Noordam' food

[Sea Island Lady]

I just hope that some of the recent problems on the Noordam are because of the AYWD and things will improve once the routine becomes better organized.

 

Sure hope service improves by the time we take our cruise in June! ;)

[SmokinActuary]

I'm sailing on the Zuiderdam in one week -- from the sounds of this thread and others regarding food, I might just lose a few pounds!

 

I did on my last cruise -- 5 pounds in 4 days -- food was simply awful (Disney Wonder) ---

 

I'm planning to have some nice meals while in port this time tho.

 

It may be the first time I kick off the holiday season without packing on a few pounds over Thanksgiving!:)

 

I liked the food on the Zuiderdam and my wife is a CIA degreed Chef! While not everything was stellar IMO the kitchen performed a remarkable job given the number of dishes served.

 

To each their own though.

[meidda]

Nurseblissful I will post the pics for you. I can't wait until Feb.

[meidda]

Jtl, I would feel so uncomfortable asking for an extra appetizer or returning an entree. Is this done sometimes? I would think it looks so wasteful or greedy. Am I wrong?

[manbehindthecurtain]

Jtl, I would feel so uncomfortable asking for an extra appetizer or returning an entree. Is this done sometimes? I would think it looks so wasteful or greedy. Am I wrong?

 

Absolutely! Taking a 2nd appitizer is a very common thing, and if you do not like your entree or see that a tablemate has one that looks way more appealing, just ask to have it changed, that's no problem at all.:)

[abrauns783]

we just off the noordam today. found the food to be better and fresher. we had aywd sitting,there where some gaps in service. never saw a captain. also a lack of personal interactions, but was made for by meeting new and differant poeple every night. went to PG the last night out. everything was great there but place was almost empty.

[CrystalWater]

I was personally very disappointed in the food on the Noordam. I was seriously expecting it to be a lot better. I could only remember just a few things that I thought were truly good, everything else seemed to be on par with Carnival at times or worse. I don't remember 1 desert that was good at all. Their prime rib was delicious, I do remember enjoying that very much. The steak and lobster was a complete joke, worst ever on any cruise line. Yes, food is subjective, but when you've been on other cruiselines and/or specific cruises and had so many things that were just yummy, you can really tell a difference. I think all ships have hit and miss food, that's for sure, but in my opinion, the Noordam had more misses than hits. :(

[Brumar]

food is better than it was last year. most items are pretty good. fish dishes were ,moist not dry and pretty tasty . meat dishes also pretty good..desserts not great.

but almost always something pleased. The Noordam is a wonderful ship as is her crew

[lindapnj]

We chose HAL for their reputation in the food catagory, as well as the beauty of the ship. We prefer to eat in the main dining room, not buffet style. The food was great, as was the service. we liked the fact that portions are not huge, so we always had room for and could try each catagory on the menu, from soup to desert. There is never a problem with having 2nds on an item you love. We were so pleased last Christmas, we booked on the Noordam again for early December. By the way, entertainment was great as well. I've never been overly impressed with shows on ships, but not one on HAL disappointed. Their Christmas eve show was over the top - they even had it "snow" in the showroom.

anyway, that's my take,

Linda

[lindapnj]

Jtl, I would feel so uncomfortable asking for an extra appetizer or returning an entree. Is this done sometimes? I would think it looks so wasteful or greedy. Am I wrong?

 

 

it's only wasteful if you waste it :) . if you see something on the menu you love - don't feel bad to order a double - it's never an issue. And portions are generally small, which allows you to order something from each course without getting full right off the bat.

as far as returining a course - the staff is there to please you. never feel bad to let them know you don't care for something and order something else.

[meidda]

I just wanted to thank you guys for your responses. Meidda

[waiting2retire]

I was on the last Noordam cruise, and I very much enjoyed the food! Now, I am pretty easy to please... for the most part, if my meal is served to me and I didn't have to cook it, I am happy :D . I was always able to find something I liked on the menu in the Vista diningroom, and frequently had difficulty choosing between two or more items that sounded equally good. I am not big on salads, but some of the salads offered sounded so good I had to try them, and they did not disappoint :) . With very few exceptions, I was pleased with the quantity, quality and presentation of meals in the diningroom.

 

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, and I enjoyed the Lido buffet every morning (except the one day I overslept :o ), particularly the French Toast or pancakes of the day. We frequently skipped lunch, either because of a late breakfast or being onshore, but we would sometimes grab a piece of pizza (great!) or some nachos in the mid-afternoon since we ate dinner on the late side as well.

 

Our Pinnacle dinner was very good; nice filet mignon, although it came a little underdone for what I ordered, with button mushrooms and a huge baked potato with sour cream. Best of all was the three flavour creme brule for dessert -- yummy.

 

The only other cruise line I have been on is Princess, three years ago, and in comparison, I found the Lido buffet much better on Holland America, and the diningroom food comparable.

 

There is a current posting now with the menus from a recent Noordam cruise -- you might want to print them out for your sister's fiance so he has some idea of what things will be on the menu.

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy your aft cabin. We were in 7140 on the Noordam... loved it!!

 

Bonnie

[welove2cruise232]

With just a few exceptions, we thought the food on the Noordam was quite good, and always came out of the kitchen hot. We had the salmon (available anytime) one night and it was dreadful. I had a caesar salad once, and it was wilted. Other than those two, we were very pleased with the variety and taste.