Observations, first time on HAL. Zaandam 23Aug to 03 Sep 2023

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

There did not appear to be a bed of noodles either…. Served on rice in Lido.  I did not have it , but one of our table mates did. All of us looked at the brick of meat quizzically…. None of us would have conjured that for stroganoff.  It actually was a conversation topic for at least 10 minutes.  The person who had it said it was “okay, but it’s not like any stroganoff “ he ever had.  (The lack of noodles really did jolt him)

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

...We have certainly enjoyed our table mates at dinner but we are beginning to wonder if we should go for a smaller group. 

That should help reduce the dining time to something more reasonable that allows you to keep your after dinner plans.

Glad you enjoyed the show.

[QuattroRomeo]

6 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Let the debate begin. I'm firmly in the don't order lobster roll from Pinnacle Grill camp.

That's okay, sorry yours wasn't great. Mine was good; unfortunately, dish quality can vary from ship to ship. The good news is your cruise is in the right place for seafood, so I hope something ashore will be terrific!

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Indeed there are but I think you will find most have beef, mushrooms, onions paprika and sour cream. When something is missing most of those things, it's something else.

 

So true Lyle.

 

There are many imitation recipes, but the traditional dish originates from Russia. Still recall the time we had a Russian fish boat at the shipyard and they invited us for a traditional multiple course lunch one day. Beef Stroganoff was included and it was as you describe.

[OlsSalt]

Natasha sounds Russian to me - she says it is in the quality and treatment of the meat, as much as in the sauce, and the options of accompaniments are varied - whatever soaks up the rest of the sauce works:

 

https://natashaskitchen.com/beef-stroganoff/

 

No, you will not get this much attention to preparation detail in the HAL MDR. 

[Blackduck59]

12 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Question: You mention that you are sharing a table for dinner. Are you on fixed early or late dining or on anytime ? Just hoping that if one askes for a large table under late fixed and is sailing solo that the other passengers at the table will be the same ones every night.

No we are in open dining and have said we would share. We have happened to share 3 of the same table mates on 3 nights and there have been some different ones as well on 2 nights. I think it is a bit of a catch 22, the conversation at a large table makes dinner more pleasant but the larger table makes for a slow dinner. Lynn has always been an early to bed person so dinner running late has a domino effect on our evening. It looks like we may have to reevaluate dinner if we really want to attend the early show 🤔

[kazu]

15 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Question: You mention that you are sharing a table for dinner. Are you on fixed early or late dining or on anytime ? Just hoping that if one askes for a large table under late fixed and is sailing solo that the other passengers at the table will be the same ones every night.

 

OP is doing open dining but if you are booked with fixed dining - whether it be early or main (late) you will have the same table mates each night.

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

No we are in open dining and have said we would share. We have happened to share 3 of the same table mates on 3 nights and there have been some different ones as well on 2 nights. I think it is a bit of a catch 22, the conversation at a large table makes dinner more pleasant but the larger table makes for a slow dinner. Lynn has always been an early to bed person so dinner running late has a domino effect on our evening. It looks like we may have to reevaluate dinner if we really want to attend the early show 🤔

 

I think fixed dining moves along a bit faster. The waiters get to know you and anticipate requests, like knowing someone always wants iced tea, or knowing that people want to order wine. Subtle things like learning the cadence of your table's meals and being aware of when you're nearing the end of a course and being ready to clear plates. 

[cwd79]

Weather in Corner Brook this morning wasn't too bad. No rain but windy. Ventured out and walked 15 min to the downtown area and found a Tim Hortons. Where I live in the states there aren't any and I grew up in Buffalo and used to love going to Tim Hortons as a kid. Enjoyed some donuts and walked around. Nice area. At port there was a man playing guitar and singing. It was a nice welcome into town.  

