First-timer has questions!

[justducky]

We're set for our first HAL cruise (Statendam to Alaska), and have several questions:

Which nights are the formal dinners? Is the menu special on those nights? Can hubby wear a sport coat and tie rather than a suit?

On one of the port days we're taking a HAL shore excursion that will get us back to the ship after our dinner seating. We'll probably want room service. Does it offer the same menu as the dining room so we won't feel like we're "missing" anything?

Thanks for your guidance!

[HAL92]

We're set for our first HAL cruise (Statendam to Alaska), and have several questions:

Which nights are the formal dinners? Is the menu special on those nights? Can hubby wear a sport coat and tie rather than a suit?

On one of the port days we're taking a HAL shore excursion that will get us back to the ship after our dinner seating. We'll probably want room service. Does it offer the same menu as the dining room so we won't feel like we're "missing" anything?

Thanks for your guidance!

Formal dinners are on the (full) days at sea. The menu changes each night, but usually it's the best on the second formal night, which is also the "farewell dinner", even though it's not the last night of the cruise (it's the sixth night in a seven day cruise). Although a suit is recommended for formal nights, a sport coat and tie is within the dress code, so yes he can wear that.......but I still recommend the suit for formal nights.....

As far as the room service, I'm not sure if that's the best option.....you might want to consider the Lido restaurant or the Pinnacle Grill as opposed to room service, in those places there is no set time (Pinnacle requires reservations though, but at whatever time you want.....Lido is a buffet that is open all night)......but I've never had room service for dinner so I can't really answer that question.

[grannynurse]

If you want to order from the dinner menu and have it delivered from room service it's usually necessary to order during the first 30 minutes that the DR is open. Room service is available 24/7 but with a smaller menu.
When many of us were going to be onshore in Victoria (6pm-midnight) there were different DR arrangements made to accommodate. They also have a bigger spread in the Lido which was open later than usual.
GN

[Krazy Kruizers]

justducky

I see that you are new here. Welcome.

I have done your cruise on the Statendam - but you didn;t say whether you were going northbound or southbound. It makes a difference.

Northbound your formal nights are Monday and Friday.

Southbound your formal nights are Monday and Thursday.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Concerning the dinner that you will miss because of an excursion. Unfortunately you would have to order between 5:30 and 6 PM in order to order from the main dinner menu. And from what you said, that won;t be possible.

But this is what is available 24/7 and from noon to 10 PM:

Available 24 hours:

Smoked Atlantic Salmon - pickled red onion, capers & cream cheese

Mesclun Garden Greens - tomato, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts & blue cheese crumbles

Triple Decker Club Sandwich - sliced turkey, ham, bacon, tomato & lettuce served on toasted bread of your choice

All American Hamburger - broiled 1/4 pound beef patty on a sesame bun with dill pickle & coleslaw - add cheddar or Swiss cheese

Open faced Omelet - ham & cheese or vegetables

Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

Apple tart with whipped cream

Chocolate cake with raspberry sauce

A plate of chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk

Fruit salad - selected fruits in season


Available from 12 noon until 10 PM:

Appetizers & Soups:
Bay shrimp cocktail with cocktail sauce
Smoked Atlantic Salmon
French onion soup baked with Gruyere cheese
Soup of the day

Salads:
Mesclun Garden Greens
Chef salad - mixed greens, ham, salami, swiss cheese, turkey, hard boiled egg - choice of Italian or blue cheese dressing
Caesar salad - tossed with Caesar dressing, croutons & parmesan - add bay shrimp or grilled chicken breast

Sandwiches & Burgers:
All are served with a choice of potato salad or potato chips

Triple decker club sandwich
Broiled California chicken breast sandwich on multi=grain bread with avocado & honey mustard sauce
Grilled tuna melt - tuna salad & Swiss cheese on rye bread with pickle spears
Thai Vegetarian wrap - eggplant, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts & cilantro rolled with rice & green curry sauce in a tomato tortilla
Steak sandwich - sirloin steak on sourdough bread sauteed with onion & bell pepper
All American Hamburger

