Westerdam Pizza Question Post DryDock

We have sampled the different types of pizza on various HAL ships. Most recently on the Oosterdam in November 2016, they had the usual hot pizza stone on the port side of the Lido, near the Pasta Bar. Not too bad, acceptable, We have heard that recently renovated ships have a NY Style Pizza bar where you custom order a personal sized pizza and you get a pager similar to the Dive-In burger joint. We will be on the Westerdam in October for a Med/TA 25 day cruise, including 8 long days crossing the Atlantic. What is the Pizza setup now, after the April drydock in Palermo ?

Any recent Westerdam passengers familiar with the Pizzas on the newly renovated Lido deck ? Is it still the french-fry lights over a pizza stone on the port side of the Lido buffet, or is it the New York Style Pizza where you place your order for a personal size pizza and you get a pager to tell you when it's ready, like the Dive-In ?

Last time on the Oosterdam, (Nov-Dec 2016) we saw guests grabbing slices of pizza and stealing extra pepperoni from other slices with their fingers. Absolutely Yuccchhhh.

I did not see a change. We were on the Westerdam's first cruise out of dry dock. Pizza was still served as part of the Pasta Bar area. It seemed somewhat as an afterthought. It was not NY style pizza (I live in the Suburbs of NY and was born in Brooklyn so I should know). I did not think it was anything special. I tried their pizza once in 12 days and that was enough. Nothing like the Dive Bar which was great.

I did not see a change. We were on the Westerdam's first cruise out of dry dock. Pizza was still served as part of the Pasta Bar area. It seemed somewhat as an afterthought. It was not NY style pizza (I live in the Suburbs of NY and was born in Brooklyn so I should know). I did not think it was anything special. I tried their pizza once in 12 days and that was enough. Nothing like the Dive Bar which was great.

Too bad !! We have friends cruising with us in October on the Westy for a 25 day Med/TA and they just got off of the Eurodam, which does offer the NY Style Pizza bar. It works similar to the Dive-In, where you place your order for a custom pizza (8" personal size) and you get a pager that calls you when it's ready. I was hoping for this after the dry-dock. The regular HAL pizza at the Pasta Bar is OK, nothing special, but you have to hit it at the right time. And watch out for the inconsiderate folks who feel they didn't get enough sausage or pepperoni and start grabbing pieces off of the other slices. Gross !!!! I agree that the Dive-In is great, love the hot-dogs with kraut, the fries, and the skinny onions.

The New York pizza is very good. I wonder why they didn't update it when they did the drydock. I can't understand how people were raised and how anyone can think it's ok to stick their hands on another pizza, I'm very happy that most things are not self serve anymore in the lido.

this is not meant to compare cruise lines or appear negative toward HAL but one of the reasons we always enjoyed princess was their pizza.....but I think many cruise lines are experimenting and changing a lot........sometimes not so successfully

The New York pizza is really quite good, better than I've had on an other line.

The New York pizza is very good. I wonder why they didn't update it when they did the drydock. I can't understand how people were raised and how anyone can think it's ok to stick their hands on another pizza, I'm very happy that most things are not self serve anymore in the lido.

We were on Amsterdam recently and pizza slices were served by staff. No one touching the pizzas anymore. Self service is pretty much gone in Lido. Doesn't break my heart- much safer and I'm sure less waste.

we were on amsterdam recently and pizza slices were served by staff. No one touching the pizzas anymore. Self service is pretty much gone in lido. Doesn't break my heart- much safer and i'm sure less waste.

ick:( sticky fingers don't belong in a public buffet

ick:( sticky fingers don't belong in a public buffet

I've had pizza on Princess, Celebrity, HAL, and Carnival.......best by miles is the Carnival made-to-order. They will even add ingredients that you bring from the salad bar (olives, mushrooms, etc.) Somehow they have just the right dough recipe. Same company - HAL should be able to offer a pizza bar also.

We have sampled the different types of pizza on various HAL ships. Most recently on the Oosterdam in November 2016, they had the usual hot pizza stone on the port side of the Lido, near the Pasta Bar. Not too bad, acceptable, We have heard that recently renovated ships have a NY Style Pizza bar where you custom order a personal sized pizza and you get a pager similar to the Dive-In burger joint. We will be on the Westerdam in October for a Med/TA 25 day cruise, including 8 long days crossing the Atlantic. What is the Pizza setup now, after the April drydock in Palermo ?

Just off the Westerdam yesterday. The pizza is still served in the pasta area and is available throughout the day. It was self serve, under hot lamps. There were three types. Cheese, Pep, and one other. In my opinion it was marginal at best.

The Lido needs some help. Always a fight for tables during peak hours. Sometimes you would have to do a couple roundtrips to snag one. It just can't handle the amount of people using it. It's also understaffed. I feel sorry for the crew working it because they were really doing their best, but could not keep up with the demand. Tables would sit dirty for a bit of time and during peak hours, this was an issue, as every table was needed. HAL needs to figure somehow figure this out.

Drink machines were often out of the drink or out of order. They have cut back on the variety of juices as well. Mostly just water, iced tea, and lemonade. Sometimes a few others. Never knew day to day. Omelet station only had one, maybe two people working it. Same with the crepe and waffle area. Always a line at both. One waffle iron does not cut it.

Anyway, if you have any other questions, I'll try to answer.