Best Cruise Line out of Seattle (Glacier Bay itinerary) for Foodies?

[sea_la_vie]

We're total foodies, though who isn't, right?! But we're wondering which cruise line from Seattle would be the best to take that would give us the best quality of food and most options for seafood with an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay? I believe it's a choice of Princess, HAL, and NCL that all go to Glacier Bay? Thanks so much for any input :-D

[Kamloops50]

We're total foodies, though who isn't, right?! But we're wondering which cruise line from Seattle would be the best to take that would give us the best quality of food and most options for seafood with an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay? I believe it's a choice of Princess, HAL, and NCL that all go to Glacier Bay? Thanks so much for any input :-D

 

 

HAL or Princess . NCL isn't known for it's food.

[sea_la_vie]

Ah, thanks so much!!:)

[B Russo]

I think HAL would be the best. Just my opinion. :D Bill

[Coral]

HAL food is pretty bland.

 

IMO - none of them would be good for foodies.

[bonvoyagie]

If you want the most choices in food then NCL is your choice.

 

BTW you might find the seafood better when you reach ports - just remember that unless it is in season - it has been frozen (aka King Crab, or Copper River Salmon)

[TDSmith388]

I've only cruised Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and of those two I much prefer Royal Caribbean's food.

[PennyAgain]

HAL food is pretty bland.

 

IMO - none of them would be good for foodies.

 

Unless you find a Crystal Cruise lines ship doing Alaska, there aren't really choices for foodies on full sized cruise ships.

[chewap]

If you want the most choices in food then NCL is your choice.

 

BTW you might find the seafood better when you reach ports - just remember that unless it is in season - it has been frozen (aka King Crab, or Copper River Salmon)

 

The Alaska ports are the only ports where they can bring on fresh seafoods on board other than the departure ports. The Carnival ships (Princess, Carnival and HAL} have permits to go to Glacier Bay. The Copper Bay Salmon is a promotion to have the fish price 2X or 3X. All sockeye (Reds) salmon taste the same. I prefer silvers (coho). I live in Washington State where salmon is a abundant to catch.

[Italy52]

HAL food is pretty bland.

 

IMO - none of them would be good for foodies.

 

 

Coral, I'm with you on this post.

[Coral]

Unless you find a Crystal Cruise lines ship doing Alaska, there aren't really choices for foodies on full sized cruise ships.

 

Unfortunatley I think Crystal's only Alaskan cruise includes Asia.

 

There may be Regent, or Silver Sea or Oceania - not sure.

 

I haven't sailed NCL but have sailed Princess and HAL. You won't go hungry on either but both (and probably all of the main stream lines) have had a recent trend in declining food quality. I know this is subjective.

 

My suggestion is to go with the itinerary that one likes and you will find food on the ship will be fine. Just don't go with too high of expectations of food. Or compare it to food on ships 5 years ago.

 

I don't have first hand knowledge of NCL but my friends tell me go with the assumption that you will eat in the speciality restaurants more often to get the better meals and just budget that into your trip.

[Suebee33]

The Alaska ports are the only ports where they can bring on fresh seafoods on board other than the departure ports. The Carnival ships (Princess, Carnival and HAL} have permits to go to Glacier Bay. The Copper Bay Salmon is a promotion to have the fish price 2X or 3X. All sockeye (Reds) salmon taste the same. I prefer silvers (coho). I live in Washington State where salmon is a abundant to catch.

 

My question- the ships 'can' bring on fresh seafood, but DO they? Or is it cheaper for them to buy frozen elsewhere? We're wanting fresh, wild-caught AK salmon while on our cruise, and I'm wondering if I'll need to buy & eat it in port or whether I could get it on the ship for free. :confused:

[bonvoyagie]

I have only heard of provisions being loaded mid cruise and that was back in 02 when they ran out of fish and had to buy some locally.

 

You also need to be traveling when the seafood you crave is in season - so unless you want to travel in December - don't expect fresh king crab - and if it is not July or Aug don't expect fresh salmon.

 

If you really want to have some good fish - go out on a charter while you are in Ketchikan and catch your own - they will process it and ship it to your home so you can enjoy it after your cruise. Look up some of SD Mike's posts from his cruise last summer on the Jewel.

[1025cruise]

I've seen ships load seafood while in port. However, it was not for regular menu items, I don't believe. I believe it was for a special display. If you order salmon in the dining room, odds are you are going to get whatever salmon you would also get in the Caribbean. There are exceptions to this. I believe HAL this year had arrangements to buy fresh Maine lobster when they were in Bar Harbor to serve to guests. But that is the exception, not the norm.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I also agree about HAL's food -- it is bland and has gone down hill the last couple of years.

There was a time on HAL that when we were in Alaska they would have lots of fresh choices brought on board and tons of choices of fish, salmon and crab.

Not so any more. Summer of 2012 had the worst choices we have seen in a long time and nothing was brought on fresh.

[PennyAgain]

On the large ships, food is purchased in mass quanitites and all fish and seafood items are pre-portions, flash frozen and brought on board with other food items.

 

The days of large ships buying fresh in Alaska are long gone.

 

The economics of scale allow cruise prices to be where they are (prices which we all seek to get for ourselves).

 

You can get good meals in port if you have the time to do so. In Juneau specially, but in all the Alaskan ports.

