foods & fun stuff and ?????

[motherchic]

We will be sailing on the Nieuw in several weeks. This will be our first HAL cruise :)

Always fun to explore a new ship and line .

Just for fun and for some day dreaming.....

Anyone willing to share their favorite food and or drink. What not to miss?

Favorite spot to sit, or grab a snack?

Menu items that are your favorite: in the main dining room, windjammer, speciality restaurant?

Is there spa food?

Do they have an omelet station?

What are the teas like?

Thank you for sharing

[ellieanne]

I've never sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but my favorite locations on her sister ship, the Eurodam are:

 

Favorite spot to sit: Ocean Bar in one of the semi-circular couches that overlook the glass elevators & promenade deck.

 

or grab a snack:

Lido ice cream bar -- I love the fruit soft serve.

 

Menu items that are your favorite in the main dining room: the wafer cookies with the ice cream desserts, and the soups. I often have two soups a night and no appetizer.

 

Speciality restaurant: I'm not really a fan of the specialty restaurants.

 

Is there spa food: I'm not sure what you mean.

 

Do they have an omelet station: yes

 

What are the teas like: I love the standard Holland America black blend. It's a dajeeling blend. I have also seen Bigelow and Lipton bagged teas and tisanes in the Lido and Main Dining Room. There were specialty teas in the Explorations Cafe, but I am happy with the HAL blend so I usually stick to hot cocoa when I'm there. The Main Dining Room servers will bring a pot of hot water and a selection of bagged tea after dinner if you request it. You have to ask for lemon if you prefer that to milk & sugar. In the Lido, there is almost always hot water available and a bowl of HAL bagged tea or the other bagged blends. Milk and sugar are available as well. I have never seen loose tea on any HAL ships. Iced tea is hit or miss in my experience. Sometimes it's really good, others it tastes like it's been brewed through the coffee filter. But is it always available in the Lido and you can ask for a glass in the Main Dining Room. After the first night, the waiters have a glass on our table waiting when we arrive for dinner (we always have fixed seating dinner).

[Krazy Kruizers]

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November 2013.

We never ate in the main dining room. We rotated between the Pinnacle Grill, Tamarind Restaurant. We also did special dinners in the Pinnacle -- Le Cirque and Chef Rudie's Wine Dinner.

Our favorite specialty restaurant on this ship is the Tamarind. We also like to have cocktails in the Silk Den. Simple drinkers -- Grey Goose on the rocks before dinner and Grand Marnier after dinner.

There are all kinds of teas.

Dinner menus:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1946788&highlight=nieuw+amsterdam+menus

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1947089&highlight=menus

[cbr663]

We were on the NA in Dec 2013 and absolutely loved the ship. We didn't dine in the main dining room either. Our favourite specialty restaurant is also Tamarind. The food, service and atmosphere is divine. We also enjoyed the Pinnacle Grill and will be dining there again on our upcoming Alaska cruise.

 

The coffees in the Explorations Cafe are a must. We also really enjoy room service breakfast. HAL does it so well.

 

We spent some time on one particularly warm evening on the outside rear Lido deck. It felt almost magical being out there gazing at the stars. There weren't a lot of people out there and even though it is a large space, it felt very intimate for us. We both loved it.

[cruz chic]

Don't miss the tamarind. It's awesome.

[jtl513]

Do they have an omelet station?

Yes, and there's also an Eggs Benedict station with six variations!

[nana51]

We will be sailing on the Nieuw in several weeks. This will be our first HAL cruise :)

Always fun to explore a new ship and line .

Just for fun and for some day dreaming.....

Anyone willing to share their favorite food and or drink. What not to miss?

Favorite spot to sit, or grab a snack?

Menu items that are your favorite: in the main dining room, windjammer, speciality restaurant?

Is there spa food?

Do they have an omelet station?

What are the teas like?