Entrees:
Seared salmon steak - dill-lime fusion, broccoli florets, carrot batonnet & country mashed potatoes
Penne Primavera - tossed in marinara sauce with Italian roasted vegetables - add grilled chicken breast
Pizza:
margarita (tomato sauce & cheese)
Pepperoni
Vegetarian (mushroom & bell pepper)

Desserts:
Apple tart
Chocolate cake
Creme caramel surrounded in berry compote
Fruit jello
fruit salad
Vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce
Selection of assorted cheese with crackers

[bicker]

Yipes, that's pretty restrictive -- having to order in just that thin slot of time to get decent meals in the cabin. :eek:

That's a decent lunch menu, but for dinner -- bleh.

[Krazy Kruizers]

That's HAL's ruling - sorry.

[bicker]

Ayup... glad to have learned of this in advances. Is this actually mentioned anywhere, other than the room service menu (where I presume it is mentioned prominently)?

[justducky]

I appreciate all the advice--this is a great forum. Krazy, we are going northbound, and then in Seward are renting a car to drive around on our own.

We don't like to travel with a lot of luggage, so it will be a challenge packing for the variety of weather we have been told to expect. When one is on deck viewing wildlife (or on excursions), is a fleece jacket OK or something more winter weight, like a light "ski" jacket? I've read that we should bring hat, gloves and scarf, but how do you take photos with gloves on? We're planning to bring goretex jackets, but should we also have goretex pants? Would a poncho work better than a jacket?

So many questions! Thanks for your patience.

[MissWindyCity]

We're set for our first HAL cruise (Statendam to Alaska), and have several questions:

Which nights are the formal dinners? Is the menu special on those nights? Can hubby wear a sport coat and tie rather than a suit?

On one of the port days we're taking a HAL shore excursion that will get us back to the ship after our dinner seating. We'll probably want room service. Does it offer the same menu as the dining room so we won't feel like we're "missing" anything?

Thanks for your guidance!

Just curious...which port day gets you back too late for dinner? I am not familiar with the itinerary on the Statendam. We just returned from the Oosterdam and never had an issue making it to dinner in the dining room. On our one late night in port at Victoria...they offered dinner earlier than normal so we were able to have dinner before getting off for the evening excursions. Also, The Lido always had late night buffet with a lot of variety at about 11pm. Many times, I saw items at the late buffet that were served at dinner earlier in the evening.

What kind of room are you in? We had a suite and the concierge could usually make an arrangement for you if you wanted to change to a later seating. We were also told by the dining room manager to let him know if we wanted a special dinner sent to our room instead of the dining room...it could be arranged. We found that the staff was extremely accomodating. There is always an option available.

I hope this helps...if you have any other questions, please ask. This was our first HAL cruise and we loved it. I have pictures posted on the link below if you are interested in looking at them!:)

[hikergirl]

. When one is on deck viewing wildlife (or on excursions), is a fleece jacket OK or something more winter weight, like a light "ski" jacket? I've read that we should bring hat, gloves and scarf, but how do you take photos with gloves on? We're planning to bring goretex jackets, but should we also have goretex pants? Would a poncho work better than a jacket?.

What month are you sailing? We sailed north bound late June/early July. We had great sunny weather almost all days. It was chllly looking at the glaciers. I would recommend bringing at least a gore-tex jacket and something warm for underneath. I wore a long leave tee shirt, a light fleece shirt, and my gore-tex jacket and I was fine. I was also comfortable wearing this on my excursions. I also wore a hat and light weight gloves for a while at the glacier. As they say, dress like an onion, so you can peel off layers as the day warms up. I prefer a gore-tex jacket to a poncho. I think it will keep you warmer. We didn't see much rain, except for a bit in Denali, so I am not sure about the gore-tex pants. If you have a veranda room, you can watch wildlife and the glaciers from your own veranda where it is less windy and warmer than out on the bow.

[O2B@C]

... We don't like to travel with a lot of luggage, so it will be a challenge packing for the variety of weather we have been told to expect. When one is on deck viewing wildlife (or on excursions), is a fleece jacket OK or something more winter weight, like a light "ski" jacket? ...

