Food, Food, Food

[etrainer1]

from the reviews ive read so far, some like hal food and others thought celebrity food was better. i like the celebrity food and the ships. ive been on 4 of them. this is the first time on hal. i hope we are not making a mistake.:rolleyes:

[doone]

I find food to be very subjective, what I like, you may not and visa versa. Go with an open mind. I have never been disappointed with HAL's food, or any food on any of my cruises. I am of the mind set, if I don't have to cook it and clean up, I am happy.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Leslieswiger]

Both of these lines are wonderful and YOU WILL NOT have problems with your food. Tell them what you want and how you want it.:rolleyes: Enjoy your cruise as its an oasis for your spirit. Bon Voyage!;)

[etrainer1]

thank you, all!

[Giorgi-one]

doone:

 

Itotally disagree with that mindset. If you really mean that, HAL could serve MacDonald's food and you would be satisfied. I do not expect 5* food or service on a cruise ship, but I do expect food quality. I have no interest in eating chicken which we eat three or more times a week at home. I expect steaks and chops to be tender and cooked the way I request. I expect to see prime rib, rack of lamb, filet, etc on the menu and not just on lobster night when many cruise lines are serving all the better entrees.

[sail7seas]

It is impossible to imagine out of all of the food that is offered on HAL (Room Service, Lido, Dining Room, Burger Bar, Taco Bar, Pizza, Salad Bar, Sandwich Bar etc), that anyone will not find plenty that is to their taste.

 

 

I have never heard of anyone going hungry on any HAL ship.

 

Sure, what I find to my taste, you may not. With all of the selections available, you'll have plenty you will enjoy.

[grannynurse]

I agree that food tastes are purely subjective. And all of you who say that you cannot go hungry on a HAL ship are correct.

 

My disappointment with the food on our June 6 transatlantic was based on my comparison of the food (taste, not presentation or variety) with previous HAL cruises. And i should retract variety to some degree, as the menus across the line have changed also.

In someone else's opinion, perhaps the choices are now better. IMHO the choices are stranger and more eclectic.

 

In the past I have looked forward to the courses preceeding the entrees with eager anticipation. The appetizers haven't changed much, and some are very good. However, the soups and salads have suffered over the past 3 years.

 

The soups have a different more bland and floury taste (cream soups and chowders), and the salads are meager. I realize that the staff has been cut, but that shouldn't effect taste. It appears that someone has changed some original recipes and for me, it is not to the better.

 

I'm not comparing 2 different products. I am comparing HAL with HAL. That will not deter me from sailing on my favorite cruise line. I'm just hoping for some of the old HAL food choices and quality of preparation.

GN

[gizmo]

 

The soups have a different more bland and floury taste (cream soups and chowders), and the salads are meager. I realize that the staff has been cut, but that shouldn't effect taste. It appears that someone has changed some original recipes and for me, it is not to the better.

GN

I don't think the receipes have changed for the soups. I blame the person in charge of over seeing the preparation.

 

On the Amsterdam two years ago, the food was not up to par, and I was very disappointed. NCL had better food than this cruise. The cream soups were just like you described, they tasted like paste, too much flour or corstarch. They were so bad I finally gave up ordering them. Other standard dishes were just not the same either. :(

 

On the Statendam the following year, the soups were back to normal and the food was excellent. :)

On the Rotterdam this past April, the food was good but the Statendam was still better.

[Giorgi-one]

Sailsevenseas:

 

All of the choices you mention are very nice, but you also get many choices at the Hometown Buffet.

 

I can get better bugers and tacos almost anywhere (not fast food). Salad bar does not compare to most restaurants in my area. I am from the Philadelphia area, so HAL pizza doesn't stand a chance. The LIDO is OK, but I don't go on cruise ships to eat at at buffet. All this is OK with me since my main interest is the Dining Room. Problem was the food and service in the Dining Room on the Z were not very good, certainly not comparable to Celebrity and maybe not even as good as NCL. But I am going to give them one more chance next summer.