HAL good quality.

[3rdGenCunarder]

9 hours ago, crystalspin said:

We did a 16-day B2B over New Years 2023 on the K'dam. We registered as open dining and ate all meals in the Lido or Specialty, If you want to eat in MDR, I advise you to choose Early or Late and go for Fixed. The option of making reservations three days at a time for Open dining meant that a spontaneous "Let's have lamb shank Thursday" was met with no reservation available except very late at a large shared table. (I did find out we could have gone with no reservation and queued up with a pager for a smaller table. Not sure we would have chosen that either.) 

 

Here is the great thing for Lido (lunch OR dinner) -- the menus by station are on the Navigator! Assuming you have a smartphone, you can peruse and decide ahead of time, what you will have for the meal. No loading up with things from the first station and having no room on your plate (no trays) for items that look better later. No need to survey all of the stations before making your choices.

 

Like @OlsSalt, we really favored the international choices. Or the Carvery with side dishes from various stations. 

 

The menu function is a great part of Navigator. I use it as you describe, especially to check out the desserts at lunch. If I think something may run out, I get dessert first and then the rest of my lunch.

 

I wonder if a lot of people are using that part of the app because I didn't see a lot of people wandering the Lido to see what was there. Of course, Zaandam had fewer stations, so it was easier to figure things out.

[rodndonna]

I'll add my perspective (which may or may not help) - 

 

Since Covid - we have been on 1 Celebrity (last April) and 5-6? HAL cruises.

 

If you like seafood - HAL will likely impress you more than Celebrity in the MDR. As we don't eat meat, for sure HAL wins (by a good margin) with it's seafood offerings in the MDR for us.

 

As non-meat eaters, we preferred the buffet in Celebrity by quite a margin over HAL (we avoid buffet on HAL if we can).  Many more options for us (non-meat people) and preferred the layout/seating options for overall better atmosphere (for a buffet)

 

Can't speak to desserts, not really our thing.

 

My guess would be that you will find HAL to be about the same degree of "hit or miss" quality experience you had on Celebrity.

[ExArkie]

5 hours ago, horseymike said:

I know this post will be apple vs. oranges because the principles I will mention are totally different products.

All this talk of complaints about food harkens me to a time when airlines served meals onboard to all passengers. For the most part people complained about the quality of the food served by the airlines , and before you know it ...poof .... no more airline meals for most passengers as they were discontinued.

And everyone complained because they stopped serving meals on the airlines...

Edited February 22 by ExArkie

[OlsSalt]

No matter what cruise line, I remain in awe of the challenge preparing, serving and cleaning up thousands of meals a day, including their international crew and staff.

 

Plus  working in cramped inside quarters, on a moving ship with restricted supply lines, and always having to pre-guess who will want what and how much they will want every single meal.  

 

Getting it right 80% of the time, is high marks for me. In fact, it is almost a relief to have something I can turn down at least a few times during a cruise. 

[scooter6139]

We loved most of the MDR food on our Westerdam cruise last August.  In terms of MDR food, we found it far superior to NCL and better than Princess.  Lido was also far better than NCL, but we didn't try Princess last time so I don't have a recent comparison.  

[montythecat]

Tricky one. So many  criteria and opinions. All I can contribute 

is a very definite preference for HAL based on three Celebrity 

and four Holland America cruises in the last two and a bit years.

[oakridger]

@amandas friend aren't you glad you asked??  Ha ha.  It's either "dog food" or "outstanding" or anything in between!

 

Have a great time and please come back here after your cruise and let us know what YOU thought about HAL's food!

 

~Nancy 

Edited February 23 by oakridger

[ski ww]

I'm always amazed by the people who complain about the food, makes me wonder what they eat at home.

[Roz]

Last year I took 2 HAL cruises  - one was 31 days and the other was 14 days.  Overall I would give the food a solid B+. 

[TomTN]

In 2022 we sailed on Regent and Celebrity.  I'd give Regent a 10. Very good. Nothing that wasn't good. I'd give Celebrity a 3. Everything tasted the same.

