Having watched the whole thing it is so much of what appeals to.me from your channel. Informative, enthusiastic when appropriate, very good delivery which is hard for any when eating. And honest.we need that. I also must say this. Your narrative to start is spot on. Your wife of course is the star along with the food. She has a way that is so attractive. She is able to be regular, and does the more dressy nights in a very attractive maner. That while talking intelligently about the food, presenting it well, and showing appreciation. She is a jem and you are forever blessed as a family as you keep your love alive. I have said enough. Well done and keep up the good work!
Sorry for the late reply- just noticed your comment! Thank you so much for your thoughtful & encouraging words! Your compliments about Joann mean a lot, and we feel truly blessed as a family. We'll continue striving to deliver content that resonates with you. Thanks again for your support and kind feedback! 🙏😊
I just started watching your video. As I always end up feeling, you guys are the best, along with Ben and David, at describing your experiences as you eat them. Just love your approach. Very honest. Very real! That to me is your real talent. Some try it. You live it! I really love you guys! Enjoy continued success!
Thank you very much- we really appreciate that! 😊 We're happy to hear that you enjoy our videos and will continue to work hard to create content that you love!
I love her face when she encounters a food not up to standard. She has the sweetest grin when she doesn't like something. I would like the French Onion soup..no fish for me. Great video as always.
The seafood dishes looked excellent and so did the vegetarian food. I’m with you about undercooked rice. In my opinion rice should never be al dente! 😊
Thanks for the great, informative video! Really loved your videography. ☺️ I think it is important for people to understand, the commentary regarding the food is subjective. Everyone has different tastes. Totally appreciate your thoughts and loved the pictures and video of the food. Thank you!
Thank you. We leave Saturday the 16th for our 14 day Alaska cruise aboard the Ms Noordam. Hopefully the food will be as good on our voyage. I know we will not miss the Gala night.
I was SO glad that HAL’s lasagne is still good. I order it whenever it’s on the menu. I bought the Holland America hardback cookbook just to get the recipe. It’s a complicated recipe to make and I break it up into 2 days. Bolognese sauce one day, bechamel sauce (the white sauce), boil the noodles assemble and bake the next day. It’s worth the trouble. The lamb and pork medallions looked very nice. And each plate was so pretty! Sorry about the crème brûlée Joann I know it’s a favorite and when it’s not good, it’s so disappointing. Glad there were other desserts that you enjoyed! Thanks for the video. I always enjoy watching. 😊
Our pleasure Sally- thank you very much for the comment! 😊 That lasagna was quite excellent, and so were their fish entrees and most of the steak dishes. Nice plating as you mentioned too. The creme brulee was only available if you ask for a gluten-free dessert option, but it was too watery.
I Just sailed on HA for the first time , Rotterdam ship. The food in the MDR for the first night was dry and not that great. Service was slow. The second night was pretty much the same. For the rest of the cruise our group of 14 dined in the Lido buffet. We found the choices of entres to be great and we all sat at the same location every night. We got to know the attendant in that area very well and he took great care of us. This is my 14th cruise in 3 years having cruised on RC, Princess, Virgin and Oceania. Despite the experience in mdr I will sail HA again.
Sorry to hear about your HAL MDR experience. Yeah it can get very busy. If you're fine with an early dinner you'll get the fastest service by waiting outside the MDR 10 minutes before it opens. That way you also get to try the Lido buffet later if you'd like. Like you we found the food & service there excellent as well. Thanks for sharing!
Princess has wonderful main dining room food! Sailed on Discovery Princess last October to the Mexican Riviera and had beef filet mignon/medallions four out of seven nights. Cooked to absolute perfection every time!
I was on the Discovery last year, and experienced the exact same thing. The food in both the MDR and buffet was exceptional. Far better than Royal, IMHO
@@smb2a587 not unless you desire something the MDR doesn’t have such as the fare at Sabatini’s, Chops’s or Bistro Sur Le Mer. They all have their own niche but come with an additional up charge around $25 plus per person! In my honest opinion, you will enjoy the fare at the MDR.
There was a lobster night included on the second Gala night and no limits to the tails you could have. Cruise critic will keep you up to date on changing trends.
Yeah we as well- figured that already paying so much for the cruise fare that good food should be included. And for HAL, it is, so we weren't really inclined to pay extra for lobster, etc.
Do you have any videos going to Rudi’s Sel de Mer, Canaletto, Tamarind or Pinnacle Grill? I think your audience would benefit from that. Thanks for the wonderful videos you put out! So entertaining! Hope HAL will give you free cruises for promoting their cuisine!
