Must Try Specialty Restaurants on Nieuw Statendam and a Few Other Food Questions

[bamelin]

Any suggestions?   Will be on a 7 night cruise.  It's possible our 1 year old will be with us although I may be able to get babysitting from other family members on one or two nights when we try specialty dining.

 

I've never sailed with HAL before.  I watched some videos online and think I want to try the Asian place (Tamarind) and Pinnacle Grill.  Not sure about the Italian place as I see it gets mixed reviews.  Will we get dirty looks if we bring our kid with us? 

 

Any other complimentary food items specific to HAL that I should make sure I try/don't miss out on?  The burgers in the videos look really good lol.

 

Since we will have our 1 year old with us we may have to use the buffet a few nights -- do they serve some of the same dishes as the Main Dining Room?  Can we get MDR as room service instead if we need to stay in?   On Princess I've always been able to get them to deliver MDR food to my stateroom by calling Room Service and just asking (unadvertised benefit YMMV). 

 

Not sure how HAL handles it.

 

 

 

 

[Daisyloo]

1 hour ago, bamelin said:

Any suggestions?   Will be on a 7 night cruise.  It's possible our 1 year old will be with us although I may be able to get babysitting from other family members on one or two nights when we try specialty dining.

 

I've never sailed with HAL before.  I watched some videos online and think I want to try the Asian place (Tamarind) and Pinnacle Grill.  Not sure about the Italian place as I see it gets mixed reviews.  Will we get dirty looks if we bring our kid with us? 

 

Any other complimentary food items specific to HAL that I should make sure I try/don't miss out on?  The burgers in the videos look really good lol.

 

Since we will have our 1 year old with us we may have to use the buffet a few nights -- do they serve some of the same dishes as the Main Dining Room?  Can we get MDR as room service instead if we need to stay in?   On Princess I've always been able to get them to deliver MDR food to my stateroom by calling Room Service and just asking (unadvertised benefit YMMV). 

 

Not sure how HAL handles it.

 

 

 

 

 

Our favourite restaurant on HAL is the Tamarind.  The food and the service are both excellent.   Both it and the Pinnacle are quiet, elegant dining venues.  If you dine there I would suggest you try and leave your child with a family member.  You can enjoy a relaxing meal without having to worry about keeping a baby happy.  ( and yes, you would probably get some dirty looks from some people if your child starts to act up).  We have a 7 month old granddaughter whom we love to bits,  but she is busy and noisy and we would never take her into any fine dining venue.

 

We like the Canaletto too, but I know it gets a lot of negative reviews.  

 

The Dive In burgers and fries are very good - great place for a casual lunch. 

 

The New York Deli has nice breakfast bagels,  and they make nice pizza.  They offer other things too - check out their menu when you board.  It is by the midship pool and very casual.  

 

The buffet is very good and it does serve some of the same food as the MDR.  

 

I can't help you with the room service - we never do that.  

[Ineke]

You can definitely order the the same dining room items as are offered that day - but there is a 3 hour time window for that, I believe.  You can order from the room service menu 24/7.  The room service on HAL is awesome!

[bamelin]

4 minutes ago, Daisyloo said:

 

Our favourite restaurant on HAL is the Tamarind.  The food and the service are both excellent.   Both it and the Pinnacle are quiet, elegant dining venues.  If you dine there I would suggest you try and leave your child with a family member.  You can enjoy a relaxing meal without having to worry about keeping a baby happy.  ( and yes, you would probably get some dirty looks from some people if your child starts to act up).  We have a 7 month old granddaughter whom we love to bits,  but she is busy and noisy and we would never take her into any fine dining venue.

 

We like the Canaletto too, but I know it gets a lot of negative reviews.  

 

The Dive In burgers and fries are very good - great place for a casual lunch. 

 

The New York Deli has nice breakfast bagels,  and they make nice pizza.  They offer other things too - check out their menu when you board.  It is by the midship pool and very casual.  

 

The buffet is very good and it does serve some of the same food as the MDR.  

 

I can't help you with the room service - we never do that.  

 

Thank you Daisyloo

 

Poking around I found the room service menus:  http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Room-Service-and-Breakfast-Card.pdf

 

And Breakfast Card:  http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Room-Service-Breakfast.pdf

 

It appears we can get steaks or lobster from Pinnacle Grill or a Bento Box from Tamarind delivered to our room for a small fee -- we will DEFINATELY use that option -- fabulous! 

