This article originally
appeared in the November issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.
Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam smoothly glides along the St. Lawrence Seaway between Quebec City and Boston, providing its passengers with a healthy, delicious taste of the seafood culture in charming towns and beautiful countryside.
For me, the best part of the Canada/New England cruise was sampling the seafood in towns like Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was heaven devouring lobster rolls made two different ways, seafood chowder, my first-ever poutine and Malpeque oysters with a squeeze of lemon, dash of mignonette and touch of horseradish.
Views of Québec City and the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac from Zuiderdam. (Source: Theresa Norton)
Upgraded Restaurant Offerings
The line has taken great steps to upgrade its restaurant offerings over the past few years, redoing the menus in the casual Italian restaurant, Canaletto, with small plates and freshly made pasta, and the Pinnacle Grill steakhouse, which has a rotating selection of regional dishes prepared with locally sourced fresh fish.
For example, the Pinnacle Grill menu offered a brioche lobster sandwich and snow crab-and-corn chowder as starters. Entrees included roasted porcini halibut, homemade tagliatelle pasta with lobster meat, and venison medallion with huckleberries.
Plus, Holland America continues to expand its use of fresh, sustainable fish, now secured from 60 ports worldwide, going from port to plate in less than 48 hours.
‘Fresh Fish Ambassador’
Earlier this year, renowned Chef Masaharu Morimoto was named as the line’s “Fresh Fish Ambassador,” curating dishes in the ships’ dining rooms, as well as in new pop-up restaurants fleetwide. Morimoto’s dishes and all seafood dishes served across the fleet will be sourced and prepared as part of the global fresh fish program.
During the mid-September cruise, I had booked two walking tours focused on food. The first, “A Taste of Charlottetown: Culinary Walk” for $119.99, was to include stops at eateries for a lobster slider and fresh oyster, etc. However, this tour was canceled.
Malpeque oysters at Claddagh Oyster House in Charlottetown (Photo Credit: Theresa Norton)
Malpeque Oysters and Wine
I did just as well on my own with Malpeque oysters (US$38 for a half-dozen and glass of wine) at Claddagh Oyster House and an overfilled cold lobster roll at Dave’s Lobster (US$37 and worth it).
Another option in Charlottetown was “The Seafood Chef ” for $189.95, where guests meet a local chef who prepares dinner with local produce and seafood in an open kitchen. Everyone then shares the meal.
I really enjoyed the “Taste of Halifax” walking tour for $179.99. The two-and-a-hour tour follows the waterfront boardwalk and stops for tastes of craft beer, rum cake, poutine and the most delicious seafood chowder with a glass of crisp white wine. Along the way, we learned about the history of the Acadians, who were banished and headed elsewhere, many to Louisiana.
In summary, this cruise offered plenty of options to explore the culinary traditions of Canada and New England, both on board and off, on a 1,900-passenger ship that’s not too big and not too small.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
