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Just off the Nieuw Amsterdam after 3 years away from HAL. How bad has it gotten?

dakrewser

By dakrewser,
in Holland America Line

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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The MDR

 

We had main seating at an 8-top for the 7 of us (table 65, if you know it). Our steward, Made, was one of the better ones we've ever had on HAL. Service was a tad slower, but I attribute that to the staff having more tables to work. Our asst. Maitre D' was also outstanding, always pitching in to help.For example, on the 1st night we requested a bottle of Sambal Oelek which was promptly retrieved from the crew mess and which was waiting on our table each evening (Son-in-laaw went thru 2 1/2 bottles!).

 

Then there was the menu. Much more limited than we remember, and much less imaginative. We'd never seen what was, essentially, Mac & Cheese on a Gala/Formal night menu before. Fewer appetizers, fewer entrees and much fewer (and boring) salad choices.

 

The quality of the food, and the presentation, were quite good with the exception of the beef which was poor quality - even the Gala night filet.

 

Deserts were satisfactory, I'm told, as I almost always opt for the cheese plate, which was substantially better than I remember from the last few HAL cruises: interesting cheeses in good sized portions with lots of little fruit & nut accompaniments - and no crackers-in-plastic-wrappers!

 

Over all we were satisfied with both the food and the service. Could it be better? Certainly, but for the price we paid it was fine.

 

Did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants this time, just couldn't fet agreement on who wanted to go to which.

 

Next up: How were they dressed on Gala night?

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

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JPH814

JPH814

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The Lido.

 

 

 

First thing I noticed was that the only sandwiches were pre-made. Only one sandwich, throught the week (and I checked most days) was something I would choose (because of bread or filling or condiments), a so-called "turkey club". Two slices of very soft wheat bread with a thin slice of turkey, thin tomato, tiny leaf of lettuce and a strip of bacon. The filling to bread ration was so small that I really should have gotten two and discarded two pieces of bread then combined the fillings. This is a definite negative change.

 

QUOTE]

 

Thank you for your review. It is interesting - keep it coming.

 

But may I ask you - are you sure there was no place on the lido where they make a sandwich to order? Not that I doubt you, but - in prior posts - people initially reported this, but then recanted when others on the same cruise reported that there was a place where sandwiches are made to order.

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

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I am enjoying your review.

On our Eurodam cruises in October, there were 4 pre-made sandwiches available every day as well a worker making sandwiches of your choice. DH tried one of the pre-made sandwiches -- bread was soggy from having been made at least a couple of hours before lunch was available. He went and had sandwich made.

How many days was the dining room open for lunch? We were disappointed that it was open only 2 days on the eastern portion and only 1 day on our western portion.

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WeLoveCruising

WeLoveCruising

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Thanks so much for your reaffirming opinion on the changes we hear so much about. Coincidentally, we've not been on HAL in about the same time frame - the past 3 years, and are looking forward to our cruise next week. Some of the things we've read made us wonder just how much change has happened, and your opinion helps frame our expectations.

 

We first sailed HAL in 1992, and it's definitely not the same product it was back then, but we still enjoy it and find tremendous value for our vacation dollar. We don't like all of the changes, but as you say, many are positive as well. I'm looking forward to you continuing to share your review here....I'm finding it very interesting and much appreciate your point of view.

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avian777

avian777

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Actually, the OP said:

 

In the weeks leading up to this cruise we seemingly heard nothing but negatives from CC posters.

 

and did not specify the Nieuw Amsterdam. I believe, as others did, that he was referring to HAL cruise ships in general.

 

Correct.

 

My apologies to both of you.

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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Thank you for your review. It is interesting - keep it coming.

 

But may I ask you - are you sure there was no place on the lido where they make a sandwich to order? Not that I doubt you, but - in prior posts - people initially reported this, but then recanted when others on the same cruise reported that there was a place where sandwiches are made to order.

 

I looked high and low - only pre-made sandwiches.

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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Gala nights

 

In the interest of scientific discovery, I did an informal [pun intended] survey of dress on the first Gala night [men only, I've no idea how to categorize the women's mode of dress". I did this by manfully stationing myself on the port side of the Ocean Bar, across from the photographer's station, armed only with a steady supply of G&T [thanks SBC!] from approx. 6 until 8 pm. These are my observations.

 

About 6-8% of the men were in some form of tuxedo - mostly black jackets, some white and a couple that looked like swallowtails with the tails cut off, or maybe Navy dress without the medals and trim. Most wore black tie. A few oddly coupled white tie with black jackets. One string tie and one of those 90's things with a ribbon and button at the collar.

 

Slightly more (8-10%) wore either jacket with no tie or tie with no jacket.

A few less (4-6%) wore no tie and no jacket, just a collared shirt.

