Westerdam a floating "Sizzler Restaurant"

[Krazy Kruizers]

:mad: We cruised on the Westerdam from 6/22 through 6/29. We had 10 people in our party and the rooms were good. The scenery was wonderful, but the food was terrible. Everyone in our party complained about the quality of the food. It was like eating in a "Sizzler Restaurant" for 7 days. We have been on more than 25 cruises all over the world and this was by far the worst food we ever experienced. The crew was very friendly, the ports were great and the tender service was organized very well. We will NOT be cruising on Holland America again !!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Sorry about your food not being good on the Westerdam. We were on the her for 26 just this past April/May -- no problems for us. Guess our tastes are different.

We don't have a Sissler Restaurant so I can't compare.

[seaisme]

was on the Westerdam this year and the food was exceptional...master chef was trying out new menus for HAL. what in particular didn't you like about the food?

 

If you compare it to Sizzler, obviously you eat there regularly. what do you like about their food?

[kryos]

:mad: We cruised on the Westerdam from 6/22 through 6/29. We had 10 people in our party and the rooms were good. The scenery was wonderful, but the food was terrible. Everyone in our party complained about the quality of the food. It was like eating in a "Sizzler Restaurant" for 7 days. We have been on more than 25 cruises all over the world and this was by far the worst food we ever experienced. The crew was very friendly, the ports were great and the tender service was organized very well. We will NOT be cruising on Holland America again !!

What exactly were you looking for at the low fares you probably paid? Ruth Chris?

 

Read the reviews on just about all the cruise lines today and you'll see pretty much the same complaints about the food. The quality is going down because the cruise lines are squeezed. Maybe in past years they had a budget of say $30 per day per passenger for food. Now that budget might be $20 per day. You're not gonna get the same quality of food for that much less.

 

The thing I seem to see running through most of the reviews where the reviewer complains about the food onboard their cruise is that if they eat at the specialty restaurants onboard, they get a great meal. It would seem to me that maybe the cruise lines have had to cut the quality in regular onboard restaurants, but have been able to leave the specialty restaurants alone as long as there was a service charge in place. It would seem to me that if quality keeps going down, people will be forced to take ALL of their meals in the specialty restaurants onboard, and maybe at some point in the distant future, no food onboard will be free. The dining room will be just like a land-based restaurant. You sign for the tab at the end of the meal. But at least you'll get a tasty meal in that case.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Never heard of Sizzlers. In what part of the U.S. are they located?

 

Remember the old Gino's hamburger joints ... they were similar to Mickey D's? Sizzler was owned by the same people that owned Gino's ... and that owned Kentucky Fried Chicken (Col. Sanders).

 

We used to have Sizzlers out Philly way, but they folded up years ago, just like Gino's. I think the KFC is a separate company now.

 

To be honest, I kind of liked Sizzlers. They were like the old Bonanza Steak Houses where it was cafeteria style. You went through the line and told the server what kind of steak you wanted and how you wanted it done. Then they put a number on your tray and you could watch as the cooks prepared it. They were out in full view.

 

Of course, the food wasn't up to Ruth Chris standards, but it wasn't bad for the price. I always enjoyed eating there.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Krazy Kruizers]

Remember the old Gino's hamburger joints ... they were similar to Mickey D's? Sizzler was owned by the same people that owned Gino's ... and that owned Kentucky Fried Chicken (Col. Sanders).

 

We used to have Sizzlers out Philly way, but they folded up years ago, just like Gino's. I think the KFC is a separate company now.

 

To be honest, I kind of liked Sizzlers. They were like the old Bonanza Steak Houses where it was cafeteria style. You went through the line and told the server what kind of steak you wanted and how you wanted it done. Then they put a number on your tray and you could watch as the cooks prepared it. They were out in full view.

 

Of course, the food wasn't up to Ruth Chris standards, but it wasn't bad for the price. I always enjoyed eating there.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Never had a Sissler's, Gino's, Mickey D's or Bonanza Steak house in our area.

As for Ruth Chris -- they are way over priced for TOUGH steaks. I'll take Morton's any day.

[thomasale]

Thanks. We're not too big on Longhorn and all those sorts but I'm sure I would have heard of them in they were in our area. Probably haven't reached the Northeast yet (thankfully??? :D )

 

Now that you mention it, I wonder if we have Ponderosa. I've heard of them but can't place a location that has one in our area.

 

Longhorn is quite a bit above Sizzler in my opinion...and I think Longhorn represents good value but then again thats just me.

