Observations, first time on HAL. Zaandam 23Aug to 03 Sep 2023

[Heidi13]

45 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

The tea was oversteeped. Okay, it's black tea. But that doesn't mean it should be as dark as tar!!! I miss HAL's "house" tea, a lovely Darjeeling.

 

I'll suggest it is personal preference, which can be largely affected by where you come from. Where I was brought up tea was always, as your describe, dark as tar. That was a proper cup of tea, which unless I make it at home is almost impossible to find, even in Victoria.  Anything less was considered peelie-wallie, which is a weak and/or overly milky cup of tea.

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

I thought I should mention afternoon tea. It seems to be popular but I don't know why. It was sort of a cattle call situation with a rather large line of folks just flowing in and sitting at whatever table. Each table had a number of small 3 tier plate stands. The selection on each was the same, 3 assorted small finger sandwiches, rather plain really. The next layer had 3 scones (if you can call them that) and the top layer was assorted pastries including 1 macaron. All in all not memorable. There was no choice of tea just what was described as "black tea". Where I come from afternoon tea is something else. I put together a better tea at home. This was afternoon tea at our house for Lynn's mom on mother's day. 

 

 

Lyle - looks amazing, the table cloth was the first clue this was at home.😁

[Blackduck59]

4 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Lyle - looks amazing, the table cloth was the first clue this was at home.😁

That table cloth was made by my mom, you will notice there are only 3 place settings. My mom had passed and that was my way of including her. 

[OlsSalt]

35 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

An interesting description of afternoon tea at the Empress. Based on some of the others in Victoria and many I experienced growing up in UK, I'll suggest it is aimed at tourists, as it was very average and expensive.

 

We indulged once at the Empress for Tea - and it was both expensive and also very, very good for what are traditional tea offerings. Not really worth the price since the traditional tea tidbits are all you get, but each tidbit was exquisitely made.  

 

I was happy to share in the history of the place and even indulged in buying a lovely three tier China  server replicating motifs of the hotel's legendary decor - mine was  the Library ceiling panels. Love that souvenir.  First visited the Empress Hotel when I was 10 years old, during Queen Elizabeth's coronation year. 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by OlsSalt

[Blackduck59]

So we ended up having lunch in 2 different venues. I wanted to have the Indian street food in the Lido and Lynn didn't find anything she liked so she went to the MDR. We just met back up in our cabin, she enjoyed her luncheon. And frankly from her description she chose more wisely than me. She was by herself and the service was timely, the food tasty and she really enjoyed it. I think perhaps we will see if we can get a table for 2 for tonight. 

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

Canaletto tonight for us.   Any suggestions on items to choose/avoid?

[Caribbean Chris]

59 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

An interesting description of afternoon tea at the Empress. Based on some of the others in Victoria and many I experienced growing up in UK, I'll suggest it is aimed at tourists, as it was very average and expensive.

I thought it was quite grand but I was 15 years old at the time, many decades ago! 

[OlsSalt]

11 minutes ago, AroundWithMAPTravels said:

Canaletto tonight for us.   Any suggestions on items to choose/avoid?

 

Some of us still remember the old (and even older) menus, but this has changed recently. 

So this will be difficult. Just as recently as the last holiday season,

 

Canaletto on the Konigsdam  we feel offered the best dinner choices of all the ship's speciality restaurants. That is the only one that got a nod for a second visit,  But that was the "old menu" when lamb was still offered. Best ever. Don't think this is still on the menu.

 

I recall someone recently highly recommending the grilled shrimp appetizer. And the precaution that freshly made pasta does have a different "chewier" texture - which I love, but came as a surprise to that diner. I always like their first course antipasto offering - various meats, olives, marinated vegetables. I never go wrong with an affogato for desert,  or their tiramisu is credible.

[CruiserBruce]

From what I can see, Zaandam is still using the menu that has been on HAL since the re-start. They have not gone to the simplier menu yet. Hope that is still true next month.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

We indulged once at the Empress for Tea - and it was both expensive and also very, very good for what are traditional tea offerings. Not really worth the price since the traditional tea tidbits are all you get, but each tidbit was exquisitely made.  

 

I was happy to share in the history of the place and even indulged in buying a lovely three tier China  server replicating motifs of the hotel's legendary decor - mine was  the Library ceiling panels. Love that souvenir.  First visited the Empress Hotel when I was 10 years old, during Queen Elizabeth's coronation year. 

