Oy yoy yoy....eurodam final night calamity...

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Ahhhhhhh ...... The Master Chef's DISASTER.......... errrrrr....... I mean Dinner ...... no ..... disaster .......

 

Just one more excuse for me to dine in Tamarind, Pinnacle or Canaletto :D - like I need one anyways - LOL

 

Thanks to the OP for relaying his experience. Always good to have a new perspective/reminder of this final meal for novice HAL cruisers, and us veterans ones as well. And for those who truly enjoy this meal and it's attendant show, please eat extra Baked Alaska on my behalf - you can have my ENTIRE portion (and then some :p) .......

 

Happy sailing to all!

[ceejay3377]

Since this will be our first HAL cruise I had no idea what the "master chef dinner" was, although I had seen lots of posts about it. Calling it by name but not describing what it is does not tell new cruisers to HAL what to expect. Thanks so much for filling us in. I am torn. I can't eat cream in any form and hearing that we can't order anything else makes me very warry. That said we will be sailing with our two children who will be 7 and 19 at the time and it sounds like they would love all the carryings-on and they would love to see all the adults acting like children flipping their napkins over their heads....:D

 

We have a fixed early dinner time in the dining room at a table of 4. We also like baked alaska and it was our dessert at our wedding as it was the dessert at my parent's wedding in 1955 so I wanted to do that for them. The kids would love it as they have never had it.

 

I will now talk to my husband and see what we should do. I may even talk to the TA about this. Most things in restaurants come in cream sauce which has ruined more than one meal for me. I remember going to one of the top restaurants in Barbados where they absolutely refused to serve scollops without their cream sauce and the chef suggested I try the roasted vegetables!:mad: I wasn't about to pay that price for flippn' roasted vegetables....I left hungry.

 

This would have been a very nasty surprise at the end of our long-awaited cruise and I really appreciate you describing what Master Chef Diner was all about.

 

Gail

 

 

Hi Gail,

 

It looks like no one answered your question. I am diary intolerant and also cannot eat the Baked Alaska. The waiter we had on our last MCD did go and get me a sorbet when I explained I couldn't eat the Baked Alaska. I do not request a special diet when booking (as it is an intolerance, not an allergy) and I can usually find a nice range of dairy free options on the menu, with the exception of desert. The only dairy free offering is usually the fruit plate (if you ask for it without the sauce). Some sorbets are dairy free and some are not, so always ask before you order them. Everything can be ordered without sauces.

 

Please also be aware that accessing soymilk for tea/coffee/breakfast can be hit and miss in all dining venues. On the Volendam in January there were times when no waiter could locate any. (It is also very poor quality - a watered down "soy extract" rather than soy milk).

 

I hope this helps.

 

Carina

[fatcat04]

I am glad that I could help all of you who will be cruising on HAL in the future...I've learned so much over the last 10 years or so on these boards, it's the least I can do. Isn't cruising great! :)

 

Larry

 

Priceless Larry... thanks for the laugh :p:D

[celle]

For those interested in the MCD menu, here it is. There is one vegetarian option available, a mushroom strudel.

 

 

Thank you.

[m steve]

to tip on the last night. We pass our tips to the waiters and others when we first see them before all the craziness starts. Then we can leave as we wish withour taking a table cloth or other things to hide us. Just ahead of the stampede.

[andrek]

Is the Master Chef dinner always on the last night of the cruise? From what many of you have posted it looks like we would prefer to book online, ahead, for that night in a specialty restaurant. On my last cruise on Celebrity they had one of those nights the second to last night. We are sailing one of the December Eastern Caribbean sailings. TIA

[TiogaCruiser]

It apparently depends on the itinerary as to whether it is the last night or not. On our last Alaska cruise it was second to last night. Our last night was in Victoria. We eat in the lido normally. They had an excellent spread for us the last night- including a fabulous prime rib roast. Now that's a way to end a cruise!

[Jalex63]

After sailing the Amsterdam to Alaska and the Zuiderdam to the Panama canal were we had not been subjected to the Master Chef's dinner, we were quite surprised when we came upon it on the last night of a cruise on the Ryndam last October. Additionally on that cruise we had opted for "as you wish" open seating and the first thing that caught my attention was when we were told that we had to change to a fixed seating, early or late. That miffed me a bit, but thinking the dinner must be something "special" (I had not been forewarned) we attended. What a CIRCUS....and not a good one at that. I am not in to funky singing waiters or singing singers (who can't really sing) for that matter and thought the whole thing Hoaky! Then to top it off, the menu was horrible and as was pointed out you could not opt for the New York Steak as a back up which was actually my main course most evenings.

