HAL Martini Olives - Very Poor Quality?

[Harry1954]

As most of you know, I am a big fan of HAL. However, this is one of a couple of minor beefs that I have with these good folks.

 

Having cruised on three different lines for sufficient (22) cruises to at least form an opinion, I am curious if it just just DW/me or is the quality of the olives in the HAL martinis as BAD as we believe they are in both taste and appearance?

 

On other cruise lines we have experienced, they use the larger Spanish olives and this adds to the flavor of the martini. The olives on HAL's various ships - and we have been on at least six or seven of them - are uniformly stunted in size, almost to the point of appearing as capers rather than olives. Further, they are not stuffed with pimento ... We loathe them, yet we enjoy our pre-dinner martinis ..

 

Granted this is a minor issue, but when one is on HAL for 20+ days several times, it gets really old really fast IMHO.

 

harry

[Roz]

Harry, you're a man I can agree with! :D I'd rather have one or two Spanish olives of substance, than 5 or 6 of those small, impotent olives lined up on a toothpick. I have no quibbles with the quality of the martinis, just the olives. The olives I've experienced have been stuffed with pimientos, so maybe that's changed.

 

Roz

[peaches from georgia]

Cutbacks in not only crew, but now olives, too? :) Take a few jars of the good ones with you next time. Don't blame you, it's the little things that make or break real enjoyment.

[terigo]

They haven't stopped putting little paper umbrellas in the Planter's Punch, have they?

I mean, how far are these budget cuts going to go???

[Conniepo]

I noticed that too! I thought it was just me. The martini's are great but the olives are puny. :( My DH does not drink martini's so I receive no sympathy from him. :)

 

Connie (happily married to a beer drinker).

[Roz]

Peaches,

 

Great idea about BYO olives, but I wonder if the amt. of liquid in the jar would exceed TSA regulations? At home I make my martunis with giant olives stuffed with jalapenos. Gives it a little zing.

 

Roz

[uppitycats]

Peaches,

 

Great idea about BYO olives, but I wonder if the amt. of liquid in the jar would exceed TSA regulations? At home I make my martunis with giant olives stuffed with jalapenos. Gives it a little zing.

 

Roz

 

If you pack your olives in your *checked* luggage you can bring a gallon of them if you want. Wrap them well, though.

[SwissMyst]

Yeah, and they need to stock a better brand of ginger beer - kind of a natural on the high seas to have a really good one readily available. Ginger ale does not cut it. Ginger beer mates, ginger beer.

 

Schweppes or Bundaberg Ginger Beer at the HAL bars, with or without olives.

 

Please! Thank you.

[Rutland Gate]

I.ve never had a bad Martini Olive!

[SeaPeaInn]

I think the problem may not be with the olives but you have detected the difference in taste of their vodkas and gin since they started buying it in bulk from a methanol plant in the midwest.

[Roz]

No, it's definitely the olives.

 

I don't pack liquids in my checked bags, least of all olives and olive juice. If the jar breaks, clothes will be briney. :D

 

Roz

[mexico5]

Thanks so much for this important thread! My DH and I have vodka martinis everyday on the ship and the olives are VERY important to us! It's truly sad if the olives are really those tiny little things..we often like the ones stuffed with garlic too. The only ones we do not like are the ones stuffed with blue cheese.

 

We might now consider picking up some in San Diego (where I don't know:confused:) and we will bring them on the ship. It really is the small things hey! It certainly isn't the vodka because there will be many top shelf brands of that I am sure.

 

Thanks for preparing us!

[SwissMyst]

No, it's definitely the olives.

 

I don't pack liquids in my checked bags, least of all olives and olive juice. If the jar breaks, clothes will be briney. :D

 

Roz

 

Double wrap liquids in plastic bags with a twist tie helps. And save some of the bubble wrap too to cushion the glass.

[WeLuvCruisin]

I thought I came up with this idea.

 

I use the olive juice from the bottle with the Jalapeno stuffed olives for my Dirty Martini.

 

I call it a Dirty Hot Martini!

 

 

Peaches,

 

Great idea about BYO olives, but I wonder if the amt. of liquid in the jar would exceed TSA regulations? At home I make my martunis with giant olives stuffed with jalapenos. Gives it a little zing.

