Desserts

[Krazy Kruizers]

Ahh, dessert!!:D

 

Well, I no longer have three desserts each with lunch, with dinner, and for an afternoon snack, but I still DO EAT DESSERT! :D I agree that many times the same basic cake is just decorated differently...and tastes the same, but I'm pretty sure I have experienced this on several cruise lines through the years. There are still many yummy desserts on HAL, but it is a very personal thing. The VOLCANO at the Pinnacle Grill, much loved by many, failed to "erupt" when we ate it.:(

 

I used to go to daily TEA, until I realized it was always the same...and why were there no cookies? The "CHOCOLATE BUFFET" has been disappointing on more than one cruise line.:mad: In December we were on the Statendam and I suggested some additional items for their buffet such as mini chocolate eclairs, chocolate mousse, chocolate "egg creams", chocolate cookies, chocolate candy, (hot chocolate/ chocolate martini??).

 

I realize that some people do not, or can not eat chocolate, so something else needs to be available. Here's an additional thought: We used to line up @ 11:30 PM, so that we could go into the MDR to see (and photograph) the buffet, before it was devoured. There were two lines to get your "chocolate fix" and it took a long time! (Again, multiple cruise lines.) Now, we have a buffet set up on the Lido Deck with at least three "stations", so the wait is very brief. If they have to make enough to put in three different stations, maybe they want to limit the variety?

 

Just some thoughts... as we are getting ready for a 33 day cruise in March, I need to practice my "dessert eating technique";)....

 

Karen

 

Haven't seen a real chocolate buffet in years -- on all the ships that we have been on it is now called the Dessert Extravaganza -- which has some chocolate desserts but others as well. Line up is at 10:30 to take pictures -- then the buffet begins ay 11.

[croozer]

I have to agree with all the negative comments (although I'm still very fond of HAL in general.) I'm not usually a dessert eater and I only weigh about 100 pounds, but I like to enjoy desserts on vacation. Used to be, I couldn't decide which dessert to have, so I'd often order two and everyone at the table would sample them. Now, everything is bland. One night, four of the five offerings indicated the base was a "light sponge cake" filled with whatever. Where's the delicate pastries? Maybe an eclair, napoleon, something like that. I usually just get some cheese (but have to ask for crackers). I also noticed a down trend in the salads. Usually, I just get a caesar salad, although the walnut and cranberry salad is terrific. More originality like that, please!

[Juanita462]

I agree that the desserts have gone downhill steadily - the few that were really good rarely appear anymore. couldn't figure out why the cakes all had that strange texture until I was informed about the "gelatin" used to make them.

 

2004 was the last year that we saw real cakes - Dutch chocolate, coconut, black forest, fudge cake etc. and real pies with real crust that you didn't leave on the plate - on our last cruise even the ice cream was disappointing with very little choice of flavours. The bread pudding is the best thing being offered and DH has it every day.

 

Come on HAL!!! have less variety but have quality in what you do offer - please!

[Typhoon1]

couldn't figure out why the cakes all had that strange texture until I was informed about the "gelatin" used to make them.

 

Probably a cost cutting measure.

[Sailaways_]

I know most of the people in this thread are disappointed with the desserts, which has me pretty concerned. I know sometimes cruise ship desserts look a lot better than they taste, but this sounds pretty bad. My first HAL cruise is coming up, and I LOVE dessert! :o

So, are they ALL really that bad, or are there still some must-trys?

[Assateague Island Princes]

Chocolate croissants - yeah, I know, not really "desserts" but wonderful just the same! Write them on your door card for room service breakfast! YUM! Also the bread pudding w/vanilla sauce and ice cream are just excellent! Loved the peach melba sundae in MDR too - delish!;)

[realnurse2]

The ice cream and sherberts no longer are homemade and seem to have a lot of ice crystals and a bland flavour. I do love the cinnamon rolls served in the specialty coffee area.Don't tell but they are very limited to the early morning and you have to get up early to get one before the ladies working in the spa get them all on their way to work.The breads don't thrill me as they also seem to have little flavour. If the aren't used up at breakfast you will see them again later in the day.Probably frozen and just warmed up on board. I can't eat the bread pudding as they frequently put nuts in it and I am deathly allergic to nuts.The lemon and the marble loaf are good as long as you get a piece when it is freshly put out.On the plus side there is lots of food so no one should feel deprived!

[kakalina]

Try the watermelon pie in the MDR it's watermelon ice cream in a dark chocolate crust made into a pie. Yummy. Also any of the souffles on formal nights. Many like the Chocolate Bombe which is coffee ice cream completely covered in a dark chocolate shell.

 

When they have it the Boston creme pie is fairly decent also.

[say]

I thoroughly agree, pies filled with gelatin and uncooked crusts, no taste difference between chocolate or vanilla cake. Cheesecake lacking any flavor at all. Mentioned the bottom of the pies being uncooked to a Pastry Chef his reply was "you are the first one that has made that complaint". Don't even bother ordering the key lime pie anymore. Ice cream also going down hill. It's hard to believe that they are making Desserts on board.

[chrispb]

Have to agree - desserts are disappointing. Even the mousses have a gritty taste as if not beaten properly. They should be light and creamy.

[SwissMyst]

I know most of the people in this thread are disappointed with the desserts, which has me pretty concerned. I know sometimes cruise ship desserts look a lot better than they taste, but this sounds pretty bad. My first HAL cruise is coming up, and I LOVE dessert! :o

So, are they ALL really that bad, or are there still some must-trys?

