One Main Course

[fatcat04]

With shrinking protein portion size in the mdr, this makes the lido far more attractive. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

With shrinking protein portion size in the mdr, this makes the lido far more attractive. 

 

On my recent cruise on the K, I found protein portions to be larger than I remember form the past. Several of us at the table commented on it. 

 

[cruisemom42]

7 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Watch for them to appear on ebay?

 

 

Possibly... 

 

The silly thing about this is that many cruisers are older, and (thinking of my own parents) it is much safer for them to have a good chair to sit on than to perch on the bed while trying to eat room-service breakfast, for example.

 

It has also been suggested by Princess customer service that people can bring in a chair from the balcony if they want one to sit on in the cabin.   That doesn't sound very safe either.....   I can imagine someone's going to fall or injure their back dragging a chair back and forth, especially if the ship is rocking.

 

 

[fatcat04]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

On my recent cruise on the K, I found protein portions to be larger than I remember form the past. Several of us at the table commented on it. 

 

We were on NA at the beginning of this month and found them smaller, sometimes significantly smaller. Not a huge issue for me as an average sized woman but my son and dh who are big athletic guys who eat more protein. It was all okay, they didn't starve, lol. But it is silly I can get a plate full of lamb chops and roast pork in the lido but in the mdr I can only have 3-4oz of flat iron steak without being charged (that was one of dh's entrees, pretty sure I have a picture). The slices were very thin, as is normal for that steak but dh was a little surprised by how little meat there was, 3 slices. Lots of plate visible.

Edit, my snapper entree otoh was fine for me size wise. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by fatcat04
Added picture

[Despegue]

6 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

We were on NA at the beginning of this month and found them smaller, sometimes significantly smaller. Not a huge issue for me as an average sized woman but my son and dh who are big athletic guys who eat more protein. It was all okay, they didn't starve, lol. But it is silly I can get a plate full of lamb chops and roast pork in the lido but in the mdr I can only have 3-4oz of flat iron steak without being charged (that was one of dh's entrees, pretty sure I have a picture). The slices were very thin, as is normal for that steak but dh was a little surprised by how little meat there was, 3 slices. Lots of plate visible.

That IS a nice sized dish with a lot,of meat.  Why oh why must everything be USA Supersized with an overload of calories?!

Any more and the dish becomes an overload. 

Bigger is NOT better. HAL is doing well in increasing the focus on nice plating and putting less on the plate.

I do fully agree though that people should get the oportunity to order another dish if one is insufficient, and this obviously without having to pay for it.

but in Europe, this would be a normal size Main Course ( plat principal) ( entrée means STARTER people!)

[3rdGenCunarder]

24 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Possibly... 

 

The silly thing about this is that many cruisers are older, and (thinking of my own parents) it is much safer for them to have a good chair to sit on than to perch on the bed while trying to eat room-service breakfast, for example.

 

It has also been suggested by Princess customer service that people can bring in a chair from the balcony if they want one to sit on in the cabin.   That doesn't sound very safe either.....   I can imagine someone's going to fall or injure their back dragging a chair back and forth, especially if the ship is rocking.

 

 

 

Even putting on your shoes is safer if you're sitting on a chair. 

 

And those balcony chairs barely fit through the door. When I hurt my back and needed a straight-back chair, the most comfortable one for me was a balcony chair, so DH dragged one in for me. Wasn't easy--and the ship wasn't rocking.

 

 

[fatcat04]

10 minutes ago, Despegue said:

That IS a nice sized dish with a lot,of meat.  Why oh why must everything be USA Supersized with an overload of calories?!

Any more and the dish becomes an overload. 

Bigger is NOT better. HAL is doing well in increasing the focus on nice plating and putting less on the plate.

I do fully agree though that people should get the oportunity to order another dish if one is insufficient, and this obviously without having to pay for it.

but in Europe, this would be a normal size Main Course ( plat principal) ( entrée means STARTER people!)

