A few general (and CO) dining questions

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Starting to do the research for one of my favorite cruise activities - FOOD for my return (57 year hiatus) to HAL on the Rotterdam. 🙂 

 

DINNER:

 

I understand that there's a "nightly special" in Club Orange - is it typically something which people opt for? At some restaurants (on land) I have not found their "specials" to be all that special. Given that the menu is basically MDR, are there any menu items generally considered to be "don't miss/highly recommended"? I know that tastes and preferences differ - but being unfamiliar with HAL, I thought I'd at least ask!

 

Ours will be a 12-nt sailing, and I suspect that most meals will be in specialty restaurants. Probably way too few nights to try most of what I'd like to!

 

--------

LUNCH:

 

Club Orange for breakfast and dinner only. So, there's never a lunch in there? Can I assume that the MDR is open for lunch on sea days (and not on port days)?

 

Do any of the specialty restaurants open for lunch (sea days)?

 

The Grand Dutch Café looks interesting - certainly a few things I've never tried before!

 

At the Dive In burger place - are they able to cook a burger rare? Some places won't go there, others will. 

 

More questions likely to follow, but that's a good start!

 

Tom

 

 

 

 

[Iamthesea]

Would you mind if I jump in and ask if lamb is served anywhere on the ship?  We are also Club Orange and would like to know examples of specials that are served?

[RuthC]

27 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

At the Dive In burger place - are they able to cook a burger rare? Some places won't go there, others will. 

You can try. I have had some success getting my preferred medium rare on some ships. 

First, it works if you can stand there watching them closely, so better to go at off hours. Best to tell them how long you want the beef cooked for. Yes, time them! They will cook the burger 15 minutes, which is far too long for rare. 
When cooked the way I like it, it's a great burger! 

Oh, you don't have to order based on what is on their menu. You can customize to your heart's desire.
I consider the menu a list of possible ingredients to put on my burger, and order precisely what I do---and tell them what I don't---want on it. 
If you don't tell them you don't want something (like the lettuce, for example), then they will include it. 

[robotpony]

24 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Would you mind if I jump in and ask if lamb is served anywhere on the ship?

 

Yes, we had lamb a few times on our last Caribbean and Alaska tours.

 

32 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Do any of the specialty restaurants open for lunch (sea days)?

 

The Grand Dutch Café looks interesting - certainly a few things I've never tried before!

 

Yes, speciality restaurants are generally open on sea days. On our last few cruises Tamarind was easy to get into on most days, but the others required booking ahead of time.

 

The Dutch Café is great! 

 

We haven't tried CO yet, but the menus I've seen had some interesting items.

[Gigi1977]

Club Orange menus are identical to MDR menu each night but have one additional CO item.  Sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t.  Personal preferences.  
 

Pinnacle Grill is open for lunch on sea days as is the MDR. Reservation required at PG.  Neither MDR or PG open in port days.  On our cruises thus far Tamarind,  Sel de  Mer nor Canaletto were open for lunch.   (Wish they would) 
 

Port Day lunch options: Lido, Dive In, Dutch Cafe, New York Pizza. 

 

Dutch Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch dinner but menu is very limited.  Their grill cheese and quiche is to die far.  I don’t care for pea soup.  I like to get coffe here before heading for breakfast in MDR or CO.  
 

We love Sunday Brunch, which is only offered on long cruises, in the MDR or CO.  Our next cruise, we have reservations for Easter Brunch in PG as we did last year on Ms Eurodam.  Check on reservations if you are going to be onboard Easter.  
 

Our favorite specialty restaurant is Tamarind -  again, personal preferences and it is not available on all ships.  
 

Rudi’s Sel de Mer serves delicious seafood - but again, not available on all ships.  

 

Canaletto serves Italian food and has a specialty each night.  Hubby loves Sunday night Veal Parmigiana so we go on Sunday evening.  
 

I suggest that you try all to find which you prefer.  