 

Thanks for the heads up re our child.  I've cruised lots pre children so I figured yeah no good taking him to the Specialty Restaurants.   How about to the MDR?  Is that more acceptable?  I don't want to be relegated to the buffet or room service the whole cruise hehe.   My folks will likely babysit 2 nights so wife and I can go out for specialty dining and shows, but we'd like to bring him with us to the MDR too 1 or 2 nights.

 

We actually are doing a cheapy 4 night Carnival Cruise (Carnival Victory) just before we get on the Nieuw Statendam.  I'm not a Carnival fan at all but had a casino rate offered that made it cheaper than staying at a hotel in Miami or Lauderdale for the week.  I'm REALLY excited though to try the Nieuw Statendam -- will be my first HAL cruise.  I've sailed multiple times with Princess, Celebrity, and RCCL as well as once with Carnival.  I swore I'd never do Carnival again but they made me an offer I couldn't refuse lol. 

 

Really no such thing as a bad cruise but there are definitely huge quality differences when you jump up to the premium adult cruise line (Princess, Celebrity and I hope HAL).

[bamelin]

1 minute ago, Ineke said:

You can definitely order the the same dining room items as are offered that day - but there is a 3 hour time window for that, I believe.  You can order from the room service menu 24/7.  The room service on HAL is awesome!

 

Yeah I found the room service menu's they look great.  And if we can also get MDR dishes delivered, even better!  One of my fondest memories on a cruise was having a New York Sirloin on the balcony while sitting in shorts and a T shirt.  Total being spoiled!

[Daisyloo]

I think you would be fine taking your son to the MDR.  To be honest, there are not usually many children on a HAL cruise, but occasionally we do see them. 

 I would love to take our kids and granddaughter on a cruise some day soon.  Its nice that you are travelling with your parents so you will have some help and hopefully some alone time for you and your wife.  Date nights are important!

[Ineke]

One time we did an Alaska cruise with our daughter, son-in-law, and their one-year old.  They had early dining, we had late.  No problem with the one-yesr-old in the MDR, the crew appeared to enjoy him. We had adjoining rooms, they brought their baby monitor, would put their son to bed, and then relax in our room with the monitor on.  It worked great. And when they went out, we could do the same, so baby did not need to be moved around at night, a real plus.

[bamelin]

1 hour ago, Daisyloo said:

I think you would be fine taking your son to the MDR.  To be honest, there are not usually many children on a HAL cruise, but occasionally we do see them. 

 I would love to take our kids and granddaughter on a cruise some day soon.  Its nice that you are travelling with your parents so you will have some help and hopefully some alone time for you and your wife.  Date nights are important!

 

Thanks for the input.   I do suspect that there may be more families on this sailing (1 week Caribbean - Half moon Cay, Grand Turk, Amber Cove and Key West) in December.  

 

I'm actually the one that got my folks into cruising -- bought them a cruise as a surprise on their wedding anniversary 10 years ago or so.  They were instantly hooked and have now been on more cruises than I have!   We've never sailed together before though so I think it will be really special.  They are doing 2 weeks on the same ship (sailing is being sold as either a 14 day or 2 separate 7 days) so they will have lots of quiet time before we get on.  I told them they didn't need to babysit but they are insisting at least a couple nights -- so yeah that will be nice.

 

We ended up deciding ont he cruise as our son will barely be 18 months -- I would have preferred taking him on a beach vacation but decided a cruise would be easier on us all, plus knowing that Western medical facilities/doctors are on board.

Edited August 23, 2019 by bamelin

[rkacruiser]

Sel de Mer, although with a young one that would probably not be a good venue.  However, from the standpoint of service, cuisine, and atmosphere, it was my best culinary experience on Nieuw Statendam (and the pop-up at the PG on Westerdam did not disappoint).

 

Dive-in, New York Deli and Pizza, and Room Service all provided excellent options for food as well.

[sevenseasnomad]

8 hours ago, bamelin said:

Any suggestions?   Will be on a 7 night cruise.  It's possible our 1 year old will be with us although I may be able to get babysitting from other family members on one or two nights when we try specialty dining.

 

I've never sailed with HAL before.  I watched some videos online and think I want to try the Asian place (Tamarind) and Pinnacle Grill.  Not sure about the Italian place as I see it gets mixed reviews.  Will we get dirty looks if we bring our kid with us? 

 

Any other complimentary food items specific to HAL that I should make sure I try/don't miss out on?  The burgers in the videos look really good lol.

