Indochine II Dining

All meals are served in the ship's dining room, an airy light-filled 1,292-square-foot space on the Main Deck. Open-seating tables are set for two, four or six, and one large central table seats eight.

Set meal times vary slightly to accommodate shore visits. The breakfast (7 to 8:30 a.m.) and lunch buffets (usually around 12:30 p.m.) offer a nice variety.

For breakfast, there are made-to-order omelets, yogurt, cold and hot cereals, and a tasty variety of made-onboard breads and croissants. Warming dishes harbor pancakes, bacon, sausage and potatoes to please Western palates. Or go Eastern with a steaming bowl of rice-noodle soup. Also on the buffet: cold cuts, tomatoes, cheeses and fresh fruit, including pineapple, papaya and dragon fruit.

Lunch is also a serve-yourself affair. There's always a housemade soup, a nice variety of salads (mixed vegetables, avocado, etc.) and several hot entrees such as barbecued chicken, eggplant with pork, and pork tenderloin. Steamed rice is a staple. And desserts focus on fresh fruit, although fried bananas were on the menu one day.

Dinner, usually served around 7:30 or 8 p.m. depending on the day's excursion schedule, features one soup and appetizer, such as vegetable quiche, and an order-off-the-menu choice of three entrees. On one night, for instance, there was pan-fried local river fish; grilled pork fillet with red wine sauce or the stir-fry noodle dish, pad thai. There's one dessert choice, like cheese cake or fresh fruit. On our cruise, one meal was served family-style and featured Khmer dishes such as chicken salad with banana flowers, hot and sour shrimp soup, steamed local fish, sauteed spicy beef with vegetables, and lemongrass-spiked rice. Vegetarians at our table found their options limited, but CroisiEurope says with advance notice, they're happy to accommodate dietary preferences.

The dining room is decorated in neutral whites, but servers provide a splash of color with their traditional silk dresses.

A complimentary beer, soft drink or mineral water is offered with lunch and dinner. House wine and beer are $4 and bottles of wine cost from $20 to $28.

Room service is available by request.