The two dinner-cruise ships sailing Lake Michigan`s waters offer contrasting styles. The Odyssey, the headline-grabbing new kid in town, is the stylish, opulent and, yes, more expensive one; the Spirit of Chicago is the looser, more fun-loving one.
(A third boat, Chicago`s First Lady, is scheduled to operate cruises beginning in July.)
Either ship will do what it sets out to do: Provide a leisurely, sight-filled cruise along Chicago`s magnificent, picturesque shoreline. Whether it`s a sunshine-filled afternoon cruise, a sunset-rich evening trip or a romantic midnight sail, either ship will provide a wonderful, extravagant experience.
It hardly matters that the weather doesn`t always cooperate; even if rain keeps passengers from the outdoor decks, the yachts offer fully-enclosed, climate-controlled seating, and plenty of picture windows to gaze from. If sightseeing isn`t your thing (though anyone who can resist Chicago`s skyline ought to be checked for a pulse), both ships offer entertainment as well.
And, of course, there is food. Which is where we come in.
Both cruise companies offer meal service; the Odyssey has been particularly aggressive in its claims of quality. One spokesman recently referred to the Odyssey`s operation as ”the Le Francais of cruise ships.”
Certainly, the Odyssey is approaching the food service seriously; it hired a real chef, David Koelling of the Greenery in Barrington, to oversee the ship`s sprawling gallery and design the menus, and Koelling responded with characteristic imagination.
But as good as the food on the Odyssey can be, it`s apparent that the Odyssey and Spirit are cruises first, restaurants second. There`s nothing going on in either ship`s operation that can`t be matched or exceeded by dozens of onshore restaurants.
This is not intended as a knock; we just want to keep expectations on, excuse us, an even keel. The Spirit and Odyssey, after all, seat up to 600 and 800, respectively; it`s simply impossible to cook for that many on a skill level comparable to a restaurant that seats only 100-and then not all at once. It does nobody any good to have hundreds of Chicagoans heading up the gangplank in anticipation of a fine-dining experience equal to that of a very good American or French restaurant. They aren`t going to find it.
To be sure, you can have a very nice, prettily presented meal on the Odyssey. You certainly don`t feel cheated in the food department. But even so, there are tradeoffs-in selection, for example-that you simply have to understand are part of the logistics in serving so many people in so short a time.
That said, let`s look at the two ships in detail.
The Odyssey
This is the first season for the Odyssey, the splendiferous ”megayacht” (to quote the literature) built at a reported cost of $5 million. That`s a lot of dinner cruises, but the Odyssey, while expensive, doesn`t seem anxious to recover its costs in the first few months. The cruises aren`t cheap-the top price, a weekend dinner cruise, is $72.48, tax and tip included- but neither are they outrageous.
The skies threatened all day, but the sun broke through for keeps a short time before our dinner cruise began. (Rain or shine, the cruises go on-when weather is particularly bad, the ship may remain at dock, but there are no cancellations.) Check-in was smooth and parking couldn`t be more convenient-for $5, you can park your car just steps away from the gangplank-and, after the obligatory camera pose above the signature life preserver (purchase this treasured memento for $6 afterwards), we were aboard.
The Odyssey is visually arresting, nattily appointed and trimmed in polished wood. As you might expect in a property that is essentially brand-new, everything looks wonderful; but it`s also clear that a great deal of money has been invested in creating a sense of luxury. Even the restrooms are fabulous, more in keeping with a top-quality hotel than a ship.
Seating is on three levels. The lower level contains a bandstand and dance floor; the middle deck is home to a piano lounge. The upper deck, the smallest seating area, features piped-in music.
You`re assigned to a table in advance; there`s a good chance you`ll be sharing a table with another couple. You may request a table by a window, but guess what? Everybody requests a table by the window.
You`re not seated long before an opportunity to buy a drink arises. Wine- lovers will be happy here; there are several by-the-glass wine options
(although a card detailing these options would be a nice addition), and a thorough wine list. (This is no accident; consulting chef Koelling`s restaurant, the Greenery, is known for its outstanding selection of American wines.)
Dinner service is available as soon as you`re seated, but feel free to stroll the ship first. This will take some time; the boat is large and the temptation to gawk is just about irresistible.
Dinner comprises four courses. There are three appetizers, three entrees
(plus a fourth entree, available at extra cost) and several desserts to choose among, plus a salad course. No waiting in line at the salad bar, either; all courses are delivered to your table.
A nice touch is that there seem to be plenty of servers around; the meal proceeds at a controlled, very civilized pace. Apart from a little goofiness regarding wine service (”This is a very dry wine,” one waiter assured us.
