Museli is ruined 😢 No more jam and cream for tea 😭 Lido closed 8pm to 10pm 😫

[laurap414]

Just got off Zuiderdam and I was very unpleasantly surprised at the HAL changes implemented since we sailed on Noordam last year.

 

First, I used to love muesli on HAL. It was served in individual small glasses and each serving had little julienned apples on top. It was creamy and delicious. Now (probably as a result of fleet wide food waste initiative) the muesli is served out of a big bowl. The recipe is different, now it's gloppy and gelatinous. No apples either (not that apples would save it). In any case it was inedible to me in comparison to the previous version I used to really enjoy.

 

Also for the royal Dutch tea they don't give you jam and cream anymore with the scones. The scones are pre-assembled with cream and jam inside and all you get is one tower of treats. Probably another food waste initiative implemented by the corporate accounting team. 

 

Finally and most unbelievably, the Lido is completely closed from 8pm to 10pm. No late night snacks or dessert, not even cookies! Just some pieces of fruit and beverages. To me this is absolutely insane.

 

All of this, combined with the removal of all the nice music (e.g. Lincoln Center) and various other changes and reductions is really the last straw for me. We were almost 4 star mariners too. 😢 

[FlorenceItaly]

I will be on the Zuiderdam in November(14 day Boston to FLL) and I do not have a drink package.  Do you recall any happy hour details?  Did you spend any time in the casino?

I appreciate you sharing about your trip.  I am sorry it was disappointing.

[laurap414]

53 minutes ago, FlorenceItaly said:

I will be on the Zuiderdam in November(14 day Boston to FLL) and I do not have a drink package.  Do you recall any happy hour details?  Did you spend any time in the casino?

I appreciate you sharing about your trip.  I am sorry it was disappointing.

There was a happy hour in Billboard on the sea day. We don't drink so I didn't notice. The casino was packed so we didn't play anything. 

[sunviking90]

It is very disappointing when they change your favorite things. I’m not sure that the short lido hours are new though. We noticed this on the Zuiderdam 2 years ago. We came back after being onshore in Juneau and just wanted a light snack before dinner and all was closed. We were directed to Dive In which had a huge line up, and not what we had in mind anyway.

We noticed the short hours again on Volendam last fall. This past week on the Nieuw Amsterdam we were getting tea at 8pm in the lido and people asking for food were directed to the MDR! Logically, you would think the lido would be the place to go for off hours food, but not on HAL!

Regardless, we had a wonderful time, and actually noticed a few things much improved since our last 2 HAL cruises.

[tupper10]

What we do is just order room service.  Luckily on HAL this is still free.

[I like vacation]

Wasn't the Lido open after 10pm?  We have snacked there after 10pm numerous times with the performers.

[Cruise Suzy]

2 hours ago, laurap414 said:

they don't give you jam and cream anymore with the scones. The scones are pre-assembled with cream and jam inside and all you get is one tower of treats. Probably another food waste initiative implemented by the corporate accounting team. 

Has been this way since at least 2019 for "regular" tea time. You can ask for additional tower(s).

Edited September 8 by Cruise Suzy

[kapitch]

I am a Museli lover as well, but have never seen it available in individual bowls.  Past cruises, one had to ask a HAL server to dish it out.  This past cruise, on the Volendam, it was offered in a large bowl which makes accessing it easier.  Shoestring apple pieces were plentiful.  Also available were toppings, including slivered almonds which I found to be very tasty on the Museli.

[3rdGenCunarder]

13 minutes ago, kapitch said:

I am a Museli lover as well, but have never seen it available in individual bowls.  Past cruises, one had to ask a HAL server to dish it out.  This past cruise, on the Volendam, it was offered in a large bowl which makes accessing it easier.  Shoestring apple pieces were plentiful.  Also available were toppings, including slivered almonds which I found to be very tasty on the Museli.

 

Another example of how things vary from ship to ship.

[sunviking90]

1 hour ago, I like vacation said:

Wasn't the Lido open after 10pm?  We have snacked there after 10pm numerous times with the performers.

On our recent cruise it closed at 8pm and reopened for snacks at 10 pm. This is nice for people who to snack that late (and I suspect is to accommodate the shifts of some staff), but doesn’t help those who want to dine after 8 pm. They aren’t going to want to wait until 10 pm for dinner.

[sunviking90]

15 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Another example of how things vary from ship to ship.

