Princess Veterans to Sail First Time on HAL - Ryndam from Tampa

[Cindy]

Cindy,

 

Thanks for the link.

 

We still like Princess, but we have heard good things about HAL and we are eager to try them out. HAL has some very interesting itineraries in Europe that we may like to try in the future (for the time being we are doing land tours of Europe). If we are past passengers, we will hopefully get some competitive pricing on interesting European itineraries.

 

Also, in our earlier cruises with Princess, most of their ships were 2000 passengers or less in size. We especially like this ship size, and HAL's ships seem to fit perfectly.

 

David

 

We were also drawn to HAL by the awesome itineraries and the size of the ships!

 

We have noticed on Princess that variety is sometimes lacking at breakfast. We used to be able to get mixed berries and other little extras for breakfast in the dining room. Is it possible to get these little extras with HAL that aren't listed on the breakfast menu in the dining room? Also, does HAL have different breakfast menus from day to day in the dining room?

 

Thanks,

 

David

 

I saw this posted a couple months ago and saved it while I was doing research. I think the menus I've seen (for all meals) look like they have a LOT of variety!:)

New Dining Room Breakfast Menu (Also in the Pinnacle for Deluxe Suite Passengers)

 

Something Simple:

Cold Cereals: Cornflakes - Cherrios - Special K - Raisin Bran - Shredded Wheat - Rice Krispies - Frosted Flakes - Fruit loops - Granola - All Bran - Bran Flakes -- served with your choice of milk -- add sliced banana on request.

 

Breakfast Parfait - layers of creamy Greek yogurt, fresh berries and granola

 

Hot Cereals: Old-Fashioned Oatmeal - Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal - Cream of Wheat - Creamy Grits -- served with sliced banana, raisins, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, or half & half on request

 

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich - scrambles egg and Cheddar cheese served on a toasted English muffin. Add sausage patty, hickory smoked bacon or ham slice on request.

 

Bagel and Lox - a freshly toasted bagel served with slices of cold smoked salmon, cream cheese, sliced onion and capers.

 

Greenhouse Spa Selections:

Cottage Cheese and Fresh Fruit - a small bowl of creamy cottage cheese lightly dusted with cinnamon, served with your choice of sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries or diced melon.

 

Swiss-Style Muesli - a mixture of low fat yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, toasted hazel-nuts, oatmeal and honey.

 

Frittata Italiana - healthy without sacrificing flavor, egg whites combined with low-fat cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, then lightly baked and served with whole grain toast.

 

International Classics:

All American Breakfast - two jumbo eggs, cooked to order, served with hash browns, hickory smoked bacon or sausage and toast.

 

Eggs Benedict - toasted English muffins, layered with Canadian bacon, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

 

Eggs Royal - toasted English muffins, smoked salmon and two poached eggs with creamy hollandaise sauce.

 

Eggs Florentine - toasted English muffins, topped with sauteed spinach and two poached eggs draped with hollandaise sauce.

 

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs - home-made corned beef hash topped with two eggs cooked to order and served with a side of toast.

 

Kippered Herring - served with two scrambled eggs and smothered onions.

 

Dutch Breakfast - the Uitmijter, a classic open-faced sandwich with thick white bread, sliced ham, Gouda, and two eggs sunny side up.

 

Japanese Breakfast - hot miso soup, steamed white rice, tamagoyaki and boiled salmon served with a cup of hot green tea.

 

The Full English Breakfast - two jumbo eggs scrambled, English banger sausage, English back bacon, baked beans, hash browns and a grilled half tomato.

 

Scandinavian Breakfast - smoked salmon and pickled herring, served with hard-boiled egg and slices of dark rye bread.

 

Three Egg Omelets:

All omelets are served with hash browns and toast. Egg whites or egg substitute available on request.

 

Denver Omelet - green bell pepper, onion, ham and a mixture of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheese.

 

Garden Vegetable Omelet - tender asparagus, sauteed spinach, diced tomato and sliced button mushrooms with creamy goat cheese.

