GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #14: GRAND VOYAGE DINNER

You’d think with all we’d said about food that none of the meals would stand out particularly. We’d have agreed until we came to the Grand Voyage Dinner. And it wasn’t until we showed up that we realized how really special this was.

That’s because the daily program got confusing. The Dinner occurred on the same day as the formal Black and White Dinner and Ball, an occasion for which they’d been decorating the La Fontaine Dining Room since early that morning. When we got an invitation from the Captain for the same night, we figured – well – more of the same. It, mind you, said something about meeting at the Rembrandt Lounge for drinks, but the two appeared to be compatible, and we were supposed to “reject” (and you think twice about “rejecting” the Captain, a person who, to some extent, has life and death power outside the territorial seas!)

The one problem was that the times were different – when Mary checked with the Front Desk about an hour before, it turned out that yes, the Grand Voyage Dinner was different. Giving a few guests (others would eventually have their chance) the opportunity to dine with the Ship’s officers. And the meal was to be held at the Pinnacle Grille, which is to the La Fontaine as the La Fontaine is to the Lido Restaurant.

We started out at the Rembrandt Lounge, and had just found an interesting couple from Ohio when dinner was called and we were taken to our assigned table at the Pinnacle Grille. We were seated with Dr. McConnell (and his wife), the Amsterdam’s doctor. Why? I guess they didn’t realize that the “Dr. Menefee” of the passenger list was a lawyer. The McConnell’s are from British Columbia. He has been with the Line for a number of voyages, and we have to say they were first-rate hosts and fascinating dinner partners. He is someone who really cares about his calling and had lots of insight about the Ship.

Menu? Well, we can give the details, but it doesn’t half convey the way things were cooked or the presentation. Think top restaurant you’ve ever been to (without the check at the end!). We started with “Pickled Lamb Salad,” moved on to “Beef Consommé Henri IV,” who I believe was the one who said that ‘Paris was worth a Mass’), “Peppered Tuna Loin,” “Medium Seared Beef Tenderloin,” and the “Grand Finale Dessert Surprise.” (This last was a collection of Petit Fouand Friandises.) The meal was complemented by California and Washington wines and finished off with a coffee. Although unexpected, this was one of the nicest experiences we have had aboard. We even had a chance to “cut the rug” at the Black and White Ball for a dance or two before we retired to our cabin! Mary feels that the treadmill is a necessity after the wonderful dinner.

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #13: SOMETHING’S COOKING!

The first thing you learn about life aboard Ship is that the days aren't endless and indeed there is not enough time to do half of what you’d like to do. On this particular day at sea, Sam made room for a tour of the kitchens to see what’s really behind all the production in the La Fontaine Dining Room and Lido Restaurant. It turns out – quite a bit!

How many ways can you fold a napkin? (Mary missed the seminar on that so we’ll never know.) We can think of two or three …. Well, Holland America has many more – and a name for each. They not only have training facilities for the crew in Indonesia and the Philippines, but apparently onboard classes with pop quizzes about food to make sure their wait staff can answer most passenger questions. The service staff aboard the Amsterdam consists of no less than 115 individuals, including 36 Dining Room Stewards, 28 Assistants, and nine Wine Stewards! (This is slightly greater who staff the kitchen.) Think of it, over 200 people dealing with food ALONE aboard the vessel.

Separate dishwashers handle china and glass, and garbage is sorted into separate color-coded bins – all this by 21 General Purpose Attendants. This team also deals with pot washing and with the general cleanliness of the galley, which almost looks like you could eat off the floor on our visit. If you are used to the general sloppy state of American dining, you will not fail to be impressed by the Amsterdam's kitchens!

All this is done handling almost incredible quantities of food – in the case of an average week, over 18,000 eggs are consumed, 1,175 pounds of butter and margarine, 12,500 pounds of fresh vegetables, 8,500 of meat (and 200 gallons of ice cream)! Those aren’t small potatoes.

A “Saladier” is in charge of salad preparations in the Cold Kitchen. Sam had never heard of the term, which sounds like something out of a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, but apparently you call ‘em. The Pastry Shop has a chef and six assistants – when we passed through, they were “rolling in dough” – at least up to their elbows! They take care of everything from bread and rolls to much more elaborate preparations for the Dessert Extravaganza or the Royal Dutch High Tea.