Very good point. We have noticed certain items served completely differently from one ship to another.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, sunviking90 said:

On our recent cruise it closed at 8pm and reopened for snacks at 10 pm. This is nice for people who to snack that late (and I suspect is to accommodate the shifts of some staff), but doesn’t help those who want to dine after 8 pm. They aren’t going to want to wait until 10 pm for dinner.

 

And it isn't dinner, I think it's late snack. Don't know what that is because I usually don't snack after dinner (I can't get to sleep if I eat late), but I didn't think it's a big meal.

[julia]

The Lido hours have ALWAYS been an issue for us!!

[oakridger]

Yep.  The Lido hours really need to be open between 8 and 10pm even with a limited menu.

 

~Nancy

[Cruise Junky]

This has always been so strange to me. HAL has been trying to shake the old folks home image with some great lively music entertainment but then closes the Dive In at 6 and the Lido at 8. Makes no sense.  

[Crew News]

6 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

And it isn't dinner, I think it's late snack. Don't know what that is because I usually don't snack after dinner (I can't get to sleep if I eat late), but I didn't think it's a big meal.

Just for clarification:

 

Food service personnel, as well as Room Stewards, work split shifts that are dictated by available crew meal and training times.

 

After reviewing my daily programs for the past few years, the Lido Market closes at either 8:00 or 8:30 PM each evening.  On every ship in the fleet and for the many years that I have been collecting menus, the Lido reopens at 10:30 PM for the Late Night Buffet.

 

The Late Snack is for those crew members who are shift workers (entertainers, Spa, Shops, etc) but all passengers are welcome,  The first few Late Snack nights always have many passengers but as passenger clothing becomes tighter, they stop coming for their fourth meal each day.  It is an especially nice opportunity to pick up charcuterie items for your stateroom without waiting in a long line at the regular Lido Market hours.  FWIW the cubed Specialty cheeses change each evening.  The menus begin on Embarkation Day and run in 7-day cycles regardless of cruise segment duration. The menus are served on every l HAL ship in the region.  Sample:  Late Snack Menu Alaska Day 04

 

If I remember the year correctly, before 2018, when the US government ordered that food prep/service was restricted to fixed locations with appropriate ventilation and open flames were banned, there was always a cookout beside the Lido pool on late port nights for those returning from late excursions.

[sambamama]

Lincoln Center being gone is old news. Apparently on a few ships and a few cruises, there is classical musical music. On my 3 time canceled 14 night Singapore to Hong Kong cruise (which would have had Lincoln Center), there was absolutely no classical music. There were no solo meetups. There was no tuna at the salad bar. There were no  rolls at lunch. The bread selectionin theMDR and the Pinnacle had dropped to almost nothing. And yes, the Lido was closed the same hours you mentioned.At the 100% single supplement I must pay for acruise, it absolutely is not worth it any more. I doubt I will be booking any more cruises on HAL until their pricing policies change. 

[syesmar]

13 hours ago, laurap414 said:

…First, I used to love muesli on HAL. It was served in individual small glasses and each serving had little julienned apples on top. It was creamy and delicious. Now (probably as a result of fleet wide food waste initiative) the muesli is served out of a big bowl. The recipe is different, now it's gloppy and gelatinous. No apples either (not that apples would save it). In any case it was inedible to me in comparison to the previous version I used to really enjoy.…

We have loved the muesli on HAL, as well. We did notice some years back the difference on some ships between the Lido preparation and that of In-Room Dining. Often the consistency was completely different. For us, it tended to be much better—the version we’re used to on HAL—when ordering In-Room Dining. (Although on a few ships, we loved it in the Lido) Anyone else experience this?

Edited September 9 by syesmar

[laurap414]

I ordered muesli in MDR and it was same gloppy stuff. I would assume room service to be same. Museli needs to "cook" overnight in fridge so I would assume they'd make one batch for the ship.

[WriterOnDeck]

51 minutes ago, laurap414 said:

I ordered muesli in MDR and it was same gloppy stuff. I would assume room service to be same. Museli needs to "cook" overnight in fridge so I would assume they'd make one batch for the ship.

Different kitchen for room service and Lido so they may well be different.

[Rubyfisch]

19 hours ago, Crew News said:

Just for clarification:

 

Food service personnel, as well as Room Stewards, work split shifts that are dictated by available crew meal and training times.

 

After reviewing my daily programs for the past few years, the Lido Market closes at either 8:00 or 8:30 PM each evening.  On every ship in the fleet and for the many years that I have been collecting menus, the Lido reopens at 10:30 PM for the Late Night Buffet.

