Cruise Cuisine Aboard Holland America's ms Noordam

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Holland America.  All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links.

It's no secret that food is a big part of a cruise.  Upon entering our lovely stateroom aboard Holland America's ms Noordam we were greeted with an incredibly appetizing display of "yummyness".  Fresh fruit, shrimp, and chocolate were tantalizingly waiting for us on our table.  Catherine and Dominic waited, only somewhat patiently, for me to to take a couple of quick pictures.

All of the food was delicious. Like I said before in my Quick Review, this was my fifth cruise and I think it was the best food yet. We enjoyed food from the buffet, the main dinning room, poolside, in our room, at The Pinnacle Grill, and at Canaletto.  The service everywhere was absolutely impeccable, with notable increase at the more formal choices.

I wasn't sure if I would like having a set dinnertime, but I have been completely won over. Not only would I say that I didn't end up minding it, I might even say that I prefer it! The wait staff got to know our preferences after our first day!  (Holland America does have As You Wish® Dining, so you have the option of early seating, late seating, or open seating.  We had early seating -- which I recommend if you have little ones.)

The kids loved the dinning room.  Catherine loves going to restaurants, despite the fact that she's often too picky to order off the menu, and she simply adored getting dressed up to go to a restaurant every single night.  (To be honest, we don't eat out much so it really was exciting for her.)  Dominic also enjoyed the dining room.  They provided a highchair, which was waiting for us at our table every night.  (A bonus of the set dinnertime!)  One of my favorite dishes was a soup appetizer, the Butternut and Scallions soup.  Dominic shared so much that I had to ask for seconds!

Once again, I must rave about the service we received daily in the main dining room.  Our server, Doni S., went above and beyond. Catherine still plays with her origami animals that he made daily for her.  (They posed together for the below picture.) The maitre d', Robbien F., was always helpful and very attentive. Of course, I can't forget our second waiter, Febi, who was also fantastic.  Thank you, guys! 

 I can't talk about the cruise food without talking about the buffet!  They had a large variety of all of the buffet basics and everything was very good.  Catherine very much enjoyed the "Jamaican Jello" among the many other goodies.  In my humble opinion, while the buffet is good, the service, atmosphere, and food make dining in the main dining room (and the  restaurants with a fee) an obvious choice, but I know that many people prefer the more relaxed buffet. 

Thanks to Holland America we had the pleasure of dining at The Pinnacle Grill and at the Canaletto Restaurant.  

There is a $29 per person additional fee to eat at The Pinnacle, but it is more than worth it! It was one of the most delicious meals that I've ever had.  Possibly the most delicious.  

The menu (below) has a little something for everyone.  The sides are served family style, which means that they bring generous portions and place them in the center of the table.  This allows everyone to take as much or as little as they desire.  Our service was amazing.  We did bring the kids, but we made sure to have our reservations as early as possible.  Catherine, ever the picky eater, enjoyed bread and an apple, which our lovely waitress procured especially for her.  My Filet Mignon was so tender that I was able to cut it with a fork while holding Dominic.  (He did have a highchair, but wanted out at one point.)

  

Because I was so busy enjoying good food and company I didn't remember to take a picture until dessert came.  I had this decadent Volcano chocolate cake, which I actually found myself unable to finish because I was so full!  The pre-dessert chocolate truffles did me in.  So delicious!

Canaletto, which is delicious Italian fare, has a $10 per person fee.  This seems quite reasonable to me.  The food and service, once again, was amazing.  The atmosphere isn't quite as formal as The Pinnacle, or honestly, the main dining room, as Canaletto is located in the buffet area.  It is separated, and much nicer than the surrounding area, but there is still the din of the masses.  Once again, everything was simply delicious.  The bruschetta that they served was especially amazing.  We enjoyed it so much that we've attempted to replicate it ourselves at home.  (My husband even made homemade ricotta cheese to go with ours!)

One last note, the hamburgers at the poolside grill were the best burgers that I've had on a cruise.  They are grilled to order, so that makes them even better!  

Bon appetit!

For more of our cruise related fun check out the following:

{Shipwreck & Fish Feeding Tour}

{Quick Review}

Disclaimer: I received a few amenities while on board in exchange for my honest opinions.