I am not cruising a Euro centric line or travelling in Europe. I am comparing what was available before on HAL and what is available now. When others do this with meat quality in the Pinnacle or bar service availability or room service availability, it is considered a legit complaint. And I don't consider 6 to 8 oz of beef, a normal US portion, supersized. That is silly. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by fatcat04

[Despegue]

Just now, fatcat04 said:

I am not cruising a Euro centric line or travelling in Europe. I am comparing what was available before on HAL and what is available now. When others do this with meat quality in the Pinnacle or bar service availability or room service availability, it is considered a legit complaint?

Actually, you ARE  technically in Europe when sailing on a HAL vessel, and on lots of sailings, Europeans are in a Majority.

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Indeed. Between this and reading a long discussion yesterday on the Princess board about how they are removing the one chair with arms from all cabins below the mini-suite level, I feel Carnival has reached a new low.

 

Can't wait for 20 years from now when cruising will be "Bring your own sleeping bag" and all meals are a la carte.

 

Reminds me of the early days or cruising - bunk beds and bathrooms down the hall. Didn't stop me from cruising. It was expected in those days.  No menu choices, just serving the same thing with different names. And the grand buffets were ways to get rid of the leftovers, coated with jellied aspic or mayonaise. And noro was called tourista. Midnight buffets were cheese sandwiches.

[Jareds_mommytoo]

10 minutes ago, Despegue said:

That IS a nice sized dish with a lot,of meat.  Why oh why must everything be USA Supersized with an overload of calories?!

Any more and the dish becomes an overload. 

Bigger is NOT better. HAL is doing well in increasing the focus on nice plating and putting less on the plate.

I do fully agree though that people should get the oportunity to order another dish if one is insufficient, and this obviously without having to pay for it.

but in Europe, this would be a normal size Main Course ( plat principal) ( entrée means STARTER people!)

We are not american, but i know that would not even fill up my 14 year old tiny daughter let alone my 17 year old football player. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

I am not cruising a Euro centric line or travelling in Europe. I am comparing what was available before on HAL and what is available now. When others do this with meat quality in the Pinnacle or bar service availability or room service availability, it is considered a legit complaint? And I don't consider 6 to 8 oz of beef, a normal US portion, supersized. That is silly. 

I don't know that I'd call it supersized, but I would say that's large. What bothers me about the photo you posted is the paltry serving of veg. Yes, I know there's a serving of potato hidden under the meat, but for a healthy diet, there should be more veg than I see there. 

 

[Despegue]

Oh come on. You take a starter and a soup, salad or other starter. Then a main course and a dessert.

for a four course dinner, this is plenty for most people. You can even order a cheese course .

 

 

[fatcat04]

1 minute ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I don't know that I'd call it supersized, but I would say that's large. What bothers me about the photo you posted is the paltry serving of veg. Yes, I know there's a serving of potato hidden under the meat, but for a healthy diet, there should be more veg than I see there. 

 

Yes, the veg was really light too. They avoid carbs with a protein and veg focus. Good for muscle building. 

[fatcat04]

1 minute ago, Despegue said:

Oh come on. You take a starter and a soup, salad or other starter. Then a main course and a dessert.

for a four course dinner, this is plenty for most people. You can even order a cheese course .

 

 

Yes, he almost always orders the cheese plate, no carbs and he is not s big sugar eater. But when avoiding carbs and focusing protein, starters and soup can be a challenge, hence the desire for a 6-8 oz protein, especially beef, which seemed to be the norm before on HAL. He learned not to order the beef except on gala nights. It seemed pork or fowl was more normally portioned.

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

Yes, the veg was really light too. They avoid carbs with a protein and veg focus. Good for muscle building. 

 

How can you call that a focus on veg? The largest portion on the plate should be veg. 

 

Edited February 26, 2019 by 3rdGenCunarder

[Despegue]

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How can you call that a veg portion? The largest portion on the plate should be veg. 

 

 Very True that.

I do believe that you can order side-dishes of vegetables though, although not mentioned on the menu and I have not done so myself.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, Despegue said:

 Very True that.

