MDR International Menu

[Relaxing1]

Does HAL always have the International Menu on the last night of all cruises? We are doing a 14 day Transatlantic on the NA.

[RuthC]

Normally, yes. There are a few itineraries where the ship is in port late the last night of the cruise (thinking of Victoria on some Alaska cruises), and the International Night menu may be moved to the night before. I think I've been on one or two other itineraries that had the International Dinner moved up a night, but don't recall the specifics.

[SilvertoGold]

Great menu! A ton of options.

We love it, although many do not.

 

As Ruth says, usually, but not necessarily.

 

Enjoy your TA. A great cruise, that one!!

[Alcarondas]

Great menu! A ton of options.

We love it, although many do not.

 

As Ruth says, usually, but not necessarily.

 

Enjoy your TA. A great cruise, that one!!

 

I enjoyed it too; the hardest part was narrowing down the choices.

 

Whether you like it or not will probably depend on how adventurous you are.

[rkacruiser]

Usually the final evening, yes. Interestingly, on my 11 day Noordam cruise, the International Menu was the usual menu, but on the following 10 day cruise, the final night's menu included "always available" types of choices along with the usual International Menu items.

[summersigh]

On the Eurodam 7 day Western the International Menu was the last night. Our menus had no options on them for the "always available" items. I suppose we could have asked about it but that thought occurred after the fact.:)

 

We had a table of 7 (3 separate parties) - none of whom were particularly picky eaters. We had no problem finding appetizers/soups/salads/deserts we were interested in but had difficulties when trying to choose an entrée we wanted to try. If I had it to do over again I think I'd have ordered a couple of apps and/or soup as my entrée. Three of our table ordered double deserts to fill the gap :D

[rkacruiser]

summersigh,

 

I once asked about ordering a steak, which was on the "always available" menu during that cruise, on International Menu night. "No can do. Not available." I was told.

 

I was really surprised to see that option for the final dinner on the Noordam. And, I was very pleased. I indicated that to the Assistant DR Manager when I left the dining room that evening.

[cruz chic]

I enjoyed it too; the hardest part was narrowing down the choices.

 

Whether you like it or not will probably depend on how adventurous you are.

 

No, it really doesn't have to do with being adventurous. I've tried several things on the menu and have found nothing that has been better than mediocre. I'm not a meat and potatoes person, just likes good food person. It's marginally better than the master chef fiasco of a few years ago.

[SilvertoGold]

If you eat ethnic at all, there are some pretty standard items on this menu.

 

I love the Lebanese Lamb Shanks, but the Shrimp Provencal and the Asparagus Risotto with Cod are great,too.

 

Otherwise my favs are the Mezze Platter and the Pumpkin Soup.

[cruz chic]

If you eat ethnic at all, there are some pretty standard items on this menu.

 

I love the Lebanese Lamb Shanks, but the Shrimp Provencal and the Asparagus Risotto with Cod are great,too.

 

Otherwise my favs are the Mezze Platter and the Pumpkin Soup.

 

That's the problem, we have good ethnic food here. I heard someone say the lamb shank was good so I tried it. It was totally bland. I have no idea what is Lebanese about it.

[Typhoon1]

We liked it. It was offered on the last evening of the cruise. Offered a wide selection of various items we hadn't seen the entire cruise.

[rkacruiser]

I have really never understood the rationale behind offering this type of menu on the final night of any cruise. If I was in charge of Food and Beverage service, I would want to offer my guests the absolute best menu, quality of cuisine, and service possible. I would want them to leave the dining room on that last night with the best possible impression of their dining experience on their cruise.

 

In my opinion, now what is offered is a range of opinions from "it's great" to "why did we not book a specialty restaurant".

 

Plus, given the inconsistency of menu offerings that I experienced on my Noordam cruises for that final night: what should one expect?

[kazu]

Well, we go thrown off on the Prinsendam. I had the last night booked and the threw the International dinner in earlier as a "surprise".

 

I was not a happy camper, but the food was actually pretty good.

 

I don't expect to hit that again, ( I hope) so I am happy to skip it if I can.

 

On shorter cruises, it is the rule of thumb - on longer cruises as I found that might not be the case.

[take us away]

The International menu is not our favorite. My DH has better luck than I do in preferences for his entrée so I just order a few appetizers with veggies. Have also seen this dinner on the 2nd to last night, especially on longer cruises. May start scoping put the menu and then going to the Pinnacle if not the last night's dinner.

[1aCruise4wks]

I'm mainly a meat & potatoes kind of guy. So, I hate the International Menu! My wife is a seafood lover and she hates it, too.

[cruising cockroach]

The menu is not available on short cruises (4 day between Vancouver and San Diego).

 

That said, it is o.k. I do find the normal MDR menu just as good. You just get some items that do not feature otherwise but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

[ccqueenanne]

If the International menu is moved to the penultimate night, does the "thank you" parade of crew also move? Or is that always on the final night?

[freestyling]

Believe the crew parade is last night