 

Southwest Omelet - diced sweet roasted bell peppers, tomato, green onion, and Monterey Jack cheese, topped with avocado, sour cream and fresh salsa.

 

My Choice Omelet - build your own omelet with any of the following: ham, bacon, sausage, smoked salmon, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, asparagus, Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, goat or Gruyere cheese.

 

Hot Off the Griddle:

Belgium Waffle - thick, crisp Belgium waffle topped with your choice of warm strawberries, apple-cinnamon or plum compote.

 

Cinnamon-Sugar French Toast - thick slices of egg bread French toast, dusted with cinnamon-sugar. Served with whipped butter and hot maple syrup.

 

Stack of Pancakes - three fluffy pancakes stacked high. your choice of buttermilk, banana or blueberry. Served with whipped butter and hot maple syrup.

 

From the Bakery: toast - English Muffin - Bagel - Roll

 

Baked Fresh Daily: Butter Croissant - Chocolate Croissant - Raisin Bun - Cheese Danish - Fruit Danish - Danish of the Day - Blueberry Muffin - Muffin of the Day - Coffee Cake. Served with butter, margarine, jam, jelly honey, Nutella or cream cheese on request. Fresh baked sugar-free pastries upon request.

 

On the Side:

Hickory Smoked Bacon - English Bangers - Pork Sausage Links or Patty - Carved Honey Glazed Ham - Corned Beef Hash - Turkey Bacon - Turkey Sausage links - Morningstar Farms Vegi Links - Hash Browns.

 

Fruits and Yogurts: Fresh Fruit Plate - Half Grapefruit - Sliced Banana - Stewed Prunes, Apricots or Kadota Figs - Assorted Yogurts

 

Beverages: Coffee - Tea - Decaffeinated Coffee and Tea - Whole, Low Fat and Skim Milk - Chocolate Milk - Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice - Apple Juice - Cranberry Juice - Grapefruit juice - Grape Juice - Pineapple Juice - Prune Juice - Tomato Juice - V-8

 

 

DavidandSteph, when you login for Check in online you should see a star with one star above it if they have credited you. I am going on my first HAL cruise this summer and when I registered to check in it automatically recognized me and gave me on star status. :)

 

We also received one star Mariner status because we've cruised on Princess and Carnival. It's nice to have them recognize us so we can receive Mariner perks!:D

[davidnsteph]

Due to the time period of breakfast, we rarely make it to the dining room. DH prefers the omelette station in the lido, so I think he's slow to get up on purpose. :D Real eggs and/or egg whites only offered. French toast (my personal favorite) is much better on HAL since Princess likes the really thick cut of bread... preventing the batter from really soaking into it. Also, HAL experiments with French toast daily in the lido. I'm not brave enough... zucchini French toast, for example. Regular is available daily. Mixed fruit available in Lido (pineapple, canteloupe, honeydew... same as Princess). Strawberries are a bit harder to find, only because of freshness issues. More common earlier in cruise. People rave about the real Mueslix. I haven't tried that. I've seen Cream of Wheat and Oatmeal in Lido. (I really love breakfast. My favorite meal of the day...)

 

Also, the setup will be a little different than what you've seen on Princess. It will look more like a buffet line (the old design is based on trays, but trays are no longer available), but there will be cordons separating sections, so you can focus on only what you want instead of waiting for the whole length of the line. In HAL's Lido, food is served to you more than on Princess, so food is fresher and hotter, it seems to me. So it won't be the platter/serve yourself method. There will be smaller plates (and many HAL faithful CC'ers are still upset at juggling plates without trays). Silverware will be wrapped in napkins at table or nearby. You won't be picking that up as you enter the buffet area.

 

Lunch in Lido... sandwich station stays open more hours. There's a pasta station and an Asian station.

 

It is my understanding from posts by Krazy Kruizers, that there is variety in the dining room menu. I seem to recall "a special changing daily," but they also offer some sort of international options... Japanese, I remember, being mentioned as one of them. KK is definitely the go-to source on menus (room service, dining room, bar, etc.).

 

Thanks for all of the breakfast info. We were a bit tired of Princess' French toast. Sound's like HAL's is definitely worth trying.

