High tea

[tannes]

Does Holland America still have daily high tea?  Also is there a special high tea once a week on 7 day cruises?  We are about to board Westerdam Sunday for an Alaska cruise by Gertie Brynes who fills the ship with Irish entertainers.  So excited!

[ris_scot]

On Koningsdam transatlantic last month there was afternoon tea served on most sea days in the main diningroom.  Not sure if there was a special Dutch Tea or similar as we did not go every day.

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

There is tea offered every day from 3 - 3:45 -- check your daily program for the place it will be held.

 

Royal High Tea isn't offered on all ships.  Many of the special teas are gone as well -- like the Indonesian Tea, Cupcake tea, etc.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Not having the cupcake tea is no loss. The cupcakes were very pretty, but very little flavor beyond sweet. Just different food coloring in the icing. On one of the Vistas they served afternoon tea in the Ocean Bar. Less room, unfortunately, but I liked the setting better than the MDR for tea.

 

[bennybear]

We experienced tea and a Royal Dutch tea as well.    So disappointing compared to those in the past.   Also find it crazy that four people get the same food as two.   Mostly disappointing if you  want a scone. 

 

Please bring back those wonderful Indonesian tea with the lovely delicious loose tea.   I miss them.  

Edited May 8, 2019 by bennybear

[rkacruiser]

On my recent HAL cruises, no Indonesian or Royal Dutch Teas are offered.  The Royal Dutch Tea is the one most missed by me.

 

Daily afternoon Tea is offered most days.  Depending upon the ship, it is elegant in its own way.  

[bennybear]

What was special about the Royal  Dutch?  Ours seemed the same as other teas, and it was kings day!  Not sure if I missed something?

Edited May 9, 2019 by bennybear

[leela8]

I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam recently and they didn't even have scones w/cream. the trays were made up already to put on the table. How can you have tea without scones

[syesmar]

Here’s a link to a Thread from last year: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2552575-tea-service/

 

While we enjoyed the Classic Tea last year, I did miss the more elaborate ones of days gone by.  

[syesmar]

I see that page 9 of the 2019 Know Before You Go still states “Daily afternoon tea service, elevated to Royal Dutch High Tea once per cruise.”

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/KBYG.pdf

 

They really need to update that with accurate information.

Edited May 9, 2019 by syesmar

[VMax1700]

16 hours ago, tannes said:

Does Holland America still have daily high tea?  Also is there a special high tea once a week on 7 day cruises?  We are about to board Westerdam Sunday for an Alaska cruise by Gertie Brynes who fills the ship with Irish entertainers.  So excited!

 

There is Afternoon Tea, not High Tea.  High Tea is completely different to Afternoon Tea.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/high-tea-vs-afternoon-tea-765832

love to all from Pedantic Pat! (and that is that!)

[Catlover54]

On a short Zaandam cruise recently tea was offered daily at 3PM, all people clustered into one small section of the dining room to make it easier for staff.

Teas in bags only, no loose leaf.  No calming pianist or other special music, just the sound of people talking and the kind of overhead pumped energetic music they had on so many parts of the ship.. I went once and did not like the ambience or food so did not go back. They brought around a couple trays, one had appetizers like little cheaper salmon pieces, another had small sweets like bland cookies or little dry danish pieces, nothing special, the room service breakfast danish were much better and fresher. Never saw a scone.

Maybe other HAL ships do it differently and am very new to HAL, so this is one isolated view.

[ski ww]

On the Amsterdam Tea used to be served in the Crows Nest, it was a beautiful way to spent part of the afternoon.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, VMax1700 said:

 

There is Afternoon Tea, not High Tea.  High Tea is completely different to Afternoon Tea.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/high-tea-vs-afternoon-tea-765832

love to all from Pedantic Pat! (and that is that!)

 

Thank you from a fellow pedant. 🙂

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

On a short Zaandam cruise recently tea was offered daily at 3PM, all people clustered into one small section of the dining room to make it easier for staff.

Teas in bags only, no loose leaf.  No calming pianist or other special music, just the sound of people talking and the kind of overhead pumped energetic music they had on so many parts of the ship.. I went once and did not like the ambience or food so did not go back. They brought around a couple trays, one had appetizers like little cheaper salmon pieces, another had small sweets like bland cookies or little dry danish pieces, nothing special, the room service breakfast danish were much better and fresher. Never saw a scone.

Maybe other HAL ships do it differently and am very new to HAL, so this is one isolated view.

 

I remember similar tea in MDR. Tea bags, not proper pots of tea. The one I went to may have been Royal Dutch. The food was better than you describe, but it was served buffet style--collect a plate of food on the way in.

 

 

 

14 minutes ago, ski ww said:

On the Amsterdam Tea used to be served in the Crows Nest, it was a beautiful way to spent part of the afternoon.