 

It has long been the opinion of those who post on Cruise Critic that the large cruise ships plan their food to please the average wants and desires of passengers.

 

Do you feel average?

[Kamloops50]

Princess has a contract with the fisherman at Icy point to buy their seafood .

[MightyQuinn]

We're total foodies, though who isn't, right?! But we're wondering which cruise line from Seattle would be the best to take that would give us the best quality of food and most options for seafood with an itinerary that includes Glacier Bay?

Oceania is often dubbed the cruise line for foodies and deservedly so. They have cuisine that is several notches above mass market lines and on par with luxury lines. They offer several Alaska itineraries on their 680-passenger ship Regatta, with departures out of San Fransisco, Seattle and Vancouver. Oceania goes to Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm Fjord, but not to Glacier Bay.

[chewap]

On the large ships, food is purchased in mass quanitites and all fish and seafood items are pre-portions, flash frozen and brought on board with other food items.

 

The days of large ships buying fresh in Alaska are long gone.

 

The economics of scale allow cruise prices to be where they are (prices which we all seek to get for ourselves).

 

You can get good meals in port if you have the time to do so. In Juneau specially, but in all the Alaskan ports.

 

It has long been the opinion of those who post on Cruise Critic that the large cruise ships plan their food to please the average wants and desires of passengers.

 

 

Do you feel average?

 

Everytime I have cruised to Alaska, the cruise ships were bringing on fresh seafood on board. Last Sept. on as cruise in Ketchikan 3 trucks were unloading fresh seafood. Fresh salmon, black cod and Halibut are purchased by the cruise lines and received in the Alaska ports. Our daughter in-law works at Holland America corporate headquarters in Seattle and confirms that at least the Carnival line of cruise ships buy their fresh fish in the Alaska ports. That is another advantage of an Alaska cruise is that you get fish that were caught within 24 hours.

[Suebee33]

Everytime I have cruised to Alaska, the cruise ships were bringing on fresh seafood on board. Last Sept. on as cruise in Ketchikan 3 trucks were unloading fresh seafood. Fresh salmon, black cod and Halibut are purchased by the cruise lines and received in the Alaska ports. Our daughter in-law works at Holland America corporate headquarters in Seattle and confirms that at least the Carnival line of cruise ships buy their fresh fish in the Alaska ports. That is another advantage of an Alaska cruise is that you get fish that were caught within 24 hours.

 

So it seems that your information and Krazy Kruisers' information is contradictory. Maybe, like you say, only some cruise lines still do this? Or maybe only the Carnival ships do it but the HAL ships do not? Although that doesn't make sense to me- why not do it for both lines owned by the same company (or 3, for that matter, because Princess is part of that, too, right- Kamloops50 says they bring fresh in at least in Icy Strait)? Is there any way to determine this for certain??

[PennyAgain]

I did some checking with my family in Alaska. It seems that the fresh Alaska seafood goes to the specialty restaurants (extra charge) on the cruise ships who buy fresh items.

 

If you count the number of boxes being loaded on the few ships that buy some fresh seafood, it is not a big enough quantity to serve in the main dining rooms on the large ships.

[Glaciers]

When you see Fresh Salmon or Fresh Halibut on a cruise menu that does not necessarily mean that it has not been frozen. It could have been frozen for months and they are still allowed to call it fresh.

 

We’ve had fresh seafood on two Alaska cruises that were purchased from fisherman on the docks the same day but these were small cruise vessels with less than 30 passengers. No one on the major lines should expect seafood that was caught, cooked and served within 24 hours. It may happen but it’s rare and shouldn’t be an expectation just because you’re on an Alaska cruise.

 

Penny's information makes more sense as they are serving to a much smaller group.

[Coral]

Princess has a contract with the fisherman at Icy point to buy their seafood .

 

I used to see Princess ships load food from a truck in Kethikan on every trip. It was a ton of food that was loaded. I didn't look or notice this on my last trip bunt wasn't really looking.

[PennyAgain]

I used to see Princess ships load food from a truck in Kethikan on every trip. It was a ton of food that was loaded. I didn't look or notice this on my last trip bunt wasn't really looking.

 

An actual ton of seafood still wouldn't serve the Main Dining Room on the large cruise ships.

 

The art of buying food for large cruise ships is complicated and cannot be risky (no running out of food or wasting food). It is fascinating to watch how it all is done when the ships are taking on 'stores' in the main port to do so. Just think of the number of eggs!

[Coral]

An actual ton of seafood still wouldn't serve the Main Dining Room on the large cruise ships.

 

The art of buying food for large cruise ships is complicated and cannot be risky (no running out of food or wasting food). It is fascinating to watch how it all is done when the ships are taking on 'stores' in the main port to do so. Just think of the number of eggs!

 

Sorry - didn't really mean "ton". I meant a lot. Though, ironically on the ships where I saw this loaded, there really was not a lot of seafood served in speciality restaurants. For example, when on the Sun and Dawn Princess, they don't have Sabitini's (Italian restaurant) - their only speciality restaurant was a Steakhouse. There is only one fish dish offered there, at most.

 

This was back in the day when crab legs were served one night in the dining room. I was told that is what was loaded by a CD. Have no clue if that is correct. I don't care for seafood and the people around me didn't order it so I have no clue how much they serve.