 

David

[davidnsteph]

We were also drawn to HAL by the awesome itineraries and the size of the ships!

 

 

 

 

I saw this posted a couple months ago and saved it while I was doing research. I think the menus I've seen (for all meals) look like they have a LOT of variety!:)

 

New Dining Room Breakfast Menu (Also in the Pinnacle for Deluxe Suite Passengers)

 

Something Simple:

Cold Cereals: Cornflakes - Cherrios - Special K - Raisin Bran - Shredded Wheat - Rice Krispies - Frosted Flakes - Fruit loops - Granola - All Bran - Bran Flakes -- served with your choice of milk -- add sliced banana on request.

 

Breakfast Parfait - layers of creamy Greek yogurt, fresh berries and granola

 

Hot Cereals: Old-Fashioned Oatmeal - Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal - Cream of Wheat - Creamy Grits -- served with sliced banana, raisins, brown sugar, maple syrup, milk, or half & half on request

 

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich - scrambles egg and Cheddar cheese served on a toasted English muffin. Add sausage patty, hickory smoked bacon or ham slice on request.

 

Bagel and Lox - a freshly toasted bagel served with slices of cold smoked salmon, cream cheese, sliced onion and capers.

 

Greenhouse Spa Selections:

Cottage Cheese and Fresh Fruit - a small bowl of creamy cottage cheese lightly dusted with cinnamon, served with your choice of sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries or diced melon.

 

Swiss-Style Muesli - a mixture of low fat yogurt, fresh fruit, milk, toasted hazel-nuts, oatmeal and honey.

 

Frittata Italiana - healthy without sacrificing flavor, egg whites combined with low-fat cream cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil, then lightly baked and served with whole grain toast.

 

International Classics:

All American Breakfast - two jumbo eggs, cooked to order, served with hash browns, hickory smoked bacon or sausage and toast.

 

Eggs Benedict - toasted English muffins, layered with Canadian bacon, two poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

 

Eggs Royal - toasted English muffins, smoked salmon and two poached eggs with creamy hollandaise sauce.

 

Eggs Florentine - toasted English muffins, topped with sauteed spinach and two poached eggs draped with hollandaise sauce.

 

Corned Beef Hash and Eggs - home-made corned beef hash topped with two eggs cooked to order and served with a side of toast.

 

Kippered Herring - served with two scrambled eggs and smothered onions.

 

Dutch Breakfast - the Uitmijter, a classic open-faced sandwich with thick white bread, sliced ham, Gouda, and two eggs sunny side up.

 

Japanese Breakfast - hot miso soup, steamed white rice, tamagoyaki and boiled salmon served with a cup of hot green tea.

 

The Full English Breakfast - two jumbo eggs scrambled, English banger sausage, English back bacon, baked beans, hash browns and a grilled half tomato.

 

Scandinavian Breakfast - smoked salmon and pickled herring, served with hard-boiled egg and slices of dark rye bread.

 

Three Egg Omelets:

All omelets are served with hash browns and toast. Egg whites or egg substitute available on request.

 

Denver Omelet - green bell pepper, onion, ham and a mixture of Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Swiss cheese.

 

Garden Vegetable Omelet - tender asparagus, sauteed spinach, diced tomato and sliced button mushrooms with creamy goat cheese.

 

Southwest Omelet - diced sweet roasted bell peppers, tomato, green onion, and Monterey Jack cheese, topped with avocado, sour cream and fresh salsa.

 

My Choice Omelet - build your own omelet with any of the following: ham, bacon, sausage, smoked salmon, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, asparagus, Cheddar, Jack, Swiss, goat or Gruyere cheese.

 

Hot Off the Griddle:

Belgium Waffle - thick, crisp Belgium waffle topped with your choice of warm strawberries, apple-cinnamon or plum compote.

 

Cinnamon-Sugar French Toast - thick slices of egg bread French toast, dusted with cinnamon-sugar. Served with whipped butter and hot maple syrup.

 

Stack of Pancakes - three fluffy pancakes stacked high. your choice of buttermilk, banana or blueberry. Served with whipped butter and hot maple syrup.