 

Since we will have our 1 year old with us we may have to use the buffet a few nights -- do they serve some of the same dishes as the Main Dining Room?  Can we get MDR as room service instead if we need to stay in?   On Princess I've always been able to get them to deliver MDR food to my stateroom by calling Room Service and just asking (unadvertised benefit YMMV). 

 

Not sure how HAL handles it.

 

 

 

 

If you have someone to watch your son for you to go on a date night to one of the specialty restaurants, that would be lovely.  Tamarind is wonderful; be sure to ask for a table by the windows.  On NS they overlook the aft deck and the ocean.  Sunsets are especially beautiful from this spot.  Almost anything on their menu is delicious, and I love it that they watch out for my food allergies.

 

PG is another nice choice, although that menu changed last year.  Some of the new choices I like; others which were removed make no sense to me, but the experience is still enjoyable.

 

Both restaurants offer great service.  If you're in a hurry, avoid any of the specialty restaurants.  The idea is to slow down and enjoy the culinary experience.  With such a small child that may be impossible, so ask the family members traveling with you to help out.  The only way you'll get dirty looks from other passengers is if your son starts fussing/crying.  This does happen occasionally, but one of the parents generally takes the child out before someone complains.  Of course, this ruins the dinner for that couple because now one of them can't finish his/her dinner.

 

I can't speak about Sel de Mer, as we've never eaten there.  I dislike most seafood and paying a la carte doesn't appeal to me.  I like knowing the total price upfront.  Yes, yes, I know: land restaurants are a la carte.  

 

Make reservations before leaving home, allowing you to select the times/dates that work best for you.  If you delay, you may be disappointed, but if you find you forgot and didn't make the reservations for whatever reason, simply pop by on the first day and make the reservations.

 

Dive-In has great burgers and hot dogs (believe it or not).  They will allow you to custom your order, so don't be deterred from ordering something on the menu because you don't care for one of the condiments/items they pile on top.  Simply ask them to leave it off.

 

New York Deli has a fabulous pastrami sandwich.  Ask for extra meat.  The potato salad that comes with it is very good too.  Not too much mayo.  Oh-h, I'm getting hungry.  You can also use this venue as an alternative breakfast spot which serves bagels, yogurt, fruit, and a few other light options.  Not crowded at all.  A nice way to start the day if you need a quick start.

 

Yes, room service is available 24-hours a day, although after 10 p.m.-11 a.m., I believe, is more limited.  Don't miss their 3-bean chili, club sandwich, or chocolate cake.  Heavenly.  

 

You may also order room service from the MDR menu for that evening for the 45 minutes after the dining room opens.  On most ships, this is 5:15 p.m.  Check your daily program to be sure.  You can specify a delivery time, any time during that evening.  We've never been disappointed.  Meal arrives hot and on time.

 

I believe, Lido Marketplace (buffet) has similar dishes to the MDR, although I can't speak from experience, having never eaten there for dinner.  

 

Hope this information helps.  Have a lovely, memorable cruise.  I think you'll enjoy HAL, especially after Carnival.  Come back and let us know your impressions, good or bad.

 

[cayman09]

Sel de Mer  was so good on our 14 day cruise that we returned 3 times. Service was impecible, atmosphere refined and the food was wonderful. 

[swin26]

13 hours ago, cayman09 said:

Sel de Mer  was so good on our 14 day cruise that we returned 3 times. Service was impecible, atmosphere refined and the food was wonderful. 

We agree.  We went twice.  Our new favorite restaurant.  In addition to the great atmosphere, food and service, the manager Dreis, is delightful.  

[cayman09]

Gabriel was our waiter, we asked for him each time. Best waiter we have ever had on our 10 cruises.

[earlydiner]

Maybe a slightly different subject, but does the main dining room menu have a few appetizers, main dishes ( steak, chicken, salmon) that are available every night as do most other lines? 

Edited October 14, 2019 by earlydiner

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, earlydiner said:

Maybe a slightly different subject, but does the main dining room menu have a few appetizers, main dishes ( steak, chicken, salmon) that are available every night as do most other lines? 

 

After reviewing my menu collection, with only a few exceptions, the following are available every night in the MDR:  French onion soup, roast chicken, NY strip loin, Caesar salad,  and grilled salmon.  For an additional charge, there is a Main lobster tail ($20) and 36 oz. Ribeye steak ($75).

