Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Thanksgiving on board.

freanesi

By freanesi,
in Holland America Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

freanesi

freanesi

Posted
Posted

Coming from Australia, Thanksgiving is new to me. We will be on a Panama Canal cruise over Thanksgiving which is on a sea day.  Will HAL do anything special for Thanksgiving such as a Gala night, or something else? We have 3 Gala nights scheduled during our cruise, and Thanksgiving is the 3rd last night. 🙏

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Posted
Posted

Not really.  Some ships will have a few decorations in the Lido and the entrances to the dining room.  A gala night may or may not happen.  But we have never had one on the evening we have entered the canal.

 

There will be the traditional Thanksgiving dinner -- turkey, dressing, yams, etc.  The ships we have been on, the turkey was the processed stuff -- not real.  However some people have reported they got the real stuff.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ricka47

ricka47

Posted
Posted

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam last Thanksgiving and are doing it again this year.  Thanksgiving fell on the second Gala Night last year and will again this year.  We had the traditional turkey (real) and I enjoyed it! 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
grest

grest

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, ricka47 said:

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam last Thanksgiving and are doing it again this year.  Thanksgiving fell on the second Gala Night last year and will again this year.  We had the traditional turkey (real) and I enjoyed it! 

We are on the same cruise....and this year my birthday falls on Thanksgiving day.   See you onboard!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ricka47

ricka47

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, grest said:

We are on the same cruise....and this year my birthday falls on Thanksgiving day.   See you onboard!

 

Very nice - Happy Birthday!  Last year, I was easy to locate as I missed a step the second night and broke my foot.  So, I was in a boot and never got off the ship for the rest of the cruise.  I still had a good time!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wonderingabout

Wonderingabout

Posted
Posted

Whether it is a gala night or not might not make a difference.  I was on the Oosterdam Western Caribbean three years ago over Thanksgiving.  The previous night was the listed gala night and Thursday night I believe was the last night of the cruise and not listed as a gala night.  I donned a sweater to go to dinner only to find as we were about to enter the dining room that almost all the men were dressed in suits.  I quickly retreated back to my cabin and put on a jacket and tie. (My wife did not have to retreat with me as she always dresses appropriately and looks beautiful.) 

 

Was it required?  Was it suggested?  Would I have been refused a seat if I did not wear the coat?  Would anybody have said anything if I just wore the sweater?  No NO No NO.  But I sure would have felt self conscious.

 

While this is a Thanksgiving day thread,  many  threads that relate to dress code are questions of this sort.  The thread starter is not asking what the limit is before getting a YES to to one of the above questions but rather is seeking to understand the norm so that he or she will not fall into the self-conscious moment.  It is not enough to tell the thread starter what he can do or wear but rather he should be provided with a sense of the norm. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
grest

grest

Posted
Posted
37 minutes ago, ricka47 said:

 

Very nice - Happy Birthday!  Last year, I was easy to locate as I missed a step the second night and broke my foot.  So, I was in a boot and never got off the ship for the rest of the cruise.  I still had a good time!

hoping you stay on your feet this year!

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
tuolumne couple

tuolumne couple

Posted
Posted

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner is the norm. On our first HAL cruise a ships officer joined our table that night and wine was on the house, a very festive time for all.🙈🙉🙊  The Xmas decorations start to make appearances about the ship as well. We are on the same Panama Canal  trip see you aboard.    

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
RedmondCruiser

RedmondCruiser

Posted
Posted

We have been on HAL on Thanksgiving and the meal was not that good.  The meat was dry and the stuffing was all but none existent.  I love the Thanksgiving meal so I  may be a bit too critical but the meal was not that good.  We just got off a 35 day cruise to Lima and we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving.  The Amsterdam did a fantastic job and produced an excellent turkey day dinner.  Therefore Thanksgiving dinner can vary widely depending on what ship your on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Caribbean Chris

Caribbean Chris

Posted
Posted

I’ve noticed that HAL seems to have a turkey, gravy & dressing with cranberry sauce dinner entree on the menu at least once per cruise throughout the year. I usually order it because I enjoy a good hearty, honest, plain old turkey dinner amidst some of the fancier-sounding but less tasty menus sometimes found on ships.

 

It has always been sliced roast turkey aka the “real thing.” I’ve never seen a processed turkey entree but I guess it could happen.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Caymus88

Caymus88

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, ricka47 said:

 

Very nice - Happy Birthday!  Last year, I was easy to locate as I missed a step the second night and broke my foot.  So, I was in a boot and never got off the ship for the rest of the cruise.  I still had a good time!

We are on this cruise too 8 of us. We should wear signs🍾

Link to comment
Share on other sites
w8ing2cruz

w8ing2cruz

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, tuolumne couple said:

Traditional Thanksgiving dinner is the norm. On our first HAL cruise a ships officer joined our table that night and wine was on the house, a very festive time for all.🙈🙉🙊  The Xmas decorations start to make appearances about the ship as well. We are on the same Panama Canal  trip see you aboard.    

We are also on this cruise - thanks for asking the question freanesi! I'm really hoping for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It will be the first one we've not been home for since our grown 'kids' were born. It's always been my FAVORITE holiday - no pressure - just family, food and football 🏈🍗❤️.

 

As I was typing this I think I deciphered your cruise critic name freanesi? Does it really mean free and easy in Australian? If so - can't wait to party/sail with you 👍🏼

Link to comment
Share on other sites
bluesplayer Great Review Rare

bluesplayer

Posted
Posted

We were on a cruise from SEA to Vancouver in October which is when Canadian Thanksgiving occurs. HA served a turkey dinner to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving and this was one of our most favorite meals.  I would think they would do the US Thanksgiving meal.  Ours was delicious..   

Link to comment
Share on other sites
freanesi

freanesi

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 hours ago, w8ing2cruz said:

We are also on this cruise - thanks for asking the question freanesi! I'm really hoping for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It will be the first one we've not been home for since our grown 'kids' were born. It's always been my FAVORITE holiday - no pressure - just family, food and football 🏈🍗❤️.

 

As I was typing this I think I deciphered your cruise critic name freanesi? Does it really mean free and easy in Australian? If so - can't wait to party/sail with you 👍🏼

HI w8ing2cruz  - I’m glad you asked this question as i’ve often thought about trying to explain my name as I think some people have passed judgement and taken it the wrong way. 

I once lived in a house in a seaside fishing village. The house was called “ Freanesi” and yes it does mean free and easy, but not in the sense some people might take it. I loved the name because the lifestyle was simple, didn’t cost much and was easy to take,  especially in summer spending so much time on the beach and in the water. It had a beautiful garden and every afternoon when I came home from work it was like a paradise to me. So I chose the name for my CC name as it reminds me of a simple lifestyle, close to the water.

Would love to have a drink with you. Check out the roll call and we might see you at sail away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
w8ing2cruz

w8ing2cruz

Posted
Posted

I didn't think of free and easy in any other context than you described 👍🏼 More of an outlook on life - just taking what comes, no drama, letting the small stuff go and truly enjoying the blessings in life 😍. I've been on the roll call and will see everyone at the aft bar at sailaway 🥂🚢⚓️ Getting SO darn excited!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...