I know right? Free cruises would be nice 😉 We did try Tamarind in the past and it was excellent, though this time around we didn't get a chance to try the specialty venues. Thank you so much for the comment! 😊
The lasagna looked great here in Toronto Canada where I live there is a restaurant that does one that has 100 layers it is so cheesey also full of meat its so amazing keep up your great videos you are loved by all
I am a big fan of cruises. I love watching your videos and hearing the honest descriptive reviews of the food by the lovely lady. I am wondering which line you think has the best food and drink consistently? I am torn between Holland America and Celebrity Cruises but I'm wondering which lines culinary offerings make you look forward to cruising with them. Thank you!
Thank you very much! 😊 HAL & Celebrity (newer Edge-class ships) have some of the best foods. Celebrity still has a lobster night for 6 day and longer cruises, but HAL no longer has it. HAL has a slightly better buffet. Cunard also has really good food too. So it could come down to what your taste preferences- hopefully our videos can help you decide!
Hi Angela! How was your cruise on Carnival? Yeah HAL has some really good steaks, especially the tenderloins, and there will be a filet mignon entree in part 2 or 3. 😋
The husband & wife team of Grounded Life Cruises have stated on their channel that they've started avoiding Holland America Lines as one of the 3 or 4 they no longer like for a variety of reasons. Food was one, lack of activities was another, as well as what they perceived to be poor entertainment offerings and venues. Another thing they stated was that the HAL ships are older, smaller and cater to an older clientele.
I feel the excitement to the next videos.. you visiting my country 👀👀👀👀👀👀 i know very good.. especially one of the places 😘 Edit: omg i didnt use that emote 🗿😂
Most certainly! We pretty much ordered just about every single dish because of the 2 separate cruises, but if you saw something that we didn't try let me know!
@@TravelTouristVideos ive only been on one 7 day cruise in my entire life, it was in the south pacific, and even though the waters were very calm i still got a little sea sick on the 3rd or 4th night i think, but i wanna go again on a better ship than just an old P@O ship
Hurt me with this amazing food! I’m bummed about the crème brûlée! Seems like cruise lines just don’t know how to do that very well. The toughness of the New York Strip steak seems quite surprising, but is very much what’s been happening on all cruise lines lately. There are ways to tenderize it. I’m surprised HAL doesn’t do more to make it more tender. Honestly, there are dishes here I would ordinarily pass on, but because of Joann’s wonderful reviews, I would need to try them! There is so much wonderfulness in their MDR. Why would anybody pay for specialty dining? I know I wouldn’t.
were there any people on this cruise that were ALONE? or was everyone basically in a couple or family or little group/friends? did you ever see anyone eating dinner or lunch totally alone? please tell me as im thinking of going on a cruise alone as all my friends are dirt poor
I'm sure there were. Everyone's pretty friendly though so it's very easy to make friends and then you'd sit at the same table with them nightly. They also have events that help single travelers too to mingle.
I cruise solo because I'm a terrible person and have no friends but I always ask the maiter de to seat me at a shared table and then I get to make some friends for a little bit until they get to know me better. At any rate you won't have to eat alone if you don't want to 😊
@@patricksterling7389 well to be honest, since you spilt your secret ill spill mine, oh god i have no friends either so its not that my friends are poor i have none, to be honest i dont want any, i know what people are like and im an extreme introvert and im naturally suspicious about everyones motives and agenda, if i sat at a group table i everyone always asks, SO WHAT DO YOU DO, and than people judge you, im a cab driver, but i despise my job incredibly, the last thing id want is to be known as THAT CAB DRIVER, and end up talking about a job i hate on the whole cruise, i could lie and say im a DAY TRADER, stocks i mean, as people look up to others who are WHITE COLLAR, i think that would be best, and i know lots about trading stocks etc... so i could easily convince people im a day trader who works from home,
On HAL, if you are eating alone, it is because you chose to eat alone. Ask the host to seat you with other people when you arrive at the MDR and they will place you at the same table. On our last HAL trip, we never sat alone and met several dozen people at dinner over the course of the cruise.
@@jlawrence0181 but everyone was NOSEY werent they? i bet everyone asked you, so what do you do etc... right? as a cab driver who hates his job the last thing i wanna do is discuss my crappy job during my vacation, and when you tell people what you do for a living they judge you for it, maybe i would tell people im a DAY TRADER who trades stocks and options from home
Order the crew mess food and you will find only rice and chicken bones with spicies for all those poor indonesians while the officers, managers and holland or dutch eat llike kings.
