Cafe or Marketplace Onboard Nieuw Amsterdam

[akcruizer11]

Hello!

 

We are on the August 14th Alaska sailing. This is our first time on HAL. My husband and son (14yr) love the Cafe's on RCI, Princess and Celebrity where you can go and get a coffee, tea or non alcoholic beverage and sit with a pastry or light snack. Is there anything similar on Nieuw Amsterdam?

 

And since I am asking a question anyway, if you get selected for an upgrade or even a paid upgrade, how are you notified? How far in advance does this usually happen from sailing?

 

Thank you!

[Florida_gal_50]

You can go to the exploration cafe for that.

[akcruizer11]

Thank you! Are they open 24 hours?

[VMax1700]

5 minutes ago, akcruizer11 said:

Thank you! Are they open 24 hours?

No. They open from about 7.30am to 6pm (maybe later on some routes).

Snacks (limited choice) or pastries are free.  Tea/Coffee is chargeable. 

For Free tea/coffee the Lido had 24 hour availability.  Or room service, which also has no charge.

[Crew News]

5 hours ago, akcruizer11 said:

Hello!

 

We are on the August 14th Alaska sailing. This is our first time on HAL. My husband and son (14yr) love the Cafe's on RCI, Princess and Celebrity where you can go and get a coffee, tea or non alcoholic beverage and sit with a pastry or light snack. Is there anything similar on Nieuw Amsterdam?

 

And since I am asking a question anyway, if you get selected for an upgrade or even a paid upgrade, how are you notified? How far in advance does this usually happen from sailing?

 

Thank you!

The Explorations Cafe opens at 6:00 AM for charged beverages but pastries are free (see link below).

 

 

The Lido Market has free coffee and tea 24/7 at the Beverage Stations located at each end of the serving area.  The Lido Market opens at 7:00 AM for breakfast.  Here is the menu for the Explorations Cafe:

 

https://rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Explorations-Cafe-Menu.pdf

Edited July 19, 2021 by Crew News

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, akcruizer11 said:

love the Cafe's on Princess

 

The Exploration Cafe is the closest to what you have experienced with the International Cafe on Princess.  Personally, I don't think the food offerings available have been are equal with Princess being more generous.  Beverages at both are not free.  

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The Exploration Cafe is the closest to what you have experienced with the International Cafe on Princess.  Personally, I don't think the food offerings available have been are equal with Princess being more generous.  Beverages at both are not free.  

I would agree, Princess has more offerings but it seems to take them forever to make your coffee.

[akcruizer11]

Thank you all! Beverages would be included with the Premium package or will they still be additional?

[Aquahound]

I hate to be a downer but if the Explorations Cafe on NA is like the one on Eurodam, it’s been reduced to almost nothing. Quite pathetic, actually. Certainly NOTHING like the cafes the op mentioned on other lines. 

[Missheo]

AkCruizer11,

 

We will be on the same ship, this is also our first Holland America cruise. I was wondering the same question about the coffee. We were on the Princess 5 years ago for Alaska and they have a very nice coffee area you can purchase, but the wait was long.

[AV8rix]

11 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I hate to be a downer but if the Explorations Cafe on NA is like the one on Eurodam, it’s been reduced to almost nothing. Quite pathetic, actually. Certainly NOTHING like the cafes the op mentioned on other lines. 

That was my experience on my last two cruises (September 2019 on Amsterdam and October 2019 on Volendam).  There used to be some snack choices...I liked the smoked salmon bites... in the Explorations Cafe, but on the above cruises it seemed that the only offering was some biscotti.

 

The pretty photo posted by @Crew News is just a memory of days gone by.

Edited July 20, 2021 by Av8rix

[kazu]

7 minutes ago, Av8rix said:

That was my experience on my last two cruises (September 2019 on Amsterdam and October 2019 on Volendam).  There used to be some snack choices...I liked the smoked salmon bites... in the Explorations Cafe, but on the above cruises it seemed that the only offering was some biscotti.

 

The pretty photo posted by @Crew News is just a memory of days gone by.

 

Wow, that’s sad to hear.  My last cruise BC (before covid) was on the Prinsendam and it’s Java cafe has loads of goodies.  Always people there munching and drinking away 🙂.  Sorry that time has passed 😔 

[AV8rix]

13 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Wow, that’s sad to hear.  My last cruise BC (before covid) was on the Prinsendam and it’s Java cafe has loads of goodies.  Always people there munching and drinking away 🙂.  Sorry that time has passed 😔 

Just one of the many things that Ashford took away from us.  Like the Halve Maen on the logo, the Yum Yum Man chiming us into dinner, and fresh flowers on the tables in the MDR.  Wonder if Antorcha could be persuaded to re-institute any of those?

Edited July 20, 2021 by Av8rix

[seagarsmoker]

13 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I hate to be a downer but if the Explorations Cafe on NA is like the one on Eurodam, it’s been reduced to almost nothing. Quite pathetic, actually. Certainly NOTHING like the cafes the op mentioned on other lines. 

Same experience on several Eurodam cruises. I LOL when I saw the photo of the food items. Knowing the most I have seen is only cookies or biscotti's. 