”You can tell by the shape of the bottle.”), the waiters here made dining as smooth and comfortable as it`s supposed to be.
Appetizers included a shrimp and broccoli bisque, carefully decanted tableside into a wide bowl; walnut-studded brie in an appropriately flaky phyllo pastry; and crab and scallop cakes, blended with yellow and red peppers and a little breading, singed to a crisp and topped with a slightly tart lime hollandaise.
A mixed green salad took on a Southwestern tone with the inclusion of tomatillos and shreds of jicama; the mustard vinaigrette dressing was fine, but there was an awful lot of it.
Entrees included herb-roasted chicken, grilled yellowfin tuna with a citrus hollandaise (not appreciably different than the preceding lime hollandaise) and beef tenderloin topped with a dollop of roquefort butter. The tuna was slightly overgrilled, but had good flavor; the beef was appropriately tender.
The entrees came with crisply sauteed julienned peppers (red and yellow)
and rosemary roasted potatoes.
There are at least six desserts to choose among. The only trouble with our choices-a serviceable tiramisu and a concoction that layered flourless chocolate cake with chocolate mousse, enveloped in ganache-was that they were too cold. A minor quibble.
Another quibble: The waiters kept us to the same single knife and fork throughout the meal. A few extra forks couldn`t be that tough to manage.
On our level, a pianist accompanied a pleasant-sounding singer; one deck below, a band was playing. Inasmuch as the lower level was taken over by a high-school prom, we stuck to the higher levels.
The Odyssey books up to 30 days in advance for individuals, and takes reservations all year long for groups of 10 or more. Forget about July 3 and Venetian Night; they`re already booked solid. But they`re still taking reservations for the gala New Year`s Eve party. Call 708-639-7739.
Spirit of Chicago
The four-year-old Spirit of Chicago has stood the test of time, outlasting a couple of other competitors. Through that time, its basic formula-dinner and cruising, plus a musical revue performed by the waitstaff- hasn`t changed.
There are a few changes in place for this year, however. Instead of an all-buffet style of dining, the Spirit offers table service for the entree and dessert courses, following a salad/appetizer buffet. Also new is the Tropical Thursday party, a cocktail cruise that runs from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursdays from June through August.
The Spirit isn`t as large as the Odyssey, but the differences seem slight. There`s plenty of room on both. The Spirit`s decor is a little less classic than Odyssey`s; there`s lively, shimmering silver just about everywhere you look aboard the Spirit, as though you stepped into a New Year`s Eve party.
The table service is a nice addition to the dinner cruises; service is still getting used to the new system, however. But after some early delays, our meal progressed smoothly.
The salad buffet is pretty much the standard deal. Some soft rolls, pasta salad, mixed greens, raw vegetables and dip, cheeses, a pate, chicken salad-none of it very inspiring, but for those who prize quantity, plenty of everything. The buffets are cleared before the entertainment starts, but there`s more than enough time to grab your fill.
Entree choice consists of Norwegian salmon, stuffed chicken breast and prime rib; they`re accompanied by rosemary potatoes (pretty lifeless) and glazed carrots. We wondered if the prime rib might be cooked rare; the waiter said he`d try, but that apparently was code for ”Right, pal.” The mushy, medium-well beef still had a little taste, though. Better was the salmon, a capably cooked, tasty piece of fish.
Dessert, chocolate mousse served in a dark-chocolate shell, was fine.
There`s a short wine list that sticks to low-priced vintages; most selections are less than $20. A few more by-the-glass options would be nice.
Entertainment is a big part of the Spirit of Chicago experience. Some of the stuff works, some doesn`t. The singalong to ”Anchors Aweigh” as the boat pulls out is a corny but cute touch, for instance. But the narrated
”captain`s tour” of the skyline was a poorly-delivered waste of time. Just steer the boat, sir; we`ll figure out where the Amoco building is.
The full revue is high-energy, community-theater stuff. The waiters take solo turns on various popular and show tunes (particularly memorable was the rendition of ”Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” in which the singer carefully changed the phrase to ”baddest man in the whole darn town” so as not to offend). Then there`s a spirited, choreographed ensemble number, cleverly staged so that it isn`t overly obvious that a lot of the ensemble singing is taped.
The Spirit of Chicago doesn`t offer everything the Odyssey does, nor does it charge as much; top ticket on the Spirit is $50.35, tax included. But the Spirit cruises the same route, for the same duration. And the skyline view`s the same.
The Spirit of Chicago books up to 30 days in advance for individuals, and takes reservations all year long for groups of 20 or more. Reservations for a special July 3 cruise, an extended four-hour cruise for $75, are still available. Cruise season ends Oct. 31. 836-7899.
