Cruise Food

[college_cook]

Big name cruise lines require their cooks and chefs to have about 3 years experience cooking in a fine dining environment, and they often require a culinary degree as well. The kitchen staff definitely knows what they're doing. However, pay attention to the crowd your cruise line caters to. Carnival caters to families with younger children, lots of water slides and games and arcades all over the boats, and a lot of their food caters to kids as well. Cheese pizzas, hot dogs, mac 'n cheese, and the like. Not to say that your evening dinners are low-class, but most folks only eat in the fine dining room for dinner, and eat at the smaller restaurants, buffets, and eateries during the rest of the day.

The Royal Carribean cruise was my favorite of 4 i've been on, because they catered to alot of demographics, except really young kids. Everyone from college kids to folks in the 60s had things to enjoy. For example, they had a sports bar, with TVs that played whatever games were on, and they also had a jazz/blues bar that was really mellow and incredible to just chill out in. They had a piano bar, and they featured different wines there every day, and they had normal bars all over the boat. They also had two buffets, the formal dining rooms, snack shops, and even a 50s diner-like burger joint.

 

[Alix]

Oh geez! I totally forgot to find my diary and post the meals we had. I'll do that in a bit. Sorry all.

 

[Alix]

OK, here goes. Its been a few years so forgive me if this is brief. I didn't bother recording most of the breakfasts and lunches (and multiple snacks!) as they were buffets and the dinners were a rather formal affair.

Day 1

Dinner was spinach salad with a warm sweet mustard flavoured dressing, oriental consomme, shrimp cocktail (HUGE prawns), and prime rib done perfectly. Served with baby new potatoes and steamed broccoli. Dessert was a chocolate pastry.

Day 2

Smoked salmon appy, with capers. (Mediocre) Onion soup and an endive salad with oriental vinaigrette (stupendous!) and a large slab of beef again.

Day 3

Fresh tomatoes and mozzarella appetizer drizzled with oil and balsamic vinegar. Gumbo (a taste treat!) and a plain old green salad. Dinner was a steak (OK so I like beef. You think I'm going to go for the chicken after paying all that $$) and tiramisu for dessert.

Day 4

Citrus salad, chicken consomme, a boring green salad again but coq au vin for dinner. No chocolate on the menu for dessert so I suffered through butter pecan ice cream instead. Note, the chicken sucked! Back to beef!

Day 5

Fruit salad, duck consomme with wontons, caesar salad (really good one!) and a rare steak (strip loin).

Day 6

Can't remember the appy. Green salad but with all kinds of lettuce and a raspberry vinaigrette. Steak and lobster for dinner and then no room for dessert.

 

[TATTRAT]

BUMP!!!!


Well, as the New Years eve approaches, we(Mrs.TATT and I) are preparing to set sail tomorrow afternoon aboard the NCL Pride Of Hawaii for what I am hoping is the BEST ring in of the new year EVER!

IT is a great, port intensive, cruise of The Big island, Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. Oahu, I am not too worried about.

The boat boasts something like 13 restaurants and I will try them all!

So, I guess the next time I report back to this thread, I will have more details about the food, but NCL has always been pretty decent. So far Celebrity has had the best, but this boat is supposed to be pretty top notch, we'll see.

 

[pdswife]

Have fun Tatt.

We too NCL to Alaska last year and the food was great in the restaurants and bad in the cafe.

ENJOY!