Eat when you can!

[Justaguy33]

Never thought I’d be so hungry on a cruise ship!  Room service is 24 hours, but I’m out and about watching the music acts, attending comedians and games here and there, food wise it’s a desert.

 

The Lido deck is open then it’s not then it has a couple of stations but meh.  Dining room has been amazing, I guess I’m just spoiled by Princess and Royal Caribbean.  
 

I saw a guy boarding with us who had a ton of snacks (can’t do that on Princess and RC), never dawned on me to see if I could but will next time.  
 

just give me a 24 hour place to get coffee and a sandwich or a snack not in my room, please!

[jkrislc]

We’ve never had an issue bringing on food on any line, including Princess and RCI, provided it was factory sealed. We did it most recently in January on NCL and this past December on Princess. 

[ski ww]

I have never gone hungry on a cruise ship. In the morning before breakfast I snack on pastries, cereal & coffee and later have a real breakfast. Dinner in the Lido, Dive In or pizza. supper can be had early or late in the Lido and/or MDR

[VTcruisenut]

Interesting to read these comments, my sister just got off a 8 day Carnival cruise and said the food was horrible.  I asked if she went to the MDR and she said just one night, the offerings were bad and she didn't go back. Menu selections like steak etc. were all at an additional cost.  She said the Lido shut down and food wasn't available like previously.  Wondering if HAL isn't following some of the Carnival procedures and guidelines.  I have never been disappointed with the food on a HAL cruise or their offerings.  

[Laminator]

21 minutes ago, VTcruisenut said:

Interesting to read these comments, my sister just got off a 8 day Carnival cruise and said the food was horrible.  I asked if she went to the MDR and she said just one night, the offerings were bad and she didn't go back. Menu selections like steak etc. were all at an additional cost.  She said the Lido shut down and food wasn't available like previously.  Wondering if HAL isn't following some of the Carnival procedures and guidelines.  I have never been disappointed with the food on a HAL cruise or their offerings.  

HAL hasn't offered 24 hour food other than room service for many years. 

[OlsSalt]

Find the cruise line that works best for you.  Can't be all things to all people.

[visagrunt]

I think the OP is not looking hard enough.

Explorations café is open from early morning until late afternoon for coffee and snacks.  The Dive in is open from late morning until late afternoon.  On signature class you can add New York deli to that.  On Pinnacle class you can also add Grand Dutch Café.

The only real gaps in food service are the couple of hours between dinner service and late night snacks at the Lido, and the midnight to six am period when you'd have to rely on room service.

[cruzn single]

I have never seen comedians, magicians, music acts or games that would interfere with breakfast in Lido or MDR.  And times for lunch are quite reasonable with Lido, and Dive-In even on ships without extra venues.  Explorations Cafe another spot to find food.

 

Perhaps OP needs another cruise line,

[daisy-mae]

We always pack a few snacks such as mixed nuts or Pringles potato chips (easy to carry without crushing) just in case the munchies hit. And you can always pick up an extra muffin or a few cookies from the Lido before closing.

[Caribbean Chris]

Sounds like you’ll head back to Princess or RC in the future.

 

I’m fascinated that anyone could go hungry on any cruise ship. I’m the reverse - have to stop eating so much at meals after about three days because I don’t like that overstuffed feeling.

[farjar]

16 hours ago, Justaguy33 said:

Never thought I’d be so hungry on a cruise ship!  Room service is 24 hours, but I’m out and about watching the music acts, attending comedians and games here and there, food wise it’s a desert.

 

The Lido deck is open then it’s not then it has a couple of stations but meh.  Dining room has been amazing, I guess I’m just spoiled by Princess and Royal Caribbean.  
 

I saw a guy boarding with us who had a ton of snacks (can’t do that on Princess and RC), never dawned on me to see if I could but will next time.  
 

just give me a 24 hour place to get coffee and a sandwich or a snack not in my room, please!

We bring zip close bags along.  At lunch we might get an extra sandwich, cookies or other dessert, bring them back to the cabin and put them in the refrigerator.  At breakfast you can grab a yogurt, a banana or other fruit and do the same thing.  They are there when you get the munchies.  Nothing says you have to eat them in the cabin.  Take them up on deck.  

[Don Kehote]

3 hours ago, VTcruisenut said:

Menu selections like steak etc. were all at an additional cost.  She said the Lido shut down and food wasn't available like previously. 

Every night on CCL there is an upgrade option for "Steakhouse Selections" at extra cost.  However, there is always steak available.  Whether or not you *want* it is entirely a different question.  The lido buffet is not always open.

