What's the most amount of dishes you have ordered at MDR?

[Sir PMP]

1 hour ago, zhuangcorp said:

are you serious about this? why and how did you manage to finish 18 plates?

Rijsttafel.

[zhuangcorp]

1 hour ago, syesmar said:

@zhuangcorp I, too, have experienced generosity when trying to order a "small side" of tortellini or risotto, etc.; I've been brought the entire entrée when I only wanted a few bites of that specific dish. 😊 I take it based on similar comments, that perhaps it's just easier for those preparing or bringing the plates to do this?

 

A couple of tips:

--if you do any specialty dining, most do allow more than one starter.

--there should be complimentary pre-dinner hors d'oeuvres upon request in at least some of the lounges during cocktail hour. Ask the wait staff about hours. Sometimes they are displayed, but often I just asked about them.

--if you're on a ship with a Grand Dutch Café, be sure to stop by for some of their offerings (the food is complimentary). 

 

Have a great cruise!

Thanks for the tips! I've been to Amsterdam, and I'm not a huge fan of Dutch food. 

 

But yeah, since I'm on HAL, I probably should try to taste some of the dishes at the Grand Dutch Cafe. 

[Sir PMP]

2 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Sir PMP is well known on these boards for being a bit of a jokester, contrarian, and pot stirrer. I take virtually NOTHING they say with any level of seriousness or credibility.  Sometimes I find their humor funny, most times not. 

Sometimes it's hard to understand certain cuisines.

[Sharon in AZ]

I am not a big eater but do enjoy a leisurely multi course meal. I usually order one or two starters and one entree and maybe dessert, sometimes the cheese plate. If an entree doesn’t appeal, I’ll order an extra starter.  

[nyold]

When I was younger I used to do full course every day, and an extra starter on the days that they were good. Those days are gone by. Now I would feel bloated to the point that I can't enjoy food the next day. 

 

So if there are two starters that I want, I skip the dessert, or split with DW. I almost never order two desserts.

 

Oh but after MDR, usually we go to the buffet and get an extra dessert item (or two!) to bring back to the room, to be consumed later that night.

[nyold]

9 hours ago, syesmar said:

@zhuangcorp I, too, have experienced generosity when trying to order a "small side" of tortellini or risotto, etc.; I've been brought the entire entrée when I only wanted a few bites of that specific dish. 😊 I take it based on similar comments, that perhaps it's just easier for those preparing or bringing the plates to do this?

 

 

Not on HAL but on another line, when I chatted with a crew member, he said that in the kitchen it was pretty hectic during MDR time because they're trying to serve literally thousands of plates. So it's not feasible to request a differently-sized portions. The communication between MDR and kitchen are usually limited to "more of dish X, more of dish Y" and it is managed in real time by a manager as orders are entered into the computers, while giving them a couple dozens of buffer as well. So the kitchen crew only know how to "make 100 extra plates of this thing" and that makes everything simpler. I imagine if you request a smaller size, your server would just enter the dish name and then tell you later that they're being generous. 

[Sir PMP]

18 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Rijsttafel.

If you can still walk, there is a 21 course too:

 

[CruiseMGM]

18 hours ago, zhuangcorp said:

Thanks for the tips! I've been to Amsterdam, and I'm not a huge fan of Dutch food. 

 

But yeah, since I'm on HAL, I probably should try to taste some of the dishes at the Grand Dutch Cafe. 

 

We were hoping to go to Amsterdam next month, but alas, our cruise on the Volendam was canceled. So no Amsterdam for us.

 

But with regards to the Grand Dutch Cafe, we sailed Koningsdam last December and really liked the venue, very nice items, including a lovely ham-and-cheese sandwich and french fries. I'm not a pea soup lover, but DH liked his bowl of soup. There were some really ooey gooey pastries there, too. So there's a variety of hot items and snacky-things, and you'll probably find something you like there. A nice venue for sure, hope you'll give it a try!

[BigMattT]

On 4/12/2022 at 3:54 PM, KroozNut said:

I'm not even liking the premise of this thread, which assumes/encourages gluttony; which I find distasteful.

Generally, I order as many items as I think I can finish. Then, I struggle and sweat and make audible groans of satisfaction trying to eat it all.
 

I hope I’m not describing gluttony. I go on cruises because they’re known as bastions of moderation for food.

[zhuangcorp]

4 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

If you can still walk, there is a 21 course too:

 

Is this meal served somewhere on the cruise?

[Sir PMP]

56 minutes ago, zhuangcorp said:

Is this meal served somewhere on the cruise?

No, those days are long gone, we had it many times on the old Grand Dame, one time the Captain threw a lunch in the Ritz Carlton on New Year's day with a band playing, very impressive. If you have a good Indonesian chef on board, he and his staff can put such a thing together and will be appreciated by lots of pax.

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, CruiseMGM said:

Grand Dutch Cafe,

 

This venue is a winner!  Whomever in Seattle that came up with this concept got it right!