 

From the Bakery: toast - English Muffin - Bagel - Roll

 

Baked Fresh Daily: Butter Croissant - Chocolate Croissant - Raisin Bun - Cheese Danish - Fruit Danish - Danish of the Day - Blueberry Muffin - Muffin of the Day - Coffee Cake. Served with butter, margarine, jam, jelly honey, Nutella or cream cheese on request. Fresh baked sugar-free pastries upon request.

 

On the Side:

Hickory Smoked Bacon - English Bangers - Pork Sausage Links or Patty - Carved Honey Glazed Ham - Corned Beef Hash - Turkey Bacon - Turkey Sausage links - Morningstar Farms Vegi Links - Hash Browns.

 

Fruits and Yogurts: Fresh Fruit Plate - Half Grapefruit - Sliced Banana - Stewed Prunes, Apricots or Kadota Figs - Assorted Yogurts

 

Beverages: Coffee - Tea - Decaffeinated Coffee and Tea - Whole, Low Fat and Skim Milk - Chocolate Milk - Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice - Apple Juice - Cranberry Juice - Grapefruit juice - Grape Juice - Pineapple Juice - Prune Juice - Tomato Juice - V-8

 

 

 

 

 

We also received one star Mariner status because we've cruised on Princess and Carnival. It's nice to have them recognize us so we can receive Mariner perks!:D

 

Special thanks for the breakfast menu. Very impressed by the variety.:)

 

David

[SwissMyst]

Every cruise I over-eat the first few days because they really do have great breakfast selections, then I settle on the yogurt parfait for the rest of the trip because I know there are food fantasies later in the day I still need to make room for (like tea time and the fresh baked rolls at dinner).

 

My own breakfast weakness is the lox, bagel cream cheese, tomatoes and capers. Yes, there is a lot of very good food on HAL ships throughout the day.

 

Too often by dinner I have no appetite left which is when they put on the biggest meal. I got down to ordering an appetizer for my entree on our last cruise just to cut down on the volume presented in front of me, and I beg for half portions (baby-size the waiters say) and even though I know I don't have to eat it all, it is hard to leave food behind ( a generational thing - clean plate club "starving children in Europe" for us WWII era babies)

 

Dinner is a lost cause if we have something special during the port stop. That is when we just opt out for just something lighter from room service instead. Or that is the night to just have the antipasto at Canaletto.

[tcook052]

David:

Have a great cruise. Ryndam is a nice ship.

 

Agree with both statements. I sailed this past January and quite enjoyed the Ryndam in an interior cabin. Great service and a human sized ship.

[davidnsteph]

Every cruise I over-eat the first few days because they really do have great breakfast selections, then I settle on the yogurt parfait for the rest of the trip because I know there are food fantasies later in the day I still need to make room for (like tea time and the fresh baked rolls at dinner).

 

My own breakfast weakness is the lox, bagel cream cheese, tomatoes and capers. Yes, there is a lot of very good food on HAL ships throughout the day.

 

Too often by dinner I have no appetite left which is when they put on the biggest meal. I got down to ordering an appetizer for my entree on our last cruise just to cut down on the volume presented in front of me, and I beg for half portions (baby-size the waiters say) and even though I know I don't have to eat it all, it is hard to leave food behind ( a generational thing - clean plate club "starving children in Europe" for us WWII era babies)

 

Dinner is a lost cause if we have something special during the port stop. That is when we just opt out for just something lighter from room service instead. Or that is the night to just have the antipasto at Canaletto.

 

On our cruises, walking for a mile or more on the promenade deck helped burn off some of the excess eating. We will probably do plenty of walking on the Ryndam and in port. Having the promenade all on one level on the Ryndam is a plus. On Princess' mega-ships, we had to walk up and down stairs on the promenade deck, which interrupted our pace.

 

David

[davidnsteph]

Agree with both statements. I sailed this past January and quite enjoyed the Ryndam in an interior cabin. Great service and a human sized ship.

 

A human-sized ship sounds very appealing.:)

 

David