Pre-Made Sandwiches in the LIDO - Lack of a Made To Order Sandwich Bar

[KroozNut]

For those that like a BLT on untoasted and soggy white bread the pre made are fine.

 

OMG... now we have the 'sandwich police' in addition to the omnipresent 'fashion police'! :o:rolleyes:

[KroozNut]

I saw little else that appealed to me one day at lunch.

 

This is actually difficult to comprehend, considering all the different sumptuous options available in the Lido at any given time, every day.

[bEwAbG]

This is actually difficult to comprehend, considering all the different sumptuous options available in the Lido at any given time, every day.

 

We were on Nieuw Amsterdam just the other week and my friend grabbed a sandwich because he thought the same thing: plenty of food but nothing appealing to him (and I was having fajitas for the second lunch in a row, myself, for the same reason). Some people also like to eat light for some meals since there is so much food all the time.

[MajMom96]

Sandwiches start to appeal to me at the end of a long cruise, when I start to hit my capacity for large, rich meals at lunch and dinner.

[GUT2407]

Sandwiches start to appeal to me at the end of a long cruise, when I start to hit my capacity for large, rich meals at lunch and dinner.

Yep, we often want something simple.

[The Penguina]

Agree with several cruisers that sometimes a sandwich hits the spot.

 

Suggest something I tried last cruise: Look at the pre-mades, choose one, if it's not exactly what you want, choose another. You're choosing components here. Disassemble these two to make one good sandwich keeping in mind that usually the bottom piece of bread is going to be soggy. The resulting sandwich was better than I would have thought to order and I didn't age three years in the old custom sandwich line waiting for someone to decide if they want lettuce.

 

Please don't flame me for wasting food. Unused components were minimal.....soggy bread and a pitiful tomato. Has anyone really looked at what is being left on plates?

 

Sorry, I won't part with HAL over a sandwich......gotta be something more oxygen level.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

This is actually difficult to comprehend, considering all the different sumptuous options available in the Lido at any given time, every day.

 

As far as I know you weren't on the Veendam on May 12 to 19.

If you were, you might understand my statement.

On all of our other cruises I would agree with you.

This ship had the worst food of any cruise I have ever been on....and no, we are not fussy or gourmet eaters.

 

And I know I'm not completely crazy, because a lady ahead of me in line at the Lido once turned to the lady behind her and commented "I really don't like the food on this ship"......so my opinion was confirmed.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Irish Eyes Are Sailing

[Caribbean Chris]

As far as I know you weren't on the Veendam on May 12 to 19.

If you were, you might understand my statement.

On all of our other cruises I would agree with you.

This ship had the worst food of any cruise I have ever been on....and no, we are not fussy or gourmet eaters.

 

And I know I'm not completely crazy, because a lady ahead of me in line at the Lido once turned to the lady behind her and commented "I really don't like the food on this ship"......so my opinion was confirmed.

 

That’s unfortunate. Food is subjective. We got off Veendam two weeks before your cruise and had no complaints at all. Lunch selections were great, with the New York Pizza, the always-popular Dive-in, and the taco bar with very fresh ingredients. Plus, of course, all the good buffet options like made-to-order salads. The food & beverage management people were highly visible, constantly monitoring everything. Service was excellent in the Lido area and outdoors. The ship was full but a freshly-cleared table was always easy to find.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised when ordering a Mai Tai that it was made properly with fresh juices and not some sort of mix poured over excess ice cubes which has become the norm on ships.

 

We were talking just Friday evening in fact with another couple we met on board about how pleased we all were with the food. (They were in the next stateroom and we discovered that not only do they live three miles from our house, but the wife and I went to junior and senior high school together. But that’s another story.)

[Hlitner]

Agree with several cruisers that sometimes a sandwich hits the spot.

 

Suggest something I tried last cruise: Look at the pre-mades, choose one, if it's not exactly what you want, choose another. You're choosing components here. Disassemble these two to make one good sandwich keeping in mind that usually the bottom piece of bread is going to be soggy. The resulting sandwich was better than I would have thought to order and I didn't age three years in the old custom sandwich line waiting for someone to decide if they want lettuce.

 

Please don't flame me for wasting food. Unused components were minimal.....soggy bread and a pitiful tomato. Has anyone really looked at what is being left on plates?

 

Sorry, I won't part with HAL over a sandwich......gotta be something more oxygen level.

 

When we were last on the Rotterdam I decided to make a decent sandwich by disassembling 3 pre-made sandwiches and supplementing it with some other meat that was on the buffet. In a few minuted I had 3 sandwiches spread open on the table plus a plate of other add ons (some I requested at the salad making station). One of the Lido Supervisors stopped at my table and had a good laugh. Of course this meant that I was throwing away lots of stuff from those open sandwiches (not to mention all the bread). I am not sure this is the picture that HAL wants flashed around the world :).

 

Hank

P.S. Anyone who uses "sumptuous" and HAL's Lido in the same sentence has lost all credibility :).

[*Miss G*]

I would also love to have a nice shrimp salad at lunch, but haven't seen that on HAL for many years.