[Crew News]

 A review of my Club Orange menus shows the following additional nightly entrees that have been served in the past:

• Lemon shrimp fettuccine
• Duck breast
• Lasagna
• Short ribs
• Peruvian chicken breast
• Shrimp jambalaya
• Veal cutlet

 

 

[Iamthesea]

2 hours ago, robotpony said:

 

Yes, we had lamb a few times on our last Caribbean and Alaska tours.

Thank you so much!

13 minutes ago, Crew News said:

 A review of my Club Orange menus shows the following additional nightly entrees that have been served in the past:

• Lemon shrimp fettuccine
• Duck breast
• Lasagna
• Short ribs
• Peruvian chicken breast
• Shrimp jambalaya
• Veal cutlet

I see a couple of dishes that could entice us to try over the daily menu offerings, however, Lasagna would not be one that I would pick as a "special".  I guess it just depends on the other dinner options. 

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Would you mind if I jump in and ask if lamb is served anywhere on the ship?  We are also Club Orange and would like to know examples of specials that are served?

Lamb shank, lamb chops, rack of lamb, and lamb rogan josh (Lido Market Distant Lands).

 

Rack of lamb is currently served in both MDR and Lido Market on the Gala Night Silver menu  served on the first Gala Night on cruises with two Gala Nights.

 

Lamb chops are served on the Pinnacle Grill menu.

 

Lamb kabobs are also currently served on the last night Late Night Buffet.

 

Mongolian barbecue lamb chops are on the current Tamarind menu.

 

Here is a link to the current Caribbean MDR menus if you wish to see which specific days lamb is served:  Caribbean 2022/23 MDR Menus

Edited March 20, 2023 by Crew News

[ACorgan]

3 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I understand that there's a "nightly special" in Club Orange - is it typically something which people opt for? At some restaurants (on land) I have not found their "specials" to be all that special. Given that the menu is basically MDR, are there any menu items generally considered to be "don't miss/highly recommended"? I know that tastes and preferences differ - but being unfamiliar with HAL, I thought I'd at least ask!

 

Taste is of course very subjective, but for background, we tend towards more seasoned and well salted foods. In general, we found most of the HAL MDR dishes to be under seasoned (for our taste) and always added additional salt. The exception to this was whenever we ordered the club orange specials. We found these to have far more flavor and thought the seasoning/salt balance was much more aligned with our tastes. One dish that especially stood out was the jambalaya. I think it was my favorite thing we tried for a non-specialty restaurant dinner. Honorable mention for the CO special of spare ribs in a red wine sauce, which was also very tasty 

[VMax1700]

6 hours ago, ACorgan said:

In general, we found most of the HAL MDR dishes to be under seasoned

One of the reasons we like HAL. 

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

7 hours ago, Crew News said:

...

 

Lamb kabobs are also currently served on the last night Late Night Buffet.

 

...

 

On many lines, their late night fare is getting trimmed back - to basically room service or a pizza line which is15-20 deep. 

 

Not that we do much in the way of late dining any more, but what is offered on HAL?

 

Any chance that good buffalo wings are available anywhere onboard (not just late night for this delicacy!)? 🙂 

 

 

10 hours ago, Gigi1977 said:

...

 

Dutch Cafe is open for breakfast, lunch dinner but menu is very limited.  Their grill cheese and quiche is to die far.  I don’t care for pea soup.  I like to get coffe here before heading for breakfast in MDR or CO.  

...

 

I'm not a coffee fan (iced tea for me - usually brewed in our cabin), but I've been sent on missions from time to time to bring back (some version of) coffee. On Carnival (JavaBlue Café), and Celebrity (Café al Bacio), I'm told the coffee is good. On Carnival, however, the lines can be quite long - particularly in the morning... imagine Starbucks --- 20+ minutes. On Celebrity, they usually have enough staff there such that the line is rarely more than a couple/few people and moves swiftly. What's the coffee situation like in that regard at the Dutch Café ?

 

THANKS !

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

On many lines, their late night fare is getting trimmed back - to basically room service or a pizza line which is15-20 deep. 

 

Not that we do much in the way of late dining any more, but what is offered on HAL?

