Traversing the Sea of Cortez Aboard the Amsterdam: Our Experiences

[RuthC]

If ever there were proof that food is a highly subjective subject, mention chocolate croissants. People come out of the word-work to rave about their favorites. We both like chocolate croissants, but we weren't so impressed as consider them a must have,

The reigning chocolate goddess agrees with your evaluation. ;)

[sail7seas]

This is a great review and so enjoyable to read.

Thank you for all the effort you have put into it for our benefit. :)

 

[ironin]

Grilled to order??? What Terrace Grille did you go to? They do them all medium well (or more). That's their stated policy. The only way I cope is to ask for "a juicy hamburger" That way' date=' if I'm timely, I'll get a freshly made one that hasn't been sitting there for a while and reheated on the grille for me. I know why they do it. That doesn't mean I like it.[/quote']

 

I see what you mean and am sorry they won't cook a burger the way you prefer. The options offered met our desires at the time, though. We ordered the hamburgers, one of us asked for his to be well-done, both of us were asked if we wanted cheese, and then the burgers were cooked on the grill behind the chef.

 

RuthC:

 

And the reigning chocolate goddess of our family (a.k.a. "Mom") agrees with you! :D

 

Sail7Seas:

 

Thanks again!

[ironin]

 

Service for One, Please!

 

As the average member of Congress says while back-tracking on earlier public statements from the floor, "I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks" with regard to:

 

Le Cirque at the Pinnacle Grill:

 

As I commented on Le Cirque a few days after we returned, I thought this section would be relatively easy to write. Then I reviewed that comment.

 

My first thought was, "I wrote that?"

 

The tone bothers me much more than the substance. I'll stand by that: it was a delicious meal, there were a few shortcomings, and we didn't particularly care for the wine. We had a marvelous time.The enthusiasm of the staff that evening was infectious. Still, our choices were more limited than we expected, and the tariff a bit high.

 

On further reflection, as a change of pace from the ordinary (or the extraordinary, in the case of Pinnacle Grill while we were aboard the Amsterdam), it was fine and my uncharitable comments about the price and not bothering to go back were undeserved. The truth is, we probably will give it another go on our next sailing.

 

Please excuse me, but my dessert has arrived:

[mikjr]

via our roll call thread, I learned that an unusually large number of suites were unsold (38 by my count) the day before they closed bookings.

 

I'm just curious how one learns the number of unsold rooms in a certain category??

[ironin]

 

That's Dian preparing our corn-flower soup.

[ironin]

I'm just curious how one learns the number of unsold rooms in a certain category??

As I mentioned to aussiemick earlier: "no matter how many staterooms are unreserved, HAL displays a maximum of 6 on their site at one time, but does allow for a manual search by stateroom number. I just kept entering suite numbers until I had a list of all available cabins."

 

Thanks for looking in, mikjr!

[Roadqueen]

Ironin,

I was on the same cruise, and we bumped into each other several times, most notably on the ship in Puerto Vallarta, when the ship was docked overnight. The fireworks over the city were spectacular, and the view from the aft pool deck was enchanting.

Your review brought back so many memories (how quickly I forget). Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I am sooooo ready to cruise again and leave this 0 degree weather!

 

Dynaglyde:)

[erewhon]

ironin,

 

Thank you for such a wonderful, well written review.

Am truly enjoying reading your reports.

 

Yes, Stryker is great, we enjoyed his music on the Volendam 2008 Trans Pacific crossing to Auckland.

[ironin]

After the rave review my brother and sister-in-law gave their wine-pairing dinner aboard the Statendam, how could we resist making reservations almost as soon as we got on-board?

 

Everything and everyone associated with this evening was stupendous. We'd do it again in a heartbeat. While were told that the evening's wine selections and matching courses were unique, we'd certainly have no objection to a repeat performance.

 

[ironin]

Mary Ellen:

 

Thanks for dropping by. I don't need to hope you have as good a time on the Volendam as we did on the Amsterdam, given who will be aboard at the same time, I know you will! ;)

 

Roadqueen:

 

I do remember us running in to each other here, there, and everywhere, Dynaglyde! As you say, The fireworks over the city were spectacular, and the view from the aft pool deck was enchanting watching the fireworks. It was a magical moment, wasn't it?

