Frozen Vegetables in Blu

[Cruising Princess]

Okay do folks remember growing up when your mother served you string beans that were previously frozen. They were olive green colored and mushy and tasted nasty.
 

Well that’s what they are now serving in Blu (aqua class) restaurant along side their short rib dish. I confirmed with the head waiter that yes indeed they switched to frozen to save money.

 

I under a company needs to cut costs, raise prices , etc….but not to sacrifice quality. Doing so results in customers looking at other options. 
 

I recall after 9-11 and no one was cruising Celebrity started switching out more expensive meats, vegetables and lettuces. But eventually the products reappeared. So I hope in this case things turn around where they are generating profits and return to fresh vegetables!!!  
 

so sad….

[Doubt It]

All part of the cruise lines product downgrading which started about 2017. The degradation of food is one of the main reasons cited by former Celebrity patrons who moved to the premium cruise lines, myself included.

Celebrity used to be the Oceania of yesteryear, I was a regular patron from 1989 to 2017 when I moved upwards. 

But now I have 0 cruises booked and no plans to do so. I monitor CC to see what the cruise lines are up to.

Expect more cheap, mass market frozen everything.

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

On our Silhouette cruise in March I asked the waiter in Murano's if the tomatoes in the Heirloom Tomato & Buffalo Mozzarella Salad were fresh and ripe. He assured me they were so I ordered it. The tomatoes were fresh frozen, still had ice crystals.

[upwarduk]

How can you expect fresh vegetables when the ships are at sea for 14 nights.

[NutsAboutGolf]

Nearly all food comes board frozen on pallets at the embarkation port; this has come up repeatedly on galley tours and Q&A sessions.  Dinner on embarkation night needs to taste the same as dinner on the last night.  Most likely they were always frozen.  I doubt a waiter would know what was frozen and what isn’t; many are simply very agreeable in order to move the conversation along.

[Cruising Princess]

My husband and I have been sailing in Sky Suites almost exclusively the last 5 years and noticed some food items downgraded but frozen haricot verts beans which are so thin to begin with do not freeze well.  
I was excited last night to enjoy my dinner but it wasn’t to be.

 

I may have to give up my goal to reach Zenith and look again to the other luxury lines. 

[bdstickks0944]

23 minutes ago, Cruising Princess said:

Okay do folks remember growing up when your mother served you string beans that were previously frozen. They were olive green colored and mushy and tasted nasty.
 

Well that’s what they are now serving in Blu (aqua class) restaurant along side their short rib dish. I confirmed with the head waiter that yes indeed they switched to frozen to save money.

 

I under a company needs to cut costs, raise prices , etc….but not to sacrifice quality. Doing so results in customers looking at other options. 
 

I recall after 9-11 and no one was cruising Celebrity started switching out more expensive meats, vegetables and lettuces. But eventually the products reappeared. So I hope in this case things turn around where they are generating profits and return to fresh vegetables!!!  
 

so sad….

Wow.  You literally have entirely too much time on your hands.  

[paulh84]

The crew is so careful to avoid saying anything negative and remain anything less than agreeable. I find it hard to believe a waiter has inside knowledge on the source of green beans and then confirmed with a random guest said beans are a result of cost cutting. These topics always seem more like the guests is badgering a crew member over things they have no knowledge or control over and end up just telling the guest what they want to hear to end the conversation. 

[Cruising Princess]

Yup!  It’s raining here in Cozumel!!! 

And btw, I was very careful in wording my question when I asked the waiter if the beans were fresh. 
 

You know his answer.  

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by Cruising Princess

[cw2go]

8 minutes ago, Cruising Princess said:

Yup!  It’s raining here in Cozumel!!! 

 

 

??? 🤔

[scamper]

Frozen tomatoes are gross.  Nothing you can do with them but make sauce.

[OysterD]

I guess all the veg I saw them chopping up in the behind the scenes tour a few weeks ago was a plant (excuse the pun) and just for show while we were walking through the galley. Ahem.

Do I care if some produce is frozen when brought on ship so it tastes as good after 10 nights as it did on day 1, absolutely not. 

Was the food in Blu tasteless and still frozen when it was served, absolutely not. It was delicious, hence we ordered extra starters and mains every night!

Do I care if all cruise lines make a few cost cutting measures that 99.99% of people won't notice or care about <checks RCI current debt level> nope, I don't. 

 

Antway, I had the short rib dish in Blu a few weeks ago. The beans weren't mushy, off colour and they certainly didn't taste nasty. The only nasty dish we had was because we didn't read the menu properly and ended with something smothered in a goats cheese sauce. Bleugh. Lol

[dlh015]

If one takes a behind-the-scenes tour, one will see how food is stored...

 

In fact, have a look on youtube. Perhaps the OP had a one off experience...

[helen haywood]

I remember once sailing on an Italian line and the first night I ordered  bleu cheese dressing for my salad.  The next night I ordered Thousand Island dressing.  Same waiter.  I was served bleu cheese.  I said “I ordered Thousand Island dressing.”  The waiter beamed and said “Yes!  Bleu cheese!”

 

I agree you will often be told whatever sounds most agreeable and will end the conversation.