And that’s not even to mention the “Poissonier,” “Saucier,” or “Soup Cook,” each responsible for their own specialty. (Soups, by-the-by, are made in 80 gallon pans.) A team of chefs works each steam table, making the meals, and presenting the dishes which your stewards bring out into the Dining Room to your table. Perhaps it can be Hell’s Kitchen, but on the afternoon we visited, things were as clean as crisp as an exercise at a military review, and food stuffs well away from tempted fingers!

In short, the kitchens are as organized as an army to supply passengers and crew with their next “marching rations.” Even seen it largely “at ease” provided a wonderful insight into what helps the Amsterdam tick. “Can I have an ice cream now?” (“Could you make that two …?”).

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #7: … AND RUNNING!

Our first days aboard, and first impressions, continue. Disappointment at our late departure from Fort Lauderdale, which kaboshed daytime photo ops was mitigated by views of the Cuban coast on our port and a number of vessels, including what appeared to be a masted schooner!

La Fontaine Dining Room (cont.) – The food after the first night was much better – due either to “pre-race jitters” or the fact that the sub-waiter was carrying a bunch of covered dishes, which he presumably had to wait for in the galley. Our waiter, Bambang (we couldn’t have made this up, and indeed he and most of the support staff are Indonesian) is doing a good job. A suggestion for Holland-America (and a pet personal peeve) is why charge for soft drinks? Alcohol we can understand, but if refills are free at fast food restaurants, you’re undermining your cruise image for a minimal increase in profits. (When New Orleans law firm Phelps Dunbar upped the nominal price of Cokes for their attorneys and staff some years back, many similarly thought it sent the wrong message.)

The Daily Schedule – This is delivered to your cabin “the night before,” which is helpful in planning your day, as there are always four to six potential activities for each time slot. Unfortunately, no one seems to have thought of posting copies anywhere else on ship, so if you haven’t carried the paper with you and need to recheck a location, it’s find someone else with a copy or back to your cabin! Suggestion to Holland-American – How about posting the daily schedule by the elevators, guys? And while we’re on the subject, a large sign at appropriate locations giving hours of opening would also be nice. These would be big helps.

Orientation Tour of Public Spaces – We took this, and found it of positive use. Our guide explained that he was new to the vessel, but apparently he’d done his homework – and we understand that Holland-America vessels are apparently fairly similar as well. A good way to gain a quick orientation.

Breakfast in the Cabin – We’ve done this a few times and have found it’s the best way to get our sleep and be ready in time for what we want to do. You check off what you want the night before and leave the tag on your door; the food is served within a fifteen-minute window, which has worked every time we’ve done this. The only negative so far was getting four pieces of bacon rather than the six we’d ordered one morning – although the staff did seem concerned about the discrepancy. (Call at the end of your meal, and the tray is whisked away.)

Lectures – These range from almost essential to – well – expendable. The tricky part is telling which is which before you sit through it, although people can and do leave at any time. Barbara, the Travel Guide, gave a “Puerto Limon and Panama Port Talk” which was useful and reasonably succinct. The previous day, “Shore Excursion Overview – Puerto Limon to Ushuaia” was, in Sam’s personal opinion, almost Gong Show worthy, its main purpose apparently being to sell excursions to people who had been too lazy to read their information packet. Sam greatly enjoyed John Palmisano’s “Panama’s Adjacent Marine Communities,” while Mary was equally positive about Rev. Jack Giguere’s “Windows on the Biblical World.” Many of these offerings are allegedly rebroadcast on the Amsterdam’s television, but there’s no readily available schedule. Suggestion to Holland-America – Are you listening? If we are, it’s only by chance, as we don’t have a schedule ….

Safety Briefing –

This was postponed to our first day at sea because of the delay in leaving Fort Lauderdale. Sam has to admit he was unimpressed, having seen more rigor on some airline flights. When the “emergency whistle” sounded and we headed to our lifeboat through the “emergency exit,” we were turned back by the crew and told to use the “regular staircase.’ Let me get this right, it’s an emergency drill and you don’t want us using the emergency exit? Guess we’ll have to wait for a real disaster to try that …. There was one portside demonstration of lifejackets which – according to new rules – you aren’t supposed to bring with you because of prior “incidents.” Well, since they were orange, you could see them, but it was a lot like viewing the Pope in St. Peter’s Square. I just pray we don’t hit an iceberg. The Captain didn’t mention pirates, but did spend a bit of time talking about our “ecological duty.” PC in action!