 

erewhon:

 

Many thanks for the kind words. As it seems Stryker has quite a fan club, we count ourselves indeed fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear him perform.

[ironin]

At the moment, there is an ongoing debate elsewhere on this site as to whether or not the Pinnacle Grill is on it's last legs. As a result, I am reminded of what Lyndon Baines Johnson said when informed early in his administration that Robert F. Kennedy was not pleased with him, "I'm not responsible for his happiness." With that mind, this is a review of our four regular dining experiences at the Pinnacle Grill, and our personal levels of happiness with our meals. As always, particularly with food: YMMV! :)

 

The Pinnacle Staff:

 

All that we met (and I think we met them all) were truly exceptional. No one ever looked or acted like they were on auto-pilot, or worse, just "going through the motions." All were genuinely welcoming and friendly, interested in ensuring that our meals were a success, solicitous of both our wants and our feedback.

 

Dian and Aurora were our servers for most of the six meals (4 regular and the 2 special menu evenings mentioned above). Thanks to Dian's expert description of what to expect if ordering a steak cooked a certain way, when we did order steaks, it was cooked to perfection each time. Hendro and Chinteia (misspelled, I'm sure) were just as able and attentive. While we never had the pleasure of dining at one of Tina's tables, she always took a moment some time during the evening to visit a bit. Sopardo (again, misspelled, I regret) was invariably at the other end of the room while we were dining, but as we met him almost every morning in the Neptune Lounge, we know how personable and hard-working he is.

 

When we arrived at the PG one evening and ran into friends who planned to dine there, the PG staff graciously and quickly adapted to our last minute request to all dine together. Time flew by and before we knew it, almost three hours had passed, and we all missed the acrobatic show that turned out to be one of the highlights of the cruise for many. We may have missed an outstanding performance but I think we'll treasure the delightful company and conversation far longer than we'd have remembered the show.

 

Our relationship with Rommel, the wine steward, began inauspiciously as he ended up having to be the one to explain exactly how our wine package worked. (Tip: When purchasing a wine package and dining in the PG on the first night, be sure to go down to the MDR in advance and select a bottle to be delivered to the PG for that evening.) Based on our prior experience on another line, we weren't anticipating all that much in the way of genuinely personal service or interaction. Were we wrong about that! Rommel was a magnificent wine steward and really changed our understanding of what a wine steward does, should do and how do it exceedingly well. He's going to be a tough act to follow, I think.

 

Aelita, the acting PG Dining Room Manager, has to be one of HAL's rising stars. What I wrote in my first post bears repeating:

 

Aelita Holovcsák did an outstanding job managing the Pinnacle Grill as well as overseeing the Amsterdam's first-ever presentation of the Le Cirque dinner. I doubt anyone who didn't know could tell she arrived aboard ship the same day we did. We dined in the PG six times including both special evenings and the first and last nights, and almost everything about every meal met or exceeded our expectations. The Volendam will be lucky to get her back when she returns in January.

[ironin]

It might be easier to list what we didn't order, as we did manage to wander through all of the sections.

 

This is what we ordered from the Pinnacle Menu:

 

The Beginning:

French Onion Soup King Louis XV - beef broth with aged cognac & caramelized onions, baked with gruyere croutons

Spicy Chicken Coconut Soup - fragrant coconut milk & lemon grass

Lobster Bisque - crème fraiche & aged sherry

Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail - brandy horseradish cocktail sauce

Vine Ripened Beefsteak Tomato Salad - sliced purple onion, balsamic vinaigrette or blue cheese dressing

Baby Arugula Salad - tossed with sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and a warm bacon dressing topped with smoked bacon & chopped egg

Dungeness Crab Cakes - spiral shaved cucumber & sweet chili-mustard sauce

 

One of us fell in love with the crab cakes the first night and ordered them more than once. I, OTOH, exercised a tad more restraint, going with the arugala salad on alternate visits. Although they faced tough competition, the crab cakes received our two votes for "Best of Category" here with the shrimp cocktail pulling up the rear. The shrimp cocktail was fine but the other entrants were more compelling.

