Why I like HAL dining better X...keep it simple!

[rubrrick]

If the Caribbean season is that short (I'm usually IN the Caribbean by October) then I guess it will be a good year to try out some other brands.

 

I was happy enough with the Princess ships to go again. And Royal is always a good bet if they don't have the same sort of schedule. Princess has dynamite itineraries. And after the HAL, I may be considering them, too. My ta wants me to do Crystal. Options, options!

 

 

Tuggers...........we were just on the Westerdam for a cruise in December on the Westerdam..........and just when they put up the Christmas decorations. We loved the ship, the food............and some of the fellow passengers that we met. That was our 4th cruise on HAL, and to date, the best. I won't get into what we don't like about HAL, but if we find a "deal" we will do them again in a heartbeat!!

 

All of this does not mean that we are not loyal to RCCL and X. If they had their act together for itinerary's, sending a smaller ship (Legend of the Seas) on an around the world type of cruise..........we would be there in a nanosecond. We much prefer an Owners Suite on RCCL to a S category suite on HAL. I absolutely detest entertaining in my bedroom, and that is the experience that HAL gives us. And all of that pails to our RS experience on X.

 

Rick

[tuggers]

Lisa, sorry, I'm the world's worst at changing my signature. I canceled the Galaxy after the Mercury fiasco. Just wanted to take a little break from X and the treatment by the exec's.

I'm doing 25 nights on Prinsendam, sailing the Amazon, leaving 4/26.

[tuggers]

MaBell, maybe I should go to the galley and show them how we make meatloaf in the south??:D

Actually, I had my eye on the liver! Hope they have grilled onions with it!

[ocngypz]

While Celebrity's menu has the definite French influence with some "fusion" added, HAL's menus are broader in scope. Comfort food, Indonesian, Dutch and other north central Europe influences.. and of course, the good old rack of lamb.

 

Their lunch buffets are much better than Celebrity's... and be sure to be standing by when the chocolate chip cookies come out of the oven. OMG

 

And then there is the legendary HAL bread pudding. I wish they would put in on the breakfast menu!

 

You are on a great itinerary. I've done it. Have a great time!!

[dileep]

Maybe the return postings will say (in the usual couresty manner) that I am a bumpkin, but I really prefer the food on HAL to X for the simple reason, that I understand what I am ordering. For my taste, the X menu tries too hard to be 'gourmet'....for example, I was bold and ordered "terrine' on X...turns out to be a cold gelatin with mushrooms inside. And yes, it was as bad as it sounds. And a fish named Bream, news to me ! Bucatini with Duck Confit ???? And for dessert...Joconde Biscuit Alize, uh ? Paris Brest ? what ? Yes, they do have a vague-ish description for the ONLY the entrees, and yes I could have asked the always ready-to-explain waiter....But I just like a simpler to understand menu and a less trying dinner time. Any others out there ? Or should I find a table with Beverly Hillbillies and use the 'pot passers' !

 

We always ask our waiter and he tells us what he recommends on the menu each day. If we don't like it, he is happy to bring something else. X also has certain things that are off menu and avilable everyday, e.g. Caesar Salad.

[ala-kat]

Maybe the return postings will say (in the usual couresty manner) that I am a bumpkin, but I really prefer the food on HAL to X for the simple reason, that I understand what I am ordering. For my taste, the X menu tries too hard to be 'gourmet'....for example, I was bold and ordered "terrine' on X...turns out to be a cold gelatin with mushrooms inside. And yes, it was as bad as it sounds. And a fish named Bream, news to me ! Bucatini with Duck Confit ???? And for dessert...Joconde Biscuit Alize, uh ? Paris Brest ? what ? Yes, they do have a vague-ish description for the ONLY the entrees, and yes I could have asked the always ready-to-explain waiter....But I just like a simpler to understand menu and a less trying dinner time. Any others out there ? Or should I find a table with Beverly Hillbillies and use the 'pot passers' !

 

All OP was asking for is a down to earth description of what s/he is ordering. Not too much to ask.

[tuggers]

Lisa, at least you spurred me to change my signature!:)

[Andy]

Lisa, at least you spurred me to change my signature!:)

 

Good Work Gail .... I will get to work on mine now :)

[TourDeCruise]

Agreed that both HAL and Celebrity have wonderful food! Another 5 months for us until Celebrity’s good food.