[tutak]

Longhorn is quite a bit above Sizzler in my opinion...and I think Longhorn represents good value but then again thats just me.

 

And they both have "open seating."

[Krazy Kruizers]

Never heard of Longhorn's either.

 

We used to have several Ponderosa restaurants in the area -- never ate there -- but they are all gone now.

[Taxguy77]

Never had a Sissler's, Gino's, Mickey D's or Bonanza Steak house in our area.

As for Ruth Chris -- they are way over priced for TOUGH steaks. I'll take Morton's any day.

 

At a party with 30 people, 26 or 28 having filet, you could cut a 1.5" steak with the butter knife. Guess you'll just have to come to Texas for beef.:)

 

(Watch me get dissed from the great feeding lots around Omaha:p)

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are fortunate that besides Morton's we do have a couple of other places -- not chain restaurants that serfe wonderful Filet's. That's all I buy at home -- in fact -- DH will be grilling one for dinner tonight.

[cruisinbulldog]

Never had a Sissler's, Gino's, Mickey D's or Bonanza Steak house in our area.

 

 

I thought everyone had a McDonalds..:rolleyes:

 

Bulldog

[cf_chuck]

In my little corner of the world, we have Western Sizzler and Golden Coral. Both serve a reasonable cost / performance value (IMO) for what you buy, but I would give the nod to GC since they offer beer and wine where WS doesn't here.

 

I'm not (yet) into the value meal performance restaurants, so I tend to go a bit upscale and frequent places like Longhorn on a more regular basis. Any steak meal I have had on HAL has exceeded the corresponding experience that I have had in the mid-tier restaurants. In my opinion, any meal I have had on HAL has exceeded any corresponding mid-tier restaurant for a similar meal and experience, and often without the variety offered.

 

When I go to a mid tier restaurant, I expect to pay somewhere betwee 60 and 80 dollars per couple before drinks for the kind of meal that HAL offers in a single seating (apps, salad, soup, entre`, coffess and dessert). I don't know how to calibrate the additional flexibility that HAL offers by allowing and serving multiples of any of the courses, but it's there for the asking and there have been occasions I have asked and received.

 

So, I don't expect that the food will be top tier, but from my experience it far exceeds the mid-tier experiences I have had across the board for a cost (to me) that I can't fathom given the service, quality, variety, an quantity. If something isn't "right", there is always the option of something else, no questions asked and no prejudice expressed. I have no problem with someone expressing disgruntlement with a specific offering, but I can't understand an across the board slam given my experiences. Maybe we should open a section of CC for food critics.

[Palms2Pines2Sea]

Before any more weigh in on the OP's comparison of Westerdam and Sizzler, please note that "TomXXX" has (allegedly) been on 25 cruises and this is his "first" post on CC.

Methinks the carrot has been dangled!

[pipedreams62]

Before any more weigh in on the OP's comparison of Westerdam and Sizzler, please note that "TomXXX" has (allegedly) been on 25 cruises and this is his "first" post on CC.

 

Methinks the carrot has been dangled!

 

 

And the prize is a year supply of

 

 

[Lady Chew]

Remember the old Gino's hamburger joints ... they were similar to Mickey D's? Sizzler was owned by the same people that owned Gino's ... and that owned Kentucky Fried Chicken (Col. Sanders).

 

I loved Gino's! The Gino Giant is my all-time favorite fast food hamburger sandwich.

 

 

To be honest, I kind of liked Sizzlers. They were like the old Bonanza Steak Houses where it was cafeteria style. You went through the line and told the server what kind of steak you wanted and how you wanted it done. Then they put a number on your tray and you could watch as the cooks prepared it. They were out in full view.

 

Of course, the food wasn't up to Ruth Chris standards, but it wasn't bad for the price. I always enjoyed eating there.

 

We liked to eat at Sizzler's, too. Decent food, fairly inexspensive, and as I recall, a pretty good salad bar!

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

I would expect HAL to have much better food than that! SIL & I are hoping to cruise HAL to Hawaii next April

[sail7seas]

We are fortunate that besides Morton's we do have a couple of other places -- not chain restaurants that serfe wonderful Filet's. That's all I buy at home -- in fact -- DH will be grilling one for dinner tonight.

 

 

Funny you say that. Boston waited a long time to get a Ruth's Chris and finally they are here but food is inconsistent. We prefer Morton's, The Palm, Smith and Wolensky (sp?), Capital Grille......