 

The Grill:

Filet Mignon - served with our own hand crafted maitre d' garlic butter

Filet Mignon Burger - a half-pound of freshly ground beef, fin herbs & truffle-infused

Broiled King Salmon - troll caught (for sustainability) in Alaskan waters, quick seared & broiled, served with lemon garlic herb splash

Cedar Planked Black Cod with Shrimp Scampi - roasted garlic & cilantro butter

 

Pinnacle Signature Skewers:

Delectable Seafood - shrimps & swordfish, seasoned with lemon, paprika, garlic, mustard, cayenne & dill

The Intrigue:

Land and Sea - filet mignon & jumbo prawns on whipped potatoes with garlic rosemary beurre blanc

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese - a delicate, gratineed combination of mascarpone-enriched pasta & creamy lobster broth with chunks of lobster

 

We didn't even try voting in the main course category. We blame the chef for steaks cooked to perfection as we define it; flaky, flavorful salmon; and succulent shrimp and jumbo prawns. The table-side show provided with the skewer was entertaining. While the cod was fine, neither of us would place it in the first rank of favorites. We'd order it again depending on our mood, however.

 

When my mom heard we'd ordered a filet mignon hamburger, she "What a waste of good meat!" To which I replied, "What a great hamburger!" After reading people wax eloquent about the lobster mac, we couldn't resist trying that the same evening we ordered the burger. We now understand the widespread enthusiasm for this dish. We probably won't ever again order both these items as main courses. We're glad we did and enjoyed every morsel.

Side Dishes:

Creamed Spinach, Sautéed Button Mushrooms, Asparagus, Scalloped, Whipped, Jumbo Baked or Shoestring Potatoes and/or Basmati Rice

 

All of the above were nice but nothing rose above the background to be remarkable. Being side dishes, we didn't expect them to. At the same time, none fell short of our expectations.

The Finale:

Not-So-Classic Baked Alaska

Warm Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake

Velvet Soufflé – Chocolate and Vanilla

Creamy Homemade Raspberry Cheesecake

Chocolate And Raisin Bread Pudding

Pinnacle Crème Brulee

 

The Cherry Garcia baked Alaska was cute and tasted great. (As I've used them as a counterpoint in previous entries, I'll note that best regular baked Alaska I've ever eaten was served to us on the Mercury last May.)

 

Both the chocolate and the vanilla soufflé were well done. We liked the vanilla better, perhaps because the chocolate flavor was very delicate. The Le Cirque soufflé had a more pronounced chocolate flavor that we preferred.

 

Both the bread pudding and the crème brulee might have been real stand-outs had we only dined once or twice in the PG. As it was, the volcano cake and the cheesecakes overshadowed an otherwise excellent field. We've both had variations of volcano cake before, and I had a very good rendition of HAL's unique presentation aboard the Eurodam in September, but the one we were served on the Amsterdam was outstanding.

 

As one of us is extremely picky about cheesecake because he's been making his own velvety-smooth version cribbed from an out-date cookbook 30 years ago, those who know us are genuinely surprised that we both rave about the raspberry cheesecake. It was smooth. It was moist. While the raspberries didn't overwhelm the cake, neither was their flavor lost within the cake itself. We were so impressed that, between the two of us, we ordered it three times. Other than side dishes, it was the only item on the menu we repeated.

[ROZO'SBEAU]

I disembarked from AMSTERDAM the day you got on. Your descriotions of your experience are very thorough. On this Grand Voyage my PG experiences matched yours (and you were dealing without the regular room manager and staff). I have commented on that other PG thread that my experiences have been inconsistent. That was not the case on AMSTERDAM where they obviously take care to do it right.!

Bob

[ironin]

Under normal circumstances, only family and close friends are subjected to my amateur photography. As the Evening at Le Cirque is new, I thought anyone considering it and looking in here might like seeing what was in store for them.

 

Pictures from the wine-pairing meal were posted as we genuinely hope someone who has done that dinner recently on other ships will chime in and let us know if it was the same or not.

 

Bad pictures of great food in a good cause are one thing, inartistic photos of picturesque ports are another. Rest assured that, once this review finally gets around to the ports (at long last), further bandwidth will not be wasted on our feeble efforts.

