Cooking Demonstrations/Movie Theatre

[LTO1]

I keep hearing about the demonstration kitchen on the Ryndam. Is there a charge for this (is so how much)? I'd also be interested in what other interesting classes are available and if there is a fee.

Also, is there still a movie theatre? If so, how often do movies play, and are they first run or rental type movies?

Thanks!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Ryndam

The Wajang Theatre is also The Culinary Arts Center.

There are free cooking demonstrations held there.

You can sign up for cooking classes on the day of embarkation -- just go to the front desk -- $29 per person. They are held in the Culinary Art Center.

Movies are always ones that are currently showing in the country -- times vary depending on how many other activities have been planned for the Wajang Theatre.

We have been on cruises when movies were shown 3 times a day and on other cruises - just once a day.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I see that you are new

Welcome to Cruise Critic and the HAL section!!

[KSCnCA]

My sister and I took a cooking class on the Ryndam in March. We signed up as soon as we boarded since I read here that space is very limited. There were 3 classes during the 10 day cruise, with 12 people per class, we were split into 3 groups, each responsible for a course of our meal. For our classe we made gazpacho, chimichangas & chocolate crepes. The class was light on instruction and heavy on getting the work done. We were provided 6-inch corn tortillas so we ended up with tostadas. There was also an obvious lack of utensils. Sort of a Top Chef situation - make do with what you have because there's nothing else to use. When finished cooking we were then paraded up to the Pinnacle Grill to eat our creations. The folks at the Pinnacle were not told we were coming, so I felt a bit like an intruder as they set the tables with the bare minimum of utensils and we waited for 10 minutes or so before the food finally arrived. The organization of the "class" was not great, but we made the most of it. Along with eating the food they served wine with our meal, we got nice aprons to wear and take home along with a 6-month subscription to Food and Wine Magazine. I think it was worth $29 but I don't think I would do it again very soon.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thanks for your description of the class you attended.

We have yet to sign up for one -- after your wonderful description -- I think we will pass.

[KSCnCA]

Please keep in mind that I am very detail oriented and cruise to relax and let someone else take care of all the stuff I usually am in charge of! I love to cook, so anything related is attractive to me. I didn't mean it sound awful, it was okay and was probably just our particular cruise. I heard that our "Party Planner" was new so maybe she was still getting organized. And I did note that on my evaluation! She definitely needed improvement!

[jtl513]

Also, is there still a movie theatre? If so, how often do movies play, and are they first run or rental type movies?The movies are not first run, but are recent DVD releases. How often they are shown depends on whether it is a port or sea day, and whether the ship has a Wajang Theater. On ships that do (like the Ryndam), the movies will play 2 to 4 times per day, with the first show typically around 2:00p and the last around 10:15p to 10:30p. Most commonly, they will run 3 times - and be shown on your cabin TV the next day. On our recent Amsterdam cruise the earliest show one day was 12:00N, and we never had a day (out of 14) with less than 3 showings.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Please keep in mind that I am very detail oriented and cruise to relax and let someone else take care of all the stuff I usually am in charge of! I love to cook, so anything related is attractive to me. I didn't mean it sound awful, it was okay and was probably just our particular cruise. I heard that our "Party Planner" was new so maybe she was still getting organized. And I did note that on my evaluation! She definitely needed improvement!

We also had a party planner on our Westerdam cruises -- I was not impressed with her.

[cruisegirl06]

Our recent cooking class (on Zaandam) was also very disorganized, and featured extremely minimal instruction. I was very excited about this class, as I am still very much learning to cook, so I have plenty to learn. We were simply given recipes and ingredients and let loose (but the chef did come by to tell us (somewhat gruffly) what we were doing wrong). I was incredibly frustrated, as I had paid for a class, not the right to simply chop veggies (I can do that at home for free!). We didn't get to hear anything about what the other groups were making, so I really didn't learn anything. I was incredibly frustrated and regretted spending $29 on this experience. The majority of the class was voicing their frustration at the lunch after the lesson, but it didn't seem to matter.

On a more positive note, the wine at the lunch was plentiful and the aprons are nice!:)

The cooking demonstrations (free) were (in my opinion) a LOT better. I learned a good deal at these, and they were quite enjoyable.

Our party planner was not too informative. I felt like I "un-learned" things at the party planning seminars (e.g. the "Chocolate Lover's Meet" was just random trivia, and she was reading off the labels to teach us about the various cheeses (most of the names mispronounced) at the cheese seminar...)

It's a shame, because I really think the culinary arts center has a lot of potential. I loved the cooking demonstrations, and I think the classes could be top-notch (all it would take would be a little instruction!), but as of right now, it did not live up to my expectations.

[MightyQuinn]

Our recent cooking class (on Zaandam) was also very disorganized, and featured extremely minimal instruction.......

