Hot hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hours

[Will_Dieterich]

In another topic there started a discussion and figured this would get some visibility to see if anyone has seen this lately.

 

The question was about the availability of hot appetizers being available in various lounges before supper.  According to various people it use to be around, then switched to you have to ask for them at the bars, then in more recent times people not remembering them around.

 

Then syesmar found on the know before you go. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq/know-before-you-go under "Shipboard Meals" that they list "In addition to breakfast, lunch and a multi-course dinner, you can enjoy afternoon tea, hearty salads, comfort classics, global cuisine, an ice cream bar, hot hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hours..."

 

So has anyone had them available in any lounge, or bar in the past year?

[POA1]

I could not find that at the link in the post. Which subsection is it under?

[CruiserBruce]

In March/April there weren't any hot apps on Zaandam in the Happy Hour bars.

[Lido deck main]

1 hour ago, Will_Dieterich said:

In another topic there started a discussion and figured this would get some visibility to see if anyone has seen this lately.

 

The question was about the availability of hot appetizers being available in various lounges before supper.  According to various people it use to be around, then switched to you have to ask for them at the bars, then in more recent times people not remembering them around.

 

Then syesmar found on the know before you go. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/plan-a-cruise/get-ready-for-your-cruise/faq/know-before-you-go under "Shipboard Meals" that they list "In addition to breakfast, lunch and a multi-course dinner, you can enjoy afternoon tea, hearty salads, comfort classics, global cuisine, an ice cream bar, hot hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hours..."

 

So has anyone had them available in any lounge, or bar in the past year?

They used to have this years ago, way before Covid. We cruise two or three times every year I can’t remember  this even from 2018 forward.  They used to have a 5:00pm glass of wine and a hot appetizer of the day in the Ocean Bar each day for I think it was $5.00 they don’t even do that anymore even at a higher price.  We came off of a grand voyage this year in April and also did 14 days Alaska, neither had hot hors d’oeuvres during cocktail hours.  On our last sail away port on the grand they brought out cold appetizers at the sea view pool area.

[foodsvcmgr]

Seems even Cunard have now dropped this tradition from Commodore Club sadly.

On HAL it’s exactly as you describe, once common, then request only at Crows Nest bar at happy hour designated time, then quietly dropped.

[Will_Dieterich]

43 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I could not find that at the link in the post. Which subsection is it under?

Shipboard Life then Shipboard Meals

[Mary229]

I haven’t seen any in many years on many sailings. They serve mainly those awful sweet peanuts and occasionally salted peanuts and very rarely mixed nuts.  I now order a cocktail glass of bar vegetables such as olives and celery. 

[VMax1700]

49 minutes ago, POA1 said:

I could not find that at the link in the post. Which subsection is it under?

FAQ > Onboard Cruise Experince > Dining > What meals do you have on ship.

[Sea42]

22 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I haven’t seen any in many years on many sailings. They serve mainly those awful sweet peanuts and occasionally salted peanuts and very rarely mixed nuts.  I now order a cocktail glass of bar vegetables such as olives and celery. 

Great idea!

[POA1]

Thank you to the people who pointed me to the right place for the verbiage. We did not have the hot hors d'oeuvres on either the Rotterdam in spring nor the Nieuw Statendam in December. Being a curious and investigative people, we made it a point to show up during the cocktail hour every single evening. The only food we saw was the lime slice in DW's Ketel One & Soda.

[wombatKY]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I haven’t seen any in many years on many sailings. They serve mainly those awful sweet peanuts and occasionally salted peanuts and very rarely mixed nuts.  I now order a cocktail glass of bar vegetables such as olives and celery. 

 

We've just started bringing our own. I like a salty snack with a cocktail, so either bring our own mixed nuts or pub mix/chex mix.

[leerathje]

I haven't seen hot hors d’oeuvres, but I can confirm I have seen cold appies on the Koningsdam in 2019, during the afternoon happy hour. They were in Billboard Onboard, at the rear. I was on the Kdam in July and saw the food serving cases, but I didn't check during happy hour to see if they were actually used.  Also, I can't confirm they're on any other ship, but I have photos from 2019 so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

L.

