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'Twas the Cruise During Christmas - Zuiderdam 2018


POA1
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11 minutes ago, KY Deb said:

Loved your posts!  So looking forward to our Zuiderdam cruise in February.  Against my better judgment, our group has decided to do the early seating dining.   Do you recall what time it is?   I didn’t see the times on any of the daily programs you posted.  

 

It was 5:45 pm on our sailing. I'll post the menus and drink lists soon. The menus for your cruise might be different though because ours were modified for the Christmas cruise. 

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53 minutes ago, Saphire said:

For those of us dreaming of a winter/spring cruise, your report and and pictures have been so helpful and enjoyable.  And so very entertaining. Thank you so much!

 

You're very welcome! 

 

I'm working on the menus and hope to have them ready later today. I didn't have all the fonts used for the templates, so I had to hunt them down. I want to make sure that the menus render properly. 

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Menus

 

My apologies for the delay in getting the menus posted. I was able to get electronic copies, courtesy of the Food & Beverage Director, Niek van der Kolk. I'm grateful for that, because it means that I didn't have to scan all the paper copies. The menus use certain licensed fonts. And, while I have over 1,000 fonts &  installed, I didn't have a couple of the ones they use on the menu. Because I wanted to present you with the menus as they appeared to us, I needed to find the fonts and install them. Locating fonts and open source alternatives isn't on my list of "big vacation fun things" so I waited until got home.

 

Our menu cycle wasn't exactly the same one as a normal southern Caribbean 10 day cruise, most likely because of the holiday. I exchanged some email messages with Roger Jett (Crew News) who was on the Koningsdam and there was quite a bit of variance between our dinner menus. I'm inclined to believe that his menus will be more representative than ours if you want some for planning purposes.

 

So, without further ado, here are some menus.

 

Day 1 Dinner - Main Dining Room and Lido - from Sunday, December 16, 2018

 

Again, these are in Evernote. When you click the link below, you'll be taken to an Evernote web page. Just click on the PDF links on the page to open or download the menus. (See graphic below for a little more information.)

 

https://www.evernote.com/l/AFhdJhULvy9L17Ep3ITXahlgEthj8kC7beA/

 

Opening Files from Evernote

 

You do not need to install Evernote on your computer in order to see the menus. Just click the links on the page. The links are shown with purple boxes around them in the sample image below. (This is just an example image. You need to click the link above to get to the page with the menus._

 

evernote-dinner-select.thumb.jpg.112314be993cd46553d056b3dbbe03ab.jpg

 

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Day 2 Dinner - Main Dining Room and Lido - from Monday, December 17, 2018

 

These are in Evernote. When you click the link below, you'll be taken to an Evernote web page. Just click on the PDF links on the page to open or download the menus. Dessert is missing, but we did not miss dessert.

 

https://www.evernote.com/l/AFiSmXNYXtVNob25s24NrcFsZHpvaFj7bNc/

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And now for the information you've all been waiting for.... Drink Menus!

 

On the Zuiderdam, there's a core drink menu in the center of the menu jacket for each bar. Some bars also have their own special drinks, while others do not. For example, the Crow's Nest and the Gallery Bar had their own special drinks. The Ocean Bar, Pinnacle Bar, and Pool Bars did not. This may vary by ship as certain bars, like Mix are on the smaller ships, but not on the others. The major exception on the Zuiderdam was the B.B. King Lounge, which had a more or less completely different menu.  I'll start with the core menu, broken into several parts to make posting a little easier. I attempted to format the information so that it would be a little easier to read than you'd get from a straight--up text list. Let me know if it works for you.

 

Drink Menus - Part 1 - Master Mixologist & Signature Cocktails

 

COCKTAILS BY HOLLAND AMERICA LINE'S
MASTER MIXOLOGIST
DALE DEGROFF

In partnership with Master Mixologist Dale DeGroff, winner of two James Beard Awards and author of 'The essential Cocktail' and 'The Craft of the Cocktail', we hove pioneered a gourmet approach to reinventing classic cocktails and put together a tempting array of unique creations ond popular favorites to tease and entice.
 