Thank you for sharing

 

They have pgtips tea in the lido for sure. They keep it in a glass canister. As to herbal teas, I don't know. I also love the oatmeal cookies. I love sitting up in the crows nest with a cup of tea, a cookie or two in those comfy loungers staring out to sea.

[sail7seas]

HAL offers six varieties of eggs benedict every breakfast in Lido. They'll make you whatever you want....... same for omelettes. HAL's Lido breakfast is about as complete as most any ship. Many choices. The menu for breakfast in MDR is also extensive. :)

 

We sailed Nieuw Amsterdam two cruises and her sister, Eurodam, five cruises. They are lovely ships. We particularly enjoyed Eurodam.

 

 

 

 

[kazu]

do a lunch in the Pinnacle Grill. Love the French Onion Soup. It's a steal at $10 pp IMO :D

[regnig]

It's hard to believe that there have already been several post and that no one has mentioned the BREAD PUDDING & sauce desert in the Lido. The Westerdam & Noordam served it at lunch and into the early afternoon. It is the best! I also agree their oatmeal cookies are veryyy good.

[Vict0riann]

I love the creme brulee in the "available daily" menu of the MDR. I have it at least once or twice a week!

 

And of course, the Tamarind!

Edited January 25, 2014 by Vict0riann

[popcan]

Prime Rib and King Crab..... needs to be served WAY more often!

 

:D

[chloes nana]

just about every one of their chilled soups in the MDR at dinner!! yummy...:)

[Davidson Duo]

Our absolute favorite food on board a HAL ship is also their chilled soups in the MDR. My fave is the cold pear and ginger. Oh my - it's amazing. As is the Raspberry, and the Watermelon, and all the rest of them!!! :)

 

I also enjoy their bread pudding, and split pea soup (especially while in Glacier Bay out on the front deck).

 

The swimming pools are my first choice for where to spend my free time. I love to swim, and you will find me in one no matter if we are in French Polynesia, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, or even while cruising Alaska.

 

Our family always gravitates to the puzzle table. It is usually in the library area. They usually have a good selection, but if we are doing one of our big family cruises, we will often bring some with us as we are voracious. 16 of us can quickly finish 500 or 1000 piece ones, so we may bring some 1000, a 3000, or even a 5000 piece with us to keep us challenged for a week. We leave them on board for others to enjoy when we disembark. I do not sleep much, so it is normal to find me at the puzzle table at 1 am when the ship is quiet and my husband is sleeping soundly in our comfy HAL bed.

 

We also enjoy a comfy chair in the Crowsnest when out at sea as you can see the vast expanse of unbroken ocean ahead of you. A great place for dreaming of what is ahead and yet to come.

 

Sunsets will find us at the aft railing for some amazing photo opportunities. Photos of the ocean with the setting sun reflecting in the wake are very romantic looking - and it's pretty cool to be able to share the experience of such beauty and emotion with your significant other (at least it is for us). One of our favorite cruise experiences.

 

All I have ever seen in the spa have been a pitcher of juice, and on occasion, a bowl with some fruit.

 

We have had good luck with varieties of tea being offered on board. In the MDR they either ask you if you have a preference and bring a bag of that for you, bring a small container with a choice to choose from, or a couple of times they have brought out a wooden case filled for us to select from. Lots of herbals, green, Earl Grey, and Black Teas. If you have one you like - ask. They just may have it. And don't miss the teas they have in the afternoons in the MDR. The Indonesian tea is different from what we normally have, and a nice experience.

 

I like their hot chocolate at the coffee station in the Lido. Individual powder packages, but free, and delicious. The Hot chocolate at the Exploration Cafe is also good, but you do have to pay for it there.

 

In all honesty, it doesn't matter where we are on the HAL ships - we seem to find all areas interesting and to our liking. Just being on board is our favorite place. I can't wait to hear them welcome us back on board. It's like going to visit family. They always make us feel welcome. :)

[Typhoon1]

It's all good, give all the specialty restaurants a try as well as the MDR.