 

 

 

Part of what makes afternoon tea so expensive is the time and labor that go into making all those tidbits. A restaurant near me tried afternoon tea for a while, but they didn't make any money on it and knew if they raised the prices people wouldn't come. So they gave up, sadly. 

 

If you're ever in London, try tea at the V&A Museum. That was my treat on my first solo trip to London. It was a lovely service, and the food was delicious and generous. Tea at the British Museum used to be nice, but the last time I was there, they went all modern with thick wide cafe au lait cups  and long narrow serving plate instead of the traditional tiered plate. 

 

[Blackduck59]

@OlsSalt at the risk of drifting my own thread. The library in the Empress was The Library Bar in the 70s and early 80s. Quite posh jacket and tie type place where a simple highball required a tray with an empty glass a glass of ice a shot of whatever libation you order and a small glass bottle of the mix you ordered. The drink was assembled at the table. The type of service not seen in many places if any.

So before others chastise me for drifting the OP has already chastised me. 😉

[OlsSalt]

12 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

@OlsSalt at the risk of drifting my own thread. The library in the Empress was The Library Bar in the 70s and early 80s. Quite posh jacket and tie type place where a simple highball required a tray with an empty glass a glass of ice a shot of whatever libation you order and a small glass bottle of the mix you ordered. The drink was assembled at the table. The type of service not seen in many places if any.

So before others chastise me for drifting the OP has already chastised me. 😉

 

A hollow version of its former space today -- the emptied Library is now rented as an "events" space. Love hearing about its glory days gone by. There is a contingent of us who do love the pomp and circumstance from  the Mother Country. 

 

Plus they removed the iconic vines covering the facade of the old Empress Hotel - claimed they were full of bugs which the more modern hotel guests did not appreciate.

 

 I also must correct my own earlier description - I got a two tired "cake plate", not a 3 tiered tea server in the Empress Library design. I still do love it. Still available on the Empress Hotel gift shop. Nostalgia does have a market. 

[Blackduck59]

So we just sat through another trivia game 🤔.  I will say again it's too hard for vacation.

[Blackduck59]

We just wandered by the Explorer's Lounge and the classical duo are playing. It is basically a full house. That being said not as full as Ocean Bar for trivia. 

We are trying a new tactic for dinner, wait at the door early and go for a table for 2.

[NCTribeFan]

FTR, HAL's afternoon is vastly superior to Carnival's.  They just do not get it.  Bring around a box of tea bags.  Maybe 10 minutes later, bring around a tin of lukewarm water.  Bring around the sweet items.  10 minutes later, maybe bring around the savory.  And they only do tea on sea days. I gave up on them several years ago but tried again last january and it was still just wrong.

 

HAL, otoh, brews the tea!  The tables are set.  The food items are there.  I asked what tea they used back on Eurodam (my first post-Covid, November 2021) and was told it was PG Tips, which is my favorite.  I think they do a very good job.  Yes, it's the same every day.  I'm OK with that.

 

I tend to do my own afternoon tea at around 2:30 or 3 up on Lido.  And I am thrilled that they have PG Tips bags on Lido.  It makes "real" tea (which to me means it should be a dark reddish-brown, fairly opaque before adding milk).  I've been a tea drinker all my life and having lived with an Englishman for several years, this was how we made it at home, and how I continue to make my tea.  Tea should be strong.  Greyish-tan water is not tea.  Ick. 

 

Anyway, my friend is getting excited about sailing Zaandam on Sunday.

[SilvertoGold]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

@OlsSalt at the risk of drifting my own thread. The library in the Empress was The Library Bar in the 70s and early 80s. Quite posh jacket and tie type place where a simple highball required a tray with an empty glass a glass of ice a shot of whatever libation you order and a small glass bottle of the mix you ordered. The drink was assembled at the table. The type of service not seen in many places if any.

So before others chastise me for drifting the OP has already chastised me. 😉

Speaking of the Empress: do you remember when there used to be a Chocolate Buffet?  It was outstanding and we would come over for the weekend espeically for this treat!  Younger then and we could eat a LOT of sugar when it was made into those fabulous desserts! 

[lyndarra]

I used HAL afternoon tea a a "filler event", something to do when I didn't have something else to do. I found it fairly ordinary but ok. I prefer green tea and the servers bring it when I ask for it.

Sorry about comparing, but, on my first Celebrity cruise they had a High Tea which had to booked with a small cost. It was also accomanied by a string quartet - less one.

