Hot dogs and hamburgers

[timesurfer7]

I know that this might not be a big deal to some but to my husband it is. When we were on the Princess Emerald several months ago, from Sydney to the USA they had TERRIBLE dogs and burgers up by the pool area. The dogs were not what they used to serve; Ball park type. These were mealy and disgusting tasting and did not look right. Anyone else have this experience or was this just an Emerald thing?

[Shmoo here]

I know that this might not be a big deal to some but to my husband it is. When we were on the Princess Emerald several months ago, from Sydney to the USA they had TERRIBLE dogs and burgers up by the pool area. The dogs were not what they used to serve; Ball park type. These were mealy and disgusting tasting and did not look right. Anyone else have this experience or was this just an Emerald thing?

I certainly hope it's not "an Emerald thing". We're sailing on her in a couple of months.

 

Could have been a bad supplier. Could have been the way they were cooked. Could have been any number of things.

 

Did you complain onboard? That's the only way such things can be remedied for future cruisers.

[PTMary]

Pretty much the same experience on Grand last year. The hot dogs were sliced and cooked face down on the grill. My husband said the burgers tasted like meat that was going bad, and the fries were barely warm unless specifically requesting right out of the fryer, which took so long the burger was no longer hot. He ate half of a burger and gave up for the rest of the cruise.

[easyboy]

The burgers and hotdogs at Trident Grill on the Emerald last year was just fine for us. The burgers were done just the way we asked.

 

 

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[Colo Cruiser]

I know that this might not be a big deal to some but to my husband it is. When we were on the Princess Emerald several months ago, from Sydney to the USA they had TERRIBLE dogs and burgers up by the pool area. The dogs were not what they used to serve; Ball park type. These were mealy and disgusting tasting and did not look right. Anyone else have this experience or was this just an Emerald thing?

 

Did you bring this up to anyone onboard?

Have a burger at the counter near the pool on every cruise we sail on.

I have them make it a double cheeseburger.

I have them make me a fresh one and not one of the pre cooked ones in the pan.

They have always been excellent.

Don't usually do the hot dogs.

[4cats4me]

We had exceptionally delicious burgers, fries and hot dogs on our last two Princess cruises this past year, on the Regal and the Grand. As a matter of fact, we've always had nothing but good fare from the pool grill.

[vampiress]

i'm so disappointed this wasn't a debate on whether they were sandwiches.

 

hmm, i think i stuck to the pizza, but there was always a long line for the burgers.

[Shmoo here]

i'm so disappointed this wasn't a debate on whether they were sandwiches.

 

hmm, i think i stuck to the pizza, but there was always a long line for the burgers.

The pizza I had on our recent Star Princess cruise was awful. Wasn't cooked enough (doughy) and ingredients were cold on top. And this was "fresh out of the oven". Yes, I was standing there waiting for it.

[SantaFeFan]

Pretty much the same experience on Grand last year. The hot dogs were sliced and cooked face down on the grill. My husband said the burgers tasted like meat that was going bad, and the fries were barely warm unless specifically requesting right out of the fryer, which took so long the burger was no longer hot. He ate half of a burger and gave up for the rest of the cruise.

 

Very similar experience on Grand this past June. The first burger was awful. Poor quality meat that had a gristly texture. I threw away most of it. I tried again a few days later hoping the first was an anomaly, but it was no better. I did not try the hot dogs. Fries were always between warm to cool, never hot, more like potato chips than real fries. Pizzas slices there were not bad, and I had a few over the duration of the cruise. But they were not nearly as good as in Alfredo's, where we went several times for lunch instead of Trident Grill.

 

For reference, I also don't like In and Out or Five Guys burgers, preferring burgers at places like Red Robin, so perhaps my tastes are different than what some people like.

[mellon1]

We were on the Emerald last year. Hubby said the hot dogs were OK, they were not Smith's though! I had the cheeseburger and there was like a ball of grissle in the meat each time I got one. We don't do buffet, so it is either the grille, pizza or room service for us

[OCruisers]

We were on the Emerald last year. Hubby said the hot dogs were OK, they were not Smith's though! I had the cheeseburger and there was like a ball of grissle in the meat each time I got one. We don't do buffet, so it is either the grille, pizza or room service for us

 

Also be sure to give IC (International Cafe) a try. Their "soup of the day" along with a sandwich (some can be toasted) and one of their salads makes a very nice lunch. :)

[FritzG]

This has been a real pet peeve of mine on most of the ships we've been on in the last 2 or 3 years. I don't like the reheated burgers that they try to serve. If my husband asks for a freshly cooked burger he gets one. The times that I ask for a freshly booked burger they give me a reheated one which I hand right back to them.