 

As we depart the Pinnacle Grill, this final set of photos highlights the magnificent staff:

 

 

Top left: Aelita

Top right: From left to right, that's Tina, Aurora and Chinteia

Bottom left: Dian and Rommel

Bottom right: Rare photo including camera-shy reviewer, whose tie, as per usual, needed some attention.

[ironin]

ROZO'SBEAU:

 

I appreciate what you're saying, Bob. (And your other comments here, too!) As we were obviously thrilled by our meals and the service at the Amsterdam Pinnacle Grill, it's nice to know that your experiences were similar. As you say, "they obviously take care to do it right.!"

[ironin]

Fellow Passengers:

 

Anyone familiar with the Cruise Critic boards has heard the litany before: HAL ships are full of ancient passengers with one foot in the grave, rollators and walkers (zimmer frames) crowd the hallways and elevators, and crossing guards and traffic wardens are needed to monitor the large number of deranged scooter drivers. :eek:

 

We aren't experts on the subject, but we thought the mix of passengers on this cruise was about the same as our Celebrity voyage to Alaska earlier in the year. We were never the least bit inconvenienced by "slow moving traffic" or inconsiderate scooter operators. Frankly, we're often left speechless by those insensitive enough to whine about such so-called "problems," lest we say something equally rude in response.

 

All kidding aside, our fellow passengers were a great bunch of people of different ages, nationalities, life experiences and countries-of-residence. The hardest part of meeting so many people in such a short amount of time was remembering names. We weren't always good at that. Everyone we met seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were, making our own experience that much more delightful.

 

There were a couple of very special people we met while aboard that we hope to see again some time soon, perhaps aboard a ship, schedules permitting.

[Nancyquilts]

Thanks for the pictures. I always like to see who the poster is - and dh usually has his tie at an angle too.;)

[ironin]

Nancyquilts:

 

LOL! I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!

[ironin]

Ports:

 

As I said earlier, before departure we were referring to this as our "cruise to nowhere." Not harboring great expectations, were pleasantly surprised just how enjoyable every one of the ports turned out to be. Our first three ports (La Paz, Loreto, and Topolobampo) attract fewer cruise ships than the others and went to great lengths to insure that passengers felt welcome and our visit memorable.

 

Despite the international press attention given to Mexico's serious ongoing problems with drug gangs, we never once felt uncomfortable much less unsafe. As a reassurance measure, every port we visited had an ample, very visible, and beefed-up police presence in tourist areas.

 

Contrary to the popular misconceptions propagated by those whose sole foray in Mexican territory usually amounted to a drunken evening of bar-hopping in Tijuana, everywhere we went was also remarkably clean. Sidewalks may occasionally have been as uneven as they were in many places in Great Britain, but there weren't masses of cigarette butts crammed between tree limbs (much less in the gutters) as the were all over Paris.

Tours:

 

We were admittedly lazy about researching our tour options for this voyage, and ended up booking our four tours through HAL because it was easy and convenient. We were extremely pleased with all of them. The prices were reasonable. As it turns out, one of our tours cost $5 less than the best-known independent alternative going to the same places. While another cost $10 more, we saved almost that much by not having to first take a taxi ride to the independent tour meeting place.

 

WARNING: After our return, I ran across reviews (based on previous sailings) that were far less enthusiastic than ours will be. Who the guide is that day can make a big difference in any tour. Ours were great. YMMV.

 

We did check out the top-rated attractions/things-to-do at TripAdvisor.com, a good source of reasonably reliable information. Booking agents Puerto Vallarta Tours provide a good overview of various independent tours and the numerous zip line options available in PV. Mazatlan Frank has an excellent reputation, and operates a tour virtually identical to the one we went on while in Mazatlan.

[ironin]

La Paz:

 

The port itself, about 15 minutes from town, won't win any awards for scenic beauty but it did have a very nice passenger facility. There were a number of venders set up on the pier, selling items of both high and low quality, with prices to match. The tourist bureau brochure featuring a suggested self-guided walking tour was well-done and quite handy.

 

Someone (OK, I confess, it was me ;)) didn't pay close attention to what was written or visible to the naked, reasonably attentive eye. Thus, once we finished lollygagging around the pier and found ourselves in what seemed to be a very long line inside the terminal for the free shuttle in to town, we hopped in a taxi instead. As it turns out, those in line didn't wait more than a few minutes as were at least a half-dozen buses lined up just outside the pier area, waiting for the one bus at the pier at a time to quickly fill and depart.

