Cheese Plate Offerings

[OlsSalt]

Not trying to de-rail this thread with my newly found cheese plate junkies.....however.....

 

 

The subject of crackers now distresses me. It's my understanding that the glorious cracker assortment that goes with my incredible cheeses has been whittled down to mere soda crackers or graham crackers. :eek:

 

Please tell me it's not true....

Do I need to HMOC also? (Haul my own crackers)

 

Alors! Not true at least on our last cruise- never seen a graham cracker, but have only very occasionally seen a soda cracker (!!!!) but only when they needed a re-supply stop. Last cruise they were very nice, obviously house made, very thin but sturdy rice crackers.

 

But no traditional water crackers or some of the other wonderful crisps they put out on the former cheese wheel type buffets in the Lido from times of yore (or when there was a high percentage of Dutch passengers?)

 

I also wonder if you made a special request for a more traditional type cracker for the spreadable cheeses, if they had them they would make them available for you. Can't hurt to ask.

[J898989]

All this talk about cheese plates has made me think of wine

 

Usually when we get off in a port we will try and buy a local bottle or wine to enjoy with our Cheese plate in the cabin before dinner. I always take a picture of the bottle and the chees plate to remember. my next cruise Eurodam Aug 18 .......Not sure how many wineries are in alaska but I will do my best to fine local wineries. I have sevaral pics of fondly remembered ports

[Sea42]

For the room service cheese plate the crackers were saltines and water crackers. 2 packages of each. Compared to my photos of our wine and cheese sailaways on our balcony from 6 years ago I was pretty disappointed in our room service cheese plate last week on the Eurodam.

[The Penguina]

Thank you for the cracker & cheese updates.

 

Yes, we too pine for the days of the grand cheese and cold cut arrays that once graced the Lido. I won't mention the Lido pool side BBQ's and shrimp the size of my first car. We understand things change and we're in therapy to move past it. Still think that HAL and the people that sail her are simply the best.

[OlsSalt]

Thank you for the cracker & cheese updates.

 

Yes, we too pine for the days of the grand cheese and cold cut arrays that once graced the Lido. I won't mention the Lido pool side BBQ's and shrimp the size of my first car. We understand things change and we're in therapy to move past it. Still think that HAL and the people that sail her are simply the best.

 

CDC Vessel Sanitation Program did away with most of that. At least we know who to blame on most of those; and this time not "Seattle". Shrimp now the size of my last car - a Fiat 500. Fewer calories, right?

[mellowrose]

You can also get a nice cheese plate from the room service menu.

Thanks for the information, I also prefer a cheese plate to sweets.

[fatcat04]

I like wine with my cheese so the question is for the pre dinner happy hour can I bring my cheese pale purloined from the lido to the bar or do I bring the wine from the bar to my room? I book an inside so it is nicer to sit out and people watch.

Of course you can and I am utterly ashamed I didn't think of that myself. Cheese.. wine... cruise ship... what's not to love. :D

[kazu]

CDC Vessel Sanitation Program did away with most of that. At least we know who to blame on most of those; and this time not "Seattle". Shrimp now the size of my last car - a Fiat 500. Fewer calories, right?

 

Nope, Seattle did away with it, not CDC.

 

The big blocks of cheese, individual slices of cheese and cheese plates were still available on the Prinsendam in May this year.

 

Loved it.

[mlgb]

Lido on Noordam had some 4-cheese plates set aside in the appetizer or dessert sections and at other times there were chunk specialty cheeses you could get from the buffet lline, as well as assorted sliced cheese. IIRC there were water crackers in packets, but preferred their Scandinavian-type rye bread. I would always have a few slices of that (and some cheese) in the room refrigerator.

 

 

 

In the MDR, you can ask for any course any time! Or to mix and match..or double portions, etc....

[Sea42]

Lido on Noordam had some 4-cheese plates set aside in the appetizer or dessert sections and at other times there were chunk specialty cheeses you could get from the buffet lline, as well as assorted sliced cheese. IIRC there were water crackers in packets, but preferred their Scandinavian-type rye bread. I would always have a few slices of that (and some cheese) in the room refrigerator.

 

 

 

In the MDR, you can ask for any course any time! Or to mix and match..or double portions, etc....

The cheese plates in the lido dessert, app section was the same that was offered for room service.

 

Oh how I wish I had thought to take some rye bread for my cheeses! I'm not a fan of saltines or water crackers!

[bennybear]

I can’t believe I didn’t know you could choose the cheese in the past, sigh!

Cruise Mom, now I want to try stinking bishop!

On the Queen Vic they had a wheel of Stilton on the buffet, nearly made my cruise!

[mlgb]

Never ordered room service cheese plate, thanks! I remember seeing some special goudas in the Lido buffet one night. But I try to limit my cheese consumption. There were some appetizer plates of various cured meats (different selections at different times). I admit to taking a sliced cheese and cured meat on rye bread sandwich off the ship on our Alaskan ports for a hiking snack (but don't take it out when you are in bear territory). The rye bread was out at breakfast..can't remember if it is there later in the day! If there was a selection I liked I would stock it in my minifrig for the next day, knowing it might not show up again. Same thing with the fruit selection... I had a plastic cup that I used for storing a stash of cherries. They were only out for a few days. And strangely, bananas disappeared after the 3rd day!

