staircases with a bandstand in between from where live music emanates during dinner. Food on Holland America remains as good as always; rarely inspired, but tasty. But a full galley on each level is sure to speed up service and help ensure that the food is hot when served.
New is the Windstar Cafe, named for Holland America's sail-cruise sister company. It's near the main atrium, done up in a nautical motif, with blond wood and marine blue furniture. The coffee served is Torrefazione Italia, the upscale brand of Seattle's Best Coffee. It's open from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.; there is an additional charge for fancy coffees and pastries. Free coffee is always available in the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Java Corner, right outside the meeting rooms and near the Internet Center on the Promenade Deck.
The Lido Cafe is designed to be more efficient, with buffets offering different items to minimize the length of the lines. Holland America always does a great job with the buffets, and the favorites are still here: pizza, pasta, Asian stir fry, deli sandwiches, salad bar and, at breakfast, made-to-order omelets. And, of course, the always popular ice cream bar. The Lido decor is very bright, with the color scheme set by a mural of yellow, purple and orange tulips. Right outside the Lido Restaurant poolside is the Terrace Grill serves up burgers and hot dogs in a new location, right outside the Lido Restaurant and closer to the Terrace Bar.
Restaurants
The two-level Vista Restaurant has spacious seating and good soundproofing with tables for two, four, six, eight and 10. The ship's Lido cafe, a cafeteria serving breakfast and lunch, becomes a casual dining venue at night serving pizza and pasta. The reservations-only Pinnacle Grill at the Odyssey restaurant is stark white, with twisted aluminum chairs that have the feet and head of a ram. Priced at $20 per person (wine extra), dinner in the Pinnacle Grill is a sumptuous affair in a romantic setting.
For many cruise vacationers, dining IS cruising! Holland America agrees. In fact, they’ve agreed for over 130 years with white-gloved, shipboard service!
To announce the evening meals, uniformed staff members tour the ship, signaling the dining time with chimes. It’s a nice touch and another timeless tradition familiar to millions of loyal Holland America guests.
Sophisticated dining amid an atmosphere of fine art, museum-quality antiques, crisp white table linens and fine Rosenthal china.
Five-course meals ranging from classic French cuisine to lighter alternatives. Delicious vegetarian selections are available at every meal.
Choice of four dining times in the main dining room. An upscale, reservation-only restaurant and an always-casual buffet alternative are available.
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Vista Dining Room: Your arrival to your evening dining venue is accompanied by the lilting sounds of a string quartet. Decorative Murano glass fixtures add a soothing glow to the elegant, two-tiered room. Rosenthal china and fresh flowers await you at your carefully set table. By day, the views out to sea are expansive, courtesy of floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. By night, the room feels warm and intimate.
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Lido Restaurant: A variety of fresh, cooked-to-order specialties are offered in this buffet-style eatery. But no high school cafeteria, this! The Lido Restaurant features a constantly changing menu of international favorites ranging from Caribbean to Cajun. Fresh-carved turkey and beef, mouth-watering pizza and fancy desserts are available, too. And at night the lights are dimmed and made-to-order entrées and waiter service is featured.
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Pinnacle Grill is Westerdam’s extra special, extra-cost alternative restaurant, well-positioned for either atrium or sea views. Fine wood accents and warm fabrics set the mood; Bvlgari® china, Riedel® stemware and Frette® linens set the table. Sterling Silver beef, fresh seafood and a wide selection of regional specialties will pay a short visit to your plate! And the wine list is one of the most extensive at sea!
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The Terrace Grill is a favorite for guests who favor a poolside view with their lunch. Burgers and the fixings are available below the Lido Pool’s sliding glass panels to ensure a casual setting no matter the weather. Oh, and ice cream from the Ice Cream Counter doesn’t cost you a nickel extra!
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