Holland America 2023 Buffet Lunch Food Tour Part 1 | Menus, Daily, Embarkation & Dutch Theme

[@loriefranklyn558]

I swear by the custom stir fry station, my favorite buffet meal lunch or dinner. Although the Holland America Veendam had amazing deli sandwiches wrapped in parchment, ready to go and those were good too. We love Holland America cruises.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yeah that custom stir fry is a big hit as it's always busy. Holland America definitely knows how to do food! 😋

[@MPDLR]

Another marvelous, informative, relevant review. It bears repeating: Your reviews are void of crazy music and graphics and wanabee Hollywood Director syndrome. You focus so well on the food in both audio and visual forms and as someone who has cruised quite a bit and hopes to cruise again - I find your reviews, including this one extremely helpful. Thanks and safe travels to you

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you so much! 😊 We're happy to hear that you enjoyed the videos and found them helpful!

[@bobo3034]

Must say, this is a great video. You take time with your shots so viewers have time to read all the menus. Same with shots of various food. By far one of the best videos of this type. You really make me feel I was back on board HAL. After doing over 20 cruises with them I'm sure the food choice and quality is some of the best on the high seas. Well done.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! 😊 It took quite a bit of time & effort to create the videos, so we really appreciate of your comment, especially coming from a frequent HAL cruiser. Agree with you that HAL has excellent food quality- it's a big plus especially on long cruises!

[@loriwhitley3623]

Thank you for letting us know about the early opening time!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure- hope you have a great time on your cruise!

[@TVHouseHistorian]

Ah! Found it! And I see I already commented here. I definitely don't mind watching again. I'll have to report back after my Alaska cruise this April. Can't wait! 😄

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Nice! Look forward to hearing what you think of the food from your Alaska cruise!

[@jonimceachern9284]

Love Love your videos.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! 😊

[@vickieboyd3507]

Love the video😋🥰

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks Vickie! 😊 🥰

[@richardsmith4187]

Holland America has amazing choices of food on the Lido deck. We seldom eat in the main dining room as it tends to be a long affair. We have sailed on different lines and did enjoy Celebrity, but Holland America is our top choice and we are nearing 20 cruises with one in November and another in December. We like the more relaxed atmosphere and just enjoy being underway and the last couple of cruises we never went ashore as we have been to every port at least 8 -10 times. The food and entertainment on board really shine and life is good at sea LOL

[@TravelTouristVideos]

We really like HAL too- terrific food quality and service. Thanks for sharing your experience with them!

[@Beachdudeca]

I greatly appreciate your videos

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! We're happy to hear that! 😊

[@shadowguard3578]

I really enjoyed the close up of the individual food items and menus. Thank you for sharing!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad to hear it- thank you very much for the comment! 😊

[@kathyvelasquez3682]

Great video. Love that you don't try and plump it up with "look at me" that some creator's of these type of video's do. Thank you. Looks like Joanne is limping..hope she is okay. Bless you all.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you so much Kathy! 😊 Joann had some knee soreness but she is walking much better now.

[@bonniebaird4240]

Favorite food: All of it of course. Yum!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

They had some excellent offerings for lunch! 😋

[@jt8280]

Feeling hungry food looks amazing but I wish they had some India curries my favorite. Wife and I wish we were on board with you guys.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks JT! 😊 Yeah agree with you that Indian curry would be something great of them to have everyday. They did have an Indian theme day at the Asian station, but yeah it was only once per cruise.

[@barbarasiqueira9533]

You guys are absolutely amazing. I have no words to thank you for such an incredible informative video. 💜

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you so much Barbara- we really appreciate it! 😊

[@bluebird2833]

Always love going on Holland America cruises with best service and food. Thank you so much for another enjoyable and informative video. Greatly appreciated all you guy’s work and sharing.❤

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yes agree with you that HAL has really excellent food & service overall. Thank you so much for the comment- we really appreciate it! 🥰

[@susanriddle9408]

Great video I would try the Dutch items

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks Susan! 😊 Dutch buffet was one of our favs as well!

[@sallylewis5332]

Holland America is great at presenting a variety of cuisines. I appreciate that. Everything looked good. (Except for the several herring selections 😬). I’m partial to the Asian station. And the Italian station. And the charcuterie section. And that salad bar! It always amazes me at the amount of breads choices there are too. And I’m going to look for some dragonfruit the next time I’m on HAL. It looks…..interesting 😳. Thanks for the video!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks so much for the comment Sally! 😊 Lol yeah the herring can be a bit strong- it's one of those love it or hate it dishes. And yes that salad station is great- our favorite salad bar of all cruise lines as it is crew-served and has so many different options to personalize to your own taste. Dragonfruit is one of our favorites too when going on HAL. For this cruise when they had it, it was stashed to the side of the Asian station. Ran out quickly too.

[@HOlsen789]

I appreciate thr Vegan options list

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yes they had a nice vegan selection 👍

[@TVHouseHistorian]

I see lots of really really nice things here. However, the “Orange Tompouce” really caught my eye. I’m always up for new flavors!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yes that was an interesting Dutch dessert! 😋

[@chordsandnotes]

You have the best videos, we are planning a cruise on Holland America soon so this was fun to watch Thank you

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! 😊 We're glad it was helpful and fun to watch!