 

Taxis cost $5 per person if six go together, or $30 per car. Our driver was friendly and informative. Thanks to his recommendation, we had an amazing lunch at Bismarck, at the fringe of the prime tourist area. As it turns out, Bismarck is very well-known, but we'd probably never considered it (or heard of it) on our own, so we don't regret someone's impatience with lines (OK, me again) causing the otherwise unnecessary travel expense. We did take the free shuttle back to the ship, though. The bus station was centrally located, well-maintained and buses appeared to be going back and forth with convenient frequency.

 

Starting out at the historic church near downtown, we wandered through the local market and various back streets until we reached the tourist zone along the waterfront. As it was a Sunday, the church and surrounding area were busy. The market, rambling down this street and that, was especially delightful as almost none of it was tourist-oriented. This was a local market filled with locals and items of interest to locals. As such, it was entertaining and enlightening. As were the various stores on the back streets.

 

After a few hours of window-shopping, people-watching and directionless ambling, we went in search of the recommended restaurant. Bismarck's is an open-air affair facing the water, although across the road from it. What we ordered turned out to be expensive, but was it worth every penny! A huge platter including a whole fresh-caught Pacific lobster, shrimp, clams and fish. The lobster and clams arrived split in half. All of it was tender and delicious. We tried hard, but we couldn't finish it all. Before leaving, we asked the waiter about specialties or restaurants in Loreto, our next port. Following his advice was one of the smarter things we did do on our cruise.

 

We returned to the ship's pier just in time to catch a couple of the many dance presentations held there throughout the day. We thought the enthusiastic members of the dance clubs, some in beautiful traditional costumes, did a fine job.

[ironin]

Loreto:

 

Tendering to and from Loreto was simple, swift and smooth. As Californians, it was neat to see the beginning of El Camino Real, which connected all the Missions as far north as Sonoma, CA. The Misión de Nuestra Señora de Loreto, finished in 1752, still stands and, although simple in both construction and interior, was definitely worth a look-see.

 

We consider the Jesuit Missions Museum next door to the Mission an under-rated gem. It, too, is simple and understated. The Museum collections of 17th and 18th century tools, art, weaponry and religious relics were well-presented. As we were entering, a couple ahead of us decided not to buy ticket because they thought $32 was too high an entry fee. The entry fee was actually 32 pesos (about $2.60 USD). (Traveler's trip/reminder: the "$" sign isn't just for US Dollars. Other countries use it for their currency.)

 

While El Camino Real had its fair share of tourist stores, it lacked the polished look and feel of major destinations, although there are signs of encroaching modernization and redevelopment. It was a quaint mixture of old, not-so-old, and even older, a few simple private residences. In other words, a hodge-podge with picturesque viewpoints. The hedged archways were a nice touch.

 

Following up the La Paz waiter's lunch tip, we wandered around a bit until we discovered the recommended restaurant on a nearby street. It was closed, but after inquiring within for a new recommendation, we ended up at Tio Lupe's. The plates of Almejas Chocolates (locally-caught cocoa-colored clams sprinkled with cheese and salsa and baked) were huge, delicious and surprisingly inexpensive, too.

 

As we were dining late, there were few people in the open-air restaurant. Two women who walked in about the same time (with their cute Scottie trailing behind them) started a conversation. As it turns out, they were a mother and daughter, the mother had just turned 90, and both were natives of France, but now alternated between living in San Diego and Loreto.

 

Earlier that afternoon, we sat down at an otherwise nondescript place, ordering a cappuccino and mocha to enjoy at some tables out front. Given the locale and the set-up, we didn't have high hopes, but the drinks really were excellent. We couldn't find a name on the building, just a Thrifty Ice Cream sign. Some say that just this kind of place often serves the best food in Mexico.

 

Almost forgot to add that there were brown pelicans everywhere. Little boats were their favorite resting spot (we counted 17 sharing one tiny dinghy) but there were dozens upon dozens floating off shore as well.