[OlsSalt]

Nope, Seattle did away with it, not CDC.

 

The big blocks of cheese, individual slices of cheese and cheese plates were still available on the Prinsendam in May this year.

 

Loved it.

 

Sorry, I was mainly referring to CDC VSP doing away with the poolside buffets. Glad to know some ships still provide the larger self-serve cheese portions. Have not seen them for a long time on the non-Prinsendam HAL ships however. It was easy to also assume anything like the "self-serve" cheese would become a thing of the past too. I remember how good it was on a long Rotterdam cruise with the most wonderful array of crackers - a very welcome meal treat in itself. Lots of Dutch on that cruise who were always the first in line - had to beat them out to get the really good crackers.

[Benh]

Is it still possible to order a small cheese plate from room service, or in the main dining room? What about at the Pinnacle Grill?

 

 

[crystalspin]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! According to Roger's @Crew News menus, here:

https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Room-Service-Vista-class-and-smaller.pdf

https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Room-Service-2022.pdf

The cheese and fruit plate is available from room service. First link is to Smaller ships and second to Signature and Pinnacle class ships.

 

As far as the MDR, I suspect it is available although not on the menu.

 

Yes, Pinnacle Grill (listed under desserts):

https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Pinnacle-Grill-2022.pdf

 

[Crew News]

32 minutes ago, Benh said:

Is it still possible to order a small cheese plate from room service, or in the main dining room? What about at the Pinnacle Grill?

Two more sources of cheese are at breakfast (slices of Gouda and emmental) and the Late Snack (10:30 PM) (cubes - cheese type varies each night) in the Lido Market.  A small saucer of cheese fits nicely in a gallon-size Ziploc bag on the top shelf of your minibar but you need to bring your own crackers from home.

 

Here is a link to the Late Snack menus to see what cheeses are available each evening:

 

Late Snack 7-Day Menus

[BruhnSisters]

Crews News, you are such a fantastic resource and a true treasure on this board!

[Crew News]

30 minutes ago, BruhnSisters said:

Crews News, you are such a fantastic resource and a true treasure on this board!

CC helped me so much in my early cruises planning, I just pay forward what I have learned/experienced.  Questions posed here on CC, in many cases, are applicable to every ship/itinerary/location so I bring a pocket notepad on every cruise to get answers/photos to the same questions. 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Crew News said:

Here is a link to the Late Snack menus to see what cheeses are available each evening:

Late Snack 7-Day Menus

Wow, I did not know there was such a spread put out for Late Snack! Some of those sound better than dinner!

[Crew News]

13 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Wow, I did not know there was such a spread put out for Late Snack! Some of those sound better than dinner!

On the Nieuw Amsterdam, I stop by the Late Snack for nacho chips and when on the menu, take some feta cheese back to my stateroom for my custom Mediterranean NY Pizza the next day..

 

Since I pick up the Late Snack menus each evening, i see lots of passengers the first two nights but that quickly tapers off when diners realize they cannot eat four meals a day.  On the last cruise night, I see only crew members.

[Dutchman48]

On my last two (Rotterdam & Eurodam) cruises I was not able to geta cheese plate for desert in the MDR, they did offer a fruit plate instead. Was able to get one via room service, 

Thanks for the info on late snack menu. Will try it out on my next cruise.

[san diego spartan]

On 11/22/2022 at 8:25 PM, crystalspin said:

Wow, I did not know there was such a spread put out for Late Snack! Some of those sound better than dinner!

Great info.  I had no idea it was so extensive.   What are the usual hours for the late buffet?

[Crew News]

1 hour ago, san diego spartan said:

Great info.  I had no idea it was so extensive.   What are the usual hours for the late buffet?

10:30 - 11:00 PM on one side of the Lido Market.

[cruisemom42]

11 hours ago, Dutchman48 said:

On my last two (Rotterdam & Eurodam) cruises I was not able to geta cheese plate for desert in the MDR, they did offer a fruit plate instead. Was able to get one via room service, 

Thanks for the info on late snack menu. Will try it out on my next cruise.

 

HAL does not offer a cheese plate to end the meal in the MDR any longer?  That is what I used to have about 50% of the time. (Most of the desserts do not appeal....)

Edited November 25, 2022 by cruisemom42

[YXU AC*SE]

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

HAL does not offer a cheese plate to end the meal in the MDR any longer? 

 

 

Not as a standard item it would seem.  Today's Rotterdam MDR dessert choices are  listed as strawberry pavlova, chocolate caramel tart, almond fruit cake, or 'ice creams and hot fudge sundaes with nuts'.   Scott. 

 

 

PS @cruisemom42  --> three of today's mains? Farfalle Boscaiola, aubergine cannelloni parmigiano, and, wait for it, rustic home-made lasagne. Rounding out the choices? Caribbean curried lamb (the Exc special), Caribbean jerk chicken breast, grilled salmon w. capers and dill,  8 oz NY striploin, flat iron steak chimichurri, parmesan panko baked hake + upsells.