 

Its now become a tag phrase apropos of nothing…”Yes!  Bleu cheese!!”

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, OysterD said:

I guess all the veg I saw them chopping up in the behind the scenes tour a few weeks ago was a plant (excuse the pun) and just for show while we were walking through the galley. Ahem.

Do I care if some produce is frozen when brought on ship so it tastes as good after 10 nights as it did on day 1, absolutely not. 

Was the food in Blu tasteless and still frozen when it was served, absolutely not. It was delicious, hence we ordered extra starters and mains every night!

Do I care if all cruise lines make a few cost cutting measures that 99.99% of people won't notice or care about <checks RCI current debt level> nope, I don't. 

 

Antway, I had the short rib dish in Blu a few weeks ago. The beans weren't mushy, off colour and they certainly didn't taste nasty. The only nasty dish we had was because we didn't read the menu properly and ended with something smothered in a goats cheese sauce. Bleugh. Lol

 

You're confusing thawed/previously frozen with cooked from frozen without thawing

[hcat]

They  give so few veggies on the plates, hardly worth it for 2 asparagus.

 

 

[mom says]

Much ado about nothing. Whether frozen or fresh, if you cook something long enough, those beans are going to be olive green, mushy and tasteless. Not something I would leave a cruise line over. YMMV.

[Chanbre]

4 hours ago, hcat said:

They  give so few veggies on the plates, hardly worth it for 2 asparagus.

 

We often ordered extra vegetables when dining in Blu. Normally they served a bowl of steamed carrots, brocolli and cauliflower. One evening they served nice haricot beans with the main. The next day I asked for, and was served, extra haricot beans. The same the next day, I like haricot beans. I asked for them on the next day, but none arrived. When desert was served the maitre'D came and apologised for not serving extra beans. He had sent runners to every other restaurant in the ship but none had ordered beans from the store rooms. He ordered beans specially for me for the next day.

[drakes2]

6 hours ago, upwarduk said:

How can you expect fresh vegetables when the ships are at sea for 14 nights.

Exactly. Fresh veggies last a couple days at most whereas frozen are picked at their prime cooked and flash frozen.  If they taste mushy then they are overcooked. 

[calicakes]

We were in a Suite in September on Reflection.  I live blogged and posted a lot of food pics.  The veggies seemed fresh in Luminae.  I did notice a lot of items were of a lower quality in the buffet.  Namely, they switched from Albacore tuna to chunk " light".   We decided we were not going to cruise X anymore and we took a Feb 2022 cruise on Oceania.  We loved it.  We both thought the food was much better.  This cruise on Reflection last month used FCC and it was going to be our last.   Unfortunately, we want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef in Feb 2024 and Celebrity had the better itinerary than O and a very reasonable price.  So, now we get to try the Edge class. Honestly, I don't cruise for the food.  I know a lot of people do, but after having weight loss surgery, food is just food.  Its fuel for my body and that is it.  At home, I chose to eat mostly organic, pasture raised eggs and chicken.   I know that won't happen on any cruise, so I deal with it.   

[jwlane]

7 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Nearly all food comes board frozen on pallets at the embarkation port; this has come up repeatedly on galley tours and Q&A sessions.  

Reiterating this post because it hits the nail on the head.

[NutsAboutGolf]

8 hours ago, upwarduk said:

How can you expect fresh vegetables when the ships are at sea for 14 nights.

 

1 hour ago, drakes2 said:

Exactly. Fresh veggies last a couple days at most whereas frozen are picked at their prime cooked and flash frozen.  If they taste mushy then they are overcooked. 

 

A very common misconception debunked by both galley tours and Q&As is that ships pick up fresh food from the ports they visit.  While there can some exceptions for the most part nearly all of the food is picked up from the embarkation port

[dlh015]

4 minutes ago, jwlane said:

Reiterating this post because it hits the nail on the head.

Yep...that's what I was alluding to in my post. Also, I've taken behind-the-scenes tours and seen the immense freezers and such where the food is stored. Very impressive...as was the butcher and food prep areas...

[calicakes]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

 

A very common misconception debunked by both galley tours and Q&As is that ships pick up fresh food from the ports they visit.  While there can some exceptions for the most part nearly all of the food is picked up from the embarkation port

Even for Luminae?  The veggies tasted pretty fresh to me.  The broccoli/cauliflower/asparagus all appeared to be fresh cooked from raw.

[MsBoomer]

7 hours ago, bdstickks0944 said:

Wow.  You literally have entirely too much time on your hands.  

As sure as the sun rises in the east, cruisers look forward to the luxury of well-prepared meals that have great presentations and are tasty. Good dining is the hallmark of cruising. Most cooks understand that vegetables have different declining rates of freshness. Stored properly, fresh green beans have mid-range longevity when refrigerated.  It IS possible to serve many varieties of frozen vegetables that are not faded and limp and are brilliant in color. This was a kitchen snafu. Bringing it to the attention of your wait staff would be called for when this happens. On a Celebrity ship, they will do everything they can to meet your satisfaction. And BTW, the same should be done when a meal is outstanding. This means a lot as well and you just may be surprised with a visit at your table by a grateful chef.