[ironin]

Topolobampo:

 

Topolobampo is best known as being the port from which many people take the 16-18 hour excursion to Copper Canyon. We didn't. Topolobampo itself is a poor working class town with virtually nothing of interest to the traveler. By all accounts, it appears to be a good place to be from. The much larger nearby city of Los Mochis, however, is a different story (see below).

 

There were a number of interesting alternative tours offered and we chose HAL's "Zorro & Native Cultures" tour while in Topolobampo. Our bus was only half-full. Our guide, a native of the Indian village we visited, was outstanding: informative and interesting but not a non-stop chatterer. The up-close-and-personal rendition of the native dance, attended by the village elders en masse as well, was very well-done. After the performance, we walked through the village to and through a charming little two-room house. In the back yard, we enjoyed freshly-made tortillas by our guide's "grandmother" and "aunt," who prepared them in front of us while our guide talked about the process and other things.

 

As the one of us who is a native Spanish-speaker chatted with the two women, we know they are actually his aunt and cousin, although they appear to be far older than he, which is probably why he refers to them as grandma and auntie when leading tours.

 

After the Indian village, it was on to a delicious buffet lunch in a picturesque hotel that rambles up a hillside in El Fuerte. We had enough time look around the pleasant little main square, the church and the municipal building (which was probably, like most, a former hacienda).

 

The Zorro part of the tour comes into play in El Fuerte, as the hotel claims to be the boyhood home of the inspiration for the Zorro character. There was a nice presentation of folkloric dancing ultimately involving an actor, who was decidedly a real character himself, in the guise of Zorro. As they were for a time short one male dancer (car trouble), seeing how they handled the situation added to the intrigue. We were disappointed not to have enough time to visit the old Spanish fortress and museum just a 2-3 minute walk away from the hotel. As they say, "You can't do everything!"

 

While I've tried to confine my comments to what we personally experienced, I'm going to bend to that rule here. We knew of at least a dozen couples who reported having a great time exploring the rambling marketplace of Los Mochis, the large city inland from Topolobampo. There is a free (or very cheap) shuttle from the pier. The market is not tourist-oriented. This is the real thing for locals. Apparently, you can wander through any number of streets and get "lost." "Like being in a souq, but much friendlier and far safer" is how one well-traveled Brit summed up her experience. Another couple were completely enchanted by the seafood market. Given their respective Dutch and German heritages, we considered their comments about standards and cleanliness high praise indeed.

 

This is as good a place as any to say that, other than hand in tickets at the bus, etc., we had no interaction with the Shore Excursions staff. We didn't need to. We reserved an paid for our tours before departure and our tickets were waiting for us in our stateroom upon arrival.

[schoolinmy3]

Ports:

 

 

We were admittedly lazy about researching our tour options for this voyage, and ended up booking our four tours through HAL because it was easy and convenient. We were extremely pleased with all of them.

 

On our upcoming cruise to the Mediterranean my son and I also opted to book only HAL tours. We researched the tour offerings and chose what we were most interested in. He is turning 20 and loves history but neither of us really wanted to strike out on our own. We were just in the Mediterranean (different ports) in May and as a family of 5 did mostly independent tours but with just the two of us this time we felt it was easier to stick with HAL for tours. I hope ours are as enjoyable as yours were ;)

Diane

[Aussiemick]

Ports:

 

Despite the international press attention given to Mexico's serious ongoing problems with drug gangs, we never once felt uncomfortable much less unsafe. As a reassurance measure, every port we visited had an ample, very visible, and beefed-up police presence in tourist areas.

 

Contrary to the popular misconceptions propagated by those whose sole foray in Mexican territory usually amounted to a drunken evening of bar-hopping in Tijuana, everywhere we went was also remarkably clean. Sidewalks may occasionally have been as uneven as they were in many places in Great Britain, but there weren't masses of cigarette butts crammed between tree limbs (much less in the gutters) as the were all over Paris.

 

 

Thanks for the great review. We were on the same cruise and I still enjoy your very detailed descriptions of the ports we visited. I especially appreciate your words about personal safety. As a resident of Mexico, I am saddened by the large number of Americans who believe all of the media hype and are afraid to visit here. My little village is experiencing a slow death as tourists don't come, spring break tours are moved elsewhere and fishing groups cancel. And the only drug incident we have ever had was a cartel boss being arrested in his race vehicle on the Baja 250 route.