One Main Course

[Windsailer]

For all of us who are opposed to this change, I suggest contacting HAL directly or through its FB page. If enough people raise concerns, perhaps this proposed change won't happen, much like the ill conceived change in the wine policy years ago.

[RuthC]

You do realize this is just a test, and it could be scrapped if the cost savings don't offset the bad will?

 

Do you also realize there is a difference between an appetizer salad and a dinner salad? You can have as many appetizers as you want, so have more of them if you want salad. You can even place a standing order for the exact salad you want every night---want more cheese in it, just put that in the order.

[boards]

We are just waiting for someone to tell us that they have had been charged $10 more or been told that if (I) the waiter brings you another entry they will charge you for it.   "Wow" I can almost see a big "discussion" exploding in the MDR.  

[puppycanducruise]

I hope this test will be scrapped - soon.

[Hflors]

I think the whole idea of charging people an additional $10.00 for an extra entrée is just down right tacky!    In my humble opinion the food in the dining room isn't that good to begin with.  After a couple of days on our last cruise we started eating at the Pinnacle Grill every night.  There was an additional charge, but at least the food and service were very good.  

 

I have been saying for some time now that I think the main dining room will be gone in the not too distant future.  I believe that the buffet will be the  "included dining area" and the rest will be the "additional charge" restaurants.    I mean really the dining room is only open for 1.5 hrs. for breakfast, for lunch it is not open at all on port days and on sea days only for 1 - 1.5 hrs., that is unless there is some function or special lunch going on.  The buffet is open almost the whole day and evening.  

 

I wish I could afford a more upscale cruise line, but alas Holland America is about as pricy as I can afford.   If they keep adding extra charges we will either need to stop going on cruises or find another one that doesn't.

 

[Minoushka]

Considering they buy in bulk and pay not that much for food overchargingshould not occur 

i find lately portions are smaller hence my son 6’5 needs extra nourishment ..to charge him is not right ...he does not waste ..he is hungry .he should be able to order another plate 

in the good old days I never hadroom for dessert ...I do now ...hmm ...yes portions have gotten smaller 

we pay enough to cruise stop overcharging us 

[RedneckBob]

I have not read through this thread, but I hope we don't have a food fight over an extra $10 charge. Ok folks, instead of your daily 10,000 calorie consumption each day on a cruise will be limited to 9000 calories.

Actually I don't like this cause what if you order an entree that is terrible which has happened to me several times will you be charged $10 for another entree?

[Jareds_mommytoo]

We feel the same way, we cruise with teens and purposely pick all inclusive vacations such as cruises to get them to experience new things, foods being a huge one. We will just stick to disney i guess. There are lots of other venues who want our money. Unfortunately they will probably loose them as future customers to since they are not going to have the chance to develop brand loyalty with them,

 

[chill6x6]

Is Holland America the first cruise line to implement this?

(I understand this is just a "test.")

[3rdGenCunarder]

46 minutes ago, boards said:

We are just waiting for someone to tell us that they have had been charged $10 more or been told that if (I) the waiter brings you another entry they will charge you for it.   "Wow" I can almost see a big "discussion" exploding in the MDR.  

 

I feel sorry for the waiters. They're the ones who will get the complaints, and they didn't make this policy. 

 

I don't order a second entree, so the charge won't affect me personally, but I'm offended by the hypocrisy of it. They're controlling waste in the MDR but doing nothing about the buffet, where it's easier to be wasteful because nobody is counting.

 

And the idea of this being a "green" move makes me laugh. On my last cruise, I was in a NS. The concierge asked me what my disembarkation plans were. She said they were asking in person to save the paper for the form where you indicate your onward travel plans. Seriously????? K has what, 40 NS/PS??? BIG savings on paper. Meanwhile, every day my mailbox had printed ads for jewelry sales and spa specials. 

 

[igraf]

25 minutes ago, Hflors said:

I think the whole idea of charging people an additional $10.00 for an extra entrée is just down right tacky!    In my humble opinion the food in the dining room isn't that good to begin with.  After a couple of days on our last cruise we started eating at the Pinnacle Grill every night.  There was an additional charge, but at least the food and service were very good.  

