ZGSCL Live from the Koningsdam - Mexican Rivera - March 6, 2022

[rtdiva]

Gala night…Did the monkey wear a tux?
Whats your experience with dressing for HALs Gala night 2022? In past years on Mexican cruises most were dressed casually for that night.

 

Ann

[zgscl]

41 minutes ago, rtdiva said:

Gala night…Did the monkey wear a tux?
Whats your experience with dressing for HALs Gala night 2022? In past years on Mexican cruises most were dressed casually for that night.

 

Ann

That would have been a great idea! On all post restart cruises (1 Alaska and 2 Mexico) the gala nights have been pretty casual. No tuxes at all & while many men wore a coat and tie, many lost the tie and quite a few had like a Hawaiian shirt and slacks. For Women any sort of dressy anything from a cocktail dress to a pants suit or just nice clothes. Though someone at the cruise critic meetup said there was someone on the last cruise with juicy written across their butt in sparkles on gala night. I guess the sparkles must make it formal. 

[zgscl]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

Us too since we live on the wet, I mean, West Coast.  Easy flight for us.  I love San Diego too-very walkable & great restaurants.  
 

Ha ha, poor Mr Monkey!    
 

Hope to meet you one day on one of these cruises.  

I hope so too! I have a ton booked now and I just made an emergency visit to the future cruise consultant to book a coastal cruise for next month...I am already going through withdraws and we have not even docked yet! 

[victory2020]

2 hours ago, canadianbear said:

Us too since we live on the wet, I mean, West Coast.  Easy flight for us.  I love San Diego too-very walkable & great restaurants.  
 

Ha ha, poor Mr Monkey!    
 

Hope to meet you one day on one of these cruises.  

There's a cute Italian restaurant at 1747 India St called Filippi's that had been there since the 40s - check it out next time you're in San Diego

[canadianbear]

17 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

There's a cute Italian restaurant at 1747 India St called Filippi's that had been there since the 40s - check it out next time you're in San Diego

We’ve eaten there several times!!  We also love Nonna’s (although much smaller).  There’s so many good places to choose from and we’ve never had a bad meal yet!   Plus I always have to get my fix at the Cheesecake Factory (we don’t have one here in BC) and always get their stuffed mushrooms & share their awesome Cobb salad.  

[zgscl]

I woke up early Wednesday for our arrival into Mazatlan and had fun watching it on the bow cam as well as sticking my head out on the deck. As we approached we turned away from the harbor and made a huge circle before going in for a second approach. Later the Captain announced that there was a fishing boat with a disabled engine blocking the harbor which was what caused us to need to go around again. 

 

I had a very light breakfast of Eggs Benedict from the lido which was shockingly good. I came late and they poached the egg right in front of me which I think made all the difference. 

 

For lunch I decided to have the Grand Dutch Cafe delivered right to my cabana. What a treat! And of course I had to have their apple pie which is always fantastic. 

 

 

We shared Mazatlan harbor with the Majestic Princess and I have to be honest seeing that ship is giving me second thoughts about my Love Boat Reunion Cruise in October. I am so attached to my HAL ships (and they are so much prettier). Lots of soul searching to do between now and October. Thankfully the future cruise consultants were able to rebook my November sailing that I had just cancelled so I have a space reserved on the Koningsdam for when I make up my mind. 

 

 

Mazatlan harbor is one of my favorite ports to sail out of. It is such a pretty sail away and the aft balcony is the perfect place to watch it fade off over the horizon. 

 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

For dinner I went to back to the Pinnacle Grill! Always a beautiful place setting. The caesar salad and lobster bisque were both good. The pork chop is one of the best dishes onboard as is the lobster mac & cheese. For desert there is no other option than the chocolate soufflé. Both the service and food were great and in line with my expectations of the Pinnacle Grill. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

I had another towel animal in my cabin when I returned! I mentioned to my cabin steward that I love them and they have not missed a day yet. 

 

 

After a wonderful night of music in BB Kings I went up to to the late night snack. Lots of fried options as per usual. The cupcake was fantastic. 

 

When & Where for Puerto Vallarta 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

For breakfast in Puerto Vallarta I wanted to try for one of those eggs Benedicts again. Unfortunately the eggs were poached and they just heated them up for a couple seconds in the hot water and it was not nearly as good. Oh well, off to the cabana for a 2nd attempt at breakfast. 

 

 

In the cabana I ordered granola and pancakes which were both brought up quickly. And the pancakes came with syrup and butter on the side! A bit more doughy than the ones in Club Orange, but overall very good. 