[@auntydale3379]

I started researching Alaska cruises in September 2019, hoping for May 2020 and we all know how that turned out. Luckily, I hadn't actually booked anything before shutdown. But I may finally be going this September! Up to now, I've been living vicariously through travel videos on this channel, especially the food options. Between the buffet, the burger bar, main dining room, specialty restaurants, and afternoon tea, I'll be eating myself cross-eyed. But I've lost 35 pounds since the pandemic started and have been on one vacation in 2 years, so maybe I deserve a week of indulgence?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Absolutely! They had some really great food so please do enjoy when you go. Exploring those Alaska ports should help burn some extra calories too 🙂

[@jellebaby]

Looks much nicer than the video i just watched of The Windjammer buffet.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yeah this was better in quality, but the Windjammer on Royal had really good variety as well.

[@pinksix5888]

❤ very nice job with overview of buffet! I can't wait until my June cruise time Greenland!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure- thanks for the comment! 🥰 Greenland sounds amazing! Have a wonderful cruise!

[@ginaholshue8601]

Extremely impressive!!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

💯!

[@georgemaltese]

Really impressive! Wow. This buffet blows Princess out of the water. Love the daily international options. Thanks folks

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this vs Princess!

[@smb2a587]

I am considering HAL for Alaska 2024 and this buffet does look better than any Princess video that I have seen.

[@ceecee5389]

Love all your videos and look forward to each new one. I did not see fried fish on the buffet. We had it on our last HAL cruise before the pandemic and it was delicious. We are going on the Eurodam in January. Hoping they still have it...did you see it? Thanks!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! 😊 For our HAL cruises 2 month ago they pretty much had fish & chips every day at the buffet, so hopefully you'll have it there daily on the Eurodam as well!

[@simwingscanada6246]

Love your review. Thank you so much

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment! 😊

[@catherine4159]

Great video thanks

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Glad you enjoyed it- thanks for the comment! 😊

[@monkeyb1820]

That looks good. We're just off of Princess, and the food was similarly good. Princess doesn't put out any sushi, and Dive-In is better than Salty Dog. Princess does have better (and more easily available) pizza. Princess' coffee is better. This Mexican section of the Hal buffet looks good and wasn't there when we last sailed Hal, 9 months ago.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for the comparison vs Princess! Yeah that new Mexican station is really popular- a smart move by HAL.

[@jeffreykyle8587]

Great video. Thank you for taking the time with these.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you very much! 😊

[@HOlsen789]

Thank you for the vast buffet video. Do they have the made to order pasta station, sushi and crepe station daily and is there s charge?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Our pleasure! Those are available every and are complimentary 🙂

[@susanbritton-giza5054]

Just love your videos ! So much food ! They talk about a food shortage ……where ? Lol !🤣

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks Susan! 😊 Certainly never a shortage of food on cruises!

[@jlawrence0181]

Another great video.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you! 😊

[@jlawrence0181]

@@TravelTouristVideos Late night!?!?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yeah I'm night owl 🙂

[@jlawrence0181]

@@TravelTouristVideos I am not used to getting that kind of turnaround at 2am PDT unless the person is in the Philippines (g).

[@duhnonymous1857]

Im going to have to exercise a lot!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

You can do that after the cruise! 😉

[@pattymc4726]

I like your videos. Are the menus basically the same from one HA ship to the next?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks! 🙂 They should be very similar other than some regional dishes

[@pattymc4726]

@@TravelTouristVideos Thank you.

[@generator6946]

It was hard to find no-low salt foods. Zaandam has a hamburger stand that is pretty good. If you can’t do a lot of salt you’ll struggle to find healthy dishes.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yes HAL makes really good burgers. If you let the crew members know they might be able to point you to some lower-sodium options.

[@practicalmagic7613]

You make my want to return to a HAL ship even worse! I'm kicking myself for not booking the Rotterdam solo in December, now the prices are up 35%.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yeah lots of good food for sure! 😋 Keep monitoring- hopefully there will be a price drop!

[@darin2]

The chocolates from Amsterdam...were they on the buffet every day or just certain days?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Those were only on the Dutch theme buffet day which is happens once per cruise.

[@aznstylez1]

Wonder if this is the same for 2024 June cruise.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Should be, but would love to hear from you how similar it was after your cruise. Have a great time!

[@JBM425]

I take it that carbonated beverages such as Coke, Pepsi, etc. are not free?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

That's correct- you'd need a beverage package. They have an unlimited soda package that's $8 daily per person.

[@riya_riya01]

Are there any Indian food options?

[@AKMOOSE]

Absolutely hate the chairs at the lido on pinnacle class ships! Too heavy difficult to move around

[@jellebaby]

What is the herring obsession?

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Yes for every lunch as well. Perhaps they're trying to have more Dutch theme food.

[@paulconnors2078]

What food? Well................................................................................................,just about everything LOL!

[@TravelTouristVideos]

They had a lot of quality offerings at the buffet for sure! 😋

[@MPDLR]

Ugh more serve yourself. I kind of liked it the other way - - less chance of getting ill. First world problem I guess :)

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Lol yeah at least ones that really need to be extra sanitary like the salad station it's still crew-served. Due to some bad experiences in the past, on cruises we would only eat the raw salads that are crew-served such as on HAL and Royal Caribbean (at the Park Cafe).

[@erniemarkey3877]

Never will go on Holland America again. 18 day cruise to Hawaii was a disaster. Never got a response from them after I filled out the comments survey.

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Sorry to hear that- what happened?

[@ruuddorlas5001]

I like to see the choice of Food on a cruise. But I DON’T need to see an eating woman instead!

[@edwardporus8326]

excellent job

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thank you! Cheers! 🙂

[@Ambientmopar]

🛳🛳🛳 Food appearance and quality looks I viting. Looked at video posted about Carnival Madri Gras buffet. Food appearance was not very appealing in looks. Plus serving area wasn't well kept. 🛳🛳🛳

[@TravelTouristVideos]

Thanks for the comment! Yeah we also think HAL has a much better buffet than Carnival.