New to HAL - have a lot of questions!

[Infi]

Hello everyone! We (my teen daughter and I) recently booked our first cruise on HAL's Westerdam for March. We love Celebrity and Princess, and thought it was a good time to try HAL, plus it was a great itinerary. I've been reading the forum for a few days, and I've managed to come up with (more than) a few questions. If anyone can help, I'd be much appreciative!

 

--Does anyone have any current menus? I've searched and found some older ones, but nothing recent. What is the Master Chef's dinner? Is there a Dutch-themed night on each cruise? Is the DR open every day for breakfast/lunch, or does it close on port days?

 

--We love the International Cafe on Princess and Cova on Celebrity. Is there anything similar on HAL? (Serves sandwiches, pastries, little snacks).

 

--Can someone describe a typical evening on HAL? We've recently been cruising Princess and have been pleased with the variety of offerings each night for entertainment. I know HAL is more sedate than most lines, but how sedate is that, exactly?

 

--Are the pools salt or freshwater? Heated or not?

 

--What is the typical experience of a teen on HAL? We'll be sailing during spring break time, so I'm sure there will be more kids/teens than usual, but if anyone has sailed with a teen on HAL, I'd love to hear your experience.

 

--Has anyone tried to have HAL recognize their cruises on Home lines for the Mariner society? (HAL bought Home lines in the 80s, and Princess has a similar situation with Sitmar and recognizes sailings with them, so I'm curious.)

 

 

Whew, that's a lot of questions. :eek: Thanks so much, again!

[dandro]

I see you are going to be sailing on the "Westy"...great ship!!!:)

 

The dining room IS open every day for breakfast and lunch, as is the Lido buffet.

 

There was no "Dutch themed" night on our cruise as far as I can recall.

 

Typical evening consists of some type of entertainment in the main showroom, and then some live music in a couple of the lounges...a rock band, a classical string quartet, the piano bar, a guitarist and late night dancing in the disco.

 

That's about all the questions I am qualified to answer, hopefully you will get your other questions answered by more knowledgeable posters.

[catl331]

The dining room may not be open for lunch on some port days.

 

The Lido pool is fresh water (desalinated sea water), but I'm not sure about the Sea View pool on the Westerdam. Neither are heated, but the roof on the Lido pool will be closed on chilly days to help keep the pool a little warmer.

 

There is an Explorations Cafe that serves coffee concoctions and gives free pastry with them. For other snacks you'll have to hit the Lido.

 

The Master Chef dinner is a "show" dinner, with singers in the center in the dining room and the stewards taking part in some numbers. Consequently, it drags out to a rather long meal. Also the menu is limited, and heavy with mushrooms!

 

Dutch Night is pretty much a thing of the past, especially on the Vista ships, but you will likely get the Nasi Goring or Bami Goreng one night.

[Infi]

Thanks dandro and catl331! You were both really helpful. :) catl331 - what is Nasi Goring and Bami Goreng? I take it those are the Dutch dishes?

 

I did think of another question - what drinks are available in the Lido? It it just water/iced tea, or are juices available?

[catl331]

Thanks dandro and catl331! You were both really helpful. :) catl331 - what is Nasi Goring and Bami Goreng? I take it those are the Dutch dishes?

No, actually they're Indonesian dishes, but for some reason they are (or were) usually served on Dutch Night! Nasi Goreng is based on fried rice, while Bami Goreng is made with stir-fried noodles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_goreng

 

I did think of another question - what drinks are available in the Lido? It it just water/iced tea, or are juices available?

Juices of all sorts are available for breakfast, including fresh-squeezed OJ (until they run out sometimes), but I don't remember any being available for lunch. You can get milk or coffee at lunch. We drink iced tea almost exclusively.

[Crew News]

"Does anyone have any current menus? I've searched and found some older ones, but nothing recent. What is the Master Chef's dinner? Is there a Dutch-themed night on each cruise? Is the DR open every day for breakfast/lunch, or does it close on port days?"

 

I have all of the menus from Westerdam cruise to Alaska a few months ago that I will be photographing this weekend. Since I am new here, not sure how to get them to you.

 

DR open everyday to include the last day. Skip the DR for breakfast and do room service. Room service comes from the Pinnacle Grill and is cooked to order (Order the night before by hanging the form on your door before bed.) I have a room service menu as well.

 

Master Chef's dinner is his recommendations for each night.

 

No Dutch-theme dinner on my cruise - our chef was German to the core.

[topspot]

We had two teens with us. They hung out in "The Loft" whenever there was some down time. Sometimes they came to an activity with us, sometimes chose to hang out with friends. There were teen activities scheduled, but our teens chose to just hang out in the loft. They had music and games and movies.

[Himself]

They don't do up the Dutch night like they did in years past. Now it is the MasterChef's dinner on the last night where we get to wear chef hats. All and all I think you will find HAL a wonderful line to sail on. Hope you have a great time.

[Debbie&Chaz]

We try to avoid the Master Chefs Dinner with the hats and entertainment. I always go to the Pinnacle as soon as we board to make reservations, they know which night the MC dinner will occur. We do this for a couple of reasons:

The menu choices are much more limited than usual in the main dining room for that meal. DW doesn't like any part of the tomato/celery salad. Neither of us care for the Baked Alaska, or the elaborate parade.

The waiters are so busy with the dancing and show, that you don't get the usual service. This is not a slam against the waiters - they seem to work MUCH harder on MC dinner nights, having to serve AND do the song and dance routine.

Dinner takes much longer than usual. Everyone on both levels has to wait for all other diners to finish each course, before the next "Act" can begin, so it usually takes at least 2 hours.

The Pinnacle grill is a wonderful alternative. We like to dine there at least once during each cruise, so this way we can enjoy the Pinnacle AND miss the MC dinner.

[Mary Ellen]

No, actually they're Indonesian dishes, but for some reason they are (or were) usually served on Dutch Night! Nasi Goreng is based on fried rice, while Bami Goreng is made with stir-fried noodles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_goreng

You can also check wiki for some reason Indonesian dishes would be served on Dutch night. There IS a Dutch connection to Indonesia.

 

 

I have a friend who sails HAL and Princess. The thing that disappoints her on HAL is the lack of options in evening entertainment. That isn't HAL's strong suit. She does greatly prefer the HAL beds to those on Princess though.