Observations, first time on HAL. Zaandam 23Aug to 03 Sep 2023

[JonSchick]

Saguenay has been an unexpected highlight of this trip so far.  The town is small but the setting beautiful and we enjoyed a walk in the national park around an hour's drive along the fyord.  And nearly everywhere looks good on a lovely sunny day!

[cbr663]

19 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

...."Gold Gala" was probably a lofty name for an ordinary meal. 

 

Our thoughts exactly.  We have a much better surf and turf with home made béarnaise at home when I fire up the BBQ.

[Blackduck59]

Sunset 

[Blackduck59]

Dinner in Canaletto tonight, Lynn found it difficult to select anything due to her tomato allergy. She eventually chose the anti pasto plate and Spaghetti with clams and prawns. She finished with the tiramisu. I chose the langostine and tomato soup to start. It was quite good but, they threw a whole langostine in it. The shelf was intact not scored or split in any way. Getting the meat out of that thing was a messy affair. I also tried the meatballs. For the main I had the veal. Desert was the Marsipan thingy. Everything was served at lower than optimal temperature. Once again if it wasn't included in our "have it all" fare we would have been disappointed to pay extra for Canaletto. 

I think the Pinnacle Lunch is good value but I wouldn't pay the tariff for Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto. The food is good in both venues but not worth the upcharge. 

[OlsSalt]

Is the "marzipan thingy" the Sicilian Cassata. 

Almond paste over a dome-shaped sponge cake base?

[Lakesregion]

27 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Dinner in Canaletto tonight, Lynn found it difficult to select anything due to her tomato allergy. She eventually chose the anti pasto plate and Spaghetti with clams and prawns. She finished with the tiramisu. I chose the langostine and tomato soup to start. It was quite good but, they threw a whole langostine in it. The shelf was intact not scored or split in any way. Getting the meat out of that thing was a messy affair. I also tried the meatballs. For the main I had the veal. Desert was the Marsipan thingy. Everything was served at lower than optimal temperature. Once again if it wasn't included in our "have it all" fare we would have been disappointed to pay extra for Canaletto. 

I think the Pinnacle Lunch is good value but I wouldn't pay the tariff for Pinnacle Grill or Canaletto. The food is good in both venues but not worth the upcharge. 

Unless one resides in a "Food Desert" the extra price restaurants on most all cruise lines are an expense better avoided.

[Blackduck59]

37 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Is the "marzipan thingy" the Sicilian Cassata. 

Almond paste over a dome-shaped sponge cake base?

Yes that is the name of it. But it was shaped more like a puck than a dome.

[Aussieflyer]

2 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

Unless one resides in a "Food Desert" the extra price restaurants on most all cruise lines are an expense better avoided.

Though if you want a special meal (or for a special occasion for example), I don't mind the extra charge. It is usually not a huge amount and on many ships there is a quantum leap in quality of the dishes/ingredients. The fact that many speciality restaurants on board have their own galley means food is likely to be somewhat more freshly prepared.

[oakridger]

25 minutes ago, Aussieflyer said:

The fact that many speciality restaurants on board have their own galley means food is likely to be somewhat more freshly prepared.

 

Food should be served the proper temperature though.  Canaletto galley is right next to the restaurant on the ships I have been on.  Is it also on Zaandam?  @Blackduck59 states that the food was not as hot as it should have been.

 

Food temperature in the Lido on Rotterdam last November was a big minus for me.  The food actually tasted good, but so many of the hot dishes were barely over room temperature.  I said something to the pasta station server about it, but he just looked at me and didn't seem to understand.  I did mention it on my survey and also on the App in "Tell Us" but saw no improvement.  It's a shame to serve good food at the wrong temperature.

 

~Nancy

[Aussieflyer]

6 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

Food should be served the proper temperature though.  Canaletto galley is right next to the restaurant on the ships I have been on.  Is it also on Zaandam?  @Blackduck59 states that the food was not as hot as it should have been.

 

Food temperature in the Lido on Rotterdam last November was a big minus for me.  The food actually tasted good, but so many of the hot dishes were barely over room temperature.  I said something to the pasta station server about it, but he just looked at me and didn't seem to understand.  I did mention it on my survey and also on the App in "Tell Us" but saw no improvement.  It's a shame to serve good food at the wrong temperature.

 

~Nancy

I agree that food should be at the proper temperature. I don't know the set up for specialty restaurants and galleys on HAL so was making a general comment on whether it is worth paying additional for a specialty restaurant. 

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

Food should be served the proper temperature though.  Canaletto galley is right next to the restaurant on the ships I have been on.  Is it also on Zaandam?  @Blackduck59 states that the food was not as hot as it should have been.

