Prinsendam Food Review

[wandrr]

As of 2013-Mar-12

1. Introduction.

1.1. Background and why we did this. Cruise food – what a controversial topic! Everyone has an opinion about the food on a cruise. After all, other than the cabin accommodation and actual ship movement, food is just about the only thing included in the price. Besides, everyone has individual tastes and likes. Furthermore, everyone has a different level of gustatory experience – some have dined in the best establishments around the world, while others always cook their own meals. Even the cruise food reviews are quite variable. Some reviews rave about the wonderful food while other reviews of the same food seem to indicate that ptomaine poisoning was a daily occurrence.

1.2. What we did. To try to address this controversial subject, two of us decided to do a fairly rigorous review of the food on a cruise. We chose the Holland America Line’s MS Prinsendam on a Grand Voyage around South America. We sailed on 2013-Jan-05 from Fort Lauderdale and enjoyed 68 days of this very long cruise. We were most fortunate that this smaller ship, known as the Elegant Explorer, was doing a grand voyage with an exceptional itinerary, so perhaps we had more than the usual amount of personal attention. Prinsendam has four different public food outlets, and we had 68 days on board, so we had quite a long time to conduct the review. We created a disciplined review technique and recorded our findings on a randomly selected sample of 10 days. Each of us had a review sheet for every meal and recorded our findings right at the table. We broke the meal experience into 13 different scored factors as explained in paragraph 3 below. Both of us did our scoring as independently as possible. We did our best to evaluate each meal as a stand-alone, not by means of a comparison to other ship-board meals. In other words, we tried to do our scoring using an absolute scale such that the same scoring technique could be applied to a super-fancy formal dinner with the Queen or to a quick sandwich at a street corner barbeque pit. For each meal, the maximum possible total score was 100 points. Near the end of the voyage after the ten randomly selected days had passed, we summarized the scores, analyzed everything, and reached some conclusions about the food.

1.3. Who we are. We are a married couple, both over 60 (but not by a lot), from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We are in relatively good health, all things considered, with no dietary restrictions at all. We are both retired now, but our previous occupations are an engineer and a nurse.

1.4. Our qualifications. Why is our review any better than the other dozens of cruise food reviews? First, we enjoy and have experienced dining in anything from very high-end establishments to greasy spoon dives. We cook our own meals most of the time, and we have a bit of professional chef training. We have traveled extensively by land and have cruised before. We have experienced six cruises on five different lines. Our review process is disciplined, repeatable, and transparent. It is explained fully in paragraph 3 below – we tried to avoid qualitative opinion as much as possible in preference for quantitative facts.

2. Results Summary.

2.1. Overall conclusion. We very much enjoyed the dining experience on Prinsendam. The staff developed a personal relationship with us and treated us like individuals. Some meals were among the best we have ever experienced, but even the worst were significantly better than the average world-wide restaurant. Bravo, HAL and Prinsendam, job well done.

2.2. Numeric score summary. The numbers prove our conclusion. Overall, we scored 59 “person-meals” at three different food outlets. The average score for all the restaurants was 87.73 out of a possible 100, a very high score. This shows that the food on board Prinsendam is very good, much better than many land-based restaurants. The table below shows the average score for each of the restaurants we visited.

Rankings

Placing

Outlet

Average

1

Pinnacle

97.25

2

La Fontaine

92.83

3

Lido

82.55

 

2.3. Restaurants Visited and Exceptions. Clearly, we visited only three of the four public outlets on board Prinsendam. By the nature of random selection, we missed scoring a meal in Canaletto, though we did eat there on one occasion. We made multiple visits to all the restaurants we reviewed, with 31 person-meals in the Lido, 24 in La Fontaine, and four in Pinnacle.

2.4. Results Accuracy. Statistically, our analysis shows that the maximum score awarded was 99, the minimum was 69, and the standard deviation was 7.10. In other words, both of us generally agreed in our scoring. As a validation of our technique, we did the same evaluation at a local shore-based mid-range restaurant, with a resulting average score of 80.8. In addition, our earlier review of a quite different ship on another cruise line resulted in an average score of 88.06, but that was our first review.

2.5. Our Personal Impressions. Numbers tell only part of the story, particularly with something as subjective as food. Accordingly, we have some individual impressions of the food.

2.5.1. AW. In my opinion, the food on HAL Prinsendam has been a highlight of this cruise. I was extremely impressed by the quality of the ingredients, even in difficult situations like several days in the Antarctic. Similarly, the level of service pleased me considerably. Staff grew to know our desires, but even in early days they were responsive to special requests. I particularly appreciated the cellarmaster food pairings. Both Ferdie and Daniel did a marvelous job creating a memorable evening.