 

The rest were split rather evenly between dark suits/white shirts/striped tie and blazer/sport coat with dress shirt and tie.

 

There were jeans: no "Texas Tuxedos" but more than one with either open shirt, shirt and tie or jacket.

 

No one in sweats, no one in shorts.

 

I will say (my opinion) that the least "gala" or "festive" were the guys in dark suits who looked like they were off to a business meeting rather than a lovely evening event.

 

Compared to earlier cruises, fewer tuxes and a lot fewer rented tuxes; big increase in those wearing either tie or jacket but not both.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

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albingirl Great Review Rare

albingirl

Posted
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I like hearing all opinions concerning cruises. I've never had any bad cruises and have stuck with Holland America for close to ten years, taking many cruises. My main complaint is how the pricing goes up and down and all around prior to the cruise. It's hard to keep up with that and try to get some OBC for some severe price drops. But, thank you for your review.:) I appreciate it.

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qsuzi

qsuzi

Posted
Posted
Gala nights

 

In the interest of scientific discovery, I did an informal [pun intended] survey of dress on the first Gala night [men only, I've no idea how to categorize the women's mode of dress". I did this by manfully stationing myself on the port side of the Ocean Bar, across from the photographer's station, armed only with a steady supply of G&T [thanks SBC!] from approx. 6 until 8 pm. These are my observations.

 

About 6-8% of the men were in some form of tuxedo - mostly black jackets, some white and a couple that looked like swallowtails with the tails cut off, or maybe Navy dress without the medals and trim. Most wore black tie. A few oddly coupled white tie with black jackets. One string tie and one of those 90's things with a ribbon and button at the collar.

 

Slightly more (8-10%) wore either jacket with no tie or tie with no jacket.

A few less (4-6%) wore no tie and no jacket, just a collared shirt.

 

The rest were split rather evenly between dark suits/white shirts/striped tie and blazer/sport coat with dress shirt and tie.

 

There were jeans: no "Texas Tuxedos" but more than one with either open shirt, shirt and tie or jacket.

 

No one in sweats, no one in shorts.

 

I will say (my opinion) that the least "gala" or "festive" were the guys in dark suits who looked like they were off to a business meeting rather than a lovely evening event.

 

Compared to earlier cruises, fewer tuxes and a lot fewer rented tuxes; big increase in those wearing either tie or jacket but not both.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

 

thank you for reporting back on your scientific discovery. :) Glad you had G&T to support you in your endeavor. :D

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RuthC

RuthC

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But may I ask you - are you sure there was no place on the lido where they make a sandwich to order? Not that I doubt you, but - in prior posts - people initially reported this, but then recanted when others on the same cruise reported that there was a place where sandwiches are made to order.

Based on Dave's subsequent answer, I would have to say that it sounds like the Nieuw Amsterdam continued with the sandwich procedure that it followed the 39 days I was aboard shortly prior. The only way to get a "made to order" sandwich was to gather the ingredients and put one together yourself. That was hard to do since there are no slices of bread put out at lunchtime; the rolls just don't work for a sandwich.

 

I did ask someone in charge about this, and he confirmed that no "made to order" was the way it was going to be. :( It sure limited the late lunch options by a lot.

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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We didn't go to PG, Tamarind or Canaletto on this cruise - just couldn't agree on venue/time/people. But I did try both Dive-in and NY Pizza.

 

For my taste, Dive-In and NY Pizza were decidedly a downgrade from the Terrace Grill I used on previous cruises. The big problem with the pizza is that it wasn't cooked enough - cracker-crisp edge and mushy middle. Once I started asking for "extra cook time" it improved but still not particularly good. My granddaughters did report that the pizza served (from bthe Kid's menu) in the MDR was "good".

 

Dive-in, so much bad, where to begin. First, I found the actual product to be less than that from the old Terrace Grill, both the bun and the patty. Second, I found the service to be really poor. The guy standing in front of the window taking orders and delivering orders was more often simply in the way and really should have had a better grasp of both English and his product. For example, here's one transaction I had with him:

 

Me: I want a hamburger, plain, with just mustard.

He: Hamburger. You want cheese?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want lettuce & tomato?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want hot dog?

Me (speaking louder, as the Brits do): No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: OK

15 minutes later my buzzer goes off and I pickup my food. Go back to the table open the bun to salt it and - there's bun and mustard, but no burger! Back to guy at window

Me: there's no burger in my burger!

He: You want beef? Why you no say you want beef?

Me: just add a burger, please

He (to cook): add beef!

Cook: You want cheese?

 

And don't believe that "made to order" stuff. The cook opened the warming drawer, pulled out a burger and dropped it on the grill to warm it up - just like the guys at the Terrace Grille used to do.