 

Food temperature in the Lido on Rotterdam last November was a big minus for me.  The food actually tasted good, but so many of the hot dishes were barely over room temperature.  I said something to the pasta station server about it, but he just looked at me and didn't seem to understand.  I did mention it on my survey and also on the App in "Tell Us" but saw no improvement.  It's a shame to serve good food at the wrong temperature.

 

~Nancy

Cannaletto is a portion of the Lido buffet on all HAL ships. Its not near the MDR. It has a small cooking area in the Lido.

[Blackduck59]

24 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Cannaletto is a portion of the Lido buffet on all HAL ships. Its not near the MDR. It has a small cooking area in the Lido.

Exactly the point, they use part of the facilities from the Lido. The food is prepared literally 20 feet away and when we were dining Canaletto was far from full. They should be able to serve everything hot.

[OlsSalt]

13 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Yes that is the name of it. But it was shaped more like a puck than a dome.

 

Lots of variations for Sicilian cassata shapes - but basic ingredients pretty much the same combos, but in different ratios.  Usually less candied fruit/citron for more western tastes, but still a hint of the haunting Fior d'Italia flavoring.

 

 https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sicilian+cassata&t=osx&ia=images&iax=images

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2023 by OlsSalt

[Haljo1935]

19 hours ago, JonSchick said:

Saguenay has been an unexpected highlight of this trip so far.  The town is small but the setting beautiful and we enjoyed a walk in the national park around an hour's drive along the fyord.  And nearly everywhere looks good on a lovely sunny day!

We really enjoyed walking that park. It was a replacement stop for us last year due to Fiona and was easily one of our favorites. The pictures we took in the park really highlight the fall foliage.

[kluv2cruz]

On 9/1/2023 at 9:47 AM, Blackduck59 said:

 We are alongside in Sagunay today, we took a cab to the pharmacy, the fare was under $8.00 CDN we gave him 10. We got some ibuprofen and Voltaren. I pulled my shoulder a couple days ago and it's quite painful. We walked back to the ship stopping at a few places. They had a fire going in one place and people were welcome to grab marshmallows and a skewer to roast them at the fire. It was a nice touch. Right adjacent there was a small "museum" of classic cars. There were 3 nice vintage cars and a collection of odds and ends. Romeo was a very personable man and the was a donation box. We bought a couple souvenirs and came back to the ship. The problem with my shoulder is causing grief for my photography, it's hard to maneuver and frame the shot. I'm trying to use the screen rather than the viewfinder and that is taking time to get used to.

We enjoyed that little car museum and the owner and his friends were very nice as you say! We also roasted marshmallows which I also thought was a nice thing to have at the market. We liked this port! 

Edited September 2, 2023 by kluv2cruz

[Blackduck59]

We had a very satisfying meeting with Leonie Henry, the Hotel General Manager this morning. Lynn had already received an apology from head office by email and we received a card from the assistant manager. We were also surprised to find a nice bottle of wine in our room when we got in from dinner last night. We will enjoy it tonight now that we have met with Leonie and cleared the air. I believe that the offending presentation will be withdrawn immediately and they will look at better ways to portray 'Canadian Icons" in the future. 

[Blackduck59]

So it was a hot day in Quebec City. What a lovely town. We walked from the ship to the funicular and rode to the top. There were many photo ops as we walked around. We were able to get a table for lunch in the Chateau Frontenac it was very good but definitely not a cheap lunch. We thought we would take the HOHO bus around the city and hop off at the stop closest  to the ship. Unfortunately I misinterpreted the route and that stop is virtually at the beginning of the tour, Lynn started worrying about time and we ended up getting off quite a distance from the ship. It was hot, and we were trudging back when  a pedicab pulled up. We asked how much to get back to the ship "whatever you like" was the reply. So we got in the pedicab and off we went, it was a first time for both of us. About 5 minutes later we were delivered right to the gangway, we gave him $15.00 and bid au revoir, money well spent, because we were pretty exhausted. 

It was a lovely day, we're just disappointed the HOHO didn't work for us because we missed the Citadel and most of the tour as a matter of fact.

Edited September 2, 2023 by Blackduck59

[scubacruiserx2]

On 8/28/2023 at 5:07 PM, Blackduck59 said:

We had lunch at Dive In, the screech in ran fairly long so dive in was about the only option. Lynn didn't like the fries and I'm not fussy for them either. We thought the burgers were good, the best ever? They were good. I tried one of the hot dogs and enjoyed it

We had dinner in the Lido tonight again the food was good but not memorable. Lynn is beginning to get discouraged with the food, we have been on the ship for 5 days now and the only meals remotely memorable have been in Pinnacle Grill. The MDR has consistently had slow sometimes incompetent service which has lead to confusion about Lynn's pre ordered meals. So far this is steering us away from booking our down under cruise with HAL. Whether that will change I don't know. 🤔

 

A few things that we missed on the Zaandam was Rudi's and the Tamarind for dining and the Retreat for relaxation and the view . The folks that worked there were excellent bringing breakfast , lunch from the lido , chocolate covered strawberries and a couple of special lunches on our days at sea . Here's the view of our retreat at lunch in the Panama Canal with the Dive Inn fries brought at our request .