Ocngypz:Thanks for reminding me about HAL’s delicious bread pudding. Also, made me think of the fresh squeezed orange juice in the cafeteria too.

Gail: Your upcoming cruise sounds fabulous. Not to worry. HAL’s food is definitely not boring! My husband and I are not meat-and-potatoes people at all. But speaking of potatoes, we did have delicious wasabi mash potatoes. Yum! As a sample of what we had on our March Maasdam cruise: for dinners and lunches, we had Indian, Indonesian/Thai, and Caribbean various times; delicious fish including pecan & apricot encrusted (separately, not together); prawns, crab legs; surf & turf on Baked Alaska night. Most every night I had crepes or flambé. We had Cherries Jubilee with our Baked Alaska. They always had 1-2 vegetarian options on the dinner menu and often Italian. Sorry, but I didn’t pay much attention to the meat, pasta, or poultry dishes unless they were Thai or filet mignon, but my husband liked a game bird in wine sauce, similar to Celebrity’s coq au vin. Have a wonderful time on your cruise.

[tuggers]

Thanks for the insight, tour. I'm told the buffets at lunch and breakfast are better than X (course that wouldn't have to be too good to beat theirs!) and after having them forced upon us on Mercury, I am definitely NOT a fan!

Is the breakfast good in the dining room? I was down to a bowl of cereal on X! I usually like the specialty things I don't get often.

Andy, did you go look up my new laptop? I hope it's nice. Lord knows it's costing me enough!!!

[Andy]

Lisa, at least you spurred me to change my signature!:)

 

Gail, you spurred me to change My Signature :)

[hdawson]

On my one HAL cruise, I found the DR food to be very good. Not a match for Celebrity though. The last night of my cruise I ordered the meatloaf with red wine sauce. WHAT A JOKE! The very WORST meatloaf of my 67 years.

[tuggers]

Sure was a lot of spurring going on, huh, Andy?:D

And you've got some interesting things booked. Good for you!

And I'll remember to stay away from the meatloaf, hd! MaBell had already told me about her hardboiled egg filled meat loaf!!

[nanashirl]

Now You Are Talking Food!!! Good Old Texas Bar-b-q. Don't See That On Cruises. I Guess We Will Fit Right In On Ha As We Like Plain Old American Food. Nice When You Can Read The Menu And Know What You Are Ordering.

[TourDeCruise]

Gail: We only periodically use the cafeteria when cruising, but I like the way Maasdam (only HAL ship I have been on but 2X on it) has separate "islands" for desserts & salad plus the easy-to-access fresh squeezed orange juice area. The "islands" reduce the lines. Hopefully, the other HAL ships have the islands. Although we ate breakfast in the DR, we went up to the cafeteria for fresh squeezed orange juice each morning and a few times for the bread pudding.

 

The blueberry pancakes and Spanish frittata were great in the DR. They also had 2-3 specials each morning plus the fixed breakfast menu, so we could vary the breakfast. Also, we had a free (included) cappucino bar (Java Cafe) -- I don't know if that is unique to the Maasdam, unique to our sailing, or across the entire fleet. Also, (included) popcorn for movies. Movie selection both times on Maasdam was much better than Celebrity selection (10x on Celebrity).

 

So sorry to read about the Mercury experience. That sounded like a nightmare. Maasdam (& hopefully the entire fleet) had plenty of the sanitizer stations like Celebrity.

 

Hopefully tonight I will be dreaming of the bananas foster and crepe suzette!

 

Kathy

[Andy]

Sure was a lot of spurring going on, huh, Andy?:D

And you've got some interesting things booked. Good for you!

 

Hi Gail !

 

Thanks. I am very much looking forward to the Cruises. I actually have a 4th Cruise Booked on Constellation for 4/13/07. She does the old 10 Night, Ultimate Caribbean that Summit used to do. That is probably the best Caribbean itinerary that Celebrity has. The second best Caribbean itinerary, is the 9 night itinerary we did on Century in November. We enjoyed that one very much, but that one is no longer on the schedule. Perhaps they will bring it back down the road. I hope so.

[Margarita1time]

I was on The Zuiderdam last fall. Absolute worst food I've had on a cruise. We were at a table for 10, and there were many quiet complaints at our table. I was disappointed in my HAL experience. Probably will stick with X, as I've always been more than pleased with the service and food.