 

So, my impression of these areas is decidedly that they're a negative.

 

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

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frankc98376

frankc98376

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We didn't go to PG, Tamarind or Canaletto on this cruise - just couldn't agree on venue/time/people. But I did try both Dive-in and NY Pizza.

 

For my taste, Dive-In and NY Pizza were decidedly a downgrade from the Terrace Grill I used on previous cruises. The big problem with the pizza is that it wasn't cooked enough - cracker-crisp edge and mushy middle. Once I started asking for "extra cook time" it improved but still not particularly good. My granddaughters did report that the pizza served (from bthe Kid's menu) in the MDR was "good".

 

Dive-in, so much bad, where to begin. First, I found the actual product to be less than that from the old Terrace Grill, both the bun and the patty. Second, I found the service to be really poor. The guy standing in front of the window taking orders and delivering orders was more often simply in the way and really should have had a better grasp of both English and his product. For example, here's one transaction I had with him:

 

Me: I want a hamburger, plain, with just mustard.

He: Hamburger. You want cheese?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want lettuce & tomato?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want hot dog?

Me (speaking louder, as the Brits do): No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: OK

15 minutes later my buzzer goes off and I pickup my food. Go back to the table open the bun to salt it and - there's bun and mustard, but no burger! Back to guy at window

Me: there's no burger in my burger!

He: You want beef? Why you no say you want beef?

Me: just add a burger, please

He (to cook): add beef!

Cook: You want cheese?

 

And don't believe that "made to order" stuff. The cook opened the warming drawer, pulled out a burger and dropped it on the grill to warm it up - just like the guys at the Terrace Grille used to do.

 

So, my impression of these areas is decidedly that they're a negative.

 

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

 

You need to send this one to Saturday Night Live!

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joepeka

joepeka

Posted
Posted (edited)
We didn't go to PG, Tamarind or Canaletto on this cruise - just couldn't agree on venue/time/people. But I did try both Dive-in and NY Pizza.

 

For my taste, Dive-In and NY Pizza were decidedly a downgrade from the Terrace Grill I used on previous cruises. The big problem with the pizza is that it wasn't cooked enough - cracker-crisp edge and mushy middle. Once I started asking for "extra cook time" it improved but still not particularly good. My granddaughters did report that the pizza served (from bthe Kid's menu) in the MDR was "good".

 

Dive-in, so much bad, where to begin. First, I found the actual product to be less than that from the old Terrace Grill, both the bun and the patty. Second, I found the service to be really poor. The guy standing in front of the window taking orders and delivering orders was more often simply in the way and really should have had a better grasp of both English and his product. For example, here's one transaction I had with him:

 

Me: I want a hamburger, plain, with just mustard.

He: Hamburger. You want cheese?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want lettuce & tomato?

Me: No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: You want hot dog?

Me (speaking louder, as the Brits do): No, just burger, bun and mustard.

He: OK

15 minutes later my buzzer goes off and I pickup my food. Go back to the table open the bun to salt it and - there's bun and mustard, but no burger! Back to guy at window

Me: there's no burger in my burger!

He: You want beef? Why you no say you want beef?

Me: just add a burger, please

He (to cook): add beef!

Cook: You want cheese?

 

And don't believe that "made to order" stuff. The cook opened the warming drawer, pulled out a burger and dropped it on the grill to warm it up - just like the guys at the Terrace Grille used to do.

 

So, my impression of these areas is decidedly that they're a negative.

 

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

That exchange with the Dive In guy is like something from an old Saturday Night Live skit. Good stuff Dave.... and thank you for the review thus far. Looking forward to more. :)

Edited by joepeka
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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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Great Reports!!!

 

I am still laughing at the Dive In encounter and keep thinking of "who's on first".

 

Thanks for letting us know about Gala nights. It sounds like anything is ok as long as you are dressed nicely.

 

Could make a real mix on board - LOL.

 

Question on the sandwiches please - there were only pre-made, I got that. So, it sounds like there were no paninis grilled or anything like that? Bummer.

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dakrewser

dakrewser

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Both DW and DD are gluten intolerant, DD much more so than DW. I've already mentioned the gluten free choices in the Lido (a big improvement) but the MDR was a real treat!

 

Each night, after serving dessert, our steward brought photo copies of the next night's menu to DW and DD. They were marked with cabin number, table number and seating. Each chose the items they'd like to order, and the kitchen would provide them gluten free the next night!

 

I remember that there used to be, for example, a vegetarian menu - but it was the same each night and you still had to order the night before. With this new system, GF people can enjoy the same meal as their table mates without fear of problems.

 

This is a HUGE improvement.

 

Note that Dive-in also could provide gluten free buns for burgers and dogs.

 

Disclaimer: these are my experiences and opinions, YMMV.

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