 

I have been saying for some time now that I think the main dining room will be gone in the not too distant future.  I believe that the buffet will be the  "included dining area" and the rest will be the "additional charge" restaurants.    I mean really the dining room is only open for 1.5 hrs. for breakfast, for lunch it is not open at all on port days and on sea days only for 1 - 1.5 hrs., that is unless there is some function or special lunch going on.  The buffet is open almost the whole day and evening.  

 

I wish I could afford a more upscale cruise line, but alas Holland America is about as pricy as I can afford.   If they keep adding extra charges we will either need to stop going on cruises or find another one that doesn't.

 

 

Nothing about  the $10 charge leads to your statements about the MDR being being taken away, nor is there any trend in the industry that suggests that the MDRs will disappear.  The only question here is the ordering of a second entrée.  Holland America has to control waste so that they can offer cruises that you can afford.  You should be applauding their efforts to keep fares affordable.

 

igraf

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by igraf

[Wasasalad]

8 minutes ago, RedneckBob said:

I have not read through this thread, but I hope we don't have a food fight over an extra $10 charge. Ok folks, instead of your daily 10,000 calorie consumption each day on a cruise will be limited to 9000 calories.

Actually I don't like this cause what if you order an entree that is terrible which has happened to me several times will you be charged $10 for another entree?

In 2018 salads have jumped over to be an entree! I’m on 6-7 cruises a year so I notice!

i order a salad! No way to get chicken or shrimp with it so I order the “second entree “ to get shrimp for my salad!

[dundeene]

I don't believe the purpose of this test is to restrict a diner who receives a dish that is improperly cooked or sent back for another reason. I do think it would be disingenuous to eat an entire entree and ask for another because you didn't care for the 1st one, and contest the fee.

I personally have never ordered a 2nd entree, I love the appetizers and often get 2 and pass on the entree.

I too have seen the cruisers who order everything on the menu, photograph and taste them and leave them to be thrown away.

HAL is a business that hopes to both retain current cruisers, attract new cruisers, and add shareholder value.  If this test fails at those goals it will not "stick".  I think cruisers should make their opinions known to the cruise line both before and during their cruise. (while being respectful to the dining-room staff.)

If this is truly a make or break decision for you in choosing a cruise, let headquarters know.  I believe all cruise lines now have social media staff who monitor and report back as to what the clients post.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Appreciate feedback from someone on a test ship about the following: Occasionally I would order a pasta main course as an appetizer and they would bring it on a smaller plate.

Is this still an option without incurring the $10 fee?


www.theinsidecabin.com

[Hflors]

3 minutes ago, igraf said:

 

Nothing about  the $10 charge leads to your statements about the MDR being being taken away, nor is there any trend in the industry that suggests that the MDRs will disappear.  The only question here is the ordering of a second entrée.  Holland America has to control waste so that they can offer cruises that you can afford.  You should be applauding their efforts to keep fares affordable.

 

igraf

 

 

 

If I follow your theory, why doesn't HAL charge for additional appetizers, desserts etc.  or additional entrees in the buffet?  My statement about the $10 is simply that it is tacky.  Even before this latest I believe the dining room will be going away for some time.  Now as it is it is barely open for anything but dinner.  There was a time it was always open for all three meals every day.  HAl isn't controlling their waste to help us with fares, but to increase their bottom line.  

[Roz]

4 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Appreciate feedback from someone on a test ship about the following: Occasionally I would order a pasta main course as an appetizer and they would bring it on a smaller plate.

Is this still an option without incurring the $10 fee?


www.theinsidecabin.com

 

I sure hope so.  On Carnival and Princess, both under the Carnival Corp. umbrella, the pasta main course as a smaller appetizer option is shown on the menu.  