Holland America Mixologists give each cocktail individual core to produce vivid flavor profiles; many we trust will be unique to your cruise experience. Cheers!

RITZ COCKTAIL
Courvoisier VSOP Cognac, Cointreau, Maraschino Liquor, Fresh Lemon juice, Champagne
  $10.95
OAXACA OLD FASHIONED
Reposado Tequila, Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal, Agave Syrup & Angostura Bitters.
  $10.95
PENICILLIN
Blended Scotch Whisky, Fresh Lemon, Ginger, Honey Syrup & Islay Malt Scotch Whisky
  $9.75
'SLIGHTLY LESS THAN PERFECT PERFECT' MANHATTAN
Knob Creek Rye, Martini Rosso Sweet vermouth, Noilly Prot Dry Vermouth, Dale DeGroff Aromatic Bitters
  $9.95
FLOR DE JEREZ
Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Lustau Amontillado Sherry, marie Brizard Apry Liqueur, ~resh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Angostura Bitters
  $9.50
SIGNATURE COCKTAILS
FRESH GRAPEFRUIT COSMO
Vodka, hand-pressed grapefruit, lime, house made sour and cranberry juice
  $9.00
THE ULTIMATE RASPBERRY LEMONADE
Hand-pressed lemons, raspberries and vodka
  $8.50
TUSCAN LEMON DROP
Rosemary infused citrus vodka and Limoncello
  $8.50
FASHIONISTA
Pineapple vodka, fresh raspberries, citrus and house made sour
  $8.50
POMEGRANATE GINGER DROP
Vodka, pomegranate juice and ginger
  $8.50
RED STAG DERBY
Jim Beam Red Stag bourbon, citrus vodka, fresh mint and soda
  $8.50
SPARKLING BELLINI MANHATTAN
Bourbon, sweet vermouth, peach puree, sparkling wine and a dosh of orange bitters
  $8.50
MEDITERRANEAN MARTINI
Homemade grappa and lemon infused vermouth
  $8.50
GIN'S CUP
Pimm's. Tanqueray gin, St. Germain and fresh cucumber
  $8.50
STRAWBERRIES AND BUBBLES
Vodka. fresh strawberries and sparkling wine
  $8.50
ROYAL MANHATTAN
Jim Beam Red Stag bourbon. red vermouth and Angostura bitters
  $9.00
SKINNY BERRY CITRUS RITA
Cabo Wabo Silver tequila. fresh raspberries and skinny lime sour
  $8.50
GRAND FROZEN STRAWBERRY MARGARITA
Jose Cuervo 1800 tequila. lime. strawberry puree and topped with Grand Marnier
  $8.50
FROSTY CHOCOLATE MINT BUZZ
Baileys, Absolut vanilla vodka and house made chocolate mint mix
  $8.50
SIGNATURE BLOODY MARY
Our signature mix enhanced with gourmet garnishes and rimmed bacon-seasoned salt
  $8.75
GOLD STANDARD FROZEN MARGARITA
Premium Cabo Wabo Reposado tequila, triple-sec and homemade Sour
  $10.00
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Most of the signature cocktails fall within the SBP $9/drink limits and all fall within the EBP's $15 cap. Several of our daily drink specials were $9+ drinks for a dollar off, putting them within reach of the SBP.

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Drink Menus - Part 2 -  Citrus Signatures, Poolside Pleasers, and Tropical Specialties

All  of these are available on the Signature Beverage Package

 