The cooking demonstrations (free) were (in my opinion) a LOT better. I learned a good deal at these, and they were quite enjoyable.

Our party planner was not too informative.
Thanks for the comparison of the $29 cooking class with the free cooking demos. I've been tempted to pony up for the class, mostly since I've enjoyed the demos so much. But you've put it into perspective for me & I'll hold off for a while more. Thanks!

Now what the heck does a "party planner" do?

[Krazy Kruizers]

The cooking classes that you pay for, when HAL first started them -- they were a big hit and everyone came back raving about them. I can remember people saying that it lasted about 3 hours.

Now it sounds like on some HAL ships -- they just want to offer it and get it done with.

I also heard on some ships, that a couple of the classes were held on port days.

[Two if by Sea]

The cooking classes that you pay for, when HAL first started them -- they were a big hit and everyone came back raving about them. I can remember people saying that it lasted about 3 hours.


And that is exactly how it worked for my wife on the Maasdam last week. The class ran from 9:30 to about noon or 12:30 (including a tour of the kitchen) and they had a wonderful, fully booked but not overbooked class, taught by the chef of the Pinnacle Grill. She would do it again in a heartbeat if we took another cruise. There were only 12 people total, and they all made all three courses, and ate all three courses, and enjoyed the whole experience.

[Hoyaheel]

And that is exactly how it worked for my wife on the Maasdam last week. The class ran from 9:30 to about noon or 12:30 (including a tour of the kitchen) and they had a wonderful, fully booked but not overbooked class, taught by the chef of the Pinnacle Grill. She would do it again in a heartbeat if we took another cruise. There were only 12 people total, and they all made all three courses, and ate all three courses, and enjoyed the whole experience.
That was definitely my experience on the Maasdam, but it was in 2006. I'd like to do the class again on the Westerdam on our next cruise, but maybe I better ask some questions before I sign up;)

[jtl513]

The cooking class my DW an DD had on the Zuiderdam ran about 1h:20m, and it was apparent that it would have ended sooner if the entree hadn't taken a little longer than the chef seemed to expect.

[gg3]

I will jump in to say that I signed up for the cooking class last July on the Zuiderdam, and it turned into a fiasco. The chef came in with his assistant and immediately noticed the kitchen was not set up with the proper utensils, pots and pans, and that his assistant (who spoke very little English) had not ordered the food correctly. They had to take a lot of time to try and get organized and put on a production, but it failed miserably and the chef was very upset. We all did a little chopping and talking, but it just fell apart. The chef apologized profusely and told us we would be hearing from the staff very soon. It just seemed to me, that the chef was given way too much to do, in addition to his job of preparing meals, and not enough organization in the set up, ordering, etc. He just could not walk in and begin his cooking class. Later in the day, we were notified that the Head Chef of the Zuiderdam was going to give us a personal tour of the Galley, and he would cook for us and we would all eat together. The next day, we met and the head chef poured us champagne, gave us a great, detailed tour, then he cooked a fantastic meal for us, ending with fabulous chocolate mousse. So, what started out as a mess, turned into a wonderful treat for all of us. I plan to take another class on the Ryndam in Sept. gg

[Two if by Sea]

I guess that as with any enrichment class, a lot depends on the instructor and the administrative help. And it has been made abundantly clear that the HAL fleet is not 100% uniform in how they do things from ship to ship, even within ships of the same class.

[seafun]

Hmmm... It sounds hit or miss, but still... some of the classes sound like they turned out great! Most of them, not so great.

Kind of like a chocolate Grand Marnier Souffle: maybe it will rise and be tasty as can be, or maybe you'll end up with chocolate goo and an oven to clean! :D

[behindthescenes]

Cooking demos are done at no charge. Cooking classes are $30.00p/p.
Movies are being weaned out but usually show in the evening. The conflict is with the live show times in the theatre. You can see the movies on your tv the next day if you wish. Hope this helps.

[Liv4cruzin]

Ours was a very port intensive itinerary (Norwegian fjords, only 3 sea days). I only had time for one class which was taught by Pinnacle Grill chef, Shawn McKerness; & it was fabulous. There were only 8 signed up for the class so it made for much more "hands on" experience. The class lasted about 2.5 hrs. A waiter carried our masterpieces across the hall to the Pinancle, where we sat down w/ the Chef, had wine & our lunch. He was as good at the socializing part, as well as the "teaching" part. Some in our class had taken all the classes during this cruise; & some of them had taken classes on previous HAL cruises.

FYI, don't know if this is a sign of so few sea days; but..... the Wajang Theatre had a lot of aft. matinees, as well as 2 showings in the evening. I guess it depends greatly on the itinerary.

[ssminnow]

I think I will try it for 30 bucks