Fruit juice in Lido

Hi,

What fruit juice is provided in the self serve dispensers in the Lido and is it any good?

I don't drink hot drinks so mostly juice, on a previous cruise (different cruise line) I found the fresh OJ to be a bit tart and used the free dispensed juice which was very acceptable.

thanks

Rob

Good question and you have me scratching my head. On most of our cruises the best options were not the dispensers, but rather then area near the buffet line where they put poured glasses of various juices (the same place you get Fresh OJ). During the breakfast hours they usually have canned OJ (not to be confused with the fresh squeezed OJ), Apple Juice, Tomato Juice, V8 Juice, Grapefruit Juice and Pineapple Juice. I might have missed some other options such as prune juice. On our HAL cruises we have also found some variation between ships (and cruises) and of course everything depends on the current inventory that is onboard at the time.

As to the dispensers, on many of our cruises we do not recall any real fruit juices.

Hank

There are some juices from concentrate in the dispensers, but like Hank said, the pitchers or glasses are a better bet. All of the juices are available from room service on the breakfast card - including prune, which you can use to wash down your prunes. :)

There are some juices from concentrate in the dispensers, but like Hank said, the pitchers or glasses are a better bet. All of the juices are available from room service on the breakfast card - including prune, which you can use to wash down your prunes. :)

Thank's for the rapid response, are the juices in the pitchers free? or are they chargeable at breakfast?

The juices are already poured into glasses -- small ones -- free.

Juices are free in the main dining room as well -- just ask for whatever you want -- at all meals.

But if you go to a bar/lounge and ask for a juice, you will be charged.

There are a couple of dispenses in the coffee/tea/water area -- usually punch, cranberry, and sometimes lemonade. It varies by ship.

Most of the time, unsweetened iced tea and lemonade are what's available at the self-serve beverage stations, along with coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. There is on some days, not necessarily by any schedule but more just out of luck as to when they decide to add it, some form of juice blend, usually a pineapple/guava/passionfruit mix and/or a red-fruit-type punch mix...I find there's never a guarantee that either will be there - typically I might find it on 4 out of 7 days, and even then it might be there in the afternoon but not in the evening. It's usually only one of those two juices - I've rarely ever seen all 4 spigots of the dispenser filled with 4 different choices at the same time.

Note too: if you have your own beverage container, when it's not crowded you can usually go to the ice cream/juice station in lido and ask the attendant to fill-er-up with whatever juices they have - and they will oblige. I find it best not to ask when there's a line there as it just perturbs some people with short fuses - so I wait for the off-hours of lido when no one is there - you'll usually have pineapple, apple, and sometimes a cranberry, available there.

I always have a refillable sports bottle as I'm a large guy and those little dollhouse playset glasses they give you won't work at all - I'd have to take 8 of them whenever I want a drink! Again at the self-serve stations I go during off hours to fill the bottle so as not to cause a delay in the line - if it's busy, I'll often just grab 2-3 glasses and move off to the side to pour them into my bottle, get back on line, and do it again for 2-3 more until I've topped it off. The lemonade and iced tea will suffice if there's nothing else, but I much prefer the juices.

The juices are already poured into glasses -- small ones -- free.

Juices are free in the main dining room as well -- just ask for whatever you want -- at all meals.

But if you go to a bar/lounge and ask for a juice, you will be charged.

There are a couple of dispenses in the coffee/tea/water area -- usually punch, cranberry, and sometimes lemonade. It varies by ship.

Alright...I'm following this topic closely, since I asked similar things in my 'drinking problems' thread.

Are you sure about the free fruit juices in the MDR for all meals? It would be weird to ask "ok, I would like an orange juice, but is it free of charge?"

Second time I'm hearing about the lemonade...other people couldn't confirm this. But it seems to be there then :p

I do find it VERY confusing that the same drinks are being charged for on different parts of the ship....I do understand in the case of specialty coffees, but I think it is weird to pay for something when you could bring it for free from the Lido and still go to that same bar.... :confused:

Any thoughts?

... I'm a large guy and those little dollhouse playset glasses they give you won't work at all - I'd have to take 8 of them whenever I want a drink!

That made me laugh out loud. We drink a lot of water, and I usually make two trips "to the well" while my wife gets her food. Then she grabs another round of waters while I get my food. :D

I always have a refillable sports bottle as I'm a large guy and those little dollhouse playset glasses they give you won't work at all - I'd have to take 8 of them whenever I want a drink!

I had to laugh when I read this. I feel the same way. I'll grab 4 or so in one hand and people (other guests, not staff) look at me like "that better be for a whole family"... Oh well... :D

And for the OP, I also tend to see guava more often than not too. Super good!

Cranberry is usually available in the "small glass" station. They must know a lot of women, in particular, consider it a preventative.

We just got off the Eurodam. Juices were available in the Lido only during breakfast. They were pre-poured into glasses and available from the refrigerated case where the milk was kept. I can't remember all the types of juices, but there were at least 6 or 7.

From the dispensers, the only drinks available were water, unsweetened iced tea, lemonade and fruit punch. These drinks may vary by ship since we did not have fruit punch last summer on the HAL Veendam.

I do find it VERY confusing that the same drinks are being charged for on different parts of the ship....I do understand in the case of specialty coffees, but I think it is weird to pay for something when you could bring it for free from the Lido and still go to that same bar.... :confused:

Any thoughts?

The one I know about is cranberry juice. It is included in the dining venues, but there is a charge in the lounges. I was with a friend when she questioned this, and she was told that the juice was a different formula.

