Favorite HAL Things?? What's not to be missed?

[rotjeknor]

I'll be sailing on the Statendam soon and was wondering what your favorite things are. Do you have certain favorite food items? Favorite activities? I don't go to the MDR a lot, so I'm wondering what items there shouldn't be missed. I do know that food is subjective, but I'm just interested in hearing what you think.

 

Krentenbollen ( raisin buns) at breakfast in the MDR !!!

 

Team Trivia :)

[KruzPrincess]

BTW I take these little food grade shower cap looking cover's I buy at the Dollar store to keep the snacks fresh on the way back to our cabin.

 

What a great idea!

Edited July 25, 2015 by KruzPrincess

[LUPY48]

It a roll filled with custard and orange segments. Very tasty.

 

Oh my, that sounds absolutely decadent! Looking forward to trying 1, or 6. lol

[kjoeb]

Wow, remove the naps and this would be my exact same list!!!! :)

 

naps must not be removed, they should be lengthened. kb

[dockman]

Wow, remove the naps and this would be my exact same list!!!! :)

 

 

But if you get up very early to walk and enjoy the solitude of crow's nest , read a book, and then eat a big ole burger out by the pool a NAP is a very good thing.

[rafinmd]

Chilled fruit soups in the dining room to start dinner. Usually they're yummy.

 

Agreed on that. Also, I think the Lido breakfast variety and quality is the best at sea and the crew shows are special.

 

Roy

[Okie1946]

I'm pretty sure that it's a 5 character minimum for smiley face parsing.

 

In your case, it's COLON cool COLON SPACE COLON eek COLON SPACE COLON D

 

Hope none of you will be upset it I add all of your responses to my miserly 3 and won't even accuse me of plagiarism.

 

As for the above quote - wish there was a way to add a thumbs up symbol to the threads too. :);):D:eek: How about it POA1???

Edited July 26, 2015 by Okie1946

[POA1]

Hope none of you will be upset it I add all of your responses to my miserly 3 and won't even accuse me of plagiarism.

 

As for the above quote - wish there was a way to add a thumbs up symbol to the threads too. :);):D:eek: How about it POA1???

Up until about a year or so ago, COLON thumbup COLON used to work.

 

If you see a thumbs up below, it works. (It appears to in TapaTalk.)

 

[emoji106]

Edited July 26, 2015 by POA1

[ger_77]

Favorite things:

 

Chicken wing appetizers every afternoon.

 

I don't recall chicken wing appetizers in the afternoon - where are they available? I know somebody's DH would really like to know!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Edited July 26, 2015 by ger_77

[POA1]

I don't recall chicken wing appetizers in the afternoon - where are they available? I know somebody's DH would really like to know!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

On ships with the Mix bar.

[Crew News]

I don't recall chicken wing appetizers in the afternoon - where are they available? I know somebody's DH would really like to know!!

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

 

If you are in a Neptune Suite, one of the perks is afternoon appetizers. The Concierge will make the arrangements. Plain, spicey, and teriyaki are the choices that I remember.

[Ricktan]

Thanks to everyone for these posts! I'm am really enjoying reading them (and taking notes!)

 

Tanya

[ger_77]

If you are in a Neptune Suite, one of the perks is afternoon appetizers. The Concierge will make the arrangements. Plain, spicey, and teriyaki are the choices that I remember.

 

Ah, for the "suite folk" - I thought perhaps they were available at the Lido in the afternoons. Thanks for the clarification.

 

Smooth Sailing ! :) :) :)

[JimAOk1945]

The Concierge will make the arrangements.

We will be in a Neptune Suite next year for our first HAL cruise. Do you mean the Concierge can order these for us to eat in the Neptune Lounge?

Edited July 26, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[luvseaair]

love the fruit bread at breakfast and all the different choices of eggs benedict

 

Sent from my GT-I8160 using Tapatalk 2

[syesmar]

I thought perhaps they were available at the Lido in the afternoons.

 

If you go to the Crow's Nest or Ocean Lounge during cocktail hours, you can request hors d'oeuvres. They vary each night.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[captain_hug99]

Chilled fruit soups in the dining room to start dinner. Usually they're yummy.

Yes!!! I was never disappointed with these.

 

I loved breakfast at the MDR, it was a relaxing way to start the day. The parfait was terrific. I really enjoyed the eggs Benedict with salmon on it. So so very good!

 

My favorite place was the Crow's Nest on a sea day with a book, looking out of the windows in one of the comfortable chairs. I could stay there all day.

[Crew News]

We will be in a Neptune Suite next year for our first HAL cruise. Do you mean the Concierge can order these for us to eat in the Neptune Lounge?

 

The Concierge in the Neptune Lounge will arrange for appetizer delivery to your stateroom.

 

My DW loves the fried skewered shrimp with Asian dipping sauce. Cold appetizers are also available for delivery to your stateroom but also available in the Neptune Lounge.