[AKJonesy]

I guess we will have to see what Explorations Cafe is like now on the NA.  I have not been on NA yet and am looking forward to it.  However, I enjoyed getting some real coffee 🙂 from the Explorations Cafe in the morning first thing and sitting in the library before heading up for breakfast.  

[VMax1700]

14 hours ago, akcruizer11 said:

Thank you all! Beverages would be included with the Premium package or will they still be additional?

The SBP (regular beverage pack) covers the additional cost of coffee/teas.  The premium package also would cover them.

[shiner6]

Oh my! I certainly hope that HAL has something equal to Princess!  We have never sailed on HAL before but we convinced our extended family to take this Alaskan cruise on HAL, thinking it would be at least on par with Princess.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I hate to be a downer but if the Explorations Cafe on NA is like the one on Eurodam, it’s been reduced to almost nothing. Quite pathetic, actually. Certainly NOTHING like the cafes the op mentioned on other lines. 

 

That was not my experience on Eurodam in January, 2020.  Cookies of various types, small dishes with crudities, small sandwiches:  these are items that I recall.  Not as wide of a selection as the International Cafe on a Princess vessel.  I really didn't see much less selection of "goodies" in comparison to other HAL cruises that I have sailed when such were available.  

[PSR]

56 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

That was not my experience on Eurodam in January, 2020.  Cookies of various types, small dishes with crudities, small sandwiches:  these are items that I recall.  Not as wide of a selection as the International Cafe on a Princess vessel.  I really didn't see much less selection of "goodies" in comparison to other HAL cruises that I have sailed when such were available.  

 

That's good to hear! On our last HAL cruise in fall of 2019 the Exploration Cafe snacks were pretty sparse. The coffee drinks were as good as ever, too, and were made quickly.

[Florida_gal_50]

6 hours ago, shiner6 said:

Oh my! I certainly hope that HAL has something equal to Princess!  We have never sailed on HAL before but we convinced our extended family to take this Alaskan cruise on HAL, thinking it would be at least on par with Princess.

 

28 minutes ago, PSR said:

 

That's good to hear! On our last HAL cruise in fall of 2019 the Exploration Cafe snacks were pretty sparse. The coffee drinks were as good as ever, too, and were made quickly.

Hal is better at some things, Princess others.  Try to get anything hot delivered to your cabin for breakfast on Princess.  It’s not going to happen.  Equally poor is the breakfast menu in the mdr on Princess unless you like cereal, a plain omelette or toast every day.  Hal’s breakfast menu is outstanding.

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Equally poor is the breakfast menu in the mdr on Princess unless you like cereal, a plain omelette or toast every day.  Hal’s breakfast menu is outstanding.

 

Yes, the most current Room Service Breakfast Menu that I have experienced on HAL (Eurodam, January, 2020) was superior to the most comparable Princess menu (Coral Princess, July, 2019).  But, the HAL menu suffered when items "for a cost" was added. 

[Florida_gal_50]

20 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Yes, the most current Room Service Breakfast Menu that I have experienced on HAL (Eurodam, January, 2020) was superior to the most comparable Princess menu (Coral Princess, July, 2019).  But, the HAL menu suffered when items "for a cost" was added. 

Agree, but it still beats Princess.  I tire of hearing that international cafe is so good.  I found it meh.    Personally it’s more important for me to have a lovely breakfast menu than a cafe.  I pretty much eat yougart and grainy bread for breakfast everyday of my life.  I’d like to get something good when I’m on holidays.  Good for me might mean an omelette or veggie frittata or bagel with salmon and cream cheese or occasionally Benedict.  Good luck with that on Princess.  

[rkacruiser]

31 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Personally it’s more important for me to have a lovely breakfast menu than a cafe.

 

Princess' MDR breakfast offers a baked apple which I love.  HAL?  No.  MSC had stewed apples which were good, but, still, not a baked apple.

 

32 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

 I’d like to get something good when I’m on holidays.  Good for me might mean an omelette or veggie frittata or bagel with salmon and cream cheese or occasionally Benedict.  Good luck with that on Princess.  

 

May I recommend HAL's Swedish Pancakes?  

[Florida_gal_50]

23 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Princess' MDR breakfast offers a baked apple which I love.  HAL?  No.  MSC had stewed apples which were good, but, still, not a baked apple.

 

 

May I recommend HAL's Swedish Pancakes?  

The baked apple isn’t overly appealing.  That said I’ve been known to nuke Granny Smith apples a little at home because I prefer them a little softer.  I’m not really a pancake person but I’ve seen others with the Swedish pancakes and they do look good. I may have to try them next time.  Thanks.

[cruisemom42]

On 7/20/2021 at 2:43 PM, shiner6 said:

Oh my! I certainly hope that HAL has something equal to Princess!  We have never sailed on HAL before but we convinced our extended family to take this Alaskan cruise on HAL, thinking it would be at least on par with Princess.

 

As someone who regularly sails on a variety of different ships and cruise lines, let me share a piece of advice:  all cruise lines have differences, and it is much better going into a cruise on a new (to you) line when you consciously make an effort to set aside the comparisons between ships.

 

Some will have better MDR service. Some will have entertainment more to your taste. Some will do a better job with daily activities. You may like the decor better in one than another but hate the spa...  But at the end of the day I think it makes the trip more interesting to see how things can be done differently from one line to another. If they were all the same it would be a little boring (IMO).