 

Any chance that good buffalo wings are available anywhere onboard (not just late night for this delicacy!)? 🙂

THANKS !

The HAL Late Night Buffet is for the ship's salaried/contract crew but passengers may also participate.  The first few nights aboard will have lots of passengers eating but then passengers realize that they cannot keep expanding their waistlines.  Here is the current weekly Late Night Buffet menu list:  7-Day Late Night Buffet Menus

 

The NY Deli & Pizza has buffalo chicken wings (only 2 wing segments so place multiple orders).  Here is the menu:  NY Deli & Pizza Menu

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

5 minutes ago, Crew News said:

The HAL Late Night Buffet is for the ship's salaried/contract crew but passengers may also participate.  The first few nights aboard will have lots of passengers eating but then passengers realize that they cannot keep expanding their waistlines.  Here is the current weekly Late Night Buffet menu list:  7-Day Late Night Buffet Menus

 

The NY Deli & Pizza has buffalo chicken wings (only 2 wing segments so place multiple orders).  Here is the menu:  NY Deli & Pizza Menu

 

Excellent - Thanks for the links and tips 🙂

 

Tom

[Florida_gal_50]

7 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

On many lines, their late night fare is getting trimmed back - to basically room service or a pizza line which is15-20 deep. 

 

Not that we do much in the way of late dining any more, but what is offered on HAL?

 

Any chance that good buffalo wings are available anywhere onboard (not just late night for this delicacy!)? 🙂 

 

 

 

I'm not a coffee fan (iced tea for me - usually brewed in our cabin), but I've been sent on missions from time to time to bring back (some version of) coffee. On Carnival (JavaBlue Café), and Celebrity (Café al Bacio), I'm told the coffee is good. On Carnival, however, the lines can be quite long - particularly in the morning... imagine Starbucks --- 20+ minutes. On Celebrity, they usually have enough staff there such that the line is rarely more than a couple/few people and moves swiftly. What's the coffee situation like in that regard at the Dutch Café ?

 

THANKS !

I found the lines to be very, very long at the Dutch cafe and explorations on the Koningsdam in November.  I was lucky if it was only a 20 min wait.  It didn't help that each person seemed to be getting a number of coffees each and not simple coffee that just get poured into a cup and done.

[57redbird]

7 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

On many lines, their late night fare is getting trimmed back - to basically room service or a pizza line which is15-20 deep. 

 

Not that we do much in the way of late dining any more, but what is offered on HAL?

 

Any chance that good buffalo wings are available anywhere onboard (not just late night for this delicacy!)? 🙂 

 

 

 

I'm not a coffee fan (iced tea for me - usually brewed in our cabin), but I've been sent on missions from time to time to bring back (some version of) coffee. On Carnival (JavaBlue Café), and Celebrity (Café al Bacio), I'm told the coffee is good. On Carnival, however, the lines can be quite long - particularly in the morning... imagine Starbucks --- 20+ minutes. On Celebrity, they usually have enough staff there such that the line is rarely more than a couple/few people and moves swiftly. What's the coffee situation like in that regard at the Dutch Café ?

 

THANKS !

At the Dutch Cafe, I've only seen 1 barista so the line tends to move slowly....on the K.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

At the Dutch Cafe, I've only seen 1 barista so the line tends to move slowly....on the K.

 

14 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I found the lines to be very, very long at the Dutch cafe and explorations on the Koningsdam in November.  I was lucky if it was only a 20 min wait.  It didn't help that each person seemed to be getting a number of coffees each and not simple coffee that just get poured into a cup and done.

 

Ugh..... thanks 🙂

 

Tom

[Torquer]

On a recent cruise, my wife and/or I, got the CO dinner entree 3 times on a 14 day cruise.  I wouldn't say there was anything special about it, just another choice.

 

On this cruise, lamb was on the menu at least every other night.  But of course it was to NZ and Australia where lamb is very popular.  My wife had it once and was not impressed.

