This was our second cruise on the Zambezi Queen and were terribly disappointed by the food service and management.
The ship was clean and well maintained and exceeded our expectations for service.
(Incidentally, the forward facing cabins have very little balcony space and the ship sails so little that they are not worth the extra cost.) Our luggage was brought to our cabin quickly, along with that of our neighbors.
The latter was removed quickly when we brought it to staff’s attention.
The excursions were well managed and there was ample room in the boats.
Sadly, the ambience on board failed to meet our expectations.
The “General Manager” introduced herself and there after was generally absent and engaged in no management.
The food was oversalted and except for the nearly raw vegetables, overcooked from the start.
We were told that the broccoli was “blanched,” rather than boiled or broiled.
It might as well have been not cooked at all.
There were rarely lightly cooked vegetables available.
On the other hand, the meats were usually overcooked.
The leg of lamb had the flavor and texture of poker chip.
When I complained was told that was the way the entire serving had been cooked and that the vegan option was no longer available.
One evening the available dinner was “Chicken Thighs” or a vegan option.
I don’t know how they managed to make dark meat chicken so dry and tasteless, but they did.
The “chef” seemed clueless and offered no apology or explanation.
There was so much salt in the food that I lost one and a half kilos in the first three days I was home.
Because of the food service and lack of involvement of ship management, we have told friends that we no longer recommend and itinerary that includes the Zambezi Queen.