 

 

Dive Inn for lunch

 

 

Most people love them and we think that they are our favorite snack - especially with Dive Inn sauce to dip them in . Perhaps if you had requested them with Poutine they have been more to your or Lynn's taste .

[xjust4fun]

2 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We had a very satisfying meeting with Leonie Henry, the Hotel General Manager this morning. Lynn had already received an apology from head office by email and we received a card from the assistant manager. We were also surprised to find a nice bottle of wine in our room when we got in from dinner last night. We will enjoy it tonight now that we have met with Leonie and cleared the air. I believe that the offending presentation will be withdrawn immediately and they will look at better ways to portray 'Canadian Icons" in the future. 

Thanks so much Lyle for your professional approach on this sensitive topic and for having taken the time to have a meeting with the Hotel General Manager.  We are boarding on Sept. 24 so it will be interesting to see how they will address this issue at that time.  Thanks again.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, xjust4fun said:

Thanks so much Lyle for your professional approach on this sensitive topic and for having taken the time to have a meeting with the Hotel General Manager.  We are boarding on Sept. 24 so it will be interesting to see how they will address this issue at that time.  Thanks again.

Thank you, we have a friend on board who is doing the return trip. She said she would let me know if the presentation is played on the return trip. I don't think it will be.

In the meeting I said if you are going to talk about "Canadian Icons" treat them iconicly. And since when is Winnie the Pooh a Canadian Icon. The bear may have come from Canada but the stories are definitely British. For now that episode is in the wake as we head for Montreal, our last stop. 

Edited September 2, 2023 by Blackduck59

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We had a very satisfying meeting with Leonie Henry, the Hotel General Manager this morning. Lynn had already received an apology from head office by email and we received a card from the assistant manager. We were also surprised to find a nice bottle of wine in our room when we got in from dinner last night. We will enjoy it tonight now that we have met with Leonie and cleared the air. I believe that the offending presentation will be withdrawn immediately and they will look at better ways to portray 'Canadian Icons" in the future. 

 

Lyle - "Bravo Zulu"

[xjust4fun]

54 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

Thank you, we have a friend on board who is doing the return trip. She said she would let me know if the presentation is played on the return trip. I don't think it will be.

In the meeting I said if you are going to talk about "Canadian Icons" treat them iconicly. And since when is Winnie the Pooh a Canadian Icon. The bear may have come from Canada but the stories are definitely British. For now that episode is in the wake as we head for Montreal, our last stop. 

Wonderful news, Glad your friend will still be onboard and will be in a much better position to see if the content was changed.   Again on behalf of us Canucks I thank you for taking the time to elevate this issue, Hopefully it will be a thing of the past.  Have a wonderful and safe journey home,. We also loved your reporting, we have a good idea where to go for lobster roles, mussels and of course blueberry pie.  OH and Cows Ice cream lol

[Blackduck59]

We are back in our cabin, our tagged luggage in the hall. We opened the bottle of wine that HAL gave us and raised a glass to Canada, the true North strong and free.

The comedian tonight was Mike Robinson a good Canadian guy from Nova Scotia. It was a different show and equally as enjoyable. For us easily the best shows we saw on the world stage. We disembark tomorrow and we are overnight in Montreal. I will have observations about the disembarkation process as well as some comments about our post cruise hotel and the things we do during our short overnight stay in Montreal. 

Edited September 3, 2023 by Blackduck59
Typo

[Haljo1935]

Here's hoping disembarkation is uneventful and the cruise memorable. 

Safe travels. 

[BRANDEE]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

We are back in our cabin, our tagged luggage in the hall. We opened the bottle of wine that HAL gave us and raised a glass to Canada, the true North strong and free.

The comedian tonight was Mike Robinson a good Canadian guy from Nova Scotia. It was a different show and equally as enjoyable. For us easily the best shows we saw on the world stage. We disembark tomorrow and we are overnight in Montreal. I will have observations about the disembarkation process as well as some comments about our post cruise hotel and the things we do during our short overnight stay in Montreal. 

Sounds like you enjoyed your cruise. Since you have only a short time in Montreal try to do the hop on/off to see the city.  If you have to choose one or two things to go inside, I suggest the Notre Dame Basilica and at night go to  L'Oratoire St Joseph ..a beautiful view of the city.  What hotel are you staying at?