MDR Tips: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I will be sailing on HAL for the first time in May (Noordam to Alaska). Does anybody have any tips regarding what to order in the MDR? Any rules of thumb (ex. beef is good, pork is bad, avoid all soups, etc.)? Feel free to name any specific dishes that stood out or disgusted you. Thanks!

We like the upper dining room at the 8pm fixed dining time. Quiet, perfect service and a lovely end to the day. Only tip is try not to eat all the bread - it is delicious and hard to stop, particularly with the sweet butter.

I will be sailing on HAL for the first time in May (Noordam to Alaska). Does anybody have any tips regarding what to order in the MDR? Any rules of thumb (ex. beef is good, pork is bad, avoid all soups, etc.)? Feel free to name any specific dishes that stood out or disgusted you. Thanks!

You can't go wrong with the salmon, shrimp and lobster. Beef can be a hit or miss - except for the fillet mignon. Vegetarian dishes are very tasty. If you like vegetables order an extra portion. There is nothing I've had (and I like to experiment with foods) that was horrible.

My introduction to dining on Holland America happened before I got on board my first cruise. We were listening to someone who had just gotten off the ship talk to one of the passengers waiting to get on. The question the new passenger asked was "What about the rolls? Are they hard?" The departing passenger said they were good, not hard. It's stuck with us, and now each first night, we laugh about the memory and ask each other as we pass the bread basket around "What about the rolls?"

I've never had a bad meal in the dining room. I like the nights with roast turkey & stuffing. And I find they do a great job with the potato dishes on the plates.

My mother says never miss a chilled fruit soup, but I find those sometimes too sweet to start a meal. My Dad would have French Onion soup every night if there weren't other great choices.

The staff try very hard to make each diner happy, but sometimes that means they worry a bit too much. One night I wasn't feeling well (I was suffering from an allergy attack that was turning into tonsillitis) and I just wanted soup and a baked potato for dinner. That's what I ordered, but every waiter/assistant waiter in the area must have noticed and stopped by to ensure that I wasn't missing part of my order. The assistant dining room manger and dining room manager also stopped by the table to ensure there wasn't anything wrong with my dinner order. I was happy the staff are that attentive, but I really just wanted soup for dinner.

We always have fixed early seating, so we have the same waiters/assistant waiters every night. After the first night, the waiters know that my mother wants iced tea for her meal and it's on the table when we arrive. When our tables are by the window or the railing, my dining companions and I alternate who gets the view, and the waiters notice the pattern and adjust the table setting accordingly. It's nice that they take such an interest and remember so much. I am sure they have many passengers to remember.

I find the desserts a bit disappointing, though deserts in the Main Dining Room are better than in the Lido. I generally skip the desserts and have either the sundae of the day or ice cream.

You really can't go wrong in the dining room.

and if you find something you really like in the MDR.... hit the buffet to reload for a second a wind.

The average person gains 1 lb for each cruise day. The goal is to beat it.

There is no limit to what you want that is on the menu. Feel free to order four appetizers, two soups, two lobster tails, five desserts, etc.. You can also choose to two potatoes, no carrots, no rolls, etc.

If your menu has a crab legs appetizer, you will be serve two index finger-sized legs. Ask for four orders to have a nice start to your meal.

After dinner, stop by the Lido Restaurant Dessert Station for a few chocolate chip cookies for your stateroom.

Here are some sample menus that we had last May on the Noordam in Alaska:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/AL-15-Menu-Day-02.pdf

and if you find something you really like in the MDR.... hit the buffet to reload for a second a wind.

 

The average person gains 1 lb for each cruise day. The goal is to beat it.

Not sure where that stat comes from. I usually stay about the same weight wise. If it were true imagine what world cruisers would look like at the end of. The cruise :rolleyes:

We find the soups to be consistently good.

and if you find something you really like in the MDR.... hit the buffet to reload for a second a wind.

 

The average person gains 1 lb for each cruise day. The goal is to beat it.

Not sure where that stat comes from. I usually stay about the same weight wise. If it were true imagine what world cruisers would look like at the end of. The cruise :rolleyes:

 

We find the soups to be consistently good.

Glad to hear someone else doesn't put on 1 pound per day. My weight stays about the same too. Sure wouldn't want to be putting on 33 pounds on my next cruise!:eek::p

The dining room beef is not the good quality that it used to be.

Many of the chilled soups are excellent.

JMO -- but HAL's desserts are terrible. The only thing I like are the chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate volcano cake and berries with sabayon sauce in the Pinnacle.

If you like a particular entree but not one of the side items that comes with it, just ask the waiter to substitute one from a different entree.

and if you find something you really like in the MDR.... hit the buffet to reload for a second a wind.

 

 

 

The average person gains 1 lb for each cruise day. The goal is to beat it.

My only cruise so far I gained 20 in 12 days! And that was after going to the gym everyday and walking all day in every port, shows what my consumption levels were (drinks package didn't help). Busy trying to lose weight BEFORE my upcoming cruise haha

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I avoid buffets at sea for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I am very fond of ships’ MDRs. HAL sets a lovely table with fine china and silver. It's a pity the food doesn't match the ambiance.

We had an Alaska cruise last May on the Noordam. We were able to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill so we used the MDR only for the occasional lunch and for all but one dinner at the second sitting.

We soon gave up on lunches. The service, whilst very friendly, was generally sloppy and the food quality was inconsistent: barely edible to acceptable. Even the Mariners Brunch was a disappointment in terms of food and service, but I am glad we went because we were at a huge table and had some very interesting conversations. Fortunately the Neptune Lounge was available to us and we had most of our light lunches there.