.... As they say, dress like an onion, so you can peel off layers as the day warms up. ...

justducky: The above advice from hikergirl is exactly right. Pack layers. In unpredictable weather which can vary from sunny and in the 60s to rainy and in the 40s, and everything in between, all on the same day, you don't want a ski jacket. What you want is a lightweight outermost layer that is waterproof and windproof, like goretex or nylon; a warm but lightweight layer like a fleece pullover under that; and a light shirt on the bottom, either long-sleeved (e.g., cotton turtleneck) or short-sleeved (t-shirt) depending on how warm it seems likely to get that day. For glacier viewing, or on extra cold days, add scarf, gloves, and hat, and perhaps lightweight long underwear (e.g., silk, which gives fabulous insulation for its weight). For rain, you can bring goretex overpants if you have them, but unless you're planning extensive outdoor activities in the rain, you probably won't need them. Gloves can be removed temporarily for photography - it's not like you'll get frostbite or anything!

Most important: Have a fabulous time! Alaska is incredibly beautiful! Enjoy your cruise!

[NoNoNanette]

Lido is a buffet that is open all night)......but I've never had room service for dinner so I can't really answer that question.

Are you certain of that?

(My only experience on HAL has been the Volendam/Caribbean, and the LIDO BUFFET was open for a very limited time.)

Room Service was AB-FAB! :)

[justducky]

Nanette, what kind of offerings are on the room service menu? I'm not a late eater, so if I haven't eaten (in room or at Lido) before 10, I'm waiting for breakfast!

Speaking of breakfast, do people normally eat in the dining room or in the buffet?

Hikergirl and O2B@C, thanks for specific guidance on clothes. Cruise starts 8/26. We do have a veranda, but I've heard that it's better to be on deck, so you can see both port and starboard. What is your opinion?

Planning to wear jeans a lot, so I'm concerned that if they get wet (doesn't it rain all the time in Ketchikan?) I'll be cold and wet.

WindyCity, we get back to the ship after 8 pm in Skagway (taking a Glacier Point Wilderness Safari through HAL). I'll ask about options the day before.

I think we overdid it on the port excursions, especially since we have plenty of time in Alaska following the cruise. In Ketchikan we booked a plane to Traitor's Cove for bear/salmon watching (but that means we miss Misty Fjords!!), in Juneau we booked a helicopter for dog sledding atop Mendenhall (and could go whale watching in afternoon if desired), in Skagway we paddle to Davidson Glacier, and in Seward we're on a 6-hour boat tour of Kenai Fjords National Park.

Happily, we'll spend the next 3 days quietly driving around Kenai Peninsula before going to Anchorage, then Denali for a couple days, then home from Fairbanks. I hope by the end of this I'm not saying, "oh, just another breathtaking vista" or "just another moose."

[NoNoNanette]

Hi Ducky-

You might want to read my VOLENDAM REVIEW.... there's a link to it in my signature.

My husband and I opted to enjoy room service each night of our 10 day December cruise.

You need to order within the first 30-45 minutes of the first dining room seating.

You can order ANYTHING off of the dining room menu.

On our first day, I called the room service number, introduced myself, and informed them that Dom and I would like to have dinner delivered each night.

We were assigned a "waiter" who would deliver our menu each afternoon.

As long as you order when asked to, you can basically eat anytime. We made it a point to tell our guy, "tell us what's convenient for you...we like to eat late".

(There were times that we'd order our dinners for later while sipping martinis in the Crows Nest).

It was really neat eating lovely dinners while dressed in bathrobes or less ;)

[hikergirl]

[quote=justducky;11010449
Speaking of breakfast, do people normally eat in the dining room or in the buffet?

Hikergirl and O2B@C, thanks for specific guidance on clothes. Cruise starts 8/26. We do have a veranda, but I've heard that it's better to be on deck, so you can see both port and starboard. What is your opinion?

[/quote]

We ate breakfast every day at the buffet (except for one morning we ordered room service). The selections were great and the food was terrific. In the morning, I don't want to wait for table service so the buffet works for me. I never went by the dining room in the morning, so I don't know how many people ate there. It usually wasn't that crowded in the Lido dining room and we got tables by a window on most days.

