Has MDR food improved since February 2013 ?

[mickey89]

I was aboard the Noordam back in Feb '13 and the food in the MDR had deteriated significantly. The Noordam was a favorite but have changed to Celebrity. Looking to try HAL again next year - anyone noticed any improvements in food quality?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Nope

It is very evident to us that HAL is buying cheaper grades of meats.

On our last several cruises we have eaten a lot at the Pinnacle Grill and on the Nieuw Amsterdam we were able to dine at Tamarind as well.

JMO - we do not care for the new Canaletto menu.

[albingirl]

Well, I don't know how these people are eating at home, but I get a kick out of these comments that the food needs improvement. I'm sure not getting prime rib tonite at home and there's nobody serving me except for me, myself, and I. :)

[Lizzie68]

Well, I don't know how these people are eating at home, but I get a kick out of these comments that the food needs improvement. I'm sure not getting prime rib tonite at home and there's nobody serving me except for me, myself, and I. :)

 

I don't want to eat as if I am at home when I go to a fine-dining restaurant.

 

And to the OP - no it has not improved.

[eandj]

We were not that impressed with the food last month. We found things ok in the mdr. Some dishes better than others. But we wouldn't rank them as as high as they were a couple years ago when we sailed.

My biggest complaint was the lack of a vairety of fish entrees. I know on Princess and X I can eat a different fish every night. ( not just the every night menu salmon) In fact I laid off of fish for a couple weeks precruise because I know I do seafood almost everynight while cruising. Not this time! I really missed it.:rolleyes:

[CowPrincess]

Nope, no improvement at all. As for prime rib at home, yes we do have it at home occasionally.

[jaspersmycat]

I hate to be a contrarian but I thought the MDR food on my 3 cruises in 2014 were better than on my cruises in 2013. I thought there was better choices and overall the food was prepared better.

[cbr663]

Unfortunately, no, we haven't found any improvement in the food quality in the MDR. It's one of the reasons that we are sailing X for our next cruise.

[sammiedawg]

Food on HAL is decent but certainly not what is available on a premium line like Oceania. Food over 14 days on the Prinsendam was mostly good, a few things very good and some things were not good at all. Good does not mean great

[mickey89]

Thanks for your comments, maybe I'll stick with Celebrity for a while longer.

[Cruiz'nBaers]

I know food is a matter of opinion when it comes to taste, but we were on the Noordam in February 2013 and on the Westerdam in January of 2014 and found the food quite good. It is not 5 star dining, but then on HAL I am not paying 5 star prices. For the cost of approx $100.00 per person per day and up (depending on cabin choice) you can't expect premium cuts. JMO.

[sammiedawg]

I know food is a matter of opinion when it comes to taste' date=' but we were on the Noordam in February 2013 and on the Westerdam in January of 2014 and found the food quite good. It is not 5 star dining, but then on HAL I am not paying 5 star prices. For the cost of approx $100.00 per person per day and up (depending on cabin choice) you can't expect premium cuts. JMO.[/quote']

 

I agree with part of this statement, generally we are paying reasonable prices on HAL. However, I made the mistake of booking the pricey Prinsendam at twice the price of other HAL ships. I was not able to identify a value added component and the food was pretty much representative of other Holland America ships. Most of the food in MDR was good, some entrees not good at all and a few items were very good. The menus seemed standard for the line. The poolside grill served the same cheap burgers, hot dogs, brats and fries. The deli meat at the poolside grill was substandard and I complained twice to a manager about the poor quality meat and the limited choices, they were frequently out of turkey. The Lido food was standard for the line with the delicious rotisserie chicken a mainstay at lunch. I was expecting more for the per diem paid.

[Landlubber54]

Everyone is going to have different expectations when it comes to food. My only point of reference is a cruise I took nine years ago on the Ryndam. Perhaps I had excessive expectations, but I very much recall being disappointed with the food in the MDR on that cruise. Food in the Pinnacle Grill was excellent. It may be because of lowered expectations from that experience, but I actually thought the food that I had on the Statendam last week was pretty good. I wouldn't call it 5-star, but it was presented well and, for the most part, tasted pretty good. The only complaint we had was that some of the vegetables seemed a bit salty.

[Shmoo here]

I can only report that I thought the food on our Panama Canal cruise in Oct 2013 was excellent. In fact, of the 3 HAL cruises we've taken to date, the food was the best on that one. Now, we're not food "experts", but it all seemed quite good to us.

[catl331]

we had quite a variety of seafood on a recent Eurodam cruise. I found nothing wrong with the menu and the roast beef was just great. A fellow traveler had a problem with the steaks with too much gristle. I am not a steak person. I am just happy not to cook and do dishes or even having not to shop for groceries. We also enjoyed the Dive and always go to the Tamarind.