2.5.2. EW. I was quite pleased with the variety of food, especially in the Lido. The waiters were extremely courteous and always had a smile for us. I can’t understand how anyone can say the food was terrible – even the lowest-rated meal was far from inedible, and we did not get ptomaine poisoning even once!

3. Methodology Summary.

3.1. Score Sheet and Explanation. The score sheet we used is described below. In essence, we broke each meal experience into thirteen separate factors, as described below. Each scorer rated everything completely independently, without any significant discussion between us. In addition, the maximum score was defined to be the best meal or dining situation ever experienced anywhere. In other words, the scoring was to be an absolute measurement, not a comparison against other restaurants or meals on board Prinsendam, or even on any cruise ship. The scoresheet had space for numeric scores as well as written notes and comments. The scoring factors are:

3.1.1. Table setting. Maximum score 5. The equipment to consume the meal must be appropriate, ranging from six forks, five spoons, and four knives for a super-fancy formal dinner, through to bare hands and paper napkins at a fast food joint. This includes plates, utensils, napkins, glasses and so on.

3.1.2. Seating comfort. Maximum score 5. If the diner is not comfortable, the meal experience suffers significantly. This factor includes things like chairs, table height, and space between tables.

3.1.3. Ambience. Maximum score 5. A pleasant environment definitely enhances the meal enjoyment. Furthermore, the ambience must be appropriate – an Italian restaurant should look Italian! The surroundings, lighting, sounds, and staff clothing contribute to the ambience.

3.1.4. Presentation. Maximum score 5. If food looks appetizing, the dining experience is better. For this factor, we primarily looked at how the food was displayed on the plates or in a buffet.

3.1.5. Taste. Maximum score 20. This is the most important factor as shown by the high maximum score. Sweet things should be sweet, beef should taste beefy, and so on. This factor captures the scorer’s opinion of the flavours of the meal.

3.1.6. Texture. Maximum score 10. Almost as important as taste, the feel of food as it is chewed and swallowed impacts meal enjoyment significantly. This factor assesses mouthfeel, chewability, tenderness, crunchiness, and similar textures.

3.1.7. Smell. Maximum score 10. The odour of food is a major part of taste, so we assigned a separate factor for this assessment. Smell also includes possibly obtrusive odours from the surroundings.

3.1.8. Food temperature. Maximum score 5. Hot things should be hot, but not too hot. Similarly, food should be warm or cold as appropriate.

3.1.9. Service. Maximum score 10. Good service is a significant part of meal enjoyment. The attentiveness and promptness of the wait staff is assessed here.

3.1.10. Cleanliness. Maximum score 5. This factor is sort of obvious, but must be assessed. Food service should always be clean.

3.1.11. Quality. Maximum score 10. Even with impeccable preparation and presentation, poor ingredients will detract from the diner’s enjoyment. This factor captured our impression of the food "goodness".

3.1.12. Drinks. Maximum score 5. We deliberately didn’t evaluate wines or other alcoholic beverages because they are not included in the meal. On the other hand, beverages like water, coffee, milk, juice and so on are definitely part of the meal. We rated the quality, temperature, quantity and the like.

3.1.13. Overall impression. Maximum score 5. Sometimes the whole is more than the sum of the parts. This factor allowed for that possibility. Here, we captured each person’s own opinion of the entire dining experience.

3.2. Analysis techniques. Our analysis procedure had three components.

3.2.1. Statistics. Since the scores are numeric, we could do quite a bit of statistical analysis. Using a spreadsheet we calculated average, maximum, minimum, median, mode, standard deviation, and kurtosis for each meal, each restaurant, each day, each scorer, and for the entire data set. Rather than explain each measure here, you should simply do an Internet search for each measurement if you are curious. We used the various statistical measures to rank the restaurants and meals as well as to validate our scoring process.

3.2.2. Notes and photos review. Having done the number crunching, we then referred to the notes and pictures we made during the actual meals. That data helped us to truly determine what we collectively liked or disliked. After all, numbers tell only part of the story.

3.2.3. Consensus. We discussed the data and findings to reach a consensus. Both of us agree with the conclusions presented here.

4. Results details.

4.1. Breakfast. Overall, the average breakfast score for 20 person-meals was 84.75 points, somewhat higher than lunch. Most of our breakfasts were taken in the Lido. We enjoyed the coffee in Lido, and particularly the extremely friendly and personable Panji – the “coffee-coffee” man with his cart and antics. The La Fontaine breakfasts were of course much more formal. We found the eggs benedict in La Fontaine to be preferable to the Lido. On the other hand, the a la minute cookery before our eyes in the Lido added to our enjoyment.

