Mdr

[radiationman]

Interested In a comment from anyone with recent experience finding in the Holland America main dining rooms. We were on thw Nieuw Amsterdam last November and thought the dinners were horrid, Not up to usual Holland America standards.

 

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[Roz]

I was on the Oosterdam in February and thought the MDR food was good to very good. What exactly made the food "horrid"?

 

Roz

[Lady Arwen]

We've sailed on many HAL ships, including NA. Never had a "horrid" meal. Were some just okay? Yes. Were some really good? Yes. The MDR on all cruiselines can be a hit and miss event at times, but I find all around HAL to be one of the best. Sorry you had a bad experience.

[AncientWanderer]

We really enjoyed our MDR dinners on the Zaandam, last month. There was a time when there was a real drop in quality, I think, and lots of observable cutbacks. I think those dark days are over.

 

Not sure if budgets are up or if the executive chefs have had time to creatively work within the confines of tighter budgets. Either way, we found the dinners to be delicious and beautifully presented, and we have already booked our next HAL cruise.

[catl331]

I've noticed that the portions are a little smaller than in the past (which is OK with me), but the quality has been about the same.

[rkacruiser]

The meals served in the Zaandam's MDR this Winter were very good to excellent. Once in awhile a dish would disappoint, but I have experienced the same at upscale land-based restaurants whose cuisine is usually top notch.

[SilvertoGold]

In April the Westerdam was doing some great food, a noticible improvement in both the Lido and MDR.

 

We mentioned this and were told by the Food and Bev Manager that HAL is putting more funds into upgrading the food.

[sail7seas]

I thought he mDR food on Veendam July was good for the most part.

 

 

 

 

 

I was hugely disappointed in Pinnacle. It was very below standard.

[Homosassa]

We were on the Zuiderdam, January 20118, and the Rotterdam, March 2018.

 

The food in the dining room was excellent on both cruises.

[Hlitner]

We have had plenty of mediocre meals on HAL, but never anything even approaching "horrid." HAL cuisine is not what it was a few years ago, but cut-backs in cuisine seem to be a trend with most of the mass market lines.

 

Hank

[Krazy Kruizers]

Food is subjective.

What we may like, others may not like.

[happicruzer]

Eurodam meals were very good and in many instances better than Coastal Kitchen on RCI. If you don’t like what you were served, there were several other options to choose from, all one has to do is request the water provide you with another entree.

[OlsSalt]

"Horrid" is a relative term. Give some examples and specific comparisons. Just off the Zaandam, and agree, the food was good to very good and served in a very nice, gracious setting - a real HAL perk considering this is a mainline cruise line.

 

What you called "horrid" is probably what you will find on all other HAL ships. Try looking for another cruise line that offers what you are looking for. Crystal has a good reputation for its food but we found it to be merely more fussy in presentation than a real leap in quality over any other "banquet" dining expectations that are common in this type of at sea setting.

 

I am what you can call a foodie, I do local restaurant reviews and am always eager to explore when traveling. But I don't put those same demands on ship board dining - HAL food is varied and good. And if it is not to your tastes, send it back and order something else.

[navybankerteacher]

To have any chance of understanding OP’s evaluation, we should be advised of the sort of restaurants he normally frequents - as well as the culinary training of his personal chef. If his meals are always Michelin three, I’d pay attention —— otherwise I’d write him off as a whiner.

[sail7seas]

To have any chance of understanding OP’s evaluation, we should be advised of the sort of restaurants he normally frequents - as well as the culinary training of his personal chef. If his meals are always Michelin three, I’d pay attention —— otherwise I’d write him off as a whiner.

 

Michelin rank, personal chef........... :) Love it.

 

THAT is a true Foodie. :)

[ithaca gal]

This year we have sailed on the Zuiderdam, Veendam and Eurodam. Never had a horrid meal. Some probably weren't "stellar" but nothing that left a lasting negative impression.

 

Sure would like to know what constitutes horrid!

[dee2673]

Ok I’ve had ONE meal I’d call “horrid” on HAL. The chili relleno was not good at all. But this comes from a person who is Mexican and used to real ones. The rest of the table thought they were good..um, Ok.. Other than that one, we’ve never had a meal we didn’t like and we’ve had several we loved. Good thing there are so many venues, as you’re sure to find something you like

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

Ok I’ve had ONE meal I’d call “horrid” on HAL. The chili relleno was not good at all. But this comes from a person who is Mexican and used to real ones. The rest of the table thought they were good..um, Ok.. Other than that one, we’ve never had a meal we didn’t like and we’ve had several we loved. Good thing there are so many venues, as you’re sure to find something you like

 

 

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My running joke HAL dinner too - I got a heavy battered, slightly cheese filled sweet, green BELL pepper last (and final) time - it looked like a fried football on the plate - taste - actually okay, if it had been callled a 'battered, slightly cheese stuffed sweet green pepper".