 

For lunch I went with the Cannonball burger from Dive In and the fries with cheese sauce. They even brought extra cheese sauce for me and a bonus desert because they were worried I did not have one. I really cannot say enough good things about the cabana team! 

 

Also, fun to see a pirate ship next to us! Thankfully they did not try to board or take over our ship, though if they ordered an extra week I would not have complained! 

[zgscl]

My only complaint this cruise is Canaletto. It was just OK. Really too bad as I have found it to be excellent on previous cruises. Almost no one was dining here tonight and the service was very attentive. They really tried to get me to come back again and said they had a lot of availability. Unfortunately the food was just no match for Tamarind or the Pinnacle Grill (or even the Lido which I have found to be excellent on all of my post pandemic cruises). 

 

 

 

 

I have to say the crab risotto is heartbreaking for me. It was by far the best thing that I had on the Nieuw Amsterdam. About the same amount of crab but completely overpowered by the tomato just like my last sailing. I spoke with the hostess who called over the chef and I showed him my pictures. He was very appreciative of my feedback (or at least pretended to be!) and said that he would look into it. He did say that sometimes there can be differences in the quality or type of tomatoes used even if the recipe is exactly the same and I actually wonder if the dish from Nieuw Amsterdam was the anomaly. Hopefully they can cut back the tomato and bring this dish back to its former glory...I will try it again next month on the Zuiderdam. Fingers crossed. 

 

For comparrison the crab risotto from Alaska. 

 

For my main course I actually had two. The lamb which was exceptional on Nieuw Amesterdam was fine but nothing special. The lasagna which everyone has raved about was quite good.The gelato was great as it usually is (though if it weren't I would really be worried). 

 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

I think next time I will have to either get a second cabin or have the beds pulled apart so that I can use one for all of my friends! I finally had to start dismantling them and using the towels so I had space in the cabin to sit. While the balcony is huge I was afraid to put them outside where they might blow away. 

 

A beautiful evening sail away from Puerto Vallarta. We even got to see part of a fireworks show across Banderas Bay. I tried to take a picture but it was completely hopeless. 

 

I got a snack at the late night buffet which was OK. The late night buffet is primarily for the crew and there is a huge disparity in quality and taste from the lunch/dinner. The meatballs were so so and the chicken extremely dry. Most nights fried food is heavily represented. 

 

When & Where for Friday 

One thing that I do not like about the new format is there is less information. On the old one there was usually a bit of a blurb on the EXC talk or the main stage show. Now it is just the title, and the Navigator app also just has the title. What is Catching Waves exactly? One could presume surfing but a bit more detail would be nice. Especially with their push of information to the Navigator app you would think they might put it in there. 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

I had a quick breakfast in the Lido to make it to my massage (these darn spa people, I don't know how they do it). I have to say that the hot stone massage is absolutely wonderful. They tried to get me to book one more but I resisted. 

 

Eggs Benedict was good but not as good as the first one I had. Chocolate muffin was great. Breakfast sandwich was bleh and I had only one bite, and the cinnamon role was out of this world. 10/10 would recommend. 

 

 

Our cabana boys made a cute little bird out of a diet coke can and signed it for us. I think they made one for every cabana! The picture really does not do it justice to how cute it is! 

 

As I always do on sea days I had lunch in the Pinnacle Grill. Service was again excellent as was the food. I had to have another Pinnacle Burger since I forgot to take a picture last time. It is absolutely the best burger onboard, and actually one of the top burgers I have had anywhere. 

 

 

 

 

[zgscl]

I found this fun guy in my cabin after morning service. I really think he should be paying his half of the cruise fare instead of making me pay this single supplement. 

 

 

For dinner tonight was Tamarind. I have to make up for all the cruises I never went to it. The lobster and shrimp potstickers and the beef salad are so delicious. 

 

 

 

I was lucky enough to score a window table and I just love this aft facing view view over the pool. 

 

For my mains I had to have the wok seared lobster again and I also had the wasabi crusted beef. The wok seared lobster is incredible. Really interesting texture and flavor. 

The wasabi crusted beef is not spicy though this was a concern for me. It has a hint of horseradish flavor but is very mild and delicious. 

 

 

For desert I had the trio of sorbet but had the mango instead of the lychee. Very delicious. 

 

After dinner I went to the comedy show. John Stringer was good but I saw him on my Alaska cruise so I had seen the set before. AJ Jamal was hysterical. One of the funniest comedians I have ever seen. I really wish I had seen all of his shows. If you get a chance to see him you absolutely must go. 

