New Master Chefs Dinner Announced

[pms4104]

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/7449-holland-america-introduces-master-chefs-international-dinner.html

 

It'll be interesting to see how soon this concept will appear fleetwide. It certainly seems to be an improvement over the previous incarnations of the final-night MDR dinner.

 

Thankfully, no mention of glow sticks and a baked Alaska parade.

[RedmondCruiser]

Maybe if they demanded that Rick Meadows and Stein Kruse dance around the MDR and make fools out themselves we would not have this rearing its head again.

[pms4104]

Maybe if they demanded that Rick Meadows and Stein Kruse dance around the MDR and make fools out themselves we would not have this rearing its head again.

Well, depending on how HAL implements this, it truly doesn't sound like the song and dance of the past. Just some lovely menu items from around the world. Hopefully, HAL has the good common sense to keep it as just that.

[innlady1]

Maybe if they demanded that Rick Meadows and Stein Kruse dance around the MDR and make fools out themselves we would not have this rearing its head again.

 

LOL, this tickled my funny bone...I can just visualize it!

[InTheWASide]

We enjoyed this on the Westerdam June 2-9 cruise.

 

Just a massive menu with lots of (AMAZING) choices. Everything was fantastic.

 

At least in the case of the Alaska itinerary, it was on the next to the last night since Victoria is an evening port of call.

 

No singing, dancing, announcements, parades of any kind.

[SwissMyst]

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/7449-holland-america-introduces-master-chefs-international-dinner.html

 

It'll be interesting to see how soon this concept will appear fleetwide. It certainly seems to be an improvement over the previous incarnations of the final-night MDR dinner.

 

Thankfully, no mention of glow sticks and a baked Alaska parade.

 

I think this is a excellent signature way to end a HAL cruise and remind us all about the wonderful world out there still waiting to be honored, explored and celebrated. Good move, HAL. Thank you for listening.

[trvlcrzy]

I have an cruise scheduled for the near future. I'd be interested in knowing the schedule for the implementation.

[cruz chic]

Maybe if they demanded that Rick Meadows and Stein Kruse dance around the MDR and make fools out themselves we would not have this rearing its head again.

Now I'd pay extra to see that:D:D.

[Krazy Kruizers]

This is the new International Dinner -- someone posted the menus for this -- but I can't find it.

Here is what I did fine elsewhere:

[Krazy Kruizers]

[Krazy Kruizers]

We enjoyed this on the Westerdam June 2-9 cruise.

 

Just a massive menu with lots of (AMAZING) choices. Everything was fantastic.

 

At least in the case of the Alaska itinerary, it was on the next to the last night since Victoria is an evening port of call.

 

No singing, dancing, announcements, parades of any kind.

 

Isn't the next to the last night the final formal night?

Are you saying that we will not have the regular formal night menu but will have this instead when we do Alaskan cruises?

[solocanadian]

Had this on the Zaandam last evening. Many people were really confused on how to order from this huge sheet of stiff paper. Measured approx. 13" wide X 22" long. I was not impressed with the offerings despite the many choices. There was no singing and dancing nor waving of napkins. Only music was at end of meal when all the waiters gathered and sang an Indonesian farewell song. This was lovely and almost brought a tear to my eye. Have read on CC that at least one of the HAL ships presented the menu in the form of a scroll. This was not the case on the Zaandam. Found this massive piece of paper awkward to handle without tipping over a filled water glass or wine glass. Kind of hokey!:rolleyes:

[Himself]

For ships going out of Seattle, I think the second formal night would be the night one sails from the last Port of Call and the next night would be this one referred to above as the lst evening the ship is supposed to dock in Victoria around 6PM

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks KK for the menus. Sounds pretty interesting, with lot of choices for dinner. Glad there is no dancing.

[dakrewser]

Don't know how much to believe in the story, since they present the classic Australian dessert as: "Kiwi and Passion Fruit Pavlova, a traditional meringue-based Russian dessert." :)

[kazu]

KK - thanks so much for posting the menus:D There are some interesting choices - sounds like this is the last night - I'm wondering if we will be 'facing' this twice on a collectors cruise;)

 

Looking forward to future reports on this:D

[InTheWASide]

Isn't the next to the last night the final formal night?

 

Are you saying that we will not have the regular formal night menu but will have this instead when we do Alaskan cruises?

 

No, it was not a formal night. We still had 2 of those. I didn't say what you inferred in the slightest.

 

Formal nights on Westerdam (the "Saturday ship") were Sunday and Wednesday. Int'l Dinner night on Thursday and I couldn't tell you what was on Friday as we were in the Pinnacle Grill.

[superoma]

For ships going out of Seattle, I think the second formal night would be the night one sails from the last Port of Call and the next night would be this one referred to above as the lst evening the ship is supposed to dock in Victoria around 6PM

 

Actually, Father, the itinerary says we dock at noon in Victoria on the 14 day Alaska. The previous sea day would more than likely be our last formal night and yes, maybe this menu would be part of that.

 

NB - I just realized you were talking about 7 day cruises when you mentioned the 2nd formal night.

[InTheWASide]

Don't know how much to believe in the story, since they present the classic Australian dessert as: "Kiwi and Passion Fruit Pavlova, a traditional meringue-based Russian dessert." :)

 

It's under Asia/Australia.

 

Russia can be considered European OR Asian... in this case you can clearly see which one they are counting it as

[InTheWASide]

For anyone curious, the items we had between the two of us were:

Vietnamese Spring Roll

Brie in Phyllo

Guiso

Pumpkin Soup

Duck with Apricots

Lebanese Lamb

Pavlova

Mohr Im Hemd

 

Raj the DR Manager came by at one point asking what we thought of the menu. It, along with the various Culinary Council dishes (this was our first HAL cruise since the Culinary Council stuff started) throughout the week, were truly some of the best dishes we've had on the ships in a long time. We were also blown away by the fact that one of the Tamarind dishes was folded into the Main Dining Room menu one evening. (and my favorite one at that... I MAY have had a second entree that night :o)

[fsdj1097]

We had this menu on the Zuiderdam on the June 2-9 sailing. We were in a Deluxe Verandah Suite and had access to the menu before going to the MDR for dinner. We were also confused and were wondering if we had to select all of the items with an ethnic group, or if we could pick and choose. We called the Neptune Lounge and discovered we could pick an appetizer from one group, an entree from another group, etc.

 

We had asked our MDR Steward earlier in the week regarding the MCD and he was very happy with the change in the MCD.

 

I can't say we were wild about the selections, but we certainly didn't leave hungry ;)

[boards]

The menu's look very interesting - looking forward to ordering from them.

[iriemon]

WE usually eat in the Pinnacle grill on the last night of the cruise so we would miss the international Circus/dinner. :eek: Now that they have the new menu not sure what we are going to do. We have gotten pretty use to eating the first and last night of the cruise in the Pinnacle as our Great start and Great end of a cruise.

[RuthC]

This was the menu the last night of both weeks during my May Ryndam cruise. The only good thing I can say about it is that there was singing & prancing and juggling of vegetables during the meal. :rolleyes:

The first week I did eat in the dining room. The second week I returned to my custom of dining in the Pinnacle that last night. I shall continue dining there as a fitting end to a lovely cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are on the Amstetdam 14 day cruise and our last night we are in Victoria from Noon until almost Midnight. So I can't see them having the Interntional menu on that night. Our final formal night is the evening before we get into Victoria.

So when will this menu be offered on this cruise? Anyone know? We want to book the Pinnacle for that night.