 

You would think I would learn? In February on the Westerdam where we were cruising with another couple we ended up walking in to another "Chefs Dinner" on the last night of the cruise and while I wanted to immediately go to the Lido, our friends who mistakenly thought it would be fun wanted to stay. So we did. And so I made a stink this time and demanded to be Served a New York Steak and Baked Potato. The waiter at first said it was not possible, I asked to see the maitre-de and suddenly it was possible and I got my steak.

 

I have spoken with at least 40-50 other passengers about this dinner and as with many of the comments on this board most think it silly and all would prefer to have a regular decent menu on the last night of the cruise so I don't know what it will take to get rid of these things as I also know the wait staff don't much like them either.

 

We are off on a 30 day to Hawaii/Tahitii in January, think I better see if the Rotterdam is doing this dinner thing so I can make other plans.

 

J

[KirkNC]

Ah yes, the Master Chef's Dinner, I guess someone likes it or HAL would stop it. We always eat at PG or Canaletto on those nights.

 

Kirk

[Avery's Gram]

We agree with KK, we did this dinner once and decided never again. Did not enjoy the food and the service was impacted by this. For awhile it sounded like they were going to do away with it bu sounds like it is still around. We always make reservations at the Pinnacle for the first night and the last night of the cruise. Like to begin and end vacation on a high note!

Our last night on the Nieuw Amsterdam is an overnight in Barcelona. We plan to be off the ship, enjoying the city. Does this mean the MCD will be the night before or is it the last night? If it is, we don't need to worry! Thanks...

 

Barbara M.

[cruisinjudy]

 

 

We are off on a 30 day to Hawaii/Tahitii in January, think I better see if the Rotterdam is doing this dinner thing so I can make other plans.

 

J

 

On our thirty day Hawaii Tahiti this year the MCD was on another night, not the last. We had anytime dining and it caught us by surprise as we had eaten elsewhere the night before. Therefore we arrived at the dining room too late for dinner. No loss!

[RuthC]

Ah yes, the Master Chef's Dinner, I guess someone likes it or HAL would stop it.

Ahhh, that would be Chef Rudi.

[bobpatj]

Does the Master Chef's Dinner appear on a short 7 day cruise? We've signed up for "As You Wish" dining on our upcoming Veendam cruise to Bermuda. I hope someone who has taken this cruise already, will let us know so we can go somewhere else, that night! We're already planning to book the Pinnacle the second to the last night.

[SeaShoreX2]

For those who have done a world cruise - do they have the master chef's dinner at the end of each segment?

 

that would be a lot of dinners to avoid!

[RuthC]

Does the Master Chef's Dinner appear on a short 7 day cruise? We've signed up for "As You Wish" dining on our upcoming Veendam cruise to Bermuda. I hope someone who has taken this cruise already, will let us know so we can go somewhere else, that night! We're already planning to book the Pinnacle the second to the last night.

Pat, no one has mentioned it this year, but last year there was no Master Chef's Dinner on my Veendam Bermuda cruise. My table steward was very proud when he told us that.

There is hope for your open seating the last night!

[RuthC]

For those who have done a world cruise - do they have the master chef's dinner at the end of each segment?

I've never done a World Cruise, nor any segments, still I am pretty certain there's no Master Chef's Dinner anywhere to be found on the entire voyage. I just can't remember why I know that.

[V'sGirl]

Pat, no one has mentioned it this year, but last year there was no Master Chef's Dinner on my Veendam Bermuda cruise. My table steward was very proud when he told us that.

There is hope for your open seating the last night!

I wasn't sure if the Master Chef's dinner sails on Veendam Bermuda, but just in case, as soon as we booked the cruise, I made reservations at the Pinnacle for that night. Even though we cruise only once a year, I can't take another serving of Baked Alaska. I can taste it right now...:eek:

[Two@Sea]

Ahhh, that would be Chef Rudi.

 

I don't have anything to contribute... but I simply couldn't let this post go unacknowledged. :D:):D

[bobpatj]

Thanks, RuthC. :):):)

[room010]

The Master Chef Dinner has been done to death (if only) elsewhere at CC. A clear majority of people who express an opinion hate it. I can therefore assume that HAL's other, non-CC passengers love it. Or maybe someone at HQ?