Prime 7 / Chartreuse reservation advice?

[kjbacon]

Don’t miss Sette Mari, which (to our surprise) was our favorite restaurant on our Explorer Med Cruise. We had regarded it as a throwaway and toward the end of our cruise, we thought we should at least give it a try. We ate there almost every night after! The salad and appetizer bar could be a meal in itself and it does offer some rotation for variety night to night. The served apps and bread are delicious as are the ordered soups and mains. I should mention that Italian restaurants are not ordinarily high on my list of favorites in general but Sette Mari is just that good. If you have a night with lovely weather, you can enjoy dinner there al fresco .... talk about a view!

[Ladys Mom]

5 hours ago, kjbacon said:

Don’t miss Sette Mari, which (to our surprise) was our favorite restaurant on our Explorer Med Cruise. We had regarded it as a throwaway and toward the end of our cruise, we thought we should at least give it a try. We ate there almost every night after! The salad and appetizer bar could be a meal in itself and it does offer some rotation for variety night to night. The served apps and bread are delicious as are the ordered soups and mains. I should mention that Italian restaurants are not ordinarily high on my list of favorites in general but Sette Mari is just that good. If you have a night with lovely weather, you can enjoy dinner there al fresco .... talk about a view!

I totally agree (although some cruisers do not).  We first experienced Sette Mari on a Navigator cruise where they experimented with the concept, in part to make up for having only one specialty restaurant.  It was very well received and there was often a line to get in,.  That was when we found out the maitre d' would encourage us to visit one of the lounges, while we waited, and he called  the lounge when our table was ready.  The appetizer tray and the breads are so good you can make a meal out of them, but don't.  The menu selections are quite wonderful.  We continued to visit Sette Mari on our last Explorer cruise and found it equally tasty, but not quite as busy.

[kjbacon]

I probably shouldn’t rave about Sette Mari so much because it is getting crowded!

 

I find it helpful to look over my itinerary for info like which nights you will be staying late in port. We don’t choose the specialty restaurants for those nights. We like those nights for the outdoor dining at Sette Mari or the Pool Grill. The other advantage there is that it gives the flexibility to stay out exploring the port as long as we like and not having to stop what we are doing to make our dinner reservation. It’s also a good strategy to book a 2nd (or 3rd depending on the length of your trip) reservation at each specialty on your first day while you still can. You can always cancel but you can’t always add another reservation after a few days.