Salmon on Alaskan cruise

[PACD_JG]

On the Koningsdam 7-night in late June.  Some excursions out of Juneau involve eating salmon - just wondering if unlimited fresh Sockeye will be served on the ship, making an excursion to eat salmon redundant.  Thanks.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

The salmon on HAL is a staple, and very nice. It is exactly the same regardless of being in Alaska, the South Pacific, or Antarctica. I presume it’s frozen.

The salmon at the BBQ in Juneau is fresh and amazing. You can go back for more until you can no longer move. We never book excursions on Alaska cruises anymore - except that salmon BBQ. It’s always worth the repeat.
If you love salmon, you really need to go!

[CruiserBruce]

I agree, onboard will be frozen, not truly fresh. Have seen it brought aboard, frozen solid. There have been some comments by the ship's employees that post here that proteins have to be frozen.

[RICHARD@SEA]

years ago you were able to buy salmon from the local fishermen & they would oackit & have it shipped or take it with you.  I had friends that did the alaska cruise & came back w a whole salmon & we grilled it the day of their return...BEST SALMON>>>EVER

[Aquahound]

I can never imagine fresh grilled salmon at a salmon-bake in Alaska being redundant to frozen cruise ship salmon.  

[cruzn single]

Agree with all of the comments about salmon that is served on board the ships.  It is always very good, but nothing can beat the salmon served in Alaska.  I have done the salmon bake excursion which was great.  Last year, I took the whale watching excursion in Juneau that includes a stop at a lodge serving salmon.  Also very tasty, and got to see whales as a bonus!

 

And, when in Alaska, you will also learn that there are others types of salmon besides sockeye.  Depends on the month you are there as to the type of salmon that is in season.  All good!

[atexsix]

Definitely take advantage of anything offered in port, I enjoyed fresh salmon for dinner every day while working up there.  

 

/Meh on the ship's salmon.

[kochleffel]

Not on HAL, but I asked during a galley tour on another line and I think it's typical for the major U.S.-based cruise lines. Worldwide, all meat and fish were sourced frozen from the United States; all staples were sourced from U.S. as well.  Fresh produce and dairy are obtained at the embarkation port but not necessarily from that country, especially in EU ports. For example, you might find Dutch or Danish butter in a cruise leaving from Rome. On that line, all bread was baked aboard ship and the bakery operated almost 24 hours a day, closing down only long enough for cleaning.

[Ferry_Watcher]

For our Easter Dinner, we will often times serve salmon (and I love ham and lamb).

[1025cruise]

Not sure if HAL offers this, but on Princess, you can take a fishing excursion and then the galley will cook up your catch for dinner that night.

[rkacruiser]

What species of Salmon will be on an Alaskan cruise menu, I don't know.  But, it will be well prepared and delicious.  

[BruceMuzz]

US Public Health Service (USPH) requires all fish and shellfish cooked and served on a cruise ship in US Waters to be frozen for minimum of 7 days at a maximum temperature of -20C.

 

The most expensive place to buy Alaska Salmon is in Alaska. HAL saves a lot of money by purchasing Alaska Salmon that was processed and frozen, shipped to Los Angeles and stored for a long time, then shipped back North to Seattle, Vancouver, or Alaska, and loaded onto the ship. The price for this frozen salmon is shockingly lower than the price of fresh or frozen Salmon in Alaska.