Dinners were mostly good and the service was excellent. Red meat, something I don't eat often, was a disappointment. The rack of lamb was two scrawny over-cooked lamb chops. Our “five-star Mariner” friends told us to be sure to have the surf and turf. The lobster was good, but the fillet steak was overcooked although it tasted all right. Other than red meat, the main courses were good as were the soups. The quality of tea has been discussed before. I don't bother with tea after 8:00 p.m., so I didn't have to instruct the waiter on how to make tea as we did at other meals. One English lady at our table persuaded the waiter to find a silver tea-pot. She wisely brought her own tea-bags, as we did, and had a reasonably good "cuppa" every night.

Do try the Pinnacle Grill for at least one dinner. The food was excellent. This was the only cruise on which I did not gain any weight, so there is a bright side to the food quality.:D

I LOVE tuna fish and could eat it every day.

Does anyone know if I can get tuna salad on HAL?

Skip the dessert at dinner and order the cheese plate - better then many restaurants I've tried.

Don't miss the Canaletto, HAL's specialty Italian restaurant. For only $10 per person you'll get an exceptional Italian meal. We loved it on the Noordam last August.

I've had tuna sandwiches and scoops of tuna on lunch salads in the Lido.

We always have main seating (8 p.m.) in the upper dining room. Service most times is very good with waiters learning quickly what your preferences are and plan accordingly so things are ready before arriving at the table.

My DH and I find most of the food good to very good and the presentation appealing. Soups, both hot and cold, are very good. I look forward to the lamb which has been perfectly cooked each time for me, the roast turkey dinner, the salmon, and roast beef. If you like mussels, order a double as the mussels are small and you barely get started with only one order. Onion soup is really good too.

I agree with many who feel that the weakness of HAL's menu is in the dessert category. Many desserts are bland and unimaginative. Sometimes the cheese plate has some interesting cheeses.

We eat at the Pinnacle at least once on each cruise and it is so worth the added fee. Food is excellent and service attentive and understated.

It seems MDR desserts are usually lackluster. I felt the same about those on Disney and Celebrity. How are the items that appear every day on the menu (usually a standard steak, chicken breast, etc.)?

We tend to eat in the MDR and enjoy it most of the time. I think all items can be hit or miss. I've had some terrible beef dinners before and I've had a pork dish that was out of this world. I try to give the kitchen some slack...they are serving something like 500 people at once and you can't have the same expectation that you would at a fine dining establishment. I agree that the soups tend to stand out and the desserts are lackluster. I've avoided the lobster because I didn't want to be disappointed (we're from new England) but maybe this time I'll give it a try!

I hear very mixed reviews of the canellato. I've always enjoyed it and look forward to returning. The tamarind is fantastic and the service is top notch. I find the pinnacle mixed....I DO have high expectation of them unlike the MDR and sometimes they disappoint. nonetheless I will always go there for one special dinner.

Bruce

I LOVE tuna fish and could eat it every day.

Does anyone know if I can get tuna salad on HAL?

There's a tuna melt on the room service menu as well.

MDR deserts that we enjoyed were the Creme Brulee and the 'crisps' were also quite good.

I'm another one who thinks the desserts could be better. The fruit crisps were pretty good, and I do like the crème brulee. But the cakes tend to be flavorless. I think they use all the vanilla extract they have in the bread pudding and custard sauce in the Lido.

I do not gain weight on a cruise, and I do it by eating breakfast and lunch in the Lido. Lots of fruit at breakfast, big salad at lunch, and I eat whatever I want at dinner. This is not a hardship, as I love fruit and salads, especially when someone else does the work of slicing and chopping the ingredients. I don't go to the carving station or the dive-in. If I don't see pizza or fries, I don't have to have them. I will confess that the guacamole on the taco station sometimes whispers my name, and I do get a small portion of guac and chips to go with my salad on some days. If I haven't had that at lunch, my treat is ice cream or a small portion of the bread pudding.

Usually the ice-cream sundae choices offered each evening make up for what the dessert menus lack, if you want to finish with a nice sweet. Just the right size.

Hmm...I've enjoyed every dessert I've ever had on Holland America. I'm just pondering - do you think maybe people don't think the desserts are that special because we eat them every day as opposed to just special occasions in "real life"?

I'm a vegetarian and enjoy their special vegetarian menu. I love the fruit soups (although they taste like dessert.) My husband has fish every night, usually the salmon and is very satisfied. The bread and butter is delicious! Our last cruise, one of my daughters was on a low carb diet and the waiter brought her grilled chicken, brocoli and a bowl of berries for dessert every night!

Hmm...I've enjoyed every dessert I've ever had on Holland America. I'm just pondering - do you think maybe people don't think the desserts are that special because we eat them every day as opposed to just special occasions in "real life"?

No. My experience with desserts on HAL is that they are bland, boring, and not terribly sweet. Save for the bread pudding in the lido and the volcano cake in Pinnacle.

We prefer the MDR over the Lido, not because of the food, but because of the atmosphere. I would rather be in an environment that is slower paced and be waited on. For the surf and turf, I always order a surf and surf since I don't eat beef. We do the Pinnacle at least once. Tried the Canaletto once and did not enjoy it. Felt like we were part of the Lido dining room, service was super slow and the food was just average for a meal for which you pay extra. We also like to take a cheese plate back to the room and enjoy it with a glass of wine from a bottle we bring aboard. For lunch we really enjoy the Dive In...the sauce they have is to die for and I have them put it on everything.

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