We've sailed mostly on Celebrity and HAL.  I've always thought HAL was a little better.  Hopefully it will be significantly betterthis time when we sail on Zuiderdam late August.

[OlsSalt]

8 hours ago, oakridger said:

@amandas friend aren't you glad you asked??  Ha ha.  It's either "dog food" or "outstanding" or anything in between!

 

Have a great time and please come back here after your cruise and let us know what YOU thought about HAL's food!

 

~Nancy 

 

I dunno Nancy. You know the old saying: on the internet, anyone can really be a dog.

[RedIguana]

6 hours ago, ski ww said:

I'm always amazed by the people who complain about the food, makes me wonder what they eat at home.

Prime filet from Sam's Club, when available, choice otherwise. I have been known to bring home whole tenderloins on occasion, but only when i find prime. Tuna steaks and grouper or Maui filets from my local fish market, which I properly blacken (cast iron over high heat, need a decent gas grill for this). Local grocery store has pretty good extra trim whole pork tenderloins. Typically eat out on Saturday night (date night with the wife). Good local Italian place for pizza or takeout. The wife and I are not large eaters, so all of these will feed us for two nights. And I picked up 6 lbs of King Crab last week at a great price. Fresh asparagus is on the menu quite often. Sometime this year I will learn to make escargot. We eat fairly simple to prepare (I'm still a working stiff, but 40 hours a week, not crazy hours) but tasty at home most of the week.

[Hlitner]

Talk to a lover of Ford motor cars and ask them about Ford's and they will always sing its praises.  Others might say that Ford simply means "Fix or Repair Daily."  Ask on the HAL board about most things related to HAL (including food) and most of the replies will tend to be positive.  Do the same on the other cruise line boards and you will likely have similar responses.  Some may call it the "Cheerleader" effect, but perhaps we could all be more kind and say that most of the cruise boards attract folks who are fans of the line and tend to exaggerate the positive and minimize the negative.

 

We will no longer book HAL cruises (despite being 5* Mariners) because we think the line has deteriorated (overall) and is no longer up to the quality we expect from any cruise line.  That being said, on our most recent HAL cruise (6 weeks on the Westerdam) we thought most of the food was acceptable to good and comparable to what one gets on most of the other mass market lines.  At one time we thought HAL cuisine was some of the best on the mass market lines, but we would no longer make that statement.  

 

I will add that many of the HAL fans we know are very loyal to the line.  Some of these folks would join the chorus of "Nearer to God is Thee" (the last song sung on the Titanic) as their HAL company went below the waves.

 

Hank

[Blackduck59]

@Hlitner I read your post with interest. One thing I have noticed with almost all of your posts since "that cruise" have been how HAL is "not what it was". I wouldn't know, because I don't know what was. In your post you say that even on "that cruise" the food was what you expect from "Mass market lines".

From your recent posts on different threads, you have apparently moved on from "Mass market lines" and that is the product that you enjoy and can afford. That works for you and that is all well and good; for many who don't have the budget for Oceana or Regent, HAL may fit their sweet spot. So when someone asks about HAL as a choice in the "Mass market" on the HAL board many will say "it's worth a try". Of course it isn't Oceana or Regent or whatever OMG priced line you are endorsing these days, but for those with a budget HAL is a good choice. Our 43 night Auckland to Seattle voyage, with enhanced HIA, in a verandah cabin is $30,000.00 CAD, and as luck would have it we can get off at our home port of Victoria. So in this instance the savings from not having to fly home is substantial. How much would that 43 day voyage in a verandah cabin cost on Oceana?

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

How much would that 43 day voyage in a verandah cabin cost on Oceana?

Luxury line fan-kids like to say it's not really more (or not much more) money to sail on XXX line because "everything is included". 

 

There, I saved Hank the trouble of coming back on the forum of a line he pooh-poohs to make that point.

 

Meanwhile, we can all do our own math.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Blackduck59 said:

@Hlitner I read your post with interest. One thing I have noticed with almost all of your posts since "that cruise" have been how HAL is "not what it was". I wouldn't know, because I don't know what was. In your post you say that even on "that cruise" the food was what you expect from "Mass market lines".

