Holland America MS Veendam

Not since our honeymoon cruise aboard the MV Horizon (which is not even with Celebrity anymore), we've haven't been back aboard a "small" cruise ship.  Well, not until our latest foray out to the Maritimes aboard Holland America's MS Veendam.  We really didn't choose the ship per se, rather the itinerary was the real draw.  Besides, they can't really cruise down the St. Lawrence aboard a mega cruise ship anyways.  Listed with a gross tonnage of only 57,092, the MS Veendam is a little over 10,000 GT larger than the MV Horizon.  With that, we had reasonable expectations regarding the onboard amenities and the lack of modern appointments found on ships like RCCL's Allure of the Seas.

Due to the modest amount of passengers, the boarding process at the Black Falcon Terminal in Boston was fast and painless.  We were aboard the ship within 20 minutes of arriving at the terminal.  For the first time ever, we settled on an inside cabin since there was only one sea day on the itinerary.  Hence, very little time aboard the ship and subsequently in our room.  As you can see, the room was compact and especially so since we had the kiddies with us too.  The extra chair was in the way, so we had the cabin steward remove it.  The sofa converted to a bed and there was another bed that lowered from the ceiling.  There was a surprising amount of storage space and we didn't have an issue with hiding all of our clothes and knick knacks away.  The washroom was pretty standard being small and only consisting of a stand up shower.

For a small ship, there was actually a 3-story atrium complete with an interesting glass staircase/DNA-looking centerpiece.  It did look rather dated with the shiny brass accents though.  I guess we should've considered ourselves lucky since the MV Horizon had a hallway for a lobby.  Housed on the 7th floor, the front desk was somewhere we had to visit one too many times.  You see, our door lock malfunctioned due to the battery being low.  However, it took far too long (over 24 hours) and 3 trips to the front desk for it to be fixed.  Imagine returning from the gym sweaty and gross and not being able to access our stateroom?  We did get a shipboard credit for our inconvenience, but this should never happen aboard a cruise.  Overall, the service was good, but not outstanding.  Other than the front desk and our cabin steward (and assistant), the rest of our interactions with the staff were hit and miss.  I really didn't appreciate the one lady that asked me if it was "necessary to have access to my room".  Um...  WTH???

On the Lido deck, we found the one small pool and accompanying hot tubs.  Nothing particularly special about them, but again, they did their job.  With a retractable roof, it also meant we could use the pool area even if it was raining.  There was also a set of adult-only hot tubs at the back of the ship as well.  Also at the back of the ship was Club Hal (the kids program).  Although Holland America has never been known for their comprehensive kid's programs, this was sufficient with friendly and competent staff.  The actual club itself was small, yet still relative to the size of the ship and the clientele (where there are fewer kids).  As mentioned before, I had visit the gym facilities (yah shocking...) and it was more or less a serviceable one with some free weights as well as treadmills and a small area for aerobics.

Now to the good part, the main dining room was split into 2 levels with one being less formal than the other.  There was a mix of fixed seating (which we had) and walk-in traffic.  Food in general was pretty solid, especially for a cruise ship, albeit a smaller one.  Service was pretty good, yet hurried at times.  The other dining options included the Pinnacle Grill, Canaletto, Lido Cafe, Slice Pizza and Dive-In Burger Bar.  We tried them all and there will be dedicated posts in the next few days.  We ended up skipping the crowded and chaotic buffet for our welcome aboard lunch.  Since we were past Holland America cruisers, we were afforded the opportunity to dine in the Rotterdam main dining room for our welcome aboard lunch.  Not that we don’t like the buffet, this was more of a relaxing way to start our trip rather than fighting for seats and food up at the Lido Cafe.

The first thing I ate on the cruise was the Fresh Fruit with Peach Schnapps which was a fairly simple appetizer consisting of honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and pineapple.  All of the fruit was indeed fresh while not really all that sweet.  I found the melon somewhat firm.  The best part was the marinated peach segments which were soft and flavourful with the obvious hit of schnapps.  Viv had the Buffalo Chicken Wings in a corn tortilla basket which were a bit dry while the skin wasn’t completely rendered.  These looked baked rather than fried.  They weren’t really all that spicy either.

My daughter went for the Cream of Broccoli with toasted pine nuts as her starter and it was quite good.  The consistency was thick, but not overly creamy.  There was a considerable amount of broccoli blended into the soup which also was exemplified in the taste.  We thought the soup was well-seasoned and balanced.  For her main, she had the best of the bunch in the Seafood Penne in a light tomato sauce.  The sauce was mild, but was still flavorful and tangy.  The penne was al dente while the prawn was nicely textured and seasoned.  The piece of salmon was a bit salty though.

For my main, I had the disappointing Pulled Pork Sandwich with coleslaw and yam fries.  The best part of the dish was the crispy fries and that’s not saying a lot.  I found the sandwich to be overwhelmed by the taste of raw onion.  It was in the coleslaw and the juices had seeped into the pulled pork.  Even the gratuitous amount of sweet and tangy BBQ sauce didn’t help things much.  I didn’t even like the bun as it was too dense and chewy.  Viv decided on the Blackened Mahi Mahi Tacos for her entree and it was decent.  Although small, the rolls featured tender fish that was lightly crispy.  Flavors were mild, but still there was some spice and tang.