Having watched the whole thing it is so much of what appeals to.me from your channel. Informative, enthusiastic when appropriate, very good delivery which is hard for any when eating. And honest.we need that. I also must say this. Your narrative to start is spot on. Your wife of course is the star along with the food. She has a way that is so attractive. She is able to be regular, and does the more dressy nights in a very attractive maner. That while talking intelligently about the food, presenting it well, and showing appreciation. She is a jem and you are forever blessed as a family as you keep your love alive. I have said enough. Well done and keep up the good work!
Sorry for the late reply- just noticed your comment! Thank you so much for your thoughtful & encouraging words! Your compliments about Joann mean a lot, and we feel truly blessed as a family. We'll continue striving to deliver content that resonates with you. Thanks again for your support and kind feedback! 🙏😊
The best thing I learned from your videos is always order more sauce on the side. 😂
Lol more of a personal preference 😜
I love you guys focus on just about the only part of the cruise I care about. The food!!
Thank you! 😊 We love the cruise food as well! 😋
We are taking this same cruise. I am planning my meals now:)
Nice! Have a great time!
I just started watching your video. As I always end up feeling, you guys are the best, along with Ben and David, at describing your experiences as you eat them. Just love your approach. Very honest. Very real! That to me is your real talent. Some try it. You live it! I really love you guys! Enjoy continued success!
Thank you very much- we really appreciate that! 😊 We're happy to hear that you enjoy our videos and will continue to work hard to create content that you love!
You always give such comprehensive reviews...Thanks
Thank you so much! 😊
Great video. The food on HAL looks elegant and delicious.
Thanks folks.
Thanks George! 😊 Agree with you about HAL's food.
I like how Ma'am states her opinion on the various selections without dwelling on it.
Thanks! 😊
I love her face when she encounters a food not up to standard. She has the sweetest grin when she doesn't like something. I would like the French Onion soup..no fish for me. Great video as always.
Thank you very much Kathy! 😊
Thanks for describing the food, great review. Thanks and take care.
Thank you very much Karen- you too! 😊
The seafood dishes looked excellent and so did the vegetarian food. I’m with you about undercooked rice. In my opinion rice should never be al dente! 😊
Agree with you there- they had some tasty fish dishes especially.
Great informative review. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful- thanks for the comment! 😊
Thanks for the great, informative video! Really loved your videography. ☺️ I think it is important for people to understand, the commentary regarding the food is subjective. Everyone has different tastes. Totally appreciate your thoughts and loved the pictures and video of the food. Thank you!
Our pleasure- really appreciate your comment! 😊 100% with the personal taste preferences as well.
Great video! Food looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try some of that next March! Will be sailing on Nieuw Statendam then.
Thank you very much! 😊 Have a wonderful cruise on the Nieuw Statendam!
Happy to see him participating and I notice his voice is deeper.
Thanks Angela! 😊
Thank you. We leave Saturday the 16th for our 14 day Alaska cruise aboard the Ms Noordam. Hopefully the food will be as good on our voyage. I know we will not miss the Gala night.
Our pleasure- have a great cruise on the Noordam! Would love to hear back from you about the food!
I was SO glad that HAL’s lasagne is still good. I order it whenever it’s on the menu. I bought the Holland America hardback cookbook just to get the recipe. It’s a complicated recipe to make and I break it up into 2 days. Bolognese sauce one day, bechamel sauce (the white sauce), boil the noodles assemble and bake the next day. It’s worth the trouble. The lamb and pork medallions looked very nice. And each plate was so pretty! Sorry about the crème brûlée Joann I know it’s a favorite and when it’s not good, it’s so disappointing. Glad there were other desserts that you enjoyed! Thanks for the video. I always enjoy watching. 😊
Our pleasure Sally- thank you very much for the comment! 😊 That lasagna was quite excellent, and so were their fish entrees and most of the steak dishes. Nice plating as you mentioned too. The creme brulee was only available if you ask for a gluten-free dessert option, but it was too watery.
I Just sailed on HA for the first time , Rotterdam ship. The food in the MDR for the first night was dry and not that great. Service was slow. The second night was pretty much the same. For the rest of the cruise our group of 14 dined in the Lido buffet. We found the choices of entres to be great and we all sat at the same location every night. We got to know the attendant in that area very well and he took great care of us. This is my 14th cruise in 3 years having cruised on RC, Princess, Virgin and Oceania. Despite the experience in mdr I will sail HA again.