 

Roz

[Jareds_mommytoo]

We are leaving soon on the nuiew Amsterdam, we had actually looked into booking a second cruise for easter on the same ship. We were told to wait and book it on board, now i am glad we didnt book. We will be booking somewhere else. There are lots of other places who want our travel money 

[Aquahound]

This is exactly the sort of tacky behavior by mass market cruise lines that pushes people to premium lines like Viking Ocean,  Azamara or Oceania.  While you still might pay more in the end, at least you're not dealing with the cheap Spirit Airlines mindset. 😡 

[tx121]

Maybe there will be a ultimate Main Dining Room Package where I can order as many entrees as I want as long as I pay the upcharge!! Doesn't matter if I eat the entree or not. As long as I pay the upcharge, it's all good! I wonder if I order a entree for a person at my table who doesn't have the package, will the waiter be noticing like a hawk to see if this happens?!! What if I'm just having my table mate taste what I ordered? lol! But all jokes aside... is there a 15% gratuity on top of the $10 upcharge?? If so, you can surely bet the waiters would love this! No more extra lobster tails for the table!! (Shaking my head)

[thyme2go]

HAL has created one big mess with this 'test'....  I agree with Aquahound and just picked up one of  those other premium cruise magazines that recently arrived in the mail!   

[Jareds_mommytoo]

We just called our travel agent to look at other options now 

[Tenderpaw]

"Over the years we have upgraded the menu"

 

This statement is a joke.  Compare a HAL menu from 20 years ago to one today. Much  higher quality back then. If they "upgraded", it was after they downgraded first.  And this is a "premium" cruiseline!  HAL cheerleaders, please don't bring up the tired "compare prices to 20 years ago" blah, blah.

 

What if you don't like the first choice?  Besides that, it has always been an option to have more than one and some of us like to try new things.  Thanks for taking one more thing away.

 

Hopefully this "test" will go down in flames.  All that is missing from this press release is the tired cruise executive line "we are charging a $10 upcharge for our guests convenience".

 

This constant cost cutting is rampant in the corporate world.  After managers cut all the obvious fat, the executives keep wanting the same additional cost cuts every year when there is nothing left to cut.

 

 

 

 

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, Wasasalad said:

 

Also, I often do the Food and Wine tour from the ship!

I’m on Voyage of the Vikings this year! Least expensive cabin is $15,000 for a solo!
If I order a salad, they were listed as entree in 2018, and a real entree and they charge me $10 extra, they will never see me again on a HAL cruise!
Furthermore, on port days, I never have breakfast or lunch on the ship! I do often order two protein because I do not eat a high carb diet!
Someone posted this on another page
 
March 1, 2019
(9:50 a.m. EST) -- In an effort to crack down on food waste, Holland America Line is testing a menu upcharge in the main dining room of four ships.
Passengers sailing on Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam, Zuiderdam and Oosterdam will notice the option to order a second entree for $10. First courses as well as starters, desserts and other menu items will continue to be offered on a complimentary basis, in traditional main dining room fashion; there will be no additional fee to order a second starter or dessert.
"Over the years we have upgraded the menu, and we have experienced that guests occasionally order additional main courses they si mply can't finish," a spokesperson for Holland America told Cruise Critic. "Holland America Line has made great efforts to reduce food waste and with this we can better determine if guests who order a second entree will truly enjoy it."
One test involves charging $10 for a second entree only on Gala Nights, while a second trial charges $10 every night. Holland America plans to evaluate the results in late March 2019 and make a decision based on its findings.
 
The problem is many of the salads are an entree!
Rotterdam and Veendam in 2018 had the salads listed as entree

 

HAL has always offered an entree sized dinner salad in their list of main courses, that includes a serving size meat portion in the salad mix. I order them all the time, and often even leave part of the meat portion as it is too much.  They are an entree item, not a "side salad". Not sure what the fuss is. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by OlsSalt

[boards]

38 minutes ago, Jareds_mommytoo said:

We are leaving soon on the nuiew Amsterdam, we had actually looked into booking a second cruise for easter on the same ship. We were told to wait and book it on board, now i am glad we didnt book. We will be booking somewhere else. There are lots of other places who want our travel money 

Before deciding, I would suggest following up on the NA cruise by finding out if the comments on this thread are true.  Something about this whole discussion bothering me is, I have not yet ever ordered a second entry (other than the second lobster on our last cruise) because most often by the time I have got to end of my dinner I am full and the second entry would be waste.   I am fairly sure that if there is something you dislike about your (first) dinner (not cooked, cold, etc) it will be exchanged without any extra charge. 

[OlsSalt]

Holland is not adding "extra dining charges". Passengers are demanding more food than what is normally budgeted and offered. Only reasonable this passenger-generated request comes with a surcharge. 

Edited March 2, 2019 by OlsSalt