For dessert, I tried the surgar-free Berry Bollen which were filled with yogurt wildberry mousse.  I found the choux pastry to be a bit dry, but still fairly soft (forgiveable due to the absence of sugar).  Inside, the yogurt was fluffy and not too sweet.  Something along the same lines was the Strawberry Shortcake filled with Chantilly cream, basil and fresh strawberry segments.  This was a refreshing and light dessert with actual shortcake (not sponge cake).  Hence, the texture and consistency was more dense and flaky.  It worked well with the soft and wet ingredients as it held up and also provided a textural contrast.

Lastly, we tried the Peanut Butter Silk Pie with graham cracker crust and chocolate sauce.  This tasted somewhat like a really big peanut butter cup except less sweet.  The peanut butter filling was indeed silky and smooth while the chocolate added only a mild amount sweetness.  We felt the desserts as a whole was pretty good, but the other items were definitely hit and miss.  On the other hand, it was only lunch and the first one at that.  There was much more food to come, including alternative dining.  From past experience and also based on this cruise, Holland America does serve up better food than most of the immediate competition.  In terms of service, we found it to be inconsistent on this cruise compared to the one on the Oosterdam.  Amenities were lacking due to the size of the ship, but it wasn't a big deal due to the busy itinerary.  I do believe this is a great way to get a taste of the Maritimes in one complete package.

The Good:
- Great itinerary except for Sydney, N.S.
- Generally decent food
- Easy embarkation and disemarkation

The Bad:
- Inconsistent service
- Ship is small and lacking in activities
- No wow factor, but you should know that going into it 

Elements Diner

*Restaurant is closed*

More often than not, there is too much of the same going on.  Take for instance the amount of ramen joints that open up.  Sure, they are different styles, but in the end, it is still rather similar.  When you look at Downtown, it is pretty much lacking in unique choices for food.  So when Heritage Asian Eatery recently opened up shop, it was a refreshing option considering the other places nearby.  So I wasn't sure what to make of Elements Diner settling into its home at the corner of Smythe and Beatty on the edge of Yaletown.  Okay, so it serves bubble tea and Taiwanese cuisine, what is so different about that?  First of all, it's in Yaletown which makes it unique right off the bat.  Second, I was about to find out that the food isn't really all that typical.

I was invited, along with a few more people, to sample their take on Asian-Western diner food.  To start, we were presented with a platter consisting of Golden Fries, Smoked Salmon Avocado Rice Pizza, Pork Gyoza, Roasted Beet Salad and Warm Salmon Avocado.  Hands down, the best item of the bunch was the golden fries.  With a passing glance, they appeared to be plain steak fries.  Yet, they were coated with salted duck egg yolk which added a rich and robust aroma and taste.  It wasn't exactly salty, but it definitely added impact.  My next favourite was actually the beet salad (yes really) since it featured tender Earthy beets aggressively dressed in a tart and sweet vinaigrette.  Loved the citrus too.  The avocado wedge with cheesy salmon on top was good, but I would've liked the fish more moist.  The fried sushi rice topped with smoked salmon was a lot less heavy than it appeared, however, it could've been thinner.  There was enough salmon and avocado on top to be noticed.  The addition of bonito flakes added another layer of brininess.  As for the gyoza, it was decent with a thin tender skin while the filling was a nice balance between veggies and moist pork.

Next up was a definitely Chinese take on an American classic being the Asian Honey Sesame Pulled Duck Mac n' Cheese.  At first, I was a bit concerned with the combination of duck, hoisin sauce and melted cheese.  I guess the cheese was mild enough that it didn't clash with the rest of the ingredients.  Sure, it was missing some sharpness, but the texture was ooey and gooey while the duck, cucumber and hoisin created a Peking Duck effect.  As for the macaroni itself, it was al dente which bucked the trend of Asian restaurants cooking the heck out of their pasta.  I would've liked to see more of a cheese sauce though as the dish ate dry. Next up was probably my favourite item of the entire meal.  By looks alone, the Spicy Crab Ciabatta Sandwich looked like any other ordinary sandwich.  That was completely deceiving as beyond the crunchy bread lay tender crab patties that were juicy, spicy and super-flavourful (bordering on salty).  What I liked most was the intermittent chunks of fluffy crab that was surprisingly not overwhelmed by the strong spicy flavours.

Continuing with duck, we also had something similar to the mac n' cheese with the Roasted Duck Quesadilla filled with cheese, green pepper and hoisin.  So essentially, this was Peking Duck wrap that was grilled on the flat top.  It surely tasted like a Peking Duck wrap, but with the addition of cheese, it ate more robust.  I'm not sure that the green peppers really went with this wrap as it was strong in flavour and there was a certain raw aftertaste.  I did like how the exterior was crunchy though as it was a nice balance to the soft ingredients. Something a bit more typical was the Baked Seafood Rice.  I would say it was more or less pretty standard with the usual array of seafood on top with a nutty and creamy sauce.  The rice was dry and chewy, which was good for accepting the sauce and not being mushy.

For dessert, we were treated to 4 Ice Cream Baos including Coconut Gelato with black glutinous rice sauce, Mango Gelato with mango sauce, Matcha Gelato with red bean paste and Triple Chocolate.  The fried bao were robust enough to stand up to the moisture of the fillings.  As such, they were definitely chewier.  I though the flavours of the gelato and other ingredients came through, but eating the bao was messy as everything squirted out.  My favourite was th mango as it tasted natural and refreshing.  Overall, I felt the food at Elements was good albeit some tweaks are needed.  I'm glad they are taking some chances though as food should be creative.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Something different
- Minimalist, yet spacious dining space
- Loved that crab sandwich

The Bad:
- There were some really good dishes, however, some tweaks are needed on others
- Dessert Baos were good, but hard to eat