[CowPrincess]

Well, I don't know how these people are eating at home, but I get a kick out of these comments that the food needs improvement. I'm sure not getting prime rib tonite at home and there's nobody serving me except for me, myself, and I. :)

 

The more I think about this post, the more I think it is one of the saddest I have ever read on CC. We are careful how we spend money, but never deprive ourselves of the foods we want. The little pleasures add a lot to life. :D At home, we eat at least as well as we do on vacation.

 

As for being served, my boyfriend whom I married and I often take turns cooking and serving meals for each other. Another little pleasure that we enjoy :)

[cruz chic]

I agree with part of this statement, generally we are paying reasonable prices on HAL. However, I made the mistake of booking the pricey Prinsendam at twice the price of other HAL ships. I was not able to identify a value added component and the food was pretty much representative of other Holland America ships. Most of the food in MDR was good, some entrees not good at all and a few items were very good. The menus seemed standard for the line. The poolside grill served the same cheap burgers, hot dogs, brats and fries. The deli meat at the poolside grill was substandard and I complained twice to a manager about the poor quality meat and the limited choices, they were frequently out of turkey. The Lido food was standard for the line with the delicious rotisserie chicken a mainstay at lunch. I was expecting more for the per diem paid.

 

I don't blame you expecting more. The way some posters rave about the Prinsendam you'd think it was the best thing since sliced bread. If I'd pay premium prices I'd rather go on a premium line.

[Tampa Girl]

The more I think about this post, the more I think it is one of the saddest I have ever read on CC. We are careful how we spend money, but never deprive ourselves of the foods we want. The little pleasures add a lot to life. :D At home, we eat at least as well as we do on vacation.

 

As for being served, my boyfriend whom I married and I often take turns cooking and serving meals for each other. Another little pleasure that we enjoy :)

 

I'm not sure what your point is. But if one wants a 5-star restaurant,why cruise on a non-five-star line? It seems so many want a quality that is difficult to find in a mainstream line. Also, how can food be compared from one cruise and from one ship and from one person's taste to another's? OP's question is impossible to fairly answer.

[Tampa Girl]

I don't blame you expecting more. The way some posters rave about the Prinsendam you'd think it was the best thing since sliced bread. If I'd pay premium prices I'd rather go on a premium line.

 

Doesn't the "premium" price of the Prinsedam have more to do with the small size of the ship? The prices on the R and S class ships are higher than on the Vista and Signature ships.

[cruz chic]

Doesn't the "premium" price of the Prinsedam have more to do with the small size of the ship? The prices on the R and S class ships are higher than on the Vista and Signature ships.

 

I don't think so. If you spend any time on the boards some posters go on and on about how the service, food etc is so superior to other hal ships. It gets a bit tiresome hearing it.

[sammiedawg]

I don't think a few hundred fewer passengers ( Prinsendam verses Ryndam) is worth twice the price. I actually liked the Ryndam better, it was a much nicer ship.

[cruz chic]

I'm not sure what your point is. But if one wants a 5-star restaurant,why cruise on a non-five-star line? It seems so many want a quality that is difficult to find in a mainstream line. Also, how can food be compared from one cruise and from one ship and from one person's taste to another's? OP's question is impossible to fairly answer.

 

Maybe hal should serve nothing but dive in burgers. I can't believe how little it takes to impress some people. I often wonder what people are eating if a burger is impressive.

[CowPrincess]

When we cruise on HAL now, we have lower expectations. We know that overall, the food won't wow us. It will be okay or good. We don't expect "wow" from HAL's food anymore.

[cruz chic]

When we cruise on HAL now, we have lower expectations. We know that overall, the food won't wow us. It will be okay or good. We don't expect "wow" from HAL's food anymore.

 

That sums it up for me too but I do love the food in the tamarind.

[sunviking90]

On our recent coastal cruise on the Westerdam, I was served partly raw salmon at the embarkation lunch and again later in the week at dinner. I ordered a breakfast parfait the first morning and it arrived with a mouldy strawberry on top of soggy granola. My turkey dinner later in the week was served lukewarm. I was served a salad of spring greens with a lump of black rotten lettuce in the middle. I complained about the salad and the turkey, but let the rest slide, because they just apologize and what good does it do? There was a noticeable decline in quality.

 

We have cruised with HAL many times and we are not that picky. I have always been happy with the MDR and never expected a 5 star dining experience. I do expect to be served food that is cooked properly and safely and not rotting.

 

We tried Celebrity for the first time in April and were very impressed. We will be booking with them for our next cruise.