CITRUS SIGNATURES
SPARKLING DREAMS
Vodka, sparkling wine and hand-pressed oranges
Classic | Mango | Strawberry | Guava | Banana
  $8.50
FRESH SQUEEZED LEMON DROPS
New Amsterdam vodka, hand-pressed lemons, sugar
West Coast | Glacier | Coral | Kiwi
  $8.75
CITRUS COSMOPOLITANS
Vodka, fresh citrus and cranberry juice
Sex and the City | Fresh Grapefruit | Apple | Apricot
  $9.00
THE CUCUMBER LIME SMASH
New Amsterdam vodka with fresh lime, cucumber, house sour and Sprite
  $8.50
POOLSIDE PLEASERS
SUNSICLE
Cruzan vanilla rum, fresh orange, lemon and soda
  $8.50
THE RASPBERRY SEA BREEZE
Vodka, fresh hand pressed gropefruit. cranberry juice, raspberry ond soda
  $8.50
THE POOL SIDE CAR
Brandy, orange liquor, fresh lemon, fresh orange and soda
  $8.50
THE CLASSIC PINA COLADA
White rum, pineapple juice and coconut mix
  $9.00
TROPICAL SPECIALTIES
HAND SHAKEN CUBAN MOJITO
Light rum, fresh mint, fresh juices and Sprite
Classic | Mango | Strawberry | Banana
  $9.00
EPIC SPICED DAQUIRIS
Captain Morgan spiced rum and fresh citrus juices, hand shaken or blended
Classic | Mango | Strawberry | Banana
  $8.50
TROPICAL CABLE CAR
Cruzan coconut rum, pineapple, citrus sour and hand pressed grapefruit
  $8.50
FRESH HAND SHAKEN MARGARITA
Tequila, fresh hand pressed limes and citrus sour, hand shaken or blended
Classic | Mango | Strawberry | Banana
  $9.00
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TIP: At the bottom of most of the cocktail menu pages, you'll see at notice stating that you can, "Take your cocktailing experience to the next level by adding any Call Spirit for $0.50 or any premium spirit for $1.00."

 

Remember that. A drink that just says "vodka" can be upgraded to Finlandia, Skyy, Stoli. or Smirnoff for 50 cents. Since many of the drinks are priced at $8.50, you can deluxe your cocktail and still stay under the SBP limit. I'm not exactly sure where the break between "call" and "premium" spirits lies, so ask the bartender. We had the EBP, so we cold upgrade our drinks willy nilly. (That's why Michelle always had her Signature Bloody Mary elevated to Grey Goose Citron.)  For those of you on the SBP, this tip can help to make your drinking experience quite a bit better than the regular house liquors which are things like Barton's and Discount Johnnie's Party Gin.

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Drink Menus - Part 3 - Nod To The Classics & Sophisticated Retro Favorites.

 

All  of these are available on the Signature Beverage Package 

 

NOD TO THE CLASSICS
FRESH HAND PRESSES SOURS
Hand pressed lemon and orange with your favorite spirit and soda
  $8.50
CLASSIC TOM COLLINS
Hand pressed limes, gin and soda
  $8.50
ICE COLD MARTINIS
Hand shaken or stirred to your preference
  $8.75
MANHATTANS
Bourbon, sweet vermouth, orange and cherry
  $9.00
NEGRONI
Gin, Carpano Anlica Formula vermouth and Campari
  $8.50
SOPHISTICATED RETRO FAVORITES
TANQUERAY 0010 MARTINI
Tanqueray 10 gin and Vox vodka with a breath of Grand Marnier, shaken or stirred
  $8.50
THE GIBSON
Vour choice of vodka or gin, shaken or stirred
  $8.50
ROB ROY
Scotch and Martini Rosso vermouth
  $8.50
STINGER
Brandy and while creme de menthe
  $8.50
Take your cocktailing experience to the next level by adding any Call Spirit for $0.50 or any premium spirit for $1.00
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1 hour ago, POA1 said:

TIP: At the bottom of most of the cocktail menu pages, you'll see at notice stating that you can, "Take your cocktailing experience to the next level by adding any Call Spirit for $0.50 or any premium spirit for $1.00."

 

Remember that. A drink that just says "vodka" can be upgraded to Finlandia, Skyy, Stoli. or Smirnoff for 50 cents. Since many of the drinks are priced at $8.50, you can deluxe your cocktail and still stay under the SBP limit.

 

Great tip, Brian.  A help to many, I'm sure 😄 

 

Thanks for the menus too.  A big help indeed 🙂 

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Drink Menus - Part 4 - Vodka

SBP holders, you get everything but Chopin & Belvedere.  EBP drinkers, go nuts.

