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Unpopular Opinion: Formal Night Lobster Isn't That Good

workfromship

By workfromship,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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workfromship

workfromship

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My wife and I are frequent cruisers and currently living it up on Carnival Vista. We ALWAYS order lobster on the first formal night and are ALWAYS unimpressed with it. The mushroom risotto that also comes with the dish is always bland and gummy, nothing like a real risotto.

Here's a pro tip: Get the Pan Striped Bass!

 

I got out of my comfort zone last night and tried the Pan Striped Bass instead and was blown away due to how great it was! Not only was the fish perfectly cooked with a crispy skin, but the gnocchi that came with it was so flavorful! I'll definitely be getting it again in lieu of lobster from now on.

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nwcruiselover

nwcruiselover

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am also unimpressed with the MDR lobster on elegant night.  Last time I had it was several months ago.  I ordered one and my server brought two.  One was terribly salty, so much so that I couldn’t even taste the lobster.  The other one was soft and mushy.  I didn’t finish either one and ordered something else instead.

 

For excellent lobster tail, either go to the steakhouse or pay the up charge to get steakhouse lobster in the MDR.

Edited by nwcruiselover
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jsglow

jsglow

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The Pan Striped Bass is quite good; typically my 'go to' on Elegant Night on the 5 nighters.  That said, the Elegant Night menu on the 5 night cruise is probably my least favorite during those trips.  One of these times I'll get the Up-charge $23 NY Strip. Problem is I'm always trying to eat less, not more.  We cruise enough that I try hard not to overdo it.  Last week I hadn't had a melting cake all week; something I've never missed in my many cruises.  Got one the last night and had 4-5 bites.  It was great but I was so 'done' eating/drinking for the week.

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nybumpkin

nybumpkin

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Last month on Magic we ordered the lobster. I had a very small tail (I cut it into six bite-size pieces), a very small portion of risotto, and one - count it, one - broccoli floret. Our server brought us each a second plate without our asking for it. (My second plate had two broccoli florets.😄)

 

When we first started sailing with Carnival, the lobster tail was larger and accompanied by medium-sized shrimp. Those days are long past.

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jimbo5544 "Live from...." Rare

jimbo5544

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2 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

Last month on Magic we ordered the lobster. I had a very small tail (I cut it into six bite-size pieces), a very small portion of risotto, and one - count it, one - broccoli floret. Our server brought us each a second plate without our asking for it. (My second plate had two broccoli florets.😄)

 

When we first started sailing with Carnival, the lobster tail was larger and accompanied by medium-sized shrimp. Those days are long past.

LOL, lots of things change over time, not only with the cruise industry but me as well…..  I will put in a-good word to ensure we get back to the “regular” 2 florets.

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carrieluvsgreg

carrieluvsgreg

Posted
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1 hour ago, workfromship said:

My wife and I are frequent cruisers and currently living it up on Carnival Vista. We ALWAYS order lobster on the first formal night and are ALWAYS unimpressed with it. The mushroom risotto that also comes with the dish is always bland and gummy, nothing like a real risotto.

Here's a pro tip: Get the Pan Striped Bass!

 

I got out of my comfort zone last night and tried the Pan Striped Bass instead and was blown away due to how great it was! Not only was the fish perfectly cooked with a crispy skin, but the gnocchi that came with it was so flavorful! I'll definitely be getting it again in lieu of lobster from now on.

If you are always unimpressed with it, why do you continue to order it?  Just curious, seems odd to do the same thing and expect a different result.

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Retiredmedic

Retiredmedic

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Posted
23 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Well a lot of the food on Carnival isn't that good anymore, it's just a sign of the times I guess.

Never has been that good. My first cruise in 2010 and the food as meh. I was really looking forward to it after all the talking up my sister in law was giving the food. But then she uses the smoke detector as timer when cooking.

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Badfinger

Badfinger

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Yeah I ALWAYS pay good money to take a cruise to order food that I am ALWAYS unimpressed with....

 

Why even order it again...do you think in this world of cutbacks and supply chain issues that the frozen ROCK lobster tails they serve on cruise ships is suddenly going to taste like Main Lobster from the Atlantic off the coast of Maine?

 

 

And BTW...I think that opinion is very common.

 

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workfromship

workfromship

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1 hour ago, carrieluvsgreg said:

If you are always unimpressed with it, why do you continue to order it?  Just curious, seems odd to do the same thing and expect a different result.

I’ll admit that I’m a creature of habit 😅

 

we’ve been on quite a few different carnival ships in the past year and the quality of the MDR has varied so much that we are always hoping that it’ll be better than last time we ate it.

 

I made this post to warn others not to follow in our footsteps and to not be afraid to try new (or multiple) things.

 

Formal night always feels “high risk” to us because it’s arguably the best meal of the cruise but that doesn’t mean you need to always play it safe! We know that now.

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carrieluvsgreg

carrieluvsgreg

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1 hour ago, workfromship said:

I’ll admit that I’m a creature of habit 😅

 

we’ve been on quite a few different carnival ships in the past year and the quality of the MDR has varied so much that we are always hoping that it’ll be better than last time we ate it.

 

I made this post to warn others not to follow in our footsteps and to not be afraid to try new (or multiple) things.

 

Formal night always feels “high risk” to us because it’s arguably the best meal of the cruise but that doesn’t mean you need to always play it safe! We know that now.

I get that.  We haven't sailed since '18 on the Horizon in the Mediterranean, having to cancel our '20 trip because of the shutdown.  We are now newly booked on the Panorama but I just realized that I have reserved the steakhouse on elegant night- (it's our anniversary) so I guess I will be able to get the big lobster this time.  🙂 

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ninjacat123 "Live from...." Rare

ninjacat123

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32 minutes ago, carrieluvsgreg said:

I get that.  We haven't sailed since '18 on the Horizon in the Mediterranean, having to cancel our '20 trip because of the shutdown.  We are now newly booked on the Panorama but I just realized that I have reserved the steakhouse on elegant night- (it's our anniversary) so I guess I will be able to get the big lobster this time.  🙂 

Happy Anniversary!!

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Sigyn

Sigyn

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Posted (edited)

agreed. I was unimpressed with the lobster on Carnival. I didn't expect it to be particularly great, tho. I haven't chosen Carnival for it's food quality, just pricing and other factors at the time of cruising. 

Edited by njsmom
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1kaper Great Review Rare

1kaper

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As someone who married into a lobster fishing family so I completely agree.  The best lobster comes from cold waters. And restaurants often do a terrible job at cooking them properly even from fresh. 
But we never order lobster at any restaurant.  

 

 

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