 

I have not found any "must try" desserts, but some find the desserts in the Pinnacle better than the main dining room. I enjoyed but did not rave over the MDR desserts. I think it is primarily the Lido Buffet and special dessert buffets that come up particularly wanting. They look pretty but are so disappointing. However, what they serve at the afternoon teas can be good.

 

But do not despair. Just readjust your dessert clock and enjoy the fabulous morning baked goods which is where HAL absolutely excels. Absolutely the best croissants anywhere at sea. Yummy morning pastries and donuts. The most delicious holiday stollen on Christmas morning. Wonderful fresh baked breads at dinner.

 

We found the ice cream over the holidays on the Ooosterdam to be fine and you can build your own sundae, which is also available at dinner if nothing on the menu appeals to you. The cookies were better than on other ships, but still not as good as you would want from homemade.

 

Depending on your itinerary, you may find you will want to indulge your sweet tooth in your port stops which makes an interesting stop for coffee and a local dessert - if you ever get to Bornhold Island off Denmark (Rotterdam Northern Strongholds cruise) it is worth eating their danish pastries from the moment you land until the moment you get back on board ship.

 

Maybe slipping in a box of See's Candies into your suitcase might provide that extra touch of luciousness that can make up for what the ship desserts fail to deliver. There was nothing to recommend for desserts on our Crystal Cruise either and they didn't even have good bread items so not sure where one does go for the great desserts when choosing cruise lines. Maybe this is an industry "conspiracy" to keep from getting eaten out of house and home. ;) There can be too much of a good thing, right?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Try the watermelon pie in the MDR it's watermelon ice cream in a dark chocolate crust made into a pie. Yummy. Also any of the souffles on formal nights. Many like the Chocolate Bombe which is coffee ice cream completely covered in a dark chocolate shell.

 

When they have it the Boston creme pie is fairly decent also.

 

I just looked at the dessert menus from our Zuiderdam cruises.

Gone:

watermelon pie

chocolate bombe (my favorite)

Key Lime Pie

Boston creme pie

[rvkaufman]

I agree. On our recent Eudodam cruise we found the desserts to less sweet than most we get in the USA. The chocolate is more "dark" than 'milk' in flavor. We found we rather liked the desserts except for the ice cream in the Lido, many ice crystals (indicates it thawed and re-froze). Over all we find we really don’t need or want to eat dessert anyway. How much do you really need?

Ryan

[cruz chic]

How much do you really need?

Ryan

Quantity doesn't matter but quality would be nice:D.

[stray]

My DH and I just returned from a cruise on the Island Princess. The bread and desserts were very good. it was just the meat I really didn't like. For lunch in the lido, they often served a warm pudding like rice, or bread or chocolate custard. Yummy. the cheesecake was good, ice cream in MDR average. They do serve several hot souffles at dinner, which were excellent. I felt that most of the baked goods were prepared on board.

[cruz chic]

My DH and I just returned from a cruise on the Island Princess. The bread and desserts were very good. it was just the meat I really didn't like. For lunch in the lido, they often served a warm pudding like rice, or bread or chocolate custard. Yummy. the cheesecake was good, ice cream in MDR average. They do serve several hot souffles at dinner, which were excellent. I felt that most of the baked goods were prepared on board.

I think that the desserts are way better on Princess, although I'm not a fan of puddings and souffles. HALs desserts used to be awesome years ago but then something went off the rails.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I agree. On our recent Eudodam cruise we found the desserts to less sweet than most we get in the USA. The chocolate is more "dark" than 'milk' in flavor. We found we rather liked the desserts except for the ice cream in the Lido, many ice crystals (indicates it thawed and re-froze). Over all we find we really don’t need or want to eat dessert anyway. How much do you really need?

Ryan

 

Dark Chocolate!!??

Rarely do we ever find dark chocolate on any HAL cruise!! We have sailed on the Eurodam -- no dark chocolate for any dessert (unless you dined in the Tamarind) -- everything was milk chocolate.

And for all the ships we have been on -- every ship but the Prinsendam -- no dessert in the dining room had dark chocolate in it.

Even in the Neptune Lounge we rarely find anything made with dark chocolate compared to just a few years ago.

[DGF]

I think the food on HAL is exceptional considering the amount of people they are feeding at one time. I always marvel that a steak can be ordered and arrive exactly done to perfection - not always an easy task. But I wonder why the desserts are not better. They always sound so good, but with the exception of the ice cream, almost always disappoint. This goes for the chocolate extravaganza as well. Everything looks so good, but there's not much taste there. I've figured that they just don't do desserts well. I wonder why?

 

I beleive it could be the ship you were on. We found the desserts in the dining room lacking, especially the keylime pie; but the deserts in the Lido and the Chocolate extravaganza very good. Food was another issue on our recent New Years Eve Cruise on board the Maasdam. See post http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1124417

[luvcruisn']

I didn't have a problem with desserts on the Prinsendam - most were quite tasty, even the sugar free ones. Liked the raisin scones with whipped cream at tea - those they would run out of if you came in too late, and you had to settle for just the plain scones with no raisins.

[m steve]

but last year we had the mocha bombe and it was terrific. Our dining steward brought it to us every night for the rest of the cruise. And we ate it!