From your recent posts on different threads, you have apparently moved on from "Mass market lines" and that is the product that you enjoy and can afford. That works for you and that is all well and good; for many who don't have the budget for Oceana or Regent, HAL may fit their sweet spot. So when someone asks about HAL as a choice in the "Mass market" on the HAL board many will say "it's worth a try". Of course it isn't Oceana or Regent or whatever OMG priced line you are endorsing these days, but for those with a budget HAL is a good choice. Our 43 night Auckland to Seattle voyage, with enhanced HIA, in a verandah cabin is $30,000.00 CAD, and as luck would have it we can get off at our home port of Victoria. So in this instance the savings from not having to fly home is substantial. How much would that 43 day voyage in a verandah cabin cost on Oceana?

We have not completely moved on from mass market lines, since we like to cruise 100+ days a year and there are always budgetary limitations.  We still find a lot to like on Princess (most recently spent 2 weeks on the Sky Princess in December).  HAL is near and dear because the line has the best itineraries of all the mass market lines.  We can be very honest and say that there has been a decline across the industry and we stuck with HAL (for longer more exotic cruises) until our most recent voyage around Japan and over to Seattle.  We would be back, tomorrow, on HAL if they were to fix a few things..which I suspect will need an attitude adjustment in Seattle.  It will probably happen and I hope we live long enough to again experience the HAL we adore.  For now, no thanks.

 

Hank

[kazu]

9 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Luxury line fan-kids like to say it's not really more (or not much more) money to sail on XXX line because "everything is included". 

 

There, I saved Hank the trouble of coming back on the forum of a line he pooh-poohs to make that point.

 

Meanwhile, we can all do our own math.

 

 

LOL - it was worth a try 😂 

 

FWIW - Oceania is NOT all inclusive unless you get one of their packages or “deals” (which is in the price).  On a regular cruise while specialty dining is included the special dinners, drinks, gratuities, etc are not.

[OlsSalt]

We noticed after getting inundated with Oceania mailings, their offer prices in the mailings are always loss-leaders. When you call in response to the mailing offer price, those cabins are no longer available, but we can offer you this for $$$++++. 

 

If Oceania didn't keep sending  us so many mailings, they could have offered us a free cruise instead.  That said, this brand can have something to offer for what it is - a smaller ship, but too often fairly routine itineraries. And not easy to reach departure/embarkation ports.

[Blackduck59]

I'm afraid that many people are stuck in the past, longing to have all the things that used to be. At the same time these same people would be truly incensed at the fare they would need to pay for it.

Many of the "included in the price" things on the luxury lines hold no interest to me. Unlimited caviar and champagne for instance. I would be paying for these things for others.

Also I think we have been hearing a lot of griping over "entertainment" or lack thereof. I hope that somewhere along the line HAL will come up with a new entertainment package that will be enjoyable for most guests. The powers that be can't possibly be that tone deaf as to not address what is clearly a deficiency when compared to the competition. I have been reading posts from a "Legendary Voyage" (is that the proper term?) which seems to indicate the entertainment on that particular cruise has been quite good. Perhaps this is being used as a test for what could come as they transition from "Brand Name" licensing and find a new package. I have to believe that someone has to grab a clue and realize that they have state of the art theatres on the Pinnacle ships and use them the way they have been.

[sambamama]

There has been a definite decline in HAL. In the MDR, the food is still good, but there are less entrees to choose from, and many of the items I liked are now gone. Chilled fruit soups? Gone.  Soups in general?  On the decline. Nasi Goreng? Gone. The Yum Yum man has been gone for years. I really, really miss candied ginger as that always said HAL to me. However, the wait staff is still amazing, and will bend over backwards for you, and get you things not on the menu. No broccoli?  They will try to find it.  Want fresh fruit for dessert every night?  They will try to do that too. The MDR is always closed for lunch every day the ship is in port. The bread selection in both the MDR and the Lido and even the Pinnacle has taken a huge hit. I found myself struggling to find a single item to order some nights. Did I have good food in the MDR every night?  Yes, I did.  I was disappointed with my last cruise, but not because of the MDR or the Pinnacle.