 

There was a recent posting on this board regarding raw chicken dripping over food at the grill. I think it was posted in the last week.

[pwake]

I was on the Emerald Princess out of Sydney in February. I thought, by American standards, the burgers and hotdogs were pretty good. When the Trident Grill was busy - sea days - everything was fresh and cooked to order. When they were slow - port days - you need to ask for a fresh burger if you have time to wait for them to do one from scratch.

 

 

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[JimmyVWine]

I always get the knockwurst and have never been disappointed.

[namowal]

I've had good luck with the burgers (though in my case, they were cooked fresh, not left to mummify under a heat lamp- perhaps this varies depending on the crowd and/or who's running the grill. Haven't tried the hot dogs. The BBQ brisket was a disappointment- very tough. In my experience you need to slow cook that kind of cut until it falls apart- which might not be practical on a big ship that has to feed a bunch of people.

[vampiress]

The pizza I had on our recent Star Princess cruise was awful. Wasn't cooked enough (doughy) and ingredients were cold on top. And this was "fresh out of the oven". Yes, I was standing there waiting for it.

oh darn i hope they fix that by the time i sail in december. i loved pool and pizza time on the ruby.

[Thrak]

Leaving October 8 for 28 days on Emerald. Likely to eat at the grill a time or two. :) I've never had anything bad at the Trident Grill. However, I am not a fan of the Lido deck pizza...

 

Tastes do seem to vary a lot and staff can have a good deal to do with how things come out as well.

[Lucky TGO]

I was on the Emerald Princess three times for 20 days at a time and the Hot Dogs & Burgers were good. Just a little over cooked.

Tony

[wishfulone]

Don't know about the hotdogs but the hamburgers on a recent cruise out of Sydney were not the same as we've had on Princess cruises in other parts of the world. These were really tasteless like they'd washed out the meat or forgotten to add herbs and spices to the patties. The OP was on a different ship to us so I hope this doesn't mean Princess is cost saving on a handful of herbs......

[floridalover5623]

I was on the Emerald Princess three times for 20 days at a time and the Hot Dogs & Burgers were good. Just a little over cooked.

Tony

A little ! LOL :D

Princess doesn't want anyone to get sick & cooks the meat till black.

[skynight]

I know that this might not be a big deal to some but to my husband it is. When we were on the Princess Emerald several months ago, from Sydney to the USA they had TERRIBLE dogs and burgers up by the pool area. The dogs were not what they used to serve; Ball park type. These were mealy and disgusting tasting and did not look right. Anyone else have this experience or was this just an Emerald thing?

I was on the Crown in Feb/Mar of this year. Our experience was that the the burgers and dogs from the grill tasted fine. The dogs were the big fat ones. We were also on the Emerald in June 2016 and did not experience any problem with Trident Grill food. Maybe the supplies on your voyage were from Australia suppliers, and you were not accustomed to the taste.

On the Emerald you could get a special burger at the Gastropub in the Wheelhouse Bar. Believe the cost was $12.

[floridalover5623]

On the Emerald you could get a special burger at the Gastropub in the Wheelhouse Bar. Believe the cost was $12.

I've never tried it in the Wheelhouse but was it prepared to you liking rather then burned to a crisp similar to the ones they serve on deck?

[Papa Yoda]

I've never tried it in the Wheelhouse but was it prepared to you liking rather then burned to a crisp similar to the ones they serve on deck?

 

It's the Salty Dog gastropub. The burger isn't charred to death. It's quite the gourmet burger.

[mellon1]

Also be sure to give IC (International Cafe) a try. Their "soup of the day" along with a sandwich (some can be toasted) and one of their salads makes a very nice lunch. :)

 

Would love to eat there, but I am highly allergic to shellfish and they have items with shellfish in there. No can do.