I do believe that you can order side-dishes of vegetables though, although not mentioned on the menu and I have not done so myself.

 

I know that Cunard will provide extra veg if you ask. The problem is that I forget to ask. I need to remind myself not to expect the veg portions I eat at home and remember to ask for more veg.

 

[fatcat04]

7 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How can you call that a focus on veg? The largest portion on the plate should be veg. 

 

Deleted

Edited February 26, 2019 by fatcat04

[fatcat04]

8 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How can you call that a focus on veg? The largest portion on the plate should be veg. 

 

Ohhhh you mean Hal and I was talking about my dh's focus on protein and veg. Lol. Love the internet for confusion.

Good to know more veg can be ordered as a side.

 

Edited February 26, 2019 by fatcat04

[fatcat04]

34 minutes ago, Despegue said:

Actually, you ARE  technically in Europe when sailing on a HAL vessel, and on lots of sailings, Europeans are in a Majority.

While technically that is true, but HAL in the Caribbean is hardly Eurocentric. Costa was much more Eurocentric in the Caribbean imo from our cruises a few years back. On Costa, since we have a German surname, we were sat with Germans. Dh got to use his rusty German.  Lots of fun. That said, I'm simply reporting and comparing apples to apples, protein portions on a US based Caribbean cruise on HAL, a Carnival Corp owned line, to the same a few years apart. It wasn't noticable every meal but it was often enough for dh and ds to mention. But we adjusted, had wonderful meals, and thankfully, no one starved 

[ellie1145]

Can’t imagine ever needing to order 2 entrees. Perhaps it’s the result of those gluttons who order numerous plates of lobster tails? It could be a knock on effect. It certainly won’t worry us.

 

Surely with all the food available on a cruise ship one entree should be sufficient, otherwise go and stoke up a bit more in the buffet if you are still ravenous! Or order room service.

 

Steamed vegetables have always been available if requested on all the ships we have been on, and are an important and healthy part of any meal. Just ask. 

Edited February 26, 2019 by ellie1145

[OlsSalt]

HAL Library Book  -" Why French Women Don't Get Fat:"

Rule - eat only three bites of something. Make sure it is exquisite and delcious, but stop after three bites. 

 

Nutritionally speaking: 4 ounces uncooked or 2-3 ounces cooks is considered an adult "serving" of meat. In many global crusines, meat is used only for flavoring purposes, not as a main course

Edited February 26, 2019 by OlsSalt

[OlsSalt]

Grab and Go a sandwich for later enjoyment or as a pre-dinner snack.

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, Despegue said:

That IS a nice sized dish with a lot,of meat.  Why oh why must everything be USA Supersized with an overload of calories?!

Any more and the dish becomes an overload. 

Bigger is NOT better. HAL is doing well in increasing the focus on nice plating and putting less on the plate.

I do fully agree though that people should get the oportunity to order another dish if one is insufficient, and this obviously without having to pay for it.

but in Europe, this would be a normal size Main Course ( plat principal) ( entrée means STARTER people!)

4 oz  is the recommended size for meat.....I Soooo agree, why do we need super size  and yes larger becomes an overload  it is not better.  A burger 3-4 oz tastes better than a 8 oz.. its ratio is  important     I understand that some people feel  they should have more. 

  Why,.....     Isn't an entree just one of course of  4 or more...  What ever happened to savoring things ?  Europe  has the portions down right  

 I sat at a table once  where people  were ordering 3 to 5 extra lobster,+ prime rib, +a beef wellington each!!!....  They took a few bites of each  and threw the rest away..     It was disgusting/ embarrassing to see...pure greed they were they trying  amortize their cruise fare. Do they eat like that at home or in mainland restaurants?

 

[VMax1700]

So from 2pm you could do lunch in the Lido, followed by afternoon tea, followed by a burger and fries from Dive In, followed by an early dinner in MDR, then a quick visit to Lido for a snack type dinner, then a pizza.  And then there is always the late night snack.

 

I am really feeling short changed on food here.  

Edited February 26, 2019 by VMax1700