I guess there is "juice" and "cocktail juice", and they are different.

Alright...I'm following this topic closely, since I asked similar things in my 'drinking problems' thread.

 

Are you sure about the free fruit juices in the MDR for all meals? It would be weird to ask "ok, I would like an orange juice, but is it free of charge?"

I can confirm that 'some' form of juices or lemonade will always be free in MDR - but I can't guarantee that they won't want to charge for some fruit juices that they consider to be special...like an orange juice - it probably depends on the ship if certain juices or mixes are free or not. However, my way around it on all my cruises is to let my waiter and assistant waiter know from the first day to always get me whatever juice or lemonade or punch happens to be accessible - and that I'm not picky which. That avoids having them get me a specific juice and having it be a charge - and it takes a little pressure off them to feel they need to go on a mission to find some specific drink. The staff are always so good about this stuff that by day 3, a drink is already waiting on my table at the MDR before I get there (fixed dining of course). I may get a guava, or an apple, or a lemonade, or a fruit punch - and not know which - but I'm OK with that as long as there's one of them!

I do wish I could get Indonesians to understand just how much an American can drink and bring refills MUCH more frequently - I'm lucky to get 2 drinks an evening, but fortunately combined with the water, and sometimes the water of other tablemates who don't drink theirs, I can still get 4 glasses or so a night!

We didn't have any concentrated juices in the Lido on either the Veendam in 2012 or Rotterdam last September (2014). Eurodam in 2013 did have it.

Who knows why some do and some don't.

If one has not tried guava juice, do so. It is delicious!

But, it is only available in the Lido Restaurant during breakfast. Not available in the MDR or PG. Never have understood why.

The one I know about is cranberry juice. It is included in the dining venues, but there is a charge in the lounges. I was with a friend when she questioned this, and she was told that the juice was a different formula.

I guess there is "juice" and "cocktail juice", and they are different.

From my experience the cranberry juice in the Lido is frequently watered down. Watered down cranberry juice would not mix well in the lounge!

Ahhhh, the ole HAL Hidden Lemonade conspiracy :). DW and I really like the lemonade served in the Lido, but it has often been a case of having to ask. On many of our HAL cruises they often did not have any lemonade in the automatic dispensers. But the waiters in the Lido always seemed have some hidden pitchers of lemonade so it was just a matter of asking a waiter. One friendly Lido staffer on the Prinsendam once showed us where he kept a pitcher of lemonade and told us to feel free to help ourselves if he was not around.

Hank

We didn't have any concentrated juices in the Lido on either the Veendam in 2012 or Rotterdam last September (2014). Eurodam in 2013 did have it.

 

Who knows why some do and some don't.

There was only water and unsweetened ice tea in the Maasdam Lido this June/July. On Nieuw Amsterdam July 2014 they also had lemonade and guava or fruit punch. Zuiderdam 2011 had at least also lemonade. I'm talking about lunch and dinner times in the Lido, the breakfast still had the real juices.

I love those fruit drinks (better than water, less suger than soda) and thought it very inconsistent and annoying that Maasdam had none of them. Since you mention both Veendam and Rotterdam, could this be true for all S- and R-class?

On Maasdam they even had the fruit drink dispensers, but they were behind the breakfast juice/milk counter, and they were turned off all of the time. When I asked the Lido staff, they referred me to the Lido bar, which didn't have dispensers and would offer to make some sort of mixed drink and charge for it.

If one has not tried guava juice, do so. It is delicious!

 

But, it is only available in the Lido Restaurant during breakfast. Not available in the MDR or PG. Never have understood why.

Don't tell people! There is always fewer glasses of guava juice compared to the other juices, and telling people will make them harder to get. :D:D

Is there lemonade and iced tea available in the Lido on the Oosterdam? As a devoted guzzler of Arnold Palmers, I certainly hope so!

Thanks -

Is there lemonade and iced tea available in the Lido on the Oosterdam? As a devoted guzzler of Arnold Palmers, I certainly hope so!

Thanks -

It's been my experience that lemonade is available on the Lido Deck near the Taco Bar/Dive In, not in the Lido proper. I've only ever seen water and unsweetened iced tea (for which I am glad, sweetened iced tea is vile) in the Lido proper.

I love those fruit drinks (better than water, less suger than soda) and thought it very inconsistent and annoying that Maasdam had none of them. Since you mention both Veendam and Rotterdam, could this be true for all S- and R-class?

 

On Maasdam they even had the fruit drink dispensers, but they were behind the breakfast juice/milk counter, and they were turned off all of the time. When I asked the Lido staff, they referred me to the Lido bar, which didn't have dispensers and would offer to make some sort of mixed drink and charge for it.

To be totally frank, I am kinda allergic to such things...for me 'signature of excellence' or any good service is in the small things. Towel service, general housekeeping, room service...yeah sure...that could all be great...but that is to be expected imo.

These little things like you described (both the difference between ships/cruises and the paid option by staff) are what it is all about, and this particular example would be a major turn off for me.

Sorry...don't want to sound harsh...just being honest

Off the Zuisderdam July 11 and the juices varied from both day to day and station to station in the Lido buffet. The orange passionfruit guava was always very weak and tasteless but the cranberry was good as was the lemonade when we could find it. Which wasn't often. They did sometimes have lemonade as you reboarded the ship in port, along with a cool cloth, this was so refreshing. Room service breakfast had several juices and they were good.