[zgscl]

Tonight I had two great towel animals, one that was really creative and I think it takes the cake! I am sure you can guess which one I am referring to. 

 

 

 

 

Instead of the late night buffet I thought I would try room service. Since two cruises ago I have seen the roast beef panini on the menu and it sounded incredible. In practice it is a pre-made sandwich that is served cold and while it is tasty it really did not live up to my expectations. Oh well, the cookies were delicious. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[12cruise2]

Well, the towel animals are doing all sorts of things--what a kick and how clever.  Thank you so much for posting your very informative thread including the wonderful pictures.  We're headed on the Zuiderdam most of next month, so we can't wait.  I'll keep on the lookout for your thread.

[victory2020]

11 hours ago, canadianbear said:

We’ve eaten there several times!!  We also love Nonna’s (although much smaller).  There’s so many good places to choose from and we’ve never had a bad meal yet!   Plus I always have to get my fix at the Cheesecake Factory (we don’t have one here in BC) and always get their stuffed mushrooms & share their awesome Cobb salad.  

I'll have to try Nonna's next time!

[zgscl]

1 hour ago, 12cruise2 said:

Well, the towel animals are doing all sorts of things--what a kick and how clever.  Thank you so much for posting your very informative thread including the wonderful pictures.  We're headed on the Zuiderdam most of next month, so we can't wait.  I'll keep on the lookout for your thread.

I really enjoyed them! 
Not sure what dates you are onboard but I will be there the 22nd-27th. Hope to see you there!

[12cruise2]

56 minutes ago, zgscl said:

I really enjoyed them! 
Not sure what dates you are onboard but I will be there the 22nd-27th. Hope to see you there!

We  get off 4/22!  Sorry to miss you.

[zgscl]

18 minutes ago, 12cruise2 said:

We  get off 4/22!  Sorry to miss you.

Oh well, maybe next time! Hope you have a fantastic cruise

[SilvertoGold]

Re: Dutch Cafe's apple torte.  What?  No whipped cream?

 

Fantastic write-up, wonderful photos.  Really appreciate your opinion of Canaletto! That lasagna didn't look much like the real thing - how was it?

[westcoastsue]

3 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Re: Dutch Cafe's apple torte.  What?  No whipped cream?

 

Fantastic write-up, wonderful photos.  Really appreciate your opinion of Canaletto! That lasagna didn't look much like the real thing - how was it?

When I had the lasagna in Canaletto last November, also on the Konigsdam, it was amazing. Different voyages different chefs I guess.

[zgscl]

3 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Re: Dutch Cafe's apple torte.  What?  No whipped cream?

 

Fantastic write-up, wonderful photos.  Really appreciate your opinion of Canaletto! That lasagna didn't look much like the real thing - how was it?

I can only do fresh home made whipped cream! Can’t stand any of the stuff from a can. 
 

I was actually the best thing I had at Canaletto. If I was going there I would get it again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get one. Hopefully the Zuiderdam has a better Canaletto when I sail next month. 

[zgscl]

1 minute ago, westcoastsue said:

When I had the lasagna in Canaletto last November, also on the Konigsdam, it was amazing. Different voyages different chefs I guess.

It’s amazing how much variation there is from one ship to the next 

[SilvertoGold]

5 minutes ago, zgscl said:

I can only do fresh home made whipped cream! Can’t stand any of the stuff from a can. 
 

I was actually the best thing I had at Canaletto. If I was going there I would get it again, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get one. Hopefully the Zuiderdam has a better Canaletto when I sail next month. 

Out of a can?!   Really?!   Thanks for this tip, very helpful.

[zgscl]

The last full day is always difficult. I am usually thoroughly relaxed by this point, but I also do not want to contemplate it ending. 

 

I decided to sleep in and had a light breakfast in the cabana.

 

 

For lunch I returned to the Pinnacle Grill and had another round of crab cakes and the burger. This time I asked for the potato gratin instead of the fries. The burger was excellent as usual but the potatoes were very starchy with not much cheese or butter or any of the good stuff. 

 

 

 

 

After lunch I went back up to the room to begin to think about packing and I found another fun and out of the box towel animal! They sure are creative! 

 

One interesting update is we did not get mariner tiles onboard. Instead we were promised they would be mailed home. 

 

I really just love sea days and looking off into the ocean. In the distance you can just make out an ugly white blob which is the Norwegian Bliss. I really need to start cruising other lines so that the pretty HAL ships are in my backgrounds instead. 

 

 

 

 

 

I am going to attempt to include a couple videos of the ocean but I have mixed success with this. 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by zgscl