 

The Late Snack is for those crew members who are shift workers (entertainers, Spa, Shops, etc) but all passengers are welcome,  The first few Late Snack nights always have many passengers but as passenger clothing becomes tighter, they stop coming for their fourth meal each day.  It is an especially nice opportunity to pick up charcuterie items for your stateroom without waiting in a long line at the regular Lido Market hours.  FWIW the cubed Specialty cheeses change each evening.  The menus begin on Embarkation Day and run in 7-day cycles regardless of cruise segment duration. The menus are served on every l HAL ship in the region.  Sample:  Late Snack Menu Alaska Day 04

 

If I remember the year correctly, before 2018, when the US government ordered that food prep/service was restricted to fixed locations with appropriate ventilation and open flames were banned, there was always a cookout beside the Lido pool on late port nights for those returning from late excursions.

On Zuiderdam in August, it was 10 to 11, not 10:30 to 11:30.

[rj59]

I was on Westerdam last week, and they brought back a 3-piece classical trio in the Explorer's Lounge, without having to play a corporate playlist on ipads, the same on every ship, every cruise, as Lincoln Center did. Also, what I do is make a trip to the buffet before it closes at 8 and then make a cheese/charcuterie/bread plate for a late-night snack, or else a big salad bowl with cheese and bread, and then a bowl of fruit for when I wake up. I bring a plastic tray with me so it's easy to carry things to my room. The staff have been up since before 6 am usually, so they'd probably appreciate not having to work until late for those whom an MDR meal and buffet visit before 8 isn't enough. There's also room service at any time, still free on HAL. I don't know if they still do it, but I used to also order some MDR items, like a salad and creme brulee, and have it as a late-night snack after the buffet closed. I remember they used to keep the pasta station open late too, so I always rushed there after the early show (production shows, remember those?). I know 'HAL is going downhill' threads are popular (although I've never heard any muesli rants before), but there has also been a lot of improvements I've noticed. They usually have cereal out before buffet opening in the morning and will open up pastries early too, so early risers like me have something to eat before the hordes arrive. I've noticed more new MDR meals, particularly the Alaska ones, that I like (really good salmon bowls). They have a crepe machine by the ice cream now in the evening. There are also varied lunch menus, instead of a single one. There was nothing like Orange Party before, and with Princess having Love Boat deck parties and Celebrity having silent discos, it helps them liven things up a bit. It seems to me that MDR portions are getting larger, and the dining room at last having some diversity--there were 4 Thai females in the MDR on Westerdam. They also had a mints table again. I also noticed a lot of crew are wearing a pullover blue-striped shirt that looks nice and is probably more comfortable to work in. I also really love the return of libraries, and in a separate space, not among the noise of the Crow's Nest, with multiple copies of books that have been carefully curated.  

[cruiseaholic78]

On 9/8/2024 at 10:13 PM, laurap414 said:

First, I used to love muesli on HAL. It was served in individual small glasses and each serving had little julienned apples on top. It was creamy and delicious. Now (probably as a result of fleet wide food waste initiative) the muesli is served out of a big bowl. The recipe is different, now it's gloppy and gelatinous. No apples either (not that apples would save it). In any case it was inedible to me in comparison to the previous version I used to really enjoy.

I hope they haven’t done away with the dispensers for breakfast cereals including servings of Granola! It took me a while to find them but I take my Granola in a bowl then off to the yoghurt station to get some Greek yogurt which I top off with some dates/figs/nuts etc and I am good to go.

I hate sloppy muesli too but love Granola so I am hoping this will still be available next month on Zuiderdam.

[luv2kroooz]

On 9/8/2024 at 11:52 PM, Cruise Junky said:

This has always been so strange to me. HAL has been trying to shake the old folks home image with some great lively music entertainment but then closes the Dive In at 6 and the Lido at 8. Makes no sense.  

This is a great point. We are under 50 trying our first HAL cruise in a few months. We prefer to eat later when the rush dies down. I am glad we know of this so our expectations have been reset. We will be fine, first world problems, but your point is so well made!

[Roz]

On 9/9/2024 at 4:52 AM, Cruise Junky said:

This has always been so strange to me. HAL has been trying to shake the old folks home image with some great lively music entertainment but then closes the Dive In at 6 and the Lido at 8. Makes no sense.  

I'm on the Caribbean Princess right now. There are some real problems with this cruise, but I do like the International Cafe being open 24 hours a day, with coffee drinks and sandwiches,  pastries,  snacks, etc. available.