Sea Cloud Spirit Dining

There are two restaurants on Sea Cloud Spirit, but the food options don’t change much between the two. Rather, the venues differ in the amount that they serve (full breakfast buffet vs. Continental; four courses vs. three), the times that they serve (dinner at the Restaurant starts at 7:30 p.m. while the Lido Restaurant meals are at 8 p.m.) and how casual they are.

The main indoor Restaurant was often a ghost town at dinner. A Sea Cloud veteran told us that the German guests love the sultry Caribbean air, and so even the most humid nights don’t dissuade them from al fresco dining at the Lido Restaurant. The atmosphere was certainly more lively here, so we soon filed suit (even though we loved the air conditioning). Most dinners were served, although Pirate Night and New Year’s Eve were special themed buffets.

In general, we found the food on Sea Cloud Spirit to be very good, with some high spots, particularly the hot soups and fish. It’s not luxury dining, necessarily, and the German tastes do differ from North American in some crucial ways. The lunch buffets, for example, tended to be heavier entrees such as veal and pork, supplemented by cold dishes and salads that weren’t exactly what an American palate might be expecting. You could always get a green salad, however, and the grilled fish of the day was always a highlight.

On our holiday sailing, the chef went all out for the Christmas Day dinner, with a stomach-stretching, eight-course extravaganza that included a pasta course, lobster Thermidor, and roasted Chateaubriand. Most nights, however, the dinner portions were European sized, and so a three-course meal was manageable.

We also found that our European counterparts onboard generally enjoyed a more leisurely paced dining experience than we Americans are used to. Our astute servers, however, picked up on this, and we were able to have our dinner in under 90 minutes.

Restaurants on Sea Cloud Spirit

Restaurant (Deck 3). The main indoor Restaurant on Deck 3 is open for a full breakfast buffet every morning, as well as the default choice for dinner. It’s an elegant space, with large arched windows, white tablecloths, blue fabric covered wooden chairs and nautical paintings on the walls.

The breakfast buffet consists of European-style cold meats and cheeses, fried eggs, hard-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, yogurts, smoked salmon and fish, fruit, various choices of bread and pastries and an omelet station. There’s also juices and coffee, as well as sparkling wine.

Dinner in the Restaurant gives you an option for four courses, as opposed to the three offered up in the Lido. There’s an appetizer of the day (although you can substitute a green salad); a soup of the day; a choice of a meat, fish and vegetarian entrée; and a choice of dessert or cheeses.

Lido Restaurant (Deck 4): The outdoor Lido Restaurant was the dining area of choice for most people on our sailing. The tented space has plastic walls that can come down to protect you from the rain or wind, but for the most part, it’s open to the Caribbean air. The space epitomizes sailing chic, with glossy wooden finishes and chairs, a banquette and tables for two, four or larger groups.

Beyond being the primary dining area, the Lido has a DJ booth with a dance floor, as well as the ship’s main Lido bar. It’s really the heart of the ship at night, as cocktail time bleeds easily into dinner, which then eventually moves into drinking and dancing.

A small Continental breakfast buffet consisting of meats, cheeses, yogurts, breads and pastries was available up here for both early and late risers. The buffet area has a self-service coffee machine that makes espresso, cappuccino and lattes. There is also an area where you could fill your provided water bottle with filtered water.

Lunch was solely served at the Lido. Options varied daily, but the buffet always had cold salad selections, hot sides such as eggplant carbonata, a station with at least three hot options (including a daily grilled fish) and a salad bar. Dessert was always a cake, a choice of two ice creams and international cheeses.

Teatime at the Lido is a serve-yourself affair. The buffet provides you a variety of small tea sandwiches, cookies, cakes and cheeses, along with a selection of teas.

To dine at the Lido at night, you need to sign up at the reception desk before 5 p.m. Almost everyone on our sailing opted for this choice. Normally, appetizers and soups were fixed and you had a choice between three entrees (a meat, a fish and a vegetarian option). There was usually one dessert – think cheesecake or Baked Alaska – or you could opt for cheese.

The back of the Lido allowed smoking, so if smoking bothers you, choose a table toward the front of the buffet closer to the dance floor and bar.

Lounge (Deck 4): The Lounge on Deck 4 had a station where you could always find pots of filtered coffee, tea and juice in the morning. In the afternoon, cookies were put out if you wanted something quick and sweet.

Sea Cloud Spirit has no room service.

Dietary Restrictions on Sea Cloud Spirit

The Sea Cloud Spirit menus marked off choices for lactose and gluten-free options, and there was always a vegetarian entrée at dinner. You’ll still want to let the ship know about any allergies or dietary restrictions you have before boarding, and also talk to the culinary team once you board.