 

 

That's more like what I experienced in Ocean Bar on one of the Vistas a few years ago.

 

For lovers of tea disappointed with HAL, come on over to Cunard!!!!! White-gloved waiters serving from tea pots. Little sandwiches, nice variety or sweets, and scones. Harpist or pianist playing calm music. 

 

[bennybear]

So

27 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

 

For lovers of tea disappointed with HAL, come on over to Cunard!!!!! White-gloved waiters serving from tea pots. Little sandwiches, nice variety or sweets, and scones. Harpist or pianist playing calm music. 

 

 

So true!  How it should be done and the scones alone are enough to make me return and the libraries, sigh!    Now if they could have HALs itineraries and loosen up on men having to wear a jacket every evening... 

[sail7seas]

6 hours ago, leela8 said:

I was on the Nieuw Amsterdam recently and they didn't even have scones w/cream. the trays were made up already to put on the table. How can you have tea without scones

 

 

NO scones with cream?   UGH       Someone 'messed up'

[rkacruiser]

The best part for me of the Royal Dutch Tea was the Creamed Chicken over a biscuit.  There was also a couple of other hot items--a sausage/in a blanket type pastry?--that I liked.

[joekerstef]

This I think was a High Tea. Definitely Maasdam 2016. Mention of the chicken on the biscuit reminded me of this photo. Alas my last tea experience was in the Ocean Bar also on Maasdam one year ago. Did not like. Not much room where the food was and person behind me was huffy for me to get moving as I was trying to get cream for my scone. On the upside, yes there was cream and scones. I think tea on our last cruise on Zuiderdam was just in MDR where they bring the stacked tray of stuff and plop it on your table. I much preferred picking my own goodies. 

[syesmar]

Ah, yes!  I loved the chicken a la king.  The best tea I ever attended on HAL was a special Indonesian Tea about 3 1/2 years ago.  They had all kinds of food in the Queen’s Room, buffet style, and then let us enter the dining room from there.  Great memories!

[kwb101]

Just had Afternoon tea in Maasdam about two hours ago. It's called this on days when there's no Gala dinner.  On Gala days, it's called Classic Tea. Both Maasdam a year ago and Zuiderdam last September had these teas,  and both held it in the upper level of the MDR.

My wife just about jumped up and grabbed the large silver tray of currant scones when the server went by. He was followed by another server who spooned out sweetened whipped cream, and the other with strawberry jam in separate silver sauce boats.

There were five different savories (including smoked salmon on pumpernickel, and egg salad on a baguette slice), the scones, and another five or six sweets. Sadly, though, no Darjeeling tea. Overall, it was a most civilized way to spend some time ioboard. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 minutes ago, kwb101 said:

Just had Afternoon tea in Maasdam about two hours ago. It's called this on days when there's no Gala dinner.  On Gala days, it's called Classic Tea. Both Maasdam a year ago and Zuiderdam last September had these teas,  and both held it in the upper level of the MDR.

My wife just about jumped up and grabbed the large silver tray of currant scones when the server went by. He was followed by another server who spooned out sweetened whipped cream, and the other with strawberry jam in separate silver sauce boats.

There were five different savories (including smoked salmon on pumpernickel, and egg salad on a baguette slice), the scones, and another five or six sweets. Sadly, though, no Darjeeling tea. Overall, it was a most civilized way to spend some time ioboard. 

 

Ohhh, I miss the HAL Darjeeling tea! I'm not a fan of Bigelow, so if I'm not in a Neptune suite (lounge has great tea!) I bring my own tea.

 

[kaiiak]

Recent Afternoon Tea on the Nieuw Statendam in April...  They brought a tray like this for 3 of us, but were more than happy to keep refilling on the egg salad sandwiches we enjoyed so much.  They served our tea from a large silver coffee/tea pot. It was served daily in the Main Dining Room.

[san diego spartan]

Just off the NA -  went to afternoon tea - just OK - tea was all in bags.  They did bring around a nice assortment of snacks.  There was no bubbly served.  It was in the MDR and no music or sense of atmosphere.  Very disappointing to me . I was on an Oceania cruise a few years ago and they did the afternoon tea up big.  So much better.  

 

HAL was nice but not great.  I will be on another cruise in a week and will check out the tea again, but with less expectations.  

[kwb101]

I forgot to mention that, on Classic Tea days, the white-gloved servers bring three-level serving pieces (apologies for not knowing what this is named) with lots of goodies in them. Each layer has five goodies, each of which is different. The bottom layer has savories, the middle layer the mildly sweet, and the top layer the sweet things. You get fifteen different things, no two the same, all obviously prepared withTLC. It may not be the High Tea of days past, but it is definitely a nice and welcome benefit of sailing with Holland America.

I should also mention that we've not seen more than about 75 passengers partaking of this on any ship at any time. Because of this low count, and impressed and very happy that HAL continues this tradition.