 

You will find them in the small-plate self-serve section.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

That’s unfortunate. Food is subjective. We got off Veendam two weeks before your cruise and had no complaints at all. Lunch selections were great, with the New York Pizza, the always-popular Dive-in, and the taco bar with very fresh ingredients. Plus, of course, all the good buffet options like made-to-order salads. The food & beverage management people were highly visible, constantly monitoring everything. Service was excellent in the Lido area and outdoors. The ship was full but a freshly-cleared table was always easy to find.

 

I was also pleasantly surprised when ordering a Mai Tai that it was made properly with fresh juices and not some sort of mix poured over excess ice cubes which has become the norm on ships.

 

We were talking just Friday evening in fact with another couple we met on board about how pleased we all were with the food. (They were in the next stateroom and we discovered that not only do they live three miles from our house, but the wife and I went to junior and senior high school together. But that’s another story.)

 

I'm glad you had better luck. Some things were good : the salad bar, dive in burgers, escargot, some desserts.

We found the meats over spiced with funky spices, overcooked, dry, unappetizing . Not a large selection of fresh vegetables. Many rolls were hard as a rock. Grits was awful. Powdered eggs if you got scrambled (which are disgusting). Most every selection was hit or miss. Overcooked meat and fish was the norm. The taco bar looked good but I also had some stomach issues present itself which good sense told me to stay away from Mexican food. Seemed like a lot of lamb and pork belly was served....yuk. Didn't see King crab legs or any crab leg for that matter. I saw 4 shrimp the whole trip. It almost seemed that whatever was left over from the last voyage was being re-worked and served on this trip. Very disappointed and I have always loved HAL food.

[Boytjie]

The pre-made sandwiches I have had on HAL have all been good! One time the sandwich was so good I had a second one! I have never had a soggy one. Some of the combinations of fillings have been stuff I would not have thought about combining but it was all good. Yes, once in a while I like ham, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a roll, I can have that back home any time so I try something different on a cruise.

[Hlitner]

You will find them in the small-plate self-serve section.

 

I was talking about shrimp salad when they used to use larger shrimp. Now, the shrimp is so tiny that many seniors need to wear their bifocals or use a magnifying glass to find the shrimp :). And this is not just an issue on HAL (we cruise many lines). The days when there were bowls of cold shrimp in lunch buffets are gone on all but the luxury brand cruise lines.

 

To beat a dead horse (or sandwich) we have never understood why HAL eliminated their custom sandwich maker in favor of pre-made sandwiches (with a very limited selection). One of our crew friends (a food Supervisor on the Prinsendam) also expressed some frustration and surprise at the change which he thought promoted lots of waste. He was told that the reason was that it eliminated the need to have a dedicated sandwich maker for several hours at lunch time. On the other hand, they now have at least 4 staff members dedicated to making custom salads whereas every other cruise line simply uses a salad bar.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

Somehow cobbling together your own sandwich from different sites seems more satisfying: get whatever bread or roll you want, some meat from the carvery, a slice or two of cheese, maybe a bit of lettuce and tomato from the salad bar - and moving from one spot to the other is often more time-efficient than standing in line while some slow thinkers advise the dedicated sandwich-maker what they want.

[AncientWanderer]

What I really do with the pre-made sandwiches: (Don't tell!)

I get a salad from the salad makers and then I pick a sandwich that I like the fillings and I scrape the filling into my salad bowl to make a "custom" salad. (No use for that soggy bread.)

 

They used to have better stuff at the salad bar, different things every day to add in like maybe a chicken salad or seafood salad -- good stuff. That's gone now, so this is my way of dolling up my salad.

[106f]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

[*Miss G*]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

 

4 star doesn't kick in until 200.

[Fouremco]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

 

4 star doesn't kick in until 200.

Only suites get "double days", so one hardly needs to be in steerage to get one-for-one credit. While I disagree with the OP's perspective on sandwiches and their impact on choosing a cruise line, there's no need to make unfounded disparaging remarks.

[KroozNut]

P.S. Anyone who uses "sumptuous" and HAL's Lido in the same sentence has lost all credibility :).

 

I'm betting that we can file that one under the 'subjective opinion' category?:rolleyes:

[KroozNut]

Wonder where OP went. Seems to me like they may have trolled and ran.:o

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

 

What difference does it make what type of stateroom (or location) the OP has had? Does that mean his/her comments don't count?

Seems like an elitist statement. Not necessary to the discussion IMO.

[Lady Arwen]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

And what does this have to do with sandwich preferences? No wonder that people new to these boards never come back.

[MajMom96]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

 

 

 

This isn’t unusual, it takes 200 days to get to 4-Star. I’ve been 3-Star for several years too (and I don’t cruise in steerage) and I’ll finally get to 4-Star after my next cruise.

[smokinmike]

Wonder if I could get a spam and pineapple on sourdough?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Hlitner]

Did anyone notice op has been 3 star for several years and has over 100 nights on HAL. Must have been in steerage to only make 3 stars after 100 nights.

 

Am wondering if you have your Chauffeur use the "Rolls" to get you to the port? Do you even associate with 4 Star Mariners?

 

Hank