 

Roz

[mexico5]

We buy our stuffed olives from the deli and they are put in a plastic container...hmmmm...might consider buying them here and wrapping them in a ziplock bag...should be cold enough in the airplane cargo! Then we will quickly place them in our hotel mini fridge in San Diego. Seems kind of weird though to transport my own olives from Canada for our martini's:eek:

[Harry1954]

I think the problem may not be with the olives but you have detected the difference in taste of their vodkas and gin since they started buying it in bulk from a methanol plant in the midwest.

 

Unfortunately, it is not the vodka ..we always spring for the 'premium' and get the call brand we are use to ...

 

I am pleased to see that DW/I are not the only ones who gag on the olives that HAL provides. It is a crying shame as we, just as others in this thread have stated, consider the martinis excellent .. just the olives and that tasteless pick they use as detracting from the enjoyment ... kinda like a cow that gives a good bucket of milk and then stick's its foot in the bucket!

 

harry

[maxout]

As most of you know, I am a big fan of HAL. However, this is one of a couple of minor beefs that I have with these good folks.

 

Having cruised on three different lines for sufficient (22) cruises to at least form an opinion, I am curious if it just just DW/me or is the quality of the olives in the HAL martinis as BAD as we believe they are in both taste and appearance?

 

On other cruise lines we have experienced, they use the larger Spanish olives and this adds to the flavor of the martini. The olives on HAL's various ships - and we have been on at least six or seven of them - are uniformly stunted in size, almost to the point of appearing as capers rather than olives. Further, they are not stuffed with pimento ... We loathe them, yet we enjoy our pre-dinner martinis ..

 

Granted this is a minor issue, but when one is on HAL for 20+ days several times, it gets really old really fast IMHO.

 

harry

 

Just curious, have you spoken to the Beverage Manager(s) or contacted Hal? If enough of us do that (I agree the olives, in a word, suck) perhaps a change would be made.

[Roz]

Harry, thank you for starting such a fun thread. Olives are obviously a serious subject for true martini drinkers.

 

Mexico5, go to Ralph's grocery store in downtown San Diego (within walking distance of port and downtown hotels) to purchase olives for your cruise. Agree with you on the blue cheese stuffed olives. Sounds good until you eat them - blech!

 

Weluvcruisin, I've used the hot olive juice for a dirty martini - what a kick! I like the name Dirty Hot Martini.

 

Roz

[Randyk47]

OMG! Bad olives! Seriously, that's a serious problem. One of my joys of cruising is a good martini, or two...maybe three, in the Crow's Nest. We always do Bombay Sapphire and would hate to have good gin messed up with a bad olive! :eek::)

[mexico5]

Thanks for the tip Roz! This Ralph's...is it within walking distance from the US Grant Hotel? We do have to buy our wine too so why not pick up some olives:D

[Roz]

Ralph's is located at 101 G Street and 2nd Ave near the Gaslamp District. As I recall, your hotel is near the Convention Center. To the best of my knowledge you're within walking distance. I'm sure the front desk at the hotel can direct you - they've probably send hundreds of guests over there, not all of them seeking premium olives.

 

Roz

[woody14h]

Like the song "Olives are a man's best friend" ;-)

 

HAL could never attempt to assuage everyone's taste in specific olives. size, flavor, stuffed etc. We always BYO. Carefully wrapped and in the checked suitcases. We have even brought them to the Martini Bar. Makes our evening. Biggest problem with this is all the new friends you meet. LOL. We are starting to stock up for our next on the NA.

[Roz]

Woody,

 

The song is hilarious! I don't expect anything fancy, but size is important, at least when it comes to olives.

 

Roz

[Harry1954]

Just curious, have you spoken to the Beverage Manager(s) or contacted Hal? If enough of us do that (I agree the olives, in a word, suck) perhaps a change would be made.

I write it up on the comments .. but that is all as I suspect their attempt at olives are purchased in mass out of Seattle. I dont think the Beverage Manager has any say in the matter since this appears uniform across all ships (at least that I have been on).

 

I am a bit despondent ... but the thought of bringing olives mentioned earlier has given me hope at least ...

 

harry

[ContingentSea]

Why don't you buy a gallon size jar of your favorite olives, pour 3/4 of the juice out and replace it with gin, Grey Goose, vermouth or your favorite martini mix and re-seal the jar. Then you would have your dirty martinis pre-mixed :rolleyes: