Canaletto on the Zuiderdam

Good evening everyone.

We've never tried Canaletto before so though our upcoming 12-night may be a good place to start. We've loved both lunch and dinner in the Pinnacle and have never had any complaints with the MDR for dinner but I felt that on a 12-nighter it may be nice to change it up a bit.

I know food is VERY subjective and Canaletto has received both raves and rants on this board but would anyone like to chime in to say if they feel it is worth it for one night of a 12 night trip, specifically on the Zuiderdam? This is a very port intensive cruise and we've assigned dining at 8.30pm every night. We prefer the late dining but I thought maybe the night we leave Estonia [4th night on the trip] would be an ideal night for an earlier dinner since we will have to be up very early for Russia the next day.

How varied is the menu on a 12 night compared to a standard 7 night with HAL? I always worry I will miss something good in the MDR if I eat in one of the specialties. I usually prefer to eat the first night in a specialty restaurant if we have anytime dining but with assigned tables I like to be in the MDR the first night so we can get to know our table mates and waiters. Sorry if I've blabbered on and on haha. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks :D

We think the Canaletto is worth going to once out of 10 days or so just for a change of pace. BUT - we are 4* and get 50% off. I wouldn't pay full price for it.

You could make a reservation and then check the evening MDR menu when it comes out. If that looks better, cancel the Canaletto and try for another night.

I always eat in the Canaletto at least once every cruise, mostly because I enjoy the quiet relaxing atmosphere, and the food is usually satisfactory. Unfortunatlly not so on the Zuiderdam last December.

The tomato sauce tasted like it was created by a person who never heard of Italian. On the other hand my travel partner said the seafood appetizer was delicious and the dining room manager said it was available as an entree also. If you stick to seafood you will probably be fine.

My wife and I make a point of going to Caneletto once on every cruise. We have never been disappointed and the price (even at full price) is well worth it. Food is fine, service perfect, and pace of the meal is relaxed and enjoyable. Where else can you get a multi-course meal for this price?

Go for it.

We actually eat more often in the Canaletto and the PG than in the MDR. The quality of food in the Canaletto has increased in the last years and especially the pasta is excellent. We enjoy it as much as the PG. Due to the better quality of taste we think the small amount of money for the Canaletto is worth every penny. Try the gnocchi with the braised beef and you will be hooked on. Sometimes we share two pasta and skip the main course. I strongly recommend to give it a try.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Remember prices in the specialty restaurants should be figured as the price stated plus in addition to what is in your cruise price. I liked it the way it was when they first started it--an Italian atmosphere. Pasta is cheap. We had a large group nearby and made it very noisy.

Canaletto has been very good each time we've eaten there. It's not our absolute favorite, but we don't have any complaints and it's a nice change of pace - especially if you like Italian food. While you are technically in the Lido space, they do a nice job of making it seem like a separate venue.

The menu is posted outside, so see if it strikes your fancy. It's definitely a nice way to add some variety to your cruise and it's pretty inexpensive.

I was extremely pleasantly surprised at the Canaletto on the Zuiderdam in February. I had tried it once on the Nieuw Amsterdam quite a few years back and wasn't impressed. But this time it was my favorite place to eat. We ate there twice...firs time had the short rib gnocchi which was wonderful, and second time the lamb cutlets which were like butter. Next HAL cruise I will be eating there often if my experience on the Zuiderdam continues.

We ate there twice...first time had the short rib gnocchi which was wonderful,...

We were a party of 4 the first time we dined in Canaletto. We ordered a variety of dishes to share and to try. We wound up ordering a second gnocchi. It's that good.

Thank you all for the replies!!

It seems that the reviews got less favourable when the price went from $10 to $15. This is understandable as no one likes a dramatic price change, even when the dollar amount is not huge. However, in the grand scheme of things, $15 is a drop in the bucket so one night on the trip it may be worth it just for the change of pace.

@jtl513, you mentioned that we could cancel and reschedule for another night if we like the MDR menu for our original night. Is this permitted? I know some lines will not refund pre-purchased items like excursions and dining once they are paid for. I've never have to cancel anything on HAL so have no experience with it. If we book Canaletto, I will likely do it online in advance so will be required to pay up front.

Does anyone have suggestions on what night will be best? Perhaps someone that sailed this itinerary last year?

We don't want to go first night since we have fixed dining and wish to get to know everyone the first night, nor do we want to go the last night as that is the night to say goodbye to new friends and the dining stewards, etc. Any other night would be fine unless there is something we just can't miss in the MDR.

We have eaten at Canaletto on Zuiderdam three times, three separate trips, and were quite happy each time. I think the cover charge is reasonable for what you get, subjective as that may be.

My only caution is that my girlfriend finds that they can be a bit heavy on fennel and anise for her tastes; I don't find it that strong, but it does seem to be a bit stronger than what we find in the more traditional Italian restaurants in Vancouver

That and portion size is large. Quite large. Two of us are easily stuffed sharing dishes for one.

.... portion size is large. Quite large. Two of us are easily stuffed sharing dishes for one.

We've been successful in ordering half portions, particularly of the pasta. Many Italian restaurants have two sizes of pasta on their menus. Canaletto did half portions without missing a beat.

Some dishes don't lend themselves to smaller portions, but they're usually not the issue.

As a ps to my earlier post, the staff in the Canaletto on the Zuiderdam is soooo friendly and kind. We were there the first night and then the last of a 10 day cruise, and they remembered what our cocktails were! And almost overly apologetic when one of our dishes took some time. I really can't say enough about our Canaletto experience.

We have our first HAL cruise booked on the Zuiderdam -- Aug. 2018, so a ways out -- but I am happily reading the good reports about Canaletto on here. The short ribs gnocchi sounds wonderful; hope it's still on the menu! :)

I was on Zuiderdam in 2007, I don't remember Canaletto. Sounds like it is a good alternative to MDR

I was on Zuiderdam in 2007, I don't remember Canaletto.

I think the first Canaletto appeared on the Eurodam in 2008, and had a different menu each night of the week. And it was free.

You are quite right Canaletto was first on the Eurodam which had it's inaugral sail in 2008, a different menu every night and it was free.

We were on the Eurodam's 1st T.A. and tried Canaletto twice. We did not care for it.

I tried Canaletto again on the Massdam last year and the food was very much improved. Well worth the price which they now charge.

Thanks again to everyone who replied! I think we are pretty set on giving Canaletto a try.

Now, just to decide on which night. haha.

We have eaten at the Canaletto numerous times on a few different HAL ships. The best experience is a group of about 6 or 8 people, and sharing numerous items on the menu. It's a great way to sample and one quickly finds their likes and dislikes.

We did not try Canaletto the last two times on Zuiderdam because we had been disappointed on another ship. Sounds like things may have improved so now anxious to try it this summer. Thanks for the updates.

Good evening everyone.

We've never tried Canaletto before so though our upcoming 12-night may be a good place to start. We've loved both lunch and dinner in the Pinnacle and have never had any complaints with the MDR for dinner but I felt that on a 12-nighter it may be nice to change it up a bit.

 

I know food is VERY subjective and Canaletto has received both raves and rants on this board but would anyone like to chime in to say if they feel it is worth it for one night of a 12 night trip, specifically on the Zuiderdam? This is a very port intensive cruise and we've assigned dining at 8.30pm every night. We prefer the late dining but I thought maybe the night we leave Estonia [4th night on the trip] would be an ideal night for an earlier dinner since we will have to be up very early for Russia the next day.

 

How varied is the menu on a 12 night compared to a standard 7 night with HAL? I always worry I will miss something good in the MDR if I eat in one of the specialties. I usually prefer to eat the first night in a specialty restaurant if we have anytime dining but with assigned tables I like to be in the MDR the first night so we can get to know our table mates and waiters. Sorry if I've blabbered on and on haha. Any thoughts are welcome. Thanks :D

We dined in Canaletto two or three times but it was the old menu. I remembver having a fish dish, I thought was wonderful, it might have been haddock? The antipasti platter they pased was good. It was a big meal btf enjoyalbe and I hope I can enjoy dining from the new menu.