4.2. Lunch. The average score for all 19 lunches (we had one lunch on shore) was 83.32. Soup was a favourite. Even at dinner, the soups were invariably delicious and usually ingenious. The soup chef deserves particular praise. The variety of foods for lunch was so extensive that we usually made a game of looking at everything before making a choice. On such a long cruise, we fairly quickly fell into a routine of simple lunches, saving room for the more significant enjoyment of dinner.

4.3. Dinner. As might be expected, the dinners we had were generally the highlights of the cruise food. The average score for all 20 dinners was 94.90, a very good score compared to all the world’s restaurants. One recurring theme across all dinners was the quality of the breads. Without fail, we found that the various different types of bread were excellent. The freshness contributed to the quality significantly, on top of the large variety of breads. We commend the on-board bakers, another of those unseen but vital components of a cruise ship crew. Finally, we quite enjoyed the attention given to us by the crew. The service was very good, even at the worst. In some cases, the wait staff knew us by name very quickly. That may have been a reflection of the small ship, but we sincerely hope it was not because they realized we were doing a food review. Food temperature was very good, particularly hot items. Keeping food hot all the way to the table is a significant accomplishment in this environment.

4.4. La Fontaine. Overall, La Fontaine scored 92.83. We enjoyed our 8-top fixed seating arrangement. Our six tablemates turned out to be pleasant entertaining people, though two of them only rarely appeared. We had a few special requests, like escargots on extra days, or extra krupuk, or seating changes to handle a crew member guest; all were handled promptly and with aplomb. Even when the maître’ d’ came by to enquire about the meal, we felt as though he really wanted our feedback. Our one small complaint is the temperature of the teapots and some cups – they were sometimes too hot. The relatively high score for La Fontaine shows that a mass dining establishment can be operated extremely well, even within the restrictions of a sea-going environment.

4.5. Lido. Lido scored 82.55, a good score in comparison with the rest of the world. We particularly enjoyed the flexibility of the buffet environment in Lido. One can eat as healthy or unhealthy as desired. The opportunity to stretch our horizons a bit presented itself occasionally, a welcome opportunity on a cruise of 68 days duration. Similarly, well-known comfort food occasionally satisfied an urge for normalcy. Sometimes we found Lido to be crowded, particularly after shore excursions, but that is really a reflection of the limited size of the Lido area on this small ship. We were pleasantly surprised that the port side was often much less crowded – we generally stayed on the port side! At times, the temperature in the seating areas detracted from the ambience. Several days, we noted a significant temperature difference between the two sides.

4.6. Pinnacle. As a very high end eating establishment, one would expect Pinnacle to have a high score, and it did – 97.25 out of 100. In other words, we found Pinnacle to be very close to the best dining experience we have ever had. The impeccable preparation and presentation were matched by the extremely attentive staff. Our only small criticisms involve the amount of food – a bit too much, and some of the plates. One cannot place flatware on the sides of the rectangular or triangular plates. We regularly had to wipe off the handles of forks or knives that slid into the food. We definitely enjoyed the Lobster Bisque and Four Mushroom Soup. One of the Pinnacle meals we scored happened to be a cellarmaster wine pairing, which turned out to be simply outstanding. The scores for that meal were 98 and 99! The extra price for Pinnacle was appropriate because of the extra value. On the other hand, we couldn’t possibly eat there for every meal because the food and surroundings are just too luxurious for us.

5. If We Were to Do This Food Critique Again. This is the second cruise on which we have conducted a food review, so our technique is becoming more polished. We enjoyed doing this review. Between the planning well before the cruise and the end-cruise analysis and report writing, we stretched the experience into a period of several months. We are convinced that the 13 meal factors are valid. We might implement the scoring on a smartphone or tablet, but good old pencil and paper worked satisfactorily for us. This whole experience was fun and educational. We learned that restaurant reviews are hard to do, particularly rigorously and repeatably. We will always look at any meal very critically now, mentally reaching for the scoresheet!

[sail7seas]

Wow,

You sure did make a comprehensive study of food on Prinsendam.

Very complete.... actually the most complete analysis I've ever seen of food on a cruise ship.

 

Thank you so much for all this effort and for sharing it with us.

 

Sounds great. :)

 

[496and706]

Just a quick question... did the engineer post this?

[NoWhiners]

Wow--quite a thorough review and well-designed process!! You should offer classes to our children who get very little of this in school, from my experience (in science and engineering)!

 

We are going on on P around the Black Sea in October and this was useful info for us.

