Meals, a highlight on River Allegro, are held in a single-seating dining room with river views on the Serenade Deck. The room is quite attractive, following the ship's blue and gold color scheme, but because space is limited, the center area can become noisy; choosing a table at the edge of the room makes for a more peaceful meal. Meals are quite sociable, with open-seating that makes it easy to meet a large number of fellow passengers during the cruise. Most tables seat six. Service is friendly and efficient, and the quality of all meals is high, with unusual variety for such a small ship.
Unless tour times make a change necessary, early-bird continental breakfast is available in the lounge from 6 to 7 a.m., and the breakfast buffet is served in the dining room from 7 to 9 a.m. Generous buffet breakfasts offer a range of hot and cold dishes, omelets to order and a hot specialty each day, from French toast to eggs Benedict.
Lunch is at 12:30 or 1 p.m., depending on when morning tours end. Most lunches are full service, beginning with a tasty soup like creamed asparagus, green pea or mushroom and a choice of warm dishes like German beef stew, turkey escalope or a sandwich of the day. A salad bar and pasta station are always available. Desserts usually offer a choice of a cake or an ice cream dish. When schedules dictate the occasional quick buffet lunch, the menu features soup, cold appetizers and a carving station, plus a selection of hot entrees and a dessert buffet.
Served at 7 p.m., four-course dinner menus include an appetizer and soup choices, as well as a variety of entrees, from venison stew to braised lamb and grilled butter fish. A vegetarian dish, grilled chicken breast and salmon are always available. Dessert might be creme brulee, apple crumble, crepe a la chocolate or an ice cream concoction. Wine is complimentary at dinner, and attentive waiters see that glasses are always full.
Complimentary coffee and tea are available from a machine 24 hours daily in the library, and cookies are set out in the afternoon. There is no room service on the ship.
* May require additional fees