[TheMichael]

We were on the Westerdam to Alaska in September, and some of the food was the best I've had on a cruise ship. Some...not so much, especially in the buffet.

 

But that's the way it is with most cruises I've been on. 

 

My greatest tip for the MDR is to ask servers what they would recommend. Unlike a land-based restaurant where they're trying to clear out "specials," MDR servers have no hidden agenda, they want you to be happy with the food. 

 

The one thing I'd call out from my HAL experience is that the espresso was pretty bad.

[vicd1969]

On 2/21/2024 at 6:39 PM, amandas friend said:

We are sailing soon on NA. The last cruise we took was on Celebrity. Reading reviews before the cruise there were a lot of complaints about food quality. When we cruised, the MDR food was average to bad so the reviews were correct. Now, the reviews on HAL are mixed but mostly negative on quality of food. Should we be worried? TIA

There may have been a full turnover of the kitchen and hotel staff from my August 2023 Nieuw Amsterdam sailing, but the MDR food on that Alaska cruise was markedly improved from my Nieuw Statendam sailing in November 2022. My group had two "foodies" who were new to cruising who raved about most of their dishes. I believe as the COVID-related supply and cost issues recede to oblivion, the quality will improve. I also noticed there was a bit more leeway in the menu to offer one or more non-standard choices. For instance, my sailing had a "crew dish" each night from Asia in addition to the local-themed specialty item. 

 

Due to Chef Rudi's influence (even though he's moved to Princess), I think HAL does seafood very well. Their meat-based dishes may sometimes lose out to comparisons with Celebrity or Princess, but IMHO they've hit a bullseye with the recent focusing on their core competency with seafood. 

Edited February 27 by vicd1969

[kazu]

On 2/24/2024 at 1:33 PM, sambamama said:

There has been a definite decline in HAL. In the MDR, the food is still good, but there are less entrees to choose from, and many of the items I liked are now gone. Chilled fruit soups? Gone.

 

 

Not gone at all. - They were served in the Lido on request on several cruises and I discovered it you order the night before you can potentially get them.

 

 

On 2/24/2024 at 1:33 PM, sambamama said:

The MDR is always closed for lunch every day the ship is in port.

 

 

 I can’t remember a time the MDR was ever open the days we were in port - just like the PG.  Why would they?  Most are off exploring.

 

I don’t think this is anything new although I have only been sailing HAL since 1988.  

 

 

[TV Dad]

Taste in food is subjective. So are reviews! People are more likely to write a review when they've had a bad experience. 

 

I have 30+ cruises of experience. I find the food in HAL's Main Dining Room (MDR) the best among the mainstream cruise lines (Carnival, RCCL, NCL, Princes, Disney, etc..). And I hope to enjoy that experience when I sail for my ninth time on HAL in May.

 

HAL is not as good as Silversea, Regent and Seaborn. But those are luxury all-inclusive ships and you pay a whole lot more for that experience.

 

The best dining we've experienced was in the Queen's Grille on Cunard. 

 

Go and enjoy yourself. Here's a tip: If your meal is not up to your standards, mention it to your waiter and head waiter. I'll wager they will do their best to make it right for you.

[MicCanberra]

While I might have issues with the MDR anytime dining service ( another thread), I had no complaints about the food.

Most nights I had numerous options of starters and mains that I would have liked to have, the food was consistently the right temperature and tasty, and portion sizes were reasonable. Some may be larger compared to others but a fish dish is usually smaller than a lamb shank for example.

I would rate the MDR food overall to be good to great, for taste, variety and temperature control.

The Lido on the other hand, while the variety was there, the quality and temperature was less consistent. I do expect a buffet to struggle somewhat with temperature control though. Some items were absolutely fantastic, like the crispy coconut prawns.

I would rate the Lido food as average to good overall.