As for the glacier viewing, during Glacier Bay, we went outside on the bow, like everyone else. We were watching for a while, trying to get a good spot on the railing, when we said "why are we here, when we could be on our cozy veranda, away from all these people and noisy children"? Both sides of the ship get a view, as the ship pulls in to the glacier, then sits for a while, then it turns so the people on the other side can see it. During College Fjord, we decided to stay on our veranda. It was much more pleasant, and we could sit wrapped up in blankets to watch the wildlife and glaciers. We saw a lot of sea otters and got some great pictures, which we wouldn't have gotten from the bow.

[justducky]

Hikergirl, is there a naturalist on board who announces when whales or such have been spotted? Did you see any glaciers calve?

Nanette, your Volendam review was very entertaining. You certainly know how to enjoy yourselves! When you order room service (within the first 30-45 minutes of the first dining room seating), is the procedure to phone in your order, tell your room steward, or what?

What is the additional cost for the Pinnacle? Do you reserve as soon as you come aboard?

Is there such a thing as a box lunch if you're planning to be on shore most of the day?

[hikergirl]

Hikergirl, is there a naturalist on board who announces when whales or such have been spotted? Did you see any glaciers calve?



There is a naturalist on board. When the ship is in water where whales are usually seen, they put "whale watching" in the schedule. It is usually later in the day, around 4 pm or later. Most people go to the bow of the ship, and the naturalist is on the bridge. When she sees something she will make an announcement on what she sees and where to look. We saw some glacier's calve in Glacier Bay. It was awesome!

[hikergirl]

What is the additional cost for the Pinnacle? Do you reserve as soon as you come aboard?

Is there such a thing as a box lunch if you're planning to be on shore most of the day?

We didn't eat at the Pinnacle Grill, but the cost for dinner is $30 per person. You can make reservations once aboard the ship. I had heard that the place fills up fast, but every time we walked by, there were plenty of empty tables. I didn't see a boxed lunch being offered, but I wasn't really looking for one. After our excursions, we had time to come back on board the ship and grab a bite at the Lido.

[doone]

Last I knew, the Lido Buffet is NOT open all night. As I remember, the Lido does have limited hours in the evening.

[NoNoNanette]

...When you order room service (within the first 30-45 minutes of the first dining room seating), is the procedure to phone in your order, tell your room steward, or what?

Hi Ducky-

After my initial phone call (introducing myself and letting them know that we'd be ordering dinner most, if not every night), we'd just give room service a buzz. (Sometimes while enjoying martinis in the Crow's Nest!)

It was great. The same guy took our order each night, and we had the same fellow delivering dinner for us.... a little doll, Arrafin. :)

It really was pleasant. Living in the New Orleans area, we're quite used to the concept of dressing up for "fine dining". On vacation, that's the last thing on our minds. ;)

[MissWindyCity]

Last I knew, the Lido Buffet is NOT open all night. As I remember, the Lido does have limited hours in the evening.

On our recent Oosterdam cruise....the Lido was open until at least midnight every night. They served a late night dinner/snack from 11:00-midnight and I believe they still had some things out even past midnight.

[doone]

But the Lido closed after dinner, correct???? On my last cruise, the Lido was open for dinner, usually, between 6 pm and 7:30 pm. It closed at 7:30 or so, then opened up again at 11:30 pm for the late night snack, but closed by 1 am or so.

[bicker]

That's my understanding. The Lido is supposed to be closed from 8PM to 10PM, FWIR, but I would readily believe that either normally or under certain circumstances that down-time is longer, say 7:30PM to 11:30PM. Presumably the hours are in the daily planner each day.

[MissWindyCity]

On our recent Oosterdam cruise...
The Lido served casual dinner 5:30-8:30pm everynight. People were still eating past that time. Then they served Late night dinner/snack 11pm-midnight.

[doone]

Then that has to be new hours for the Lido. When I was onboard any of the HAL ships, the Lido closed at 7:30 pm and never opened again until around 11:30 pm for about an hour.