[Crew News]

48 minutes ago, 57redbird said:

At the Dutch Cafe, I've only seen 1 barista so the line tends to move slowly....on the K.

After long conversations with baristas, the Explorations Cafe has one barista but when they are on break, the bartenders pretend to make specialty coffees.  The Grand Dutch Cafe has three baristas on the pinnacle-class ships.  The staff rotates so that at least two baristas are present at any time.  One makes coffee and the other takes care of food. 

[lyndarra]

30 minutes ago, Torquer said:

On a recent cruise, my wife and/or I, got the CO dinner entree 3 times on a 14 day cruise.  I wouldn't say there was anything special about it, just another choice.

 

On this cruise, lamb was on the menu at least every other night.  But of course it was to NZ and Australia where lamb is very popular.  My wife had it once and was not impressed.

Lamb is great if cooked properly. I have found that it is usually, no, mostly overcooked. The rack of lamd on Westerdam was not a "rack" but a couple of cutlets. Lamb has become expensive here in Oz - up there with lobster.

[Maya_C]

25 minutes ago, Torquer said:

On this cruise, lamb was on the menu at least every other night.  But of course it was to NZ and Australia where lamb is very popular.  My wife had it once and was not impressed.

I've seen rack of Colorado lamb on Celebrity menus. HAL menus don't seem to indicate the source of the lamb though Alaskan halibut and salmon show up. Since I much prefer US lamb to Australian, I'm hoping the servers know where where the lamb comes from. 

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for all the lamb information.  I hope with our 14 night cruise to Norway that the Rack of Lamb will be on the 2nd "fancy night" because we have made reservations in a Specialty restraint for the first FN on the N. Statendam.  I wonder if they could save some for me to have in Club Orange the following night!  LOL   The rack is my favorite!  I also enjoy U.S. lamb over the lamb we had on our Aus/NZ cruise.  Sorry lyndarra. 🤔   I once had a waiter tell me to never order the lamb anything but medium.  I had always asked for medium rare.  Sometimes it is too rare and chewy.  If I order medium, it has sometimes been too done for me.

Edited March 20, 2023 by Iamthesea

[PROCRUISE]

Just my 2 cents worth after CO on the NS last December and Rotterdam 2 weeks ago.

Lemon Shrimp Fettuccine and Short Ribs were excellent.

The Dutch Cafe deep dish apple pie was far better on the NS than on the Rotterdam. Rotterdam pie had no raisins added (one would expect the recipe to be the same) and was always far less favorable and dry.

Tamarind is by far our favorite speciality restaurant.

Love the separate dining areas in the Pinnacle ships.

[funntheson]

2 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I found the lines to be very, very long at the Dutch cafe and explorations on the Koningsdam in November.  I was lucky if it was only a 20 min wait.  It didn't help that each person seemed to be getting a number of coffees each and not simple coffee that just get poured into a cup and done.

Maybe they should have separate lines for simple people?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

14 hours ago, funntheson said:

Maybe they should have separate lines for simple people?

I'm thinking that even the people with an order that takes 8-10+ words to describe would still classify theirs as "simple". lol ... kind of like the 10 items or less line at a grocery store... someone is always going to push the envelope and plop 15-20 "small" things up there. Or, here's the one I like - make it two separate orders. 🙂 

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I posted the following questions on the (pinned) HAL for Dummies thread a couple of days ago, but didn't get any feedback. So, I'll test the waters here 🙂

 

 

 

>> I saw a question regarding boarding times. Do they assign earlier times based on category and Mariner status? I'm a 1 star, but will be in a Neptune suite.

 

>> Are the cabins ready to occupy upon embarkation?

 

>> If there are not loungers on our balcony (aft corner deck 4, certainly large enough), can they be requested and, are they padded?

 

>> Is the safety briefing the "e-version" now, and what's the process with that?

 

>> I recall reading that specialty dining will start showing online about 4 months prior to sailing, is that correct?

 

>> Perhaps I've already asked this (might have been among my "new to MSC" posts for an upcoming sailing on that line), but can one request a kettle in their suite in order to heat water for tea?