Frozen Vegetables in Blu

[NutsAboutGolf]

25 minutes ago, calicakes said:

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

 

Yes; as you can imagine as soon the crew announced something like "all food is frozen", pax ask "even at Blu/Luminae/Specialties?".  I haven't been on the Beyond but would imagine it's the same at Le Voyage.

[Arizona Wildcat]

16 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Yes; as you can imagine as soon the crew announced something like "all food is frozen", pax ask "even at Blu/Luminae/Specialties?".  I haven't been on the Beyond but would imagine it's the same at Le Voyage.

Some fresh food is taken on board at ports along the trip.  Bananas start very green and store for a week+. Have also seen pallets of salad makings - lettuce (which freezes poorly -LOL), maters, onions and carrots; as well as broccoli. 

All  the above was loaded in Reykjavik aboard Summit.

PS I did not see any green beans, but peas and corn freeze very well.

[NutsAboutGolf]

40 minutes ago, MsBoomer said:

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.

 

If you don't like something, keep it simple, just ask for another one because no matter the conversation you have with the wait staff, the outcome will be the same, they'll simply grab you another one.  If you really want to put up a stink go to guest service to attempt to pass it along to the F&B team

 

On a recent sailing when in Blu, I saw a pointless conversation between our neighboring table pax and a poor waiter.  At times the pax were condescending yet the worst part was how long-winded and pointless their rants were; I believe it was at least 3mins.  How the "quality has really gone downhill", how they miss the "good ole days" of cruising when the steak would "melt in your mouth" but now it "takes 5mins of chewing" before they can swallow it.  After all that, what was the outcome?  Waiter brought them another steak...

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Honestly, I really don't care if the vegetables are fresh or frozen. They are usually a small part of the plate. As long as the salad is fresh and the tomatoes in the salad, or with buffalo mozzarella, are not frozen I'll be happy. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

13 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Some fresh food is taken on board at ports along the trip.  Bananas start very green and store for a week+. Have also seen pallets of salad makings - lettuce (which freezes poorly -LOL), maters, onions and carrots; as well as broccoli. 

All  the above was loaded in Reykjavik aboard Summit.

PS I did not see any green beans, but peas and corn freeze very well.

 

Wasn't Reykjavik the embarkation port?

[jwlane]

27 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Wasn't Reykjavik the embarkation port?

And debarkation.

[SusieAV8R]

11 hours 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….

Heck yes!  I remember my mom serving previously frozen string beans and they were gross......memory has stuck with me for 4+ decades!!! 

[NMTraveller]

13 hours ago, upwarduk said:

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

I see them loading up the ship at each port.  Why not vegetables?  Perhaps it is only alcohol 🙂

 

What about the specialty restaurants?  Have they been downgraded also?

Edited October 30, 2022 by NMTraveller

[Smmessineo]

19 hours ago, bdstickks0944 said:

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

There you go again. The person who has nothing to contribute but insulting people. If you don't like someone's opinion, then present an opposing view, or point out why they may be wrong, or just post something occasionally that actually informs others. 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by Smmessineo

[drakes2]

12 hours ago, calicakes said:

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

Luminae would not be any different than any other restaurant onboard.  Frozen veggies just need a few seconds to a minute in boiling water basically just to refresh any more and you lose all the nutrients.  

[drakes2]

11 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

Some fresh food is taken on board at ports along the trip.  Bananas start very green and store for a week+. Have also seen pallets of salad makings - lettuce (which freezes poorly -LOL), maters, onions and carrots; as well as broccoli. 

All  the above was loaded in Reykjavik aboard Summit.

PS I did not see any green beans, but peas and corn freeze very well.

Last November on the Silhouette they ran out of bananas at the spa cafe also no bananas foster for dessert that night.  A few days later they showed up onboard. At home when I cook green beans I fry them in a skillet right from freezer in a little butter. Then toss with fresh lemon juice and toasted almonds.  Yummy. 

[LouChamp]

I can understand certain vegetables may hold up well frozen. For example

I am italian and frozen peas hold up better when cooked in certain dishes than fresh. That said who knows what restaurants use. Its the taste that matters in my opinion. I think we can agree that for the price we pay for cruising and in expensive restaurants we want the food to be delicious and since we are on a cruise expect more quality and taste. All of the cruise lines are in terrible debt and need to cut but that only means that i will be more selective i choosing where i spend my money. Its sad that the mainstream lines need to cut corners in such noticeable ways that we now notice it. I would not expect to get an accurate answer from staff. They have their jobs to worry about. All we can do is report our experiences and let our fellow cruise critic friends intake the information and decide what to do

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, LouChamp said:

All of the cruise lines are in terrible debt and need to cut but