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New to Holland America? This is for you...AKA "HAL For Dummies"


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Hi and greetings.

Have sailed on other lines many times and first with HAL on 28th March Westerdam. Really looking forward to this. Can anyone please tell me whether Veggie Burgers are offered as an option to vegetarians in venues offering regular burgers. Appreciate your reply.

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Hi and greetings.

Have sailed on other lines many times and first with HAL on 28th March Westerdam. Really looking forward to this. Can anyone please tell me whether Veggie Burgers are offered as an option to vegetarians in venues offering regular burgers. Appreciate your reply.

 

The "Freestyle" is a portabello mushroom burger served at the Dive In. It is topped with melting Gouda and cheddar cheeses, avocado, and Dive-In sauce.

 

The Dive In is located next to the indoor pool.

Edited by Crew News
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Hi and greetings.

Have sailed on other lines many times and first with HAL on 28th March Westerdam. Really looking forward to this. Can anyone please tell me whether Veggie Burgers are offered as an option to vegetarians in venues offering regular burgers. Appreciate your reply.

 

The veggie burger is actually very good. But do not miss the fries - they are excellent!:D

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I'm not sure if it's been mentioned here, but trays are no longer provided in the Lido.

 

Select your table - in the Lido, at the SeaView Pool or Lido Pool - and then go through the food line.

..

 

Sailing this Friday on the Noordam and just now catching up on this thread. And I saw this and I was like seriously? :confused:

 

I'm by myself, not sure how I'm going to select my table until I actually have my food.

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Sailing this Friday on the Noordam and just now catching up on this thread. And I saw this and I was like seriously? :confused:

 

I'm by myself, not sure how I'm going to select my table until I actually have my food.

 

Is there a question in there somewhere that we can help you with?

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LOL, ok I'll restate. How in the heck am I supposed to select a table when I have to go get my food and there's no one to hold the table for me.

 

And no trays? Seriously?

 

There have been no trays for a very long time. Try doing it when you have a walker or a wheelchair. As for selecting your table - put your drink, book or whatever there.

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There have been no trays for a very long time. Try doing it when you have a walker or a wheelchair. As for selecting your table - put your drink, book or whatever there.

 

Yeah I don't think so, don't like leaving anything unattended. Guess I'll have to take my chances after I get my food. Either that, or use room service all the time. Seems to be an unnecessary complication, but it is what is I guess.

 

I just wish I would have found this board BEFORE I booked this cruise, as the more I learn about HAL's way of doing things, the more I'm getting a bad feeling about this. :(

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Yeah I don't think so, don't like leaving anything unattended. Guess I'll have to take my chances after I get my food. Either that, or use room service all the time. Seems to be an unnecessary complication, but it is what is I guess.

 

I just wish I would have found this board BEFORE I booked this cruise, as the more I learn about HAL's way of doing things, the more I'm getting a bad feeling about this. :(

 

My limited experience is that it is pretty much the same on all cruise lines, with regard to the buffet. I always manage to find a table without too much problem.

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My limited experience is that it is pretty much the same on all cruise lines, with regard to the buffet. I always manage to find a table without too much problem.

 

Well, with this cruise I will have 3 on HAL (my last HAL was 2002), 3 on RCL, and 3 on Carnival, and the "no tray" thing is new to me. But not a big deal I guess, I'll just use room service and eat on my verandah. Oddly enough, in 8 prior cruises, I've never used room service once.

 

Might be a blessing in disguise I suppose (may eat less, LOL).

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LOL, ok I'll restate. How in the heck am I supposed to select a table when I have to go get my food and there's no one to hold the table for me.

 

And no trays? Seriously?

 

When I go as a solo diner to the Lido Restaurant, I grab something from the salad bar (a breakfast pastry or a lunch fruit plate) located a few feet from the aft Beverage Station and a glass of ice water before searching for a table. With my table "occupied" by a "meal-in-progress" evidence, I let the nearest bus person know that I will return and then go to gather the rest of my meal. As a note, leaving a personal item on a table that will be out of your vision while you are standing in a buffet line puts a lot of trust in your fellow passengers.

 

There are also tables located on the aft Lido deck as well as around the indoor pool that you may choose.

 

The plates used in Lido Restaurant serving lines are best described as platters that hold nearly the equivalent of two normal dinner plates. There are a number of eight-place tables that are sometimes occupied by one or two passengers. Feel free to ask if you may use one of the empty spaces.

 

As a hint, try not to go to the Lido Restaurant when it first opens. The rush for tables and long serving lines can be very frustrating. A 45-minute delay seems to be a time when the early diners are leaving their tables and the serving lines are being replenished with recently cooked items.

 

On one cruise, I discovered an interesting dining schedule: a light Room Service Breakfast @ 6:30 AM, waffles with strawberry compote at 9:30 AM in the Lido Restaurant, lunch in the Lido Restaurant @12:30 PM, a small plate of nachos at the Taco bar next to the indoor pool at 3:30 PM, and then dinner in the MDR. Of course you can make substitutions of the above choices.

 

During the day, I like to create a cheese plate in the Lido Restaurant for later consumption in my stateroom. I always bring ziploc sandwich bags that I can fill with my cheese selections and then place the bags in my minibar. Of course I will always have a plate of chocolate chip cookies in the room for late snacks.

 

Dining on board is a matter of timing to beat the crowd. Bon Appetit.

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Well, with this cruise I will have 3 on HAL (my last HAL was 2002), 3 on RCL, and 3 on Carnival, and the "no tray" thing is new to me. But not a big deal I guess, I'll just use room service and eat on my verandah. Oddly enough, in 8 prior cruises, I've never used room service once.

 

Might be a blessing in disguise I suppose (may eat less, LOL).

 

Room Service is quite good on HAL:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Room-Service.pdf

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Can someone please explain the cabin rankings within each meta category? For example: Is VA higher than VB which is higher than VC? How do these work?

 

The closer to the top of the alphabet of the second character, the better the cabin (supposedly).

 

This second letter assignment is often based on location on the ship even though the cabin interiors may be the same.

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Thanks Crew News,

 

I'm sure I'll manage, I was just a little surprised by the "no tray" thing, not really a big deal, just a matter of convenience IMHO. This will be my second solo outing and I never seemed to have trouble finding a table. I probably took Lizzie a little too literally when she said get your table first.

 

It's been 13 years since I was last on a HAL ship (the ms Amsterdam), I'm anxious to see how they've changed (or not) over the years.

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I'm sure I'll manage, I was just a little surprised by the "no tray" thing, not really a big deal, just a matter of convenience IMHO.

It takes practically no space or weight to pack a tray (I've done it). Pick one up at any dollar-type store and bring it along.

If you need it---you have it. If you find you can get along without it---no harm done.

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It takes practically no space or weight to pack a tray (I've done it). Pick one up at any dollar-type store and bring it along.

If you need it---you have it. If you find you can get along without it---no harm done.

 

Thanks Ruth, I was thinking about that very thing.

 

I figure it's not really a big deal (after I got over my initial reaction) other than trying manage my beverages, but I guess I'll figure it out.

 

One of the perils of being a solo traveler I guess. :D

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I'm a solos traveler---have been for years. I have no trouble finding a table, putting my HAL bag down to mark my place---maybe with a glass or a cup, too, then going to get my food. No one ever takes anything.

The signal to the stewards that you are returning, so don't clean up here, is to tip the chair against the table, with the napkin draped across the top of the chair.

 

It is much, much easier to claim your spot first, leaving something that is not temperature sensitive, than to seek out a spot after you've finished the hunting & gathering.

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