[Blackduck59]

So we walked off the ship with every intention of taking the shuttle to town and saw the line. We spotted a cab so Lynn went over to talk to the driver. It was $90.00 CDN for 1 hour, perfect he took us to the Newfoundland Bullet first then we stopped at another spot where one of the excursion busses was stopped. We took our photo op and carried on to the ski hill where another excursion bus was, then to the Captain Cook look out where another bus was. We could take pictures at our leisure and were quite comfortable in the Honda CRV, we had a brief stop at the Emporium and then drop off at City Hall. We asked a helpful person at the information tent about a Screech In and we were in luck, there was one laid on at the Legion. I was in. When Lynn saw that quite a few were taking the plunge she decided to do it too. So we are now both honourary Newfoundlanders; and we have the certificates to prove it.

[Blackduck59]

So back to the ship there is a definite mix of styles to be found. The main dining room has a definite Art Deco vibe. The Crow's Nest has a mid century modern feel. Other parts of the ship are styled in a way that was popular when she was built. I am quite sure the bathroom has been updated recently. Overall the style is dated but so are most of the passengers, including us. 😉

Edited August 28, 2023 by Blackduck59

[OlsSalt]

16 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

So back to the ship there is a definite mix of styles to be found. The main dining room has a definite Art Deco vibe. The Crow's Nest has a mid century modern feel. Other parts of the ship are styled in a way that was popular when she was built. I am quite sure the bathroom has been updated recently. Overall the style is dated but so are most of the passengers, including us. 😉

 

HAL has never been known for being trendy. I would always describe it as fusty, like an old relative's country home - and comfortable like an old shoe. Lack of trendy decor always make me think they are keeping the prices lower too.

 

HAL has come a long way since its fire-sale bordello mismatched carpet days. But as you note, much of this has been built in from the dates of their conception. Stick with the basics, and HAL will excel and even perhaps win you over: travel, food, cabin comfort, remarkable staffing, price, itineraries and good company. I am old school.

[Blackduck59]

We had lunch at Dive In, the screech in ran fairly long so dive in was about the only option. Lynn didn't like the fries and I'm not fussy for them either. We thought the burgers were good, the best ever? They were good. I tried one of the hot dogs and enjoyed it

We had dinner in the Lido tonight again the food was good but not memorable. Lynn is beginning to get discouraged with the food, we have been on the ship for 5 days now and the only meals remotely memorable have been in Pinnacle Grill. The MDR has consistently had slow sometimes incompetent service which has lead to confusion about Lynn's pre ordered meals. So far this is steering us away from booking our down under cruise with HAL. Whether that will change I don't know. 🤔

[Blackduck59]

@OlsSalt I agree but I'm afraid the food part is not cutting it either in attentive service or food taste and quality. I hope others on this cruise are making better choices.

I cans say our room stewards have been top notch and the laundry service is the best money we ever spent. 

[Blackduck59]

We are in the Lido Bar by the pool. I think the Pusser's Pain Killer could definitely become a habit.

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

So we walked off the ship with every intention of taking the shuttle to town and saw the line. We spotted a cab so Lynn went over to talk to the driver. It was $90.00 CDN for 1 hour, perfect he took us to the Newfoundland Bullet first then we stopped at another spot where one of the excursion busses was stopped. We took our photo op and carried on to the ski hill where another excursion bus was, then to the Captain Cook look out where another bus was. We could take pictures at our leisure and were quite comfortable in the Honda CRV, we had a brief stop at the Emporium and then drop off at City Hall. We asked a helpful person at the information tent about a Screech In and we were in luck, there was one laid on at the Legion. I was in. When Lynn saw that quite a few were taking the plunge she decided to do it too. So we are now both honourary Newfoundlanders; and we have the certificates to prove it.

Congratulations to both of you, but was it a nice drop?

[lyndarra]

9 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

We had lunch at Dive In, the screech in ran fairly long so dive in was about the only option. Lynn didn't like the fries and I'm not fussy for them either. We thought the burgers were good, the best ever? They were good. I tried one of the hot dogs and enjoyed it

We had dinner in the Lido tonight again the food was good but not memorable. Lynn is beginning to get discouraged with the food, we have been on the ship for 5 days now and the only meals remotely memorable have been in Pinnacle Grill. The MDR has consistently had slow sometimes incompetent service which has lead to confusion about Lynn's pre ordered meals. So far this is steering us away from booking our down under cruise with HAL. Whether that will change I don't know. 🤔

"Screech In"  ???