 

Best of all is The Oak Room at the Copley Fairmount. Definitely not a chain and definitely very pricey. :D

 

We have had dinners in Pinnacle which were equally good as any of those places and better than some. Pinnacles steaks when really good are just as good as Capital Grille (dinner there runs about $75 - $100 pp when we have commensurate liquor/wine in Pinnacle), as good and better than The Palm ($75 pp roughly for same number of courses/drink/wine). Pinnacle is an excellent value for a wonderful meal.

 

 

 

 

[Crusing Bob]

The OP stirred this up and hasn't come back since.

[babyher]

Funny you say that. Boston waited a long time to get a Ruth's Chris and finally they are here but food is inconsistent. We prefer Morton's, The Palm, Smith and Wolensky (sp?), Capital Grille......

 

Best of all is The Oak Room at the Copley Fairmount. Definitely not a chain and definitely very pricey. :D

 

 

 

I have been to Smith and Wolensky in NYC ....enjoyed it very much.

 

We have a Mortons here , good, but I prefer Peter Lugars.

 

Sparks in NYC is a pretty close second to Lugars IMO. Outside of its food , its best known because Big Paul Castellano got "whacked" out in front of the place *LOL*.

But it is a beautiful place and the steaks (all they serve) are fantastic:)

[papadave]

I can't argue too much with the OP. On our Westerdam cruise (and this holds true for our cruise on the Nordam) the food was great sometimes and not so great other times. Most distressing were times when perfectly good ingredients were destroyed by poor cooking. Braised meat dishes (lamb shanks, osso bucco) need to be cooked slowly, preferrably overnight, and tasted like they may have cheated by using pressure cookers. Steaks are just not handled as well as they should be -- if the grill is hot enough and the cooking is brief enough you get a nice char on the outside without drying the meat. If the meat is not cooked right send it back and order something else.

 

The Pinnacle is a good option. Again, it depends both on the treatment the meat gets in the kitchen and the meat you select. It is a smaller kitchen and the menu is a modified steakhouse menu, so your expectations here should be high. At $20 per person above the cost of your included meal you can eat very well here.

 

I do not understand why people are jumping all over the OP for making this his first post. Admire his restraint in not saying everything that has ever crossed his mind.

[Boytjie]

And they both have "open seating."

 

Yes, and a dress code! No shoes, no shirt, no service. :D

[simplelife]

I look at a cruise as an opportunity to try different things - there's always something I like (which i can have more of if i wish) , and if I don't like something, I can always ask for something else.

 

In regard to quality of steaks, I rarely order steak "out" because my DH does the best ones at home on the grill. I am assured of the qulaity of the meat because I buy it, and he knows exactly how I like it cooked and the seasonings I like. These home-cooked steaks are just as good or better than Ruth's Chris or Morton's IMO.

[airlink diva]

I'm curious, I noticed that on all of the major cruiseline boards that you have people that sailed several times, but the cruise that they just left was the worst that they ever been on. These posters are always the very first one on this cruiseline.

Why do they find cruisecritic after the cruise than before? I'm not saying that finding this website would enhance their cruise, but it offers better insight.

I'm at the point that when I read such threads, it's little value to me. That's mean, but I think they do them to get people imflamed. These threads are normally the ones with the highest numbers of replies.

It's just my opinion.

Happy sailing!!

[CSTX Mom]

I was on the same cruise as the OP, and we found the food to be quite good. We never felt the need to send anything back, and I only recall 1 soup that none of us cared for. My mother was a gourmet cook, and I love to cook, so I have a pretty good idea about what food should taste like.

[sail7seas]

Yes, and a dress code! No shoes, no shirt, no service. :D

 

 

yaaa...... but did he tip?!

[sail7seas]

I'm curious, I noticed that on all of the major cruiseline boards that you have people that sailed several times, but the cruise that they just left was the worst that they ever been on. These posters are always the very first one on this cruiseline.

Why do they find cruisecritic after the cruise than before? I'm not saying that finding this website would enhance their cruise, but it offers better insight.

I'm at the point that when I read such threads, it's little value to me. That's mean, but I think they do them to get people imflamed. These threads are normally the ones with the highest numbers of replies.

It's just my opinion.

Happy sailing!!

 

 

I'm NOT saying that is the case with this OP or this thread but in the circumstance you point out, I sometimes wonder IF it is possible there might be an axe to grind. Maybe yes; maybe no.