 

Nothing beats cold chicken wings for a midnight snack so bring some ziploc bags to keep a few extra each day in your minibar.

[Globaliser]

The board was being weird when I tried the post of "LOL! :D" and wouldn't even recognize my capital letters. Just showed lower case when the post posted.

Also, I did type capital Ds, but, as you can see, they were rendered as lowercase ones in the submitted message. Interesting.

You cannot write a post in which all of the letters are upper case. The CC software will automatically change all of the letters to lower case.

 

The software feature is an attempt to mitigate the effect of the breed of internet poster who ALWAYS INSISTS ON SHOUTING AT EVERYONE IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

 

The software ignores anything that's inside [noparse]

[/noparse] codes when calculating that, so it doesn't help to have quoted someone else's post that does have lower case letters in it.

 

That's why if you try to post either of the following as the entirety of a post, the software will correct the letters and then the smileys won't work.

[NOPARSE]LOL! :D[/NOPARSE]

[NOPARSE]:D :D :D[/NOPARSE]

[Khaos WolfKat]

naps must not be removed, they should be lengthened. kb

Agreed!!

 

You cannot write a post in which all of the letters are upper case. The CC software will automatically change all of the letters to lower case.

 

The software feature is an attempt to mitigate the effect of the breed of internet poster who ALWAYS INSISTS ON SHOUTING AT EVERYONE IN CAPITAL LETTERS.

All great to know. I use PHPbb for the forums I manage, and am unfamiliar with how this forum software parses things, so this is heaps of new information for me. Thanks!

Though... Now, for some reason, I have this urge to make a post comprised of ALMOST all caps, just to be contrary. I can't think why. ;)

[zackiedawg]

I have to at least make a mention of the Dive In food. I cannot emphasize how much I hated the burgers on HAL ships - some of the worst, burnt-hockey-puck, tasteless things I had ever had anywhere...I avoided that entire Grill area on every ship after trying it. Then came the Dive In - with trepidation I decided to give it a try to see if anything changed, and ordered a burger. Oh, it changed! Now, they're excellent, as are the hot dogs and chicken sandwiches and everything that comes out of there. Major difference, huge improvement, and I often no longer have much need of the lido for lunch as I often just grab a burger or dog.

 

I love being late for Lido breakfast - I'm not an early riser type, so I often miss main dining room and Pinnacle breakfast hours - on rare occasions I have been up early enough, I generally prefer Lido anyway as it's more casual - but boy can that place get crowded for breakfast! But wait until the last 30 minutes they're serving, and I can walk up to any station, always find a seat, and eat in peace. Usually it's one of the lovely omelettes from the omelette station, fresh and tasty and fast.

 

I love the Crow's Nest in general, for reading and enjoying the view...and the Explorations being up there means a lovely frozen coffee drink (the frozen fraps with chocolate and whipped cream are definitely one of my favorite HAL things), and sometimes landing a good book in the book exchange area.

 

I really love the Vista-class ships that have that section just outside the Crow's Nest with the long benches and tables and chairs under canopies - it used to be on all of them, but are all being lost to the 'retreat' cabanas - this was one of the very best spots to read on sea days - outdoors but with shade and usually a breeze, lovely views, and comfy chairs, with no music. My cruise this November on Westerdam will likely be the last time I have this area to enjoy - so consider this a soon-to-be-extinct thing I loved about HAL ships.

 

I love big, covered balconies! I've almost exclusively traveled in HAL's deck 8 SS suites on Vista class, because those are the ones with the big overhang and full privacy. On Eurodam, I had a regular verandah, but on the aft and on the deck with the longest balconies, nearly entirely covered. On my upcoming Westerdam cruise, I nabbed the absolutely stupid-huge and lovely deck 5 aft corner Neptune suite - the biggest balconies you've ever seen with room for a dance party, and all covered and private. This I am very much looking forward to, and it will very likely become one of my favorite things on HAL!

[Alcarondas]

Keep an eye peeled for the fresh, hand-dipped chocolate treats available in the Explorer's Lounge in the evenings when the classical duo are playing. You can also get a variety of liquored-up coffee drinks and similar after-dinner libations there.

[federalexpress]

I don't think you can beat dinner in a window seat in Pinnacle or Tamarind. Really good food given you are on a ship and quite exceptional service.

 

I spent a lot of time on my balcony, the sea is quite enthralling to watch especially if it's a bit choppy. Always the last thing I'd do before bed.

[JimAOk1945]

The Concierge in the Neptune Lounge will arrange for appetizer delivery to your stateroom.

 

My DW loves the fried skewered shrimp with Asian dipping sauce. Cold appetizers are also available for delivery to your stateroom but also available in the Neptune Lounge.

 

Nothing beats cold chicken wings for a midnight snack so bring some ziploc bags to keep a few extra each day in your minibar.

Thanks for the information. I will definitely try the wings and shrimp. The tip about the Ziploc bags is a great idea. :D

[Cqis]

Ice Cream.

I don't know why ice cream taste better on ship.