 

I will say unreservedly the best things I ate on our last CCL cruise (2/21) was the Indian vegetarian at the MDR, the middle eastern buffet, and the Masala Dosa at sea day brunch (which was the star of the whole show as far as I was concerned).

 

Edited to add:  I should also point out that we have just booked our first HAL cruise for this upcoming December, on Nieuw Amsterdam.  And honestly, we're pretty excited about it.  I have high hopes for the food and service!

Edited March 16, 2022 by Don Kehote

[Kay S]

I have upper loyalty status on both Princess and Carnival.  Now I'm working on HAL.  Carnival has some good food:  Guy's burgers, my favorite corned beef on rye at the deli, huge salad bar in the buffet.  I prefer their room service menu to the others.  Princess has the International Cafe with some good items:  shrimp salad, paninis, soups.  It is open 24 hours a day except for the hours between shifts when they switch from breakfast to lunch to dinner.  All three lines have a section on the MDR menu where you can upcharge to a better steak, etc.  HAL's regular MDR menu is the best for me.  The food is good enough that I'm not tempted to upcharge.  The problem for me on Carnival and especially Princess is their reducing the quality of the regular MDR food so you need to upcharge to get a decent steak, etc.  I have never gone hungry on a cruise ship.  I think the OP just needs to look a little harder.

[rkacruiser]

The International Cafe on Princess ships is an amenity that only the Pinnacle Class ships have anything close to that:  the Grand Dutch Cafe.  The Exploration Cafe on HAL ships is a small rendition of Princess' IC, but, it is not the same.  IC's offerings are more varied than the Exploration Cafe's.  

[cbr663]

OP makes an excellent point.  HAL doesn't offer a great selection of dining options outside of regular meal times.  HAL also doesn't advertise its dining options open hours on its website, so it can be a frustration for many to see so few options outside of regular dining hours.

[Mary229]

Rule of thumb: The smaller the ship the fewer the amenities.  Overall Princess and Royal are fleets of larger ships and have more venues.   
 

 

[MarkWiltonM]

Bringing stuff back to the room and putting it in the refrigerator is a good idea if you think you'll go hungry. HAL has great "grab and go" sandwiches in the Lido Marketplace that are perfect for this. Not to mention the other breads, pastries, cookies, etc.

[DaveOKC]

8 minutes ago, MarkWiltonM said:

Bringing stuff back to the room and putting it in the refrigerator is a good idea if you think you'll go hungry. HAL has great "grab and go" sandwiches in the Lido Marketplace that are perfect for this. Not to mention the other breads, pastries, cookies, etc.

True - I always keep some snacks in the cabin, especially cookies and candy!

[Boatdrill]

On 3/15/2022 at 6:03 PM, Justaguy33 said:

just give me a 24 hour place to get coffee and a sandwich or a snack not in my room, please!

Make use of your in room refrigerator, and stash a Lido sandwich there. It's ready when you are, and you can take it with you if you don't want to eat in your room. The same for a plate of cheese and crackers.   

Edited March 17, 2022 by Boatdrill

[Boatdrill]

18 hours ago, cbr663 said:

 HAL also doesn't advertise its dining options open hours on its website, so it can be a frustration for many to see so few options outside of regular dining hours.

Just curious, why would HAL list dining hours on their website ?  They vary by ship and itinerary.  

[steve4031]

I suspect nearly every cruise line has times when food is not available.  On Carnival, I learned quickly to double check the hours of the places I wanted to eat at for the day in the news letter, and planned accordingly.  It was similar on NCL on a Baltics cruise.

 

I will be dong my first HAL cruise on the Koningsdam to Alaska in August.  I suspect the issue is that I will not have the time or the size stomach to eat everything that I want to eat during a 7 day cruise.  In addition to the offerings in club orange I am intrigued by the pretzels offered during movie night, the high tea room service, and definitely will be trying the Pizza and the hamburger place.  

 

 

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, steve4031 said:

 

 

I will be dong my first HAL cruise on the Koningsdam to Alaska in August.  

 

 

Don't miss the Grand Dutch Cafe.  

[Crew News]

4 hours ago, Boatdrill said:

Make use of your in room refrigerator, and stash a Lido sandwich there. It's ready when you are, and you can take it with you if you don't want to eat in your room. The same for a plate of cheese and crackers.   

Bring some gallon-sized Ziploc bags that will keep your saucer of cheese from drying out in your minibar.  Bring your own crackers as HAL as stopped providing those little packets of saltines.

[steve4031]

13 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Don't miss the Grand Dutch Cafe.  

That one is on the list!! Thank you.  

[DaveOKC]

53 minutes ago, Kay S said:

Don't miss the Grand Dutch Cafe.  

Great cookies there!