Let me close this with our favorite faux pas …. The display at the Shore Excursion Desk features a number of sites, including Monte Pichu, Ecuador. Tomorrow we arrive at Puerto Limon (Costa Rica, the last time we checked ….)

GLOBAL ODYSSEY 2010 BLOG #6: WE’RE OFF!!!

The good news is that this is not a diary, so you’re only going to be getting what we think is of some interest. We arrived in exhausted Fort Lauderdale some time the back side of 11:00 PM, but fortunately had reservations at the Holiday Inn Express, which even provides transportation to the port. That was good move number one. Good move number two was staying up until about 2:00 AM repacking, which managed to somewhat consolidate our baggage. We caught about six hours of shuteye and woke up in time for Mary to return the rental car to the airport and for us to catch the 11:30 bus to the pier with all our baggage. We learned that newbies to cruising were identified by the amount of baggage they took on the cruise. We were easily spied.

So what are formalities like? Well, all but carry-on bags are sent aboard separately, and while they do have metal detectors and x-ray equipment, the search was not at the “take off your shoes” level. TSA still was fairly clueless about what they wanted – “take out your laptops!” “Put your laptops back in the bag!” along with admonitions to “Move it! Move it!” A bit like the operation was being run by Maurice (the king lemur) in “Madagascar.”

After all this, you come to Check In. Here the mood perceptibly alters – Holland America wants you to have a good time and feel special. Someone is smilingly passing out cookies (good, but unfortunately not hot) as well as drinks. You need what you need – passport with necessary visas (those that can’t be obtained for you onboard – India and China), preprinted boarding pass, and – above all – proof of vaccinations (there was a minute of panic as the rep searched for our yellow fever vaccine certification – thankfully it was on the back of the form). The rep Sam spoke with said that people did forget (or packed in their checked bags – unreachable now) their passports or other required paperwork, which required legwork like faxing a copy of their birth certificates. We don’t what is done for those without the proper shots, but apparently it can be a “deal breaker.” A fellow passenger said that Joan Rivers had just been refused boarding just days previous for a name variation on required documents.

Through an arch of balloons, we passed a reception line of officers and staff and on board. While bags were delivered to the cabins (and the departure delayed to load dockside stores), the Lido Restaurant was open and complimentary champagne was served. Mary was easily identified by the big smile that covered her face. ☺ She was looking forward to getting some rest.

OK, so what can you expect from this BLOG over the next 100-odd days? We may not tell everything, but we do promise you to TELL IT LIKE WE SEE IT. This may or may not be popular with the Line or people at the ports we visit, but it is the least we can do for those of you who are taking your limited time to follow this blog.

So here are some first impressions of being aboard:

Cabin: We’re quite happy with it. Big enough with lots of room for storage. Our load of baggage doesn’t look like such a bad idea in retrospect. A big plus. Suggestion for Holland America: Put in a bookshelf or two, guys; a large proportion of your clientele does read.

Ship Décor: Another big plus! Sam traveled on a number of liners from the 1950’s into the 1970’s, but this beats them all. Mary concurs.

Library: Actually surprising good. The best thing the Line has done is – ironically to prevent passengers from checking out travel books, so that all guides are on hand unless they are actually being read. At the same time, we did bring several books which are not available, but should have been. Suggestion for Holland America: Put the ship holdings on line and make this available to passengers. That way you’d know if a book would be available on board or not.

La Fontaine Dining Room: The best part of this is the dinner music – played live. Really good talented musicians. Keep them happy! The food is well cooked, but has heat issues. Carrots were cool. Steak was well done as requested, but had seen warmer days, and the lemon sorbet was dished up with a spoon which had obviously been used for chocolate ice cream. We expected – and expect - more. Flavor overall was excellent!

After dinner show: This was better than a high school musical, but if your kids aren’t participating, our advice would be not to waste your time!

More “picks and pans” in our next!