Rotterdam - NY to Ft. Lauderdale-10/29-11/12/04

[Nancy K]

Just returned from the Rotterdam. Had a fantastic time - weather so so but did not put a damper on our cruise. Mainly I am writing this because of all the talk about the food and MEATLOAF! There is a new category called "Comfort food" which was where the meatloaf was. This category also consisted of pot roast (very good), roast pork, etc. - all comfortable, down home foods - all delicious! Friends had the meatloaf and said it was very good. I was going to have it but there was something else I wanted more which, unfortunately for our waistlines, was the finding every night! There is also a new pasta pasta entree which we got on the side a couple of nights because we couldn't make up our minds! The food on this trip was phenomenal! There were several friends who came home with unworn clothes because they were too tight!!!

If there are cutbacks on HAL they surely were not noticeable on this trip. The crew was fantastic as usual - very friendly and very helpful. There is no way you could expect better service!

[sail7seas]

Welcome Home, Nancy.


Thanks for sharing news about your Rotterdam cruise. We've just started hearing about these menu changes in the last few days. None of this existed on our October Zuiderdam cruise so it is very new.

Happy you enjoyed Rotterdam and had a great cruise. She's a gorgeous ship IMO

[tomc]

Hi Nancy...

You took the Martz bus in, too?

I was getting off the ship as you were heading in to the city to get on. The comfort foods category was not on the menu when we departed, so you were trip #1 to see it. I'll have to wait 31 weeks and 6 days to find out what it's like.

[localady]

Thanks for the report Nancy!! We are waitin (not so patiently:rolleyes: ) for the next 18 days until our cruise on the Rotterdam!:)

:cool:

[Ziggy7]

Thanks for sharing with us, glad you had a wonderful time :) Welcome home! :)

[LizB1]

Welcome home Nancy!! Glad to hear you (and GayleArc) had such a great time and wish we could have joined you all this cruise. Appreciate your reports about the new food catagories and will look forward to the pasta pasta on our long Maasdam cruise next July as I don't want meat (or fish) every night for 35-days.

Have a great winter and look forward to your Volendam cruise next April!!

Liz

[doone]

Nancy, welcome home and thanks so much for the clarification on the meatloaf and comfort foods. Glad you enjoyed the Rotterdam and happy to hear she's still A #1.

[willowtak]

I too was on this cruise. I didn't know this was the first time for "comfort food". I loved the "comfort food" as I am not a fancy food person.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Nancy K

Welcome home.

So glad you had a wonderful time on your Rotterdam cruise.

It has been interesting reading about these new "confort food" sections on the menus the last few days. We didn't have anything like that on our Oct/Nov cruise on the Statendam.

[RuthC]

Welcome home, Nancy. Glad to hear that if the weather couldn't be good at least you had good food for consolation.

As long as the "comfort food" is good, and isn't replacing anything else it sounds like an additional choice. That can't be bad.

[catlib55]

Thanks for such positive feedback on the Rotterdam. We leave in 18 days (but who's counting?). Can't wait to get on that ship!!
Mary Ellen

[Nancy K]

I am glad I could clear up some of the food confusion and for those of you going on my favorite dam - Rotterdam - soon I envy you! I will be anxious to hear what you guys think of the new additions to the menu - and yes, they are additions because the other usual choices are also there. There is only one salad now to choose from but you are now able to get a Caesar salad every night if you want which I did if I didn't like a particular salad. That is at the bottom of the menu with several other choices you can get nightly. The interesting thing on the Rotterdam is the head chef is from either Mexico or South America (I think Mexico) and the food all has more flavor to it - and NO it does not taste like Mexican food so don't even think that. There is just more zip and flavor to the food which is a plus. From what everyone said that had just returned from recent cruises I am wondering if these are just additions with the new chef. I don't think so though because I thought all menu plans came from Seattle. Well anyway, keep us informed and ENJOY THE ROTTERDAM!! and all other dams!

[Arubalisa]

Nancy, thanks for the great info.

That is at the bottom of the menu with several other choices you can get nightly.
Would two of those choices be either or/and salmon & NY Strip?

Does it seem correct to assume that all the HAL ships menus will be changing over to this menu set up? Or does HAL do these changes as tests?

[Pudgesmom]

We have just returned from the Oosterdam, and the menu changes that NancyK describes were all available on our ship. I think maybe our chef was not from Mexico, as our food was not highly seasoned at all. In fact, we would have preferred more seasoning, as even the entrees listed as "hot' were somewhat bland.
Beth

[Nancy K]

To Arubalisa - I am sorry, I really don't remember salmon or NY Strip steak. I remember there was grilled chicken, caesar salad. I think there was some sort of steak - there were several choices. Once I saw grilled chicken and caesar salad I didn't look any further.

I am glad to hear someone else had those menus. Now we know they are being instituted on all ships. The thing is, depending on the chef, the food is well flavored or not. The menus may be the same but they all aren't cooked the same.

[Chris uk]

Would two of those choices be either or/and salmon & NY Strip?

the daily alternatives are as follows

Caesar Salad
Grilled Salmon
Broilrd ChickenBreast
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Baked Potato with sour cream,chives and bacon bits

[Nancy K]

Thank you Chris uk for clearing up the daily choices. I only looked at it for 13 days - what would ever make me remember that! :=) Probably because there was so much other good food I didn't need to go there!