I had to Google it. Sounds like fun. From yer futtocks to yer top gallants.😉

[cbr663]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

We had lunch at Dive In, the screech in ran fairly long so dive in was about the only option. Lynn didn't like the fries and I'm not fussy for them either. We thought the burgers were good, the best ever? They were good. I tried one of the hot dogs and enjoyed it

We had dinner in the Lido tonight again the food was good but not memorable. Lynn is beginning to get discouraged with the food, we have been on the ship for 5 days now and the only meals remotely memorable have been in Pinnacle Grill. The MDR has consistently had slow sometimes incompetent service which has lead to confusion about Lynn's pre ordered meals. So far this is steering us away from booking our down under cruise with HAL. Whether that will change I don't know. 🤔

 

I've been happily reading all your posts and especially glad that you were screeched in.  NL is my home and I am always happy when tourists enjoy their visits.

 

I am not surprised with your dining experiences.  Dining has always been an issue for us and we tend to avoid the MDR on our cruises.  Our past MDR experiences have rarely been enjoyable and we tend to use other avenues instead - usually a combo of room service, speciality dining and the lido.  We have often used room service to order from the MDR at dinner and dined on our balcony.   After years of dining in the lido, we find our patience for it has waned.

 

After our most enjoyable Club Orange dining room experience on the Koningsdam, we have decided moving forward that we will only sail on ships with the separate CO dining room, or Pinnacle Class ships as it stands right now.  The experience was a significant improvement over the MDR and we really enjoyed it for the items offered, the ambiance and the attentive service.  I throw it out as a possible option for you.  We were ready to give up on HAL and yet the CO experience has changed that.  

[dchip]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

HAL has come a long way since its fire-sale bordello mismatched carpet days

The carpets on the Amsterdam always cracked me up. I still loved her though. 

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

Congratulations to both of you, but was it a nice drop?

I'm not sure you can describe a harsh shot of rum as a "nice drop" I'm afraid screech is best served mixed; Ron Zacappa it's not. Was it a fun time? Definitely.

Edited August 28, 2023 by Blackduck59
Typo

[Blackduck59]

@cbr663 I actually have been screeched in with an official ceremony and certificate. That being said it was done on Vancouver Island at a place called HMCS Quadra on the wet coast. The officiant for that was from Cornerbrook (he passed a couple years ago) as it turns out the officiant at this one knew him and he also served in HMCS Quadra some years ago.

So it all knitted in an interesting way for me. Now I have 2 certificates and Lynn has hers too.

[OlsSalt]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

@OlsSalt I agree but I'm afraid the food part is not cutting it either in attentive service or food taste and quality. I hope others on this cruise are making better choices.

I cans say our room stewards have been top notch and the laundry service is the best money we ever spent. 

 

Fun to search on line for "best cruise line food" since the answers are all over the place, but the real surprise was how often Carnival ships were mentioned near the top.

 

Any local comments on that finding? They even apologize for this claim, since on the face it seems so unlkely due to the more "fun ship" reputation Carnival ships have.  

 

 

[Blackduck59]

18 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Fun to search on line for "best cruise line food" since the answers are all over the place, but the real surprise was how often Carnival ships were mentioned near the top.

 

Any local comments on that finding? They even apologize for this claim, since on the face it seems so unlkely due to the more "fun ship" reputation Carnival ships have.  

 

 

I will respond to that but only by saying perhaps the Carnival guest has a different view about quality foods 🤔. 

Edited August 29, 2023 by Blackduck59
Repeated word

[remarcm]

Hello, we are contemplating a HAL cruise for the first time.As noted in my signature we are not new to cruising. I am curious how often trivia is played. Thanks for your comments so far, it is filling in some questions I had.

[Destiny0315]

19 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Fun to search on line for "best cruise line food" since the answers are all over the place, but the real surprise was how often Carnival ships were mentioned near the top.

 

Any local comments on that finding? They even apologize for this claim, since on the face it seems so unlkely due to the more "fun ship" reputation Carnival ships have.  

 

 

I think a new or veteran cruiser on Carnival nowadays might find the food surpasses their expectations, where as a new or veteran cruiser on Hal may find the food doesn't always meet their expectations.