One of the great aspects about travelling by cruise ship is your food is included. Not just any old food, but in my experience so far some pretty good food. So I wanted to share a little about the options for dining while I am onboard the MS Volendam.
There are six different dining options on the MS Volendam for dining throughout the day. The options include the Rotterdam Dining Room, Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Terrace Frill, Lido Restaurant and Explorations Cafe. Each of these provides a different dining experience and the times they are available can vary.
Rotterdam Dining Room
The Rotterdam Dining Room, also known as the main dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The timing can vary a little depending on whether it is a sea day or port day. Both fixed and open seating dining are served here.
When it comes to dinner, the dining room seems to be the most popular option. However, for breakfast and lunch, you find a rather small attendance. Full table service is provided, and the menu does change daily. There are a few common options on the menu if something for the day does not catch your fancy. So far the food has been excellent. However, at times I have found the service to be a little lacking compared to my previous cruise.
Pinnacle Grill
In my opinion, this is the best dining experience onboard. The level of food and service provided in the Pinnacle Grill is suppose to be the best. For this, you do pay a small additional supplement, at lunch this is $10 and dinner $25.
I have questioned whether dining in the Pinnacle Grill is worth the extra money a couple of times. However, I think it is worth it just to access some of the amazing food they offer. If it was not for the supplement, I think I would eat here every night.
Canaletto
The Canaletto is an Italian themed restaurant onboard. It is offered as a smaller more intimate dining experience, with a few nice little touches. Only available at dinner time there is a fixed menu with a range of Italian dishes.
There are some small touches that I like at The Canaletto. They start with a selection of Antipasto served before the Appetiser. There is a selection of bread’s available with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar to drizzle over. The greatest downfall here is the flavours are not so prominent.
Terrace Grill
Not all of the restaurants are open all the time, and the Terrace Grill helps to cover some of these hours. Open from 11.30am to 6 pm it is the place to stop for a quick afternoon snack between meals.
Lido Buffet
The Lido Buffet is the place many people eat Breakfast and Lunch. However, it is also available at Dinner time and if you need it a late night snack and ice cream.
The options are much the same each day at the Lido, but there is some good variety. At dinner time some of the dishes to match the Main Dining Room, just not presented as well. I had found the Lido on the MS Volendam to be much better than when I was on the MS Statendam.
Exploration’s Cafe
If you are looking for a coffee that is not instant, this is the place to go. It is the closest comparison to a cafe on land. There is a small selection of cakes that are the same as the daily desserts. The drinks do cost extra here, but the cakes and food are free.
More About The Food
If you would like to know more about the food offered onboard, why not leave a comment. If you let me know what you would like to know, I can try and include something later in the cruise.
One thing that I am looking forward to towards the end of the cruise is the Dessert Extravaganza. I am coming back and adding some pictures from this at the end of the cruise. As it is a great part of the food that is offered onboard.
