Located between the restaurants Palo and Remy, Meridian is the martini bar on both the Dream and the Fantasy. It’s also one of our favorite bars on either ship.

Sitting high up on the aft of Deck 12, Meridian has windows on three sides of its relatively small, square room. These windows offer panoramic views of the sunset for early diners who stop in around dusk. Antique ship navigation maps and instruments can be found on the walls and shelves. Meridian’s furnishings include rich brown leather couches and armchairs, and cocoa-colored teak floors with brass inlay.

Meridian also has outdoor seating on a teak deck which runs along one wall of Remy. Remy’s wall sometimes provides shade, and this outside seating is lovely on warm summer evenings. It’s also in demand around dusk, so don’t be surprised if it’s standing room only. Meridian’s bar menu emphasizes mixed drinks and spirits over, say, beer and wine, although those are also available, as are coffees. The best thing about Meridian, however, is the bartending staff, who will often offer to make a custom martini for you on the spot. This usually starts with the bartender asking whether you like fruit- or herb-based drinks, and the kinds of liquors you usually drink. A couple of minutes of muddling, shaking and stirring, and you’ve got the first draft of your new drink. And if it’s not quite what you expected, they’ll be happy to start over.

Meridian during the day.

We recommend stopping by Meridian for its martini experience alone, even if you don’t have reservations for Remy or Palo. If you are dining at Remy, though, beware of the combined effect of Meridian’s martinis and Remy’s wine pairings – it’s more alcohol than you may expect. Near the end of one dinner, Len vaguely remembers, he applauded the cheese cart’s arrival.

Meridian usually opens around 5 p.m. and stays open until midnight. Open only to adults, Meridian is one of the few lounges with an explicit dress code: Inside the lounge, men should have on dress shirts and pants, and women should be in dresses or pantsuits. If you’re visiting just for the outdoor deck, jeans and shorts are allowed, but not swimwear, t-shirts or tank tops.

Meridian's outside deck.

Comparing the Ships

Both the Dream and Fantasy have nearly identical Meridian lounges; the Wonder and Magic do not.