One of the things people are most curious about when they are thinking about a cruise is: “How’s the food?” We just booked a last-minute cruise on Holland America Line, which reminded us that we had menus from our 14-Asian Holiday cruise that we have not yet shared on the blog.
These menus are from dinners served in the main dining room during a 14-day Holiday cruise in Asia on the ms Volendam. While there are always some local dishes offered on Holland America Line, such as a different salmon dish every night in Alaska, we find many of our favorite dishes served on every Holland America cruise, regardless of where the ship is sailing.
While these menus are not in day-by-day order, I believe this menu was from either day 1 or day 2. Mr. Jones had the Prime Rib. I’m not a vegetarian, but I enjoyed the Eggplant Cannelloni Parmigiano with asparagus risotto.
Some of the dishes, such as the French Onion Soup, the Caesar Salad, the New York Strip Loin, and the Oven-Roasted Chicken are featured every night, so if none of the daily featured items sound appealing, there are always favorites available. I recall enjoying the steamed Manila Clams and the Szechuan Shrimp from this menu.
You will notice that the menus follow a pattern under the main courses: there is always a pasta choice, an entree salad, a fish dish (or two), a beef dish, a pork dish, a chicken dish and a vegetarian main course offered in addition to the regular standbys. The Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Breast has always been a favorite dish on Holland America cruises.
The items marked with the crossed fork and spoon symbol (such as the Short-Rib with Smoked Onion in the menu above) are featured dishes created by members of Holland America’s Culinary Council, a group of well-known chefs.
This menu has our favorite Holland America menu item.
It’s the Filet of Beef Wellington, and we’ve enjoyed it on many Holland America cruises.
Each menu comes with Recommendations from the Chef, and recommended wines by the glass or by the bottle.
Since we were on a holiday cruise, this was the Christmas Dinner menu.
These were the desserts for Christmas Dinner. The ice cream sundae is always a good choice.
What makes dinner in the main dining room on Holland America cruises special? It is terrific service, like we received on the Volendam from these two gentlemen.
Although we dined in the Pinnacle Grill, you can check out the Christmas Eve dinner menu in this post.
New Year’s Eve on the Volendam was an evening of merriment that began with a special menu. See it here.
What’s your favorite menu item on Holland America cruises? Do share in comments below.
To read more about our Asian Holiday cruise experiences, check out these posts:
- Exploring Langkawi, Malaysia by Taxi
- Traditional Myanmar Dance and Dinner at La Planteur from the Port of Thilawa, Myanmar
- Getting an Introduction to Yangon via a Shore Excursion from Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma)
- Sailing into Thilawa, Myanmar (Burma); Port City for Yangon
- Christmas Day in Phuket, Thailand with a Visit to Tiger Kingdom
- Exploring Kuala Lumpur By Taxi from Port Kelang, Malaysia
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