[FlaMariner]

On 4/14/2022 at 9:52 AM, CruiseMGM said:

I'm not a pea soup lover, but DH liked his bowl of soup.

 

I know this is hard to believe but the pea soup at Dutch Cafe is excellent and even though most of us would never order it, this is the time to try it because it really is good.  I'm serious.  Try it.  You will love it. With 150 years of serving pea soup, they've got it down!

 

 

[Florida_gal_50]

40 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

I know this is hard to believe but the pea soup at Dutch Cafe is excellent and even though most of us would never order it, this is the time to try it because it really is good.  I'm serious.  Try it.  You will love it. With 150 years of serving pea soup, they've got it down!

 

 

I enjoy the pea soup, some people just don’t.  Is it amazing? No.  It’s no better than anything I would cook.  I read somewhere that someone said the ham and cheese sandwich is amazing.  It’s good, but I wouldn’t describe it as amazing.  I wonder what people are eating that they think this food is off the grid.  

[albingirl]

11 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

I enjoy the pea soup, some people just don’t.  Is it amazing? No.  It’s no better than anything I would cook.  I read somewhere that someone said the ham and cheese sandwich is amazing.  It’s good, but I wouldn’t describe it as amazing.  I wonder what people are eating that they think this food is off the grid.  

From my knowledge of many people in my neighorhood, any food prepared by others is off the grid.  

[CruiseMGM]

Just now, albingirl said:

From my knowledge of many people in my neighorhood, any food prepared by others is off the grid.  

 

YES, this, 1000%, LOL! After 2 and a half years of cooking nearly every meal (with a few take outs sprinkled here or there), anyone else cooking AND cleaning is totally off the grid! Thank you! 😃

[Florida_gal_50]

7 minutes ago, albingirl said:

From my knowledge of many people in my neighorhood, any food prepared by others is off the grid.  

True 😛😉😀.   That said I couldn’t make my sister eat pea soup if I paid her.

[KroozNut]

Redirecting back to the original question... 15

[Caribbean Chris]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:04 PM, nyold said:

When I was younger I used to do full course every day, and an extra starter on the days that they were good. Those days are gone by. Now I would feel bloated to the point that I can't enjoy food the next day. 

This is the reason that I can order only one starter, one main, and one dessert, as does my spouse and two friends we often cruise with. Not a whole lot at lunch, either, and very little in between meals. When I was younger,  I ordered more and enjoyed it.
 

I’m nobody’s definition of skinny and enjoy eating whatever I want on cruises. But I definitely can’t comfortably eat as much as I did in the past, and if I added a second/third starter, there’s no way I’d still be hungry enough to enjoy the main course. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Caribbean Chris

[edgeman61]

Normally just one salad/appetizer, one entre and one dessert.

 

However, if the menu is a good one DW and I might have two apps, share 3 entrees and perhaps skip dessert.

 

One night on the Koningsdam, we had a very friendly table of 6 and my DW and her new friend at the table ordered all of the desserts (1 of each) for the table to share.  That was after ordering shrimp cocktails for the table (off menu).

 

I was disappointed to see that the shrimp cocktails now command a separate charge (perhaps partly due to DW's shenanigans).

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, edgeman61 said:

I was disappointed to see that the shrimp cocktails now command a separate charge (perhaps partly due to DW's shenanigans).

 

Don't be too hard on your DW.  This extra charge has been in place for awhile.  Plus, have you priced seafood at your local grocery store recently?  

[Florida_gal_50]

42 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Don't be too hard on your DW.  This extra charge has been in place for awhile.  Plus, have you priced seafood at your local grocery store recently?  

Never mind seafood, a bag of potatoes is ridiculous.

[iancal]

One each and a few times we have split a third depending on the dish and the serving.

[zgscl]

Order what you want and do not feel guilty at all. If two mains look good try one as a starter. If you want the side from one dish with another main do that too. The crew are very happy to accommodate. 
 

If you plan to order a lot of dishes the only thing is to do it at your own table (or one with just your party) as it significantly slows down the meal for others if you are sharing a table. On our Alaska cruise this past summer we sat next to a couple that each ordered every single appetizer on the menu and then a main dish and a couple deserts. It was no issue because they had their own table and they were always there after we left. On another cruise we were at a table for 8 and one couple ordered at least 2-3 starters, 3-4 mains & every desert. It was very tedious because everyone had to wait for them to finish each of these courses and our table was always the last in the dining room and we were always scrambling to make the show. 
 

I think the most we have done is 4-5  or maybe 6 dishes once (with different breakdowns on appetizer or main & desert). HAL portions are small which is great for sampling many different things. This is part of the fun of being on a cruise. I have also done a lighter specialty restaurant and then gone to the MDR to try something on the menu I really wanted. Keep in mind many of the MDR items that change daily can also be found in the lido so always check the menu. 

[gelo7]

I have ordered two entrees on occasion, and two desserts several times over the years.