 

[swin26]

We were recently on the Rotterdam and asked for nuts with our cocktail.  The brought peanuts.  We had the same server everyday and after the second day, they were brought everyday

[shandryl]

5 hours ago, Will_Dieterich said:

 

Deleted. 

 

Edited August 17 by shandryl

[Mary229]

31 minutes ago, leerathje said:

I haven't seen hot hors d’oeuvres, but I can confirm I have seen cold appies on the Koningsdam in 2019, during the afternoon happy hour. They were in Billboard Onboard, at the rear. I was on the Kdam in July and saw the food serving cases, but I didn't check during happy hour to see if they were actually used.  Also, I can't confirm they're on any other ship, but I have photos from 2019 so you can see what I'm talking about.

 

L.

 

Those stations are no longer on the ships.  Removed and discarded

[leerathje]

2 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Those stations are no longer on the ships.  Removed and discarded

 

As I said, I saw stations on the KDam in July, but it was not during happy hours, so they were empty.  I wonder what they use them for now.

 

L.

 

[atexsix]

Only hot appetizers I ever saw were in the Ocean Bar during happy hour, but this was pre-covid.  I wouldn't be surprised if these were replaced with the sweet nuts others mentioned, it's probably an easy elimination HAL figures nobody will notice.  

 

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, leerathje said:

 

As I said, I saw stations on the KDam in July, but it was not during happy hours, so they were empty.  I wonder what they use them for now.

 

L.

 

It is unfortunate as we often skip daytime meals and looked forward to these mini meals.  

[atexsix]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

It is unfortunate as we often skip daytime meals and looked forward to these mini meals.  

It's too bad because the Ocean Bar happy hour was once the best deal at sea with 2 for 1 prices on everything.  Although these were sea days on transpacific crossings, not sure they did this in all markets.

[Will_Dieterich]

The 2 for 1 prices for happy hour still happen.

[Ladybentley]

The nice hors d'oeuvres (both hot and cold) in the Ocean Bar were something we really enjoyed on our last cruise before Covid. Yet another thing that now, like nearly everything that we used love on HAL, has been removed. After reading about all the cuts, we do wonder just what HAL does actually offer these days. So many of the items cut didn't cost much but added a lot to the enjoyment and experience of cruising on what was our favourite line. We have two cruises coming up (our first for years) but fear they may be our last on HAL. 

[Hlitner]

19 hours ago, swin26 said:

We were recently on the Rotterdam and asked for nuts with our cocktail.  The brought peanuts.  We had the same server everyday and after the second day, they were brought everyday

New HAL advertising theme?  "We cruise for peanuts!"  But seriously, we cruise on many different lines, and just about all the mass market lines have eliminated hot hors d'Oeuvres at cocktail bars.  On our last Princess cruise, it was difficult to even get peanuts.  Even some of the ultra-luxury lines tend to favor cold hors d"oeuvres.  Since DW and I tend to dine late (after 7:30) and look forward to spending a couple of pre-dinner hours in a lounge, the hors d'oeuvres thing is near and dear.  MSC has a decent hors d'oeuvres buffet in their Yacht Club lounge.  Seabourn also puts out a small (but very nice) buffet (at 6pm) in their Observation Bar (similar to HAL's Crow's Nest).  Explora Journeys had nothing!  Oceania did have some limited hot items (served by the bar staff) in one of their bars.  But hot stuff is hard to find anywhere.

 

Hank

[Haljo1935]

20 hours ago, leerathje said:

 

As I said, I saw stations on the KDam in July, but it was not during happy hours, so they were empty.  I wonder what they use them for now.

 

L.

 

These are from K'dam Dec '23 - Jan '24; you can see the date in one of the pictures.

I spent a lot of time in BoB over that 16 day cruise and I never saw them in use.

 

[Mary229]

The only thing I liked about Oceana was the late afternoon tea in the crows nest where they served petit but hearty sandwiches.  A little early for cocktail hour but close enough to serve the purpose 

Edited August 18 by Mary229

[atexsix]

13 hours ago, Will_Dieterich said:

The 2 for 1 prices for happy hour still happen.

Wonderful!  Thanks.