 

ML

[wandrr]

Just a quick question... did the engineer post this?

Yep. Was it that obvious?:o:D

[mjfawkes]

Food and statistics...two of my very favorite things in the world! I really enjoyed your review!

[Vict0riann]

Very interesting review! Thanks.

[kazu]

I always say food is subjective but I am very happy to hear this. When we were on in November 2011, this was the BEST Pinnacle Grill we ever experienced.

 

Sounds like it has kept it up thank heavens:D

 

We loved the Prinsendam and food is part of it. Found a lot of the things on the Elegant Explorer a 'step up' - including the food:D

 

very comprehensive - I am blown away.

 

Thanks for letting us know that she is still up to being called the elegant Explorer:D:D

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report. Makes me even more excited to board her in Sept.

[aliaschief]

I was impressed. Thanks for all the time and effort.

[BoomerM4]

I can hardly to start eating there!!! :)

[gigianne]

Now I know what I can look forward to on our upcoming cruise on the Prinsendam! Thanks for taking the time to do this very interesting review.

[Lady Chew]

I dunno ... no matter how you score it, and what methodology you use, food is still highly subjective ... the taste, the presentation, smell, texture, comfort, ambience of surroundings ... all varies so much from person to person ... it's still just one's persons opinion (or I guess, two persons!) of the food, and everyone else's will be different ...

Not that I have any complaints about any of the food we've had on cruises!!

[tjcox9]

But, this "analysis" was done on a Grand Voyage when things are kicked up a notch. We've boarded the Prinsendam following a Grand Voyage and were fortunate to have some of the "leftovers" from the previous voyage.

 

That is not to say that the food onboard the Prinsendam is not always alright, however, they do go over and above the norm for the Grand Voyages and the World Cruise on the Amsterdam.............just saying. :)

[SwissMyst]

Quite remarkable report and a very thorough systematic analysis. Without the data, I think a lot of us agree with some of your own high points: soups and breads are particularly wonderful on HAL ships. You now have me looking forward to our first Prinsendam trip even more. And shall tuck away your eggs benedict recommendations as well. Thrilled you liked what you found on our little HAL ship. Thanks for taking the time to do and report this.

[0bnxshs]

Certainly the most scientific and objective analysis of one of the most subjective subjects I've ever seen. You are to be commended for your approach. It may not work for everyone, but I am truly impressed with your stamina and disciplined approach. Thanks for a unique review of one of the hardest things in the world to quantify!

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to conduct this comprehensive study, and sharing it with us.

[ski ww]

Excellent I always thought that the food was great. I'm always amazed when I hear people complaining about the food on board ship. Only thing I have to say is the coffee in the Lido is terrible, I have yet to get a decent cup on board any of the ships. It's the one thing I always rate as bad when we do the end of cruise survey.

Allan

[wandrr]

Excellent I always thought that the food was great. I'm always amazed when I hear people complaining about the food on board ship. Only thing I have to say is the coffee in the Lido is terrible, I have yet to get a decent cup on board any of the ships. It's the one thing I always rate as bad when we do the end of cruise survey.

Allan

 

Actually, the coffee in the Lido was excellent on board Prinsendam. Just get it from the "brewing machine" and not the urn right beside. On the other hand, your standards may be different, which is the whole point of the numerical review.

[SwissMyst]

Excellent I always thought that the food was great. I'm always amazed when I hear people complaining about the food on board ship. Only thing I have to say is the coffee in the Lido is terrible, I have yet to get a decent cup on board any of the ships. It's the one thing I always rate as bad when we do the end of cruise survey.

Allan

 

Highly recommend choosing the Sumatra coffee at the Indonesian Tea and then telling HAL you would like this to be their Signature of Excellence choice on all HAL ships.

[vancpl]

Great review Arnie. Enjoy your travelling as we are sure you two will. If out here, do say hello.

[Jean1946]

I'm glad I read this before having a couple of glasses of wine. My husband is/was a statistician and he would love this review! My ratings are generally, good, very good, never again and maybe! Loved reading it though. Hopefully we'll be back on a DAM ship pretty soon.

[SwissMyst]

There was another great meal rating someone else posted:

 

Eat one quarter of it if is okay; eat one half of it if it is good; eat all of it only if it is great and I'll never see it again.

[sammygoose]

Certainly the most scientific and objective analysis of one of the most subjective subjects I've ever seen. You are to be commended for your approach. It may not work for everyone, but I am truly impressed with your stamina and disciplined approach. Thanks for a unique review of one of the hardest things in the world to quantify!

 

I totally agree! Well done Sir.

[JamesEM]

Great review, thanks for sharing.