 

 

On another cruise afternoon tea was a selection of teas with scones and jam. Here we call it a Devonshire tea or otherwise known as a cream tea.

 

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

Speaking of the Empress: do you remember when there used to be a Chocolate Buffet?  It was outstanding and we would come over for the weekend espeically for this treat!  Younger then and we could eat a LOT of sugar when it was made into those fabulous desserts! 

I've lived in Victoria for 61 of my 64 years. Kipling's was a great buffet and I  the chocolate was part of that. Alas all long gone, and the Bengal Lounge  is gone too ( someone stole the tiger skin, serves them right for closing the place)

Again the OP has admonished me for drifting so we really need to move on from the Empress. 

[MicCanberra]

I like lunch and dinners so rarely indulge in an arvo tea as well. On several occasions I have, once was On Cunard's QM2 which was a high tea, very fancy and atmospheric. The other was on  P&O Australia  cruise and remarkably was of a high standard despite the lack of ambience.

[Blackduck59]

10 hours ago, SLC1954 said:

My meals in the MDR have been very enjoyable. I guess I’m making good choices, as I have no complaints. I have also had a great meal at the Pinnacle Grill this cruise.

The steak tartar and scallops were perfect.  My only complaint is they were out of Baked Alaska. 

Oh I'm sorry you missed the baked Alaska it was really good. 

I'm so glad when people have had good experiences and chose well for themselves.  It shows that some of our disappointments are from poor choices on my part. I did mention I  felt several time I chose poorly in the MDR. Of course the main thing was slow service. We chose to have a table for 2 tonight and service was quicker. 

[AroundWithMAPTravels]

7 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Some of us still remember the old (and even older) menus, but this has changed recently. 

So this will be difficult. Just as recently as the last holiday season,

 

Canaletto on the Konigsdam  we feel offered the best dinner choices of all the ship's speciality restaurants. That is the only one that got a nod for a second visit,  But that was the "old menu" when lamb was still offered. Best ever. Don't think this is still on the menu.

 

I recall someone recently highly recommending the grilled shrimp appetizer. And the precaution that freshly made pasta does have a different "chewier" texture - which I love, but came as a surprise to that diner. I always like their first course antipasto offering - various meats, olives, marinated vegetables. I never go wrong with an affogato for desert,  or their tiramisu is credible.

Antipasto was yummy.  I had tomato risotto as Main. (I had limited choice due to GF options). DH had grilled calamari appetizer and main of pasta genovese.  Very unusual shaped pasta in pesto. He had marzipan torte for desert.  All in all said it was his favorite meal yet (better than steak in pinnacle). 

[JonSchick]

One quick improvement in the MDR is to ask for a plate of fresh fruit or cheese for dessert - quite a nice option if the sweet stuff doesn't appeal, and the consensus from those who had it on our 6 person table tonight was that the Panna Cotta was memorably bad!  French people eating with us did not think it could actually be called a Panna Cotta.

[OlsSalt]

4 minutes ago, JonSchick said:

One quick improvement in the MDR is to ask for a plate of fresh fruit or cheese for dessert - quite a nice option if the sweet stuff doesn't appeal, and the consensus from those who had it on our 6 person table tonight was that the Panna Cotta was memorably bad!  French people eating with us did not think it could actually be called a Panna Cotta.

 

You can ask for a cheese plate. They have long been a staple on HAL ships. With fruit, crackers and nuts. Dutch love their cheeses. Loved the Maasdamer cheese, I was introduced to on past HAL cruises. 

 

hey used to have an actual cheese menu but that got too complicated. Then it became a fixed plate with a chosen variety from soft to hard. And then  it disappeared from the menu, but it can be made by request. 

 

The real cheese treat was on the long cruise to Indonesia when there were so many Dutch on board it was a bilingual cruise - the cheese offering and varieties of crackers at the Lido were opulent. Large wheels and bricks of cheese. Very special for that cruise. 

[OlsSalt]

Rather than just mocking some of the HAL dessert offerings, tell your waiter you don't like something and ask if there is anything else that can be offered, within reason, as a substitute.

 

Like a cheese plate, like an ice cream sundae.  ...... or wait until you get back to your cabin,  and have their very delicious room service chocolate cake - always available. 

[Haljo1935]

6 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

So we just sat through another trivia game 🤔.  I will say again it's too hard for vacation.

Yeah vacation is not supposed to be "hard" or require "effort." That gets too much like work.🫣