What are the dining times / restaurant opening hours?

Our on board restaurants provide a wide range of delicious and freshly cooked meals, so we offer a selection of dining options throughout the day to suit you.

Breakfast:

Normally served between 7.30 and 10.30am in the main restaurants and casual dining venues.

Lunch:

Normally served between 12.00 and 2.00pm in the main restaurants and casual dining venues.

Afternoon Tea:

Each day, complimentary afternoon tea is served between 3.45 and 4.45pm in the buffet service restaurant, with sandwiches, savouries, scones and cakes, along with fresh tea and coffee.*

*Please note this is not the Traditional Premium Afternoon Tea service, which is available on selected sea days in the Observatory, for just £13 per person.

Dinner:

Please request either the first or second seating when you make your booking. You can also request your preferred table, but we can’t always guarantee this.
Dining times are as follows:
First sitting 6.00pm 
Second sitting 8.00pm  
Second sitting dining time in the main restaurants on embarkation day and on formal evenings will be at 8.15pm.

Your restaurant seating card will be in your room when you board, which confirms your table number and dining time. This will be your allocated table for the duration of your cruise.

Please note that evening dining times may vary on our One Night Cruises. 

Casual Dining:

A buffet-style breakfast, lunch and dinner will also be served in the Palms Café (Balmoral) The View and The Poolside (Bolette and Borealis). 

For those guests requiring a more casual dinner option, The View and Palms Cafés will be open from 6.30pm to 9.00pm. Dining at the Poolside (Bolette and Borealis) is available throughout the day between 10.00am and 7.00pm.

On some nights, we have themed dining evenings in the buffet restaurants. These evenings are often very popular so we recommend you book in advance to secure a table.

Speciality Dining: 

For an even more indulgent and memorable dining experience, each ship in the Fred. Olsen fleet offers speciality dining in an exclusive venue. Vasco (on board Bolette and Borealis) and Colours & Tastes take inspiration from traditional Indian cuisine and modern Asian Fusion dining.

Our speciality dining venues are open from 6pm on the days advertised in The Daily Times. 

You can pre-book speciality dining via My Cruises from 13 weeks and up to 24 hours before departure, for £10pp. If you'd like to book once on board, speciality dining will be charged to your on board account at £15pp. *

*From cruise S2502 (1st February 2025), L2503B (2nd February 2025) & T2507 (24th April 2025) the pre-bookable supplement for our speciality dining is £15pp, and if booked on board, the charge is £20pp.