SunQuest Cruises’ Solaris: Dining and Dancing on the Waves
Solaris Dinner Dance Cruise, SunQuest Cruises, Baytowne Marina, Sandestin, 622-1515
By Bruce Collier Octobery 21, 2004 Issue
3/4

SunQuest Cruises offers an array of cruises on Solaris, its dining and entertainment yacht.They includemoonlight wine and hors d’oeuvres cruises, a wine and food pairing cruise, and dinner dance cruises. We enjoyed the latter, on a recent and somewhat rainy Saturday evening.

The dinner dance cruise requires advance reservations, and a credit card number. The price for adults was $65 each, with alcoholic beverages and appetizers extra. These prices may vary, but you will be informed. The card is not billed until after the meal, and a gratuity is included. The service is well worth it. The Solaris is moored at the end of the dock, a fair walk from the Baytowne Marina parking lot. My friend’s legs were troubling her, and such a walk would not have helped them. At my request a golf cart was sent to the parking lot and shuttled the two of us to the boat. We received a ride back at the end of the evening from Steve, our obliging server.

When making reservations, one is offered a choice of four entrées. On offer the night we dined were grouper and shrimp frangelico, lobster manicotti, pepper crusted beef tenderloin, and chicken picatta. We chose the manicotti and beef tenderloin. The entrée choices may be different for you.

The yacht boards at around 6:30 p.m. The captain and hostess greeted us, and we were shown to a table by the window. Having chosen our main course, we had only to choose drinks—there’s a full bar—and appetizers. Three starters were offered, smoked chicken quesadillas, shrimp cocktail, and smoked salmon Solaris. We chose the last two, and checked out the wine list.

Wines are offered by the glass or by the bottle, with glass prices ranging from $5.50 to $8. Bottle prices start at $19. The menu contains wine recommendations for each entrée and appetizer, as well as specialty cocktails and after dinner drinks.

A three-hour cruise makes for leisurely dining, and the duo of Gwen and David Hall, a.k.a. “Harmony,” provides a discreet, non-intrusive musical background. The two perform a range of classic and modern pop standards, most of them suitable for dancing. We spoke briefly with vocalist Gwen during a break. “We like to create a supper club atmosphere here,” she said. Several patrons engaged in some old fashioned ballroom dancing over the course of the evening, so the plan seems to be succeeding.

The appetizers came, and both were impressive. Seven large shrimp arrived in a martini glass, with both remoulade and cocktail sauce, both of which were excellent. The smoked salmon was arranged like carpaccio over a plate, dressed with toasted capers and horseradish aioli. Herbed crostini helped convey the salmon from plate to mouth, and every bite made the trip.

Our server, Steve, kept the glasses filled and allowed us plenty of time to take breaks and tours of the boat. At no point did we feel rushed, crowded, or compelled to do anything we didn’t want to do.

The main courses came. The beef tenderloin was fork tender, sliced thin and served spread on the plate with crispy roasted potatoes and a sautéed vegetable medley. Four manicotti, filled with cheese and chunks of lobster, came in an intense, almost Fra Diavolo-style tomato sauce. We drank a Rancho Zabaco “Dancing Bull” zinfandel, which paired well with both dishes.

We chose one of each of the two desserts offered that night. As with everything else, choices may vary from night to night. My friend had a pretty good tiramisu and I enjoyed a traditional-style cheesecake with sliced strawberries. By this time the cruise was winding down, so after dessert and coffee we climbed up to the top deck for a last look around.

The sky was overcast, slightly rainy and breezy, so we were pretty much alone on the top deck. Even so, the view was terrific, especially as the boat approached the lights of Baytowne. If you take the dinner cruise on Solaris at this time of year, you may also find it slightly chilly on deck. Whatever the weather, inside it will be warm, inviting, and pretty tasty, too.