 

VODKA
Finlandia   $7.25
Skyy & Skyy Pineapple Infused   $7.25
Smirnoff   $7.25
Stolichnaya   $7.25
Tito's Handmade   $7.50
New Amsterdam   $7.50
Vox   $7.50
Absolut   $8.00
Absolut Citron / Vanilla / Mandarin   $8.00
Ketel One   $8.00
Grey Goose   $8.50
Grey Goose Le Citron   $8.50
Grey Goose L'Orange   $8.50
Grey Goose La Poire   $8.50
Chopin   $10.25
Belvedere   $10.25
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40 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Great tip, Brian.  A help to many, I'm sure 😄 

 

Thanks for the menus too.  A big help indeed 🙂 

 

A lot of people don't realize that. I've made friends with this info. I've also made friends by pointing out that you can have Johnnie Walker Black and not just Johnnie Red on the SBP.

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1 hour ago, POA1 said:

Well isn't this just special? Tapatalk is working again. I had to delete the CruiseCritix group and re-add it to get it to work though.

 

Excellent!  That's a thread worth starting 😉

 

I deleted the app.  I'll re-download it and see if it works on my Ipad.  Too bad it's too late for your cruise 😞 

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1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

Excellent!  That's a thread worth starting 😉

 

I deleted the app.  I'll re-download it and see if it works on my Ipad.  Too bad it's too late for your cruise 😞 

 

You may want to wait. From what I have read, the iOS version does not work yet, only Android. Also, the Android version gets logged out any time your device sleeps. I don't think it's ready for prime time yet. 

 

Tapatalk does fix the Comic Sans issue, but it does not support a lot of other formatting. My lovely, hand crafted drink pricing tables are just one big line of text. The bold words keep their formatting, so you can still read the info, but it's no longer a thing of beauty. 

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Hello,

 

Just wanted to say thanks for including us on your vacation. The past to present photos were great

We truly enjoy your wit and wisdom. The food reviews and pictures were a highlight.

I'm also thinking of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile for cellular service.

It's great that they offer the free data in so many places.

Have a Happy & Healthy 2019.

 

Thanks again,

Mike

 

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Brian, do we really need Tapatalk any more?  It's so easy to post photos now, with CC, the only advantage I would see might be if you only have minutes of internet, but most of the ships now do 24/7.  Actually, without the unlimited internet, I wouldn't post from a cruise at all.    

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43 minutes ago, POA1 said:

 

You may want to wait. From what I have read, the iOS version does not work yet, only Android. Also, the Android version gets logged out any time your device sleeps. I don't think it's ready for prime time yet. 

 

Tapatalk does fix the Comic Sans issue, but it does not support a lot of other formatting. My lovely, hand crafted drink pricing tables are just one big line of text. The bold words keep their formatting, so you can still read the info, but it's no longer a thing of beauty. 

 

Thanks for the warning.  

 

I'll wait.

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42 minutes ago, POA1 said:

Tapatalk does fix the Comic Sans issue, but it does not support a lot of other formatting.

Does this mean I can once again use Comic Sans on my laptop, and those with a phone will be able to read it???
I am waiting as patiently as I can for you to make that announcement (and I don't do patience very well at all).

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Just now, Vict0riann said:

Brian, do we really need Tapatalk any more?  It's so easy to post photos now, with CC, the only advantage I would see might be if you only have minutes of internet, but most of the ships now do 24/7.  Actually, without the unlimited internet, I wouldn't post from a cruise at all.    

 

That's really a personal choice. If you are a tablet person, I'd say no, you don't really need an app. Although M prefers the app view to the mobile web version. The organizational paradigm for keeping track of content is completely different on the app vs website. The app has tabs for followed posts and subscribed boards. You can get to the same place in the web version, but you reach it in a different manner.

 

The app version lacks a lot of the formatting that the web version has. That's not so great for display of data. (Like the drink price tables. for instance.) On the other hand, it's faster for displaying straight text posts. I prefer it for posting from my phone - by a huge margin. It's a cleaner interface for simple typing. It also allows you to make multiple photo attachments at once, something that the mobile web version does not. (In fairness to CC, that's a limitation of the mobile file picker - at least on Android.)

 

I like the computer for posting most things. I'm a sucker for a high quality keyboard. However, when we're just walking around and the phone is the more practical way to read and post, I like the app.

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