[earlydiner]

THANKS

[CM1984]

We LOVE room service. You can get MDR food delivered, but we were told to order before 6:00pm, since the MDR is hustling from open to close.  We did and it was superb.  

 

We ordered MDR breakfast once, by writing our requests on the menu slip in our room and hung outside our door. They did not send our order,  it was the standard meal.  Found out you need to call it in, in the morning, when the MDR is open.  Makes sense.

 

We love HAL, it is our favorite!  Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[Tapi]

On 8/23/2019 at 12:09 PM, bamelin said:

Will we get dirty looks if we bring our kid with us? 

Hello Bamelin:

 

Both of my kids started cruising when they were one year old (my daughter’s first cruise was on HAL’s Westerdam in Alaska). Now at 7 and 9 years of age, they’ve sailed 10 times across 5 different cruise lines. Our next cruise is also on the Niew Statendam. So here’s our experience:
 

To answer your question: Yes, you may get a few dirty looks, specially on HAL (our personal experience). Some HAL cruisers just cringe at the sight of a baby, more than on other cruise lines, even if they are asleep and not making a sound. But as long as your child can remain quiet, and if you’re proactive about removing them from the restaurant before they become fussy and start crying, you’ll be good to go. 
 

On HAL, our kids dined either at the MDR or at the buffet. There were nights when we ended at the buffet when our intention was to go to the MDR, fully dressed for formal night, simply because the kids were exhausted and not in the mood to sit through dinner.

We did go to the Pinnacle Grill one day (my extended family was traveling with us, so they watched over the kids while my wife and I dined there). Money well spent, and it was nice to have a little romantic date. Ambiance and cuisine were both great. 
 

Overall, we had a great cruise on HAL, but of all the cruise lines we’ve sailed on, they are one of the least kid friendly. They did treat us wonderfully, but in comparison with other more family friendly cruise lines, they lag in terms of facilities, staff training and offerings, which we expected knowing beforehand that HAL is a more adult oriented cruise line.

What we didn’t expect were the looks of several, more senior passengers that plain and simple acted disgusted and insulted at the sight of children onboard, even walking down a hallway or out on an open deck. A woman looked down at my daughter who was asleep in her stroller, and with a face of disgust grunted “Ugh!” as we passed her down a hallway. Really?

 

Hopefully you won’t have to deal with grouchy, anti-children fellow cruisers, but in all of our years of cruising with our children, we’ve never found behavior similar to what I described above on any other cruise line our children have sailed on. Once again, we loved our cruise on HAL, just not the behavior of some fellow cruisers.

 

We are now returning to HAL, this time on the Niew Statendam, and from what I read, HAL has made some family friendly tweaks to their product with this class of ship, so I’m confident we’ll have a good time. Hope you have a great cruise as well!

Edited October 14, 2019 by Tapi

[Crew News]

6 hours ago, CM1984 said:

We LOVE room service. You can get MDR food delivered, but we were told to order before 6:00pm, since the MDR is hustling from open to close.  We did and it was superb.  

 

We ordered MDR breakfast once, by writing our requests on the menu slip in our room and hung outside our door. They did not send our order,  it was the standard meal.  Found out you need to call it in, in the morning, when the MDR is open.  Makes sense.

 

We love HAL, it is our favorite!  Hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

The Room Service Breakfast card must be completed and hung on your room door handle the night before you want it delivered.   The cards are collected during the night from hundreds of rooms and programmed for preparation at breakfast time.  There is no need to call Room Service if you choose to use your Breakfast card.

 

Here is a link to the Breakfast Card (different card for Neptune Suites):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Room-Service-Breakfast.pdf

 

Note that you can "write-in" almost anything on the card and it should be prepared for you if it is available in the Lido Market.  If you don't add "empty glass", you will not get a glass for any ordered milk.

Edited October 14, 2019 by Crew News

[CM1984]

1 hour ago, Crew News said:

 

The Room Service Breakfast card must be completed and hung on your room door handle the night before you want it delivered.   The cards are collected during the night from hundreds of rooms and programmed for preparation at breakfast time.  There is no need to call Room Service if you choose to use your Breakfast card.

 

Here is a link to the Breakfast Card (different card for Neptune Suites):

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Room-Service-Breakfast.pdf

 

Note that you can "write-in" almost anything on the card and it should be prepared for you if it is available in the Lido Market.  If you don't add "empty glass", you will not get a glass for any ordered milk.

 

 

EXACTLY!