 

The head waiter (ESL) explained "chile relleno" indeed meant a filled pepper. But not to this Southern Calif gal either, who travels far and wide in our area looking for the perfect chille relleno - which just may be at La Simpatia in Guadalupe, CA. So the name failed as a Mexican specialty, but the taste could pass for something ......Hungarian.

 

The Indonesian waiter got the joke presentation right away - he knew it should have been a delicately battered and fried, long slender poblano pepper with juicy Mexican cheese with a light and lovely mole sauce on the side. Still it was not "horrid"; only horrendous.

[SusieKay]

We were also on the Nieuw Amsterdam in November and ate in the MDR every night (late fixed). We enjoyed all our meals, including the presentation and service.

 

 

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[kazu]

Just off the Prinsendam, literally. a week ago.

 

the food varied from good to excellent.

 

 

I might not have cared for some of the menu choices although I am sure they would appeal to many (3, I think) but I was pleasantly surprised when I ordered. And opted for the Canaletto for one of them.

[ellieanne]

I was on the Zuiderdam over New Year's and the only issues my party had with meal was getting steaks/burgers cooked to order. And it was ship-wide -- in the dining room, Pinnacle Grill, and the Dive-In. People who ordered rare steaks got medium rare, people who ordered medium well or well-done steaks got steaks that were still pink in the middle. Universally, the steak cooking was hit or miss, and more often than not miss.

[cbr663]

To have any chance of understanding OP’s evaluation, we should be advised of the sort of restaurants he normally frequents - as well as the culinary training of his personal chef. If his meals are always Michelin three, I’d pay attention —— otherwise I’d write him off as a whiner.

 

Very harsh.

 

We have been fortunate to have some very excellent meals on HAL and have also had the experience of having very poor meals. From pizza burned so much that it was inedible, Caesar salad served without any dressing, eggs served so cold that they must have been taken directly from the cooler and plated, the Porterhouse steak in the PG tough and completely lacking any flavour and tasting creme brule in the MDR and discovering ice crystals in the custard.

 

We went through a period in which our MDR experience was so poor that we sailed 3 cruises and refused to step foot in the MDR. Luckily, our last cruise on the Koningsdam we decided to take a chance and we had wonderful meals.

 

But I hardly think that I need to have a personal chef to decide that burned pizza is horrid.

[ellieanne]

Even my favorite land-based restaurant has off-days or meals. Just today, my usually excellent cafe served my poached eggs overcooked (they were practically hard boiled) and undercooked hash browns. I'm not going to stop going just because of one not-as-good-as-usual meal. I mentioned it to the staff, who profusely apologized. I've had bad meals on cruises, but I've never written off the entire dining room on all ships just because of a bad experience in one HAL dining room. And the staff don't know something was wrong unless you tell them. When the waiters ask if everything was acceptable, you can say something like, "My steak was overdone to how I ordered it" or "My potato was still a bit firm" or "The asparagus was overcooked and limp." There is no need to get nasty, but just telling them the truth of how you found the meal. If you, as a diner, are unhappy, you need to give the restaurant (or dining room) a chance to make it right for you.

[OlsSalt]

Very harsh.

 

We have been fortunate to have some very excellent meals on HAL and have also had the experience of having very poor meals. From pizza burned so much that it was inedible, Caesar salad served without any dressing, eggs served so cold that they must have been taken directly from the cooler and plated, the Porterhouse steak in the PG tough and completely lacking any flavour and tasting creme brule in the MDR and discovering ice crystals in the custard.

 

We went through a period in which our MDR experience was so poor that we sailed 3 cruises and refused to step foot in the MDR. Luckily, our last cruise on the Koningsdam we decided to take a chance and we had wonderful meals.

 

But I hardly think that I need to have a personal chef to decide that burned pizza is horrid.

 

2 week cruise x three meals a day - 42 meals - chances are some will be a clinker. Happens. Send it back next time. But please don't malign the entire ship as "horrid". We have all had less than perfect experiences too. Unlikely you got a raw egg served, so a little less hyperbole is helpful when you are trashing a whole cruise line. Glad things improved for you on the Konigsdam. Hang in there.

[MajMom96]

Never had a “horrid” meal on a HAL ship, and if I did, I would simply ask for something else. The wait staff is usually very accommodating. I find the food on HAL to be very good in comparison to other lines.

 

 

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