Thanksgiving On Holland

[RocketMan275]

Has anyone been on a Holland cruise over Thanksgiving? What was done special? We're usually on our own for Thanksgiving (kids spend Christmas with us). Would appreciate anyone's experiences.

[OlsSalt]

Traditional dinner is served, but they also serve a turkey dinner on most cruises no matter what time of the year.

 

This is such a uniquely American holiday and with more international passengers, this will probably not take much special recognition in itself. But the best thing about Thanksgiving on HAL ships is that it means they will start putting up the Christmas decorations and the ships will look spectacular.

 

Far more international passengers celebrate Christmas than even know about Thanksgiving. Even countries that do not have Christmas as a religious tradition are all decked out with the Santa and presents theme.

[Storylady]

HAL also had a special display and meal for the Canadian Thanksgiving. The decorations were at the entrance to the Main Dining Room. If you ate in the Lido, you would have missed the fact HAL had done anything special for either Thanksgiving.

[Lovely other]

Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular event?

[kakalina]

We've seen them hang a few paper turkeys and a Happy Thanksgiving sign in the Lido before but most of the decorating for the holiday is in the MDR.

 

The food is wonderful. I am a huge fan of HAL's chestnut dressing. Yummy.

[kakalina]

Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular event?

 

It is a secular event. Introduced as a Federal holiday by President Abraham Lincoln.

[Tatka]

Far more international passengers celebrate Christmas than even know about Thanksgiving. Even countries that do not have Christmas as a religious tradition are all decked out with the Santa and presents theme.

 

It is for New Year then. :)

[sail7seas]

We were on Nieuw Amsterdam for Thanksgiving 2011 and Westerdam Thanksgiving 2012.

 

We very much enjoyed our traditional American Thanksgiving dinner on NA and we had fresh, real turkey. We had a less wonderful dinner on Westerdam and I'm not so sure it was fresh turkey. :shrug: It was a good cruise though and we enjoyed being aboard for the holiday.

 

There were a number of family groups and I love seeing tables with multigenerations all sharing the holiday at sea.

HAL does a nice job IMO

 

Wish we were there this year. :)

 

Edited November 28, 2013 by sail7seas

[CowPrincess]

We had Canadian Thanksgiving onboard one year, and it was pseudo-turkey served for dinner so I just had extra-extra dressing :) Same thing for American Thanksgiving -- "not exactly turkey" in the MDR :)

[dr.dawg]

my only thanksgiving on hal was two years ago, on the rotterdam. the meal was totally HORRIBLE. processed turkey, dressing that resembled mastic, and a 'pecan pie' that was no more than a quarter-inch thick. and poor service, to boot. it was so awful, i'm still trying to forget it.

[Shmoo here]

Traditional dinner is served, but they also serve a turkey dinner on most cruises no matter what time of the year.

 

This is such a uniquely American holiday and with more international passengers, this will probably not take much special recognition in itself. But the best thing about Thanksgiving on HAL ships is that it means they will start putting up the Christmas decorations and the ships will look spectacular.

 

Far more international passengers celebrate Christmas than even know about Thanksgiving. Even countries that do not have Christmas as a religious tradition are all decked out with the Santa and presents theme.

 

From our recent Panama Canal cruise:

 

Turkey Roast with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry

Golden roasted and juicy, complete with harvest apple pecan stuffing, giblet gravy, zingy cranberry relish, glazed dilled carrots and turnips, Brussels sprouts and candied sweet potatoes.

 

[cruz chic]

They had it for Canadian Thanksgiving this year on the Eurodam. I wish HAL wouldn't put so much sweet stuff on the plate i.e. sweet potato and fruit in the stuffing. It's not the way it's done in our neck of the woods. I've never had real turkey on HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been on several different ships over Thanksgiving. The dining room was nicely decorated.

Once we ate in the dining room and were served processed turkey -- ugh.

From then on I always ask what kind of turkey will be served and it is the same answer -- processed. One dining room manager told me that it is impossible for them to cook so many turkey's.

Now if we cruise over Thanksgiving, we go to the Pinnacle.

There was Roasted turkey listed on the menu on our last cruise. Even though we knew we weren't going to the dining room that night, I did ask again -- not the real stuff.

[solocanadian]

I've only seen real turkey in the Lido at lunch time at the "Roast" station. I always check it out to see if there is any crispy skin.:)

[sallycruiser06]

They had it for Canadian Thanksgiving this year on the Eurodam. I wish HAL wouldn't put so much sweet stuff on the plate i.e. sweet potato and fruit in the stuffing. It's not the way it's done in our neck of the woods. I've never had real turkey on HAL.

 

How we make our stuffing and what we serve with our turkey is so dependent on our heritage, wouldn't you say? I'm an Albertan too and love fruit in my stuffing and have come to love sweet potatoes after cooking for my American DH. To each their own...guess they can' t please everyone all the time.

[cruz chic]

Don't know if it's heritage dependent. I've never known anyone to cook stuffing with fruit except Hal.

[Tatka]

Don't know if it's heritage dependent. I've never known anyone to cook stuffing with fruit except Hal.

 

Apples, dried appricots etc are often added to the stuffing.

[Shmoo here]

I use raisins in my stuffing. :)

[Himself]

I was on a HAL cruise over Thankgiving a number of years ago. I liked it very much. One of the food options was Turkey, Cranberry Sauce and delicious dressing. It was great.

I might do this again someday.

[lizzies_mom]

I had no complaints about the turkey served on the Prinsendam on our transatlantic two years ago except, perhaps, that the portions were too large. A tablemate who had attended most of the culinary sessions noted that our cranberry sauce was made from dried cranberries because fresh cranberries are not to be found in Europe.

[OlsSalt]

Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular event?

 

Good question. It is a mainly secular event particularly as celebrated today, however started as a celebration of a harvest feast by a group of religious separatists (Pilgrims) who came to America in the early colonial history of America.

 

So in a way everything they did in their community was "religious", simply because that is who they were. This was an event when they definitely offered thanks to their Almighty for their survival in this new land.

 

And apparently with no small help from the natives peoples who taught them many of their necessary survival skills in this land. Today is primarily a family in-gathering time and marks the beginning of the winter holiday season.

[Karennella]

What do Americans eat at Thanksgiving if they don't like turkey? (It has become more popular here in Australia for Christmas food but many people I know can take it or leave it.)

[OlsSalt]

Here is an interesting wikipedia link about the "thanksgiving dinner": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_dinner

 

Vegans and vegetarians can do very well with most everything else about a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, absent the turkey itself. There is a "fake" looking soy slice called tofurkey that makes the rounds this time of the year. But stuffing, vegetables sides and pie can be adapted to meet vegan, vegetarian and wheat allergy needs.

[sail7seas]

Some families/gatherings serve ham as well as turkey.

 

[Shmoo here]

One Thanksgiving I prepared a 17 pound turkey, a 10 pound ham, and a tofurkey (vegetarian daughter and niece). We were hosting (I think there were about 24 of us), and my little oven got a workout that year.