|
Aft on Lido deck, behind the pool area, guests will find one of Zaandam’s true treasures, the Lido Restaurant. Accessed by the mid or rear banks of elevators, the 386 seat Restaurant is spacious, without being overwhelming in size. The buffet lines are easily accessed, and table spaces are open, and bright. Passenger traffic areas are well delineated, with no poles or obstructions blocking the path of tray wielding guests. This is in contrast to what a would-be HAL competitor, Celebrity, provides in their equivalent space onboard the Century Class of vessels. Guests’ first encounter with the Lido Restaurant can be a bit disorienting: Everything appears to be backwards! With most of the passenger traffic entering from the forward entrance, they will first find the salad bar; pretty logical. BUT, continuing aft, they’ll next come upon the dessert or ice cream bars, the entrees, breads, and another salad bar, in that order. The restaurant is accessed from the aft entranceway, where menus detail the day’s offerings and stewards prepare guest trays with napkins and silverware. The backward placement does permit guests entering from the front to check out the offerings as they walk along the buffet to the rear, starting place! Moving forward, guests will discover what has to be the most comprehensive selection of food served anywhere at sea! For breakfast, guests select from the typical selections, enhanced with four types of milks, FRESHLY squeezed orange juice (gosh, this was really good!), eggs prepared to the guest’s order, omelets from a separate station, and buttermilk or fruit pancakes, and, French toast or waffles. Lunch is more interesting, with the usual fresh fruit, juices breads and cold cuts, but enhanced by prepared salads such as: Red Skin Potato, Seafood, Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella, Curried Shrimp, Swiss Sausage, Artichoke and Coleslaw. Entrees will include: Rotisserie Chicken prepared in rotisseries located just behind the buffet; Pan Fried Trout Fillet; Beef Stroganoff; Veal Parmigiana; Linguine with Clams, and, even Indonesian style Sate; and, Scallop Kebabs. A Deli sandwich grill and a changing Specialty bar (pasta, antipasti, and curry bar for example) round out the selection. The one thing you won’t find is a guest reaching into the food, and in the process, contaminating it for those who follow. The stewards serve all food to the guests! Well done Holland America! Desserts include the famous, Holland America Bread Pudding with Vanilla sauce that every guest has to sample, and, that regulars with the line seem to crave! The Ice Cream Bar, open for lunch, afternoon and late snacks, is comprehensive in variety and in toppings. On a typical day, guests can expect to find 4-5 flavors of regular ice cream, including some more exotic flavors such as pistachio and butter pecan, at least one sherbet, and one or two selections of soft serve frozen yogurt or low fat ice cream. Servings may be done in a dish, or changing varieties of cones. Ice cream connoisseurs can further decorate their masterpieces with a variety of toppings including: marshmallows, crushed 5tth Avenue Bars, crushed Heath Bars, jimmies, nuts, chocolate fudge, caramel, fruit, and, of course whipped cream. Further enhancement comes from the selection of liqueurs: orange curacao, crème de menthe, triple sec, cherry brandy, and more, sitting ready to pour over the top, completing the creation. ALL FOR NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE! This has to make anyone question how Princess can continue to justify the charges they levy for ice cream on their ships! Coffee, tea and ice tea are available round the clock. Coffee is GENUINE ground coffee, not the coffee sludge common on most ships today! The Lido Restaurant also serves as Zaandam’s alternate venue for dinner. Naturally, NO RESERVATIONS ARE NECESSARY!!! Any guest who doesn’t feel like dressing for dinner, just, can pop in, and enjoy dinner at THEIR leisure! THIS IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF ALTERNATE DINING! Can anyone believe that some lines require advance reservations for this? Generally, I avoid the buffets on ships, choosing instead to take the majority of meals in the main dining room. The food’s just better there! Zaandam changed all that. On Zaandam, the food in the Lido was just too good to avoid. Quickly, it became my home, and I enjoyed every moment! Each evening, Zaandam continues to provide a traditional mid-night buffet. For passengers of the Holland America Line, those awful Midnight Gourmet Bites that some lines serve just aren’t good enough! I agree! A note of caution, there is an unexpected drop off of the floor neat the sides of the forward section of the Lido, near the mid-ship elevators. Unsuspecting passengers carrying trays are apt to stumble, with potentially harmful results. I urge care! |
 |
Continue Tour |
|
Reverse Tour |
|
Return to Zaandam |
|
A PARNAMI Cruse Page Copyright © 2001 Mel Litzenberger. All Rights Reserved |