Sorry to hear about your HAL MDR experience. Yeah it can get very busy. If you're fine with an early dinner you'll get the fastest service by waiting outside the MDR 10 minutes before it opens. That way you also get to try the Lido buffet later if you'd like. Like you we found the food & service there excellent as well. Thanks for sharing!
Sorry. We had a fabulous experience in the MDR.
The Lasagne & the Vegetarian Options are what I would have ordered along with the Lemon Torte & Blueberry Cheesecake. Great work guys!
Nice choices- that lasagna was really good! Thank you very much for the comment! 😊
Princess has wonderful main dining room food! Sailed on Discovery Princess last October to the Mexican Riviera and had beef filet mignon/medallions four out of seven nights. Cooked to absolute perfection every time!
I was on the Discovery last year, and experienced the exact same thing. The food in both the MDR and buffet was exceptional. Far better than Royal, IMHO
So no need to pay for upcharge restaurants on Princess?
@@smb2a587 not unless you desire something the MDR doesn’t have such as the fare at Sabatini’s, Chops’s or Bistro Sur Le Mer. They all have their own niche but come with an additional up charge around $25 plus per person! In my honest opinion, you will enjoy the fare at the MDR.
There was a lobster night included on the second Gala night and no limits to the tails you could have. Cruise critic will keep you up to date on changing trends.
@@jeffreyobryan6406 Nice. I was on the Discovery a month after you for a 5-day sailing to Cabo, so no Gala night, and no lobster.
Am I too cheap to not want to pay upcharge fees for food on a cruise??
No l agree ❤
Yeah we as well- figured that already paying so much for the cruise fare that good food should be included. And for HAL, it is, so we weren't really inclined to pay extra for lobster, etc.
Nope! Not cheap, but we did go to a specialty restaurant once and it was over the top in exceeding our expectations.
Great reviews 👌
Glad you like them- thanks for the comment! 😊
We tried lamb for the first time on our cruise a week ago and it was so delicious and tender!
That's great to hear! We quite enjoyed Carnival's main dining dinner dishes too- remember they had a lamb dish we liked as well.
Do you have any videos going to Rudi’s Sel de Mer, Canaletto, Tamarind or Pinnacle Grill? I think your audience would benefit from that. Thanks for the wonderful videos you put out! So entertaining! Hope HAL will give you free cruises for promoting their cuisine!
I know right? Free cruises would be nice 😉 We did try Tamarind in the past and it was excellent, though this time around we didn't get a chance to try the specialty venues. Thank you so much for the comment! 😊
The lasagna looked great here in Toronto Canada where I live there is a restaurant that does one that has 100 layers it is so cheesey also full of meat its so amazing keep up your great videos you are loved by all
Thank you very much! 😊 100 layers- wow that lasagna sounds amazing!
My compliments to the fish for being so tender
I am a big fan of cruises. I love watching your videos and hearing the honest descriptive reviews of the food by the lovely lady. I am wondering which line you think has the best food and drink consistently? I am torn between Holland America and Celebrity Cruises but I'm wondering which lines culinary offerings make you look forward to cruising with them. Thank you!
Thank you very much! 😊 HAL & Celebrity (newer Edge-class ships) have some of the best foods. Celebrity still has a lobster night for 6 day and longer cruises, but HAL no longer has it. HAL has a slightly better buffet. Cunard also has really good food too. So it could come down to what your taste preferences- hopefully our videos can help you decide!
Steak looks amazing!
Hi Angela! How was your cruise on Carnival? Yeah HAL has some really good steaks, especially the tenderloins, and there will be a filet mignon entree in part 2 or 3. 😋
@@TravelTouristVideos you know I’ll be watching.
Always appreciate it Angela! 😊
The husband & wife team of Grounded Life Cruises have stated on their channel that they've started avoiding Holland America Lines as one of the 3 or 4 they no longer like for a variety of reasons. Food was one, lack of activities was another, as well as what they perceived to be poor entertainment offerings and venues.
Another thing they stated was that the HAL ships are older, smaller and cater to an older clientele.
Marshmellows have taken on a new level of prestige in my food hierarchy now.
They utilized those marshmallows well! 😋
Holiday menu had MDR lobster dinner at no extra charge. Other cruises not with a Holiday no they didn't serve lobster without the charge.
Good to know- thanks!
was the crem brulee different from usual crem brulee?? I've never had a bad one--it's obviously just some eggy custard and sugar. Great vid as always.
Thank you very much! 😊 That creme brulee was pretty watery, and was only available if you ask for the gluten free dessert.
I feel the excitement to the next videos.. you visiting my country 👀👀👀👀👀👀 i know very good.. especially one of the places 😘
Edit: omg i didnt use that emote 🗿😂
And which place would that be? 😉 Working on it and hope to get it out in the next few days! 🥰
@@TravelTouristVideos i have no idea
Hi l would really appreciate it if you could try some dairy free options on your next cruise ❤
Most certainly! We pretty much ordered just about every single dish because of the 2 separate cruises, but if you saw something that we didn't try let me know!
😋👍
🙏😊
whats the longest holland america cruise you guys have been on? would you ever go on a 30 day or longer cruise?
This was certainly the longest 10 + 14 days back to back. We have been on a NCL 28 day, but yeah nothing over 30 day yet. How about yourself?
@@TravelTouristVideos ive only been on one 7 day cruise in my entire life, it was in the south pacific, and even though the waters were very calm i still got a little sea sick on the 3rd or 4th night i think, but i wanna go again on a better ship than just an old P@O ship
👍😊🇹🇹
🙏😊
I love goat cheese.
😋
Hurt me with this amazing food! I’m bummed about the crème brûlée! Seems like cruise lines just don’t know how to do that very well.
The toughness of the New York Strip steak seems quite surprising, but is very much what’s been happening on all cruise lines lately. There are ways to tenderize it. I’m surprised HAL doesn’t do more to make it more tender.
Honestly, there are dishes here I would ordinarily pass on, but because of Joann’s wonderful reviews, I would need to try them! There is so much wonderfulness in their MDR. Why would anybody pay for specialty dining? I know I wouldn’t.
Thank you very much Scott! 😊 Right there with you on the specialty dining- there's really no need, especially since the prices keep increasing.
I’m happy to hear she knows precisely how to say pecan the right way. You can pee in a can but not a pecan.
Lol that's a good way to remember!
Hi ! I always enjoy your videos !❤ thank you ! How does your wife stay so skinny and eat so much!🤣🤣🤣
Thank you very much Susan! 🥰 She does a lot of walking to burn off the calories 🙂
were there any people on this cruise that were ALONE? or was everyone basically in a couple or family or little group/friends? did you ever see anyone eating dinner or lunch totally alone? please tell me as im thinking of going on a cruise alone as all my friends are dirt poor
I'm sure there were. Everyone's pretty friendly though so it's very easy to make friends and then you'd sit at the same table with them nightly. They also have events that help single travelers too to mingle.
I cruise solo because I'm a terrible person and have no friends but I always ask the maiter de to seat me at a shared table and then I get to make some friends for a little bit until they get to know me better. At any rate you won't have to eat alone if you don't want to 😊
@@patricksterling7389 well to be honest, since you spilt your secret ill spill mine, oh god i have no friends either so its not that my friends are poor i have none, to be honest i dont want any, i know what people are like and im an extreme introvert and im naturally suspicious about everyones motives and agenda, if i sat at a group table i everyone always asks, SO WHAT DO YOU DO, and than people judge you, im a cab driver, but i despise my job incredibly, the last thing id want is to be known as THAT CAB DRIVER, and end up talking about a job i hate on the whole cruise, i could lie and say im a DAY TRADER, stocks i mean, as people look up to others who are WHITE COLLAR, i think that would be best, and i know lots about trading stocks etc... so i could easily convince people im a day trader who works from home,
On HAL, if you are eating alone, it is because you chose to eat alone. Ask the host to seat you with other people when you arrive at the MDR and they will place you at the same table. On our last HAL trip, we never sat alone and met several dozen people at dinner over the course of the cruise.
@@jlawrence0181 but everyone was NOSEY werent they? i bet everyone asked you, so what do you do etc... right? as a cab driver who hates his job the last thing i wanna do is discuss my crappy job during my vacation, and when you tell people what you do for a living they judge you for it, maybe i would tell people im a DAY TRADER who trades stocks and options from home
They barely give you two teaspoons worth of dessert. 😂
You can order multiple desserts no problem
From what you said, I understand you have never eaten a real lasagna. I suggest you eat one before recommending the one we see in this video. :)
So no on the chowder.
They gave some chef way too much "creative freedom" for most of these options.
Most were very tasty though!
@@TravelTouristVideos Except for the part where you hated everything sure.
I used to like these vlogs, they have got weird now. Never mind.
Order the crew mess food and you will find only rice and chicken bones with spicies for all those poor indonesians while the officers, managers and holland or dutch eat llike kings.
Sorry to hear that! Which cruise line and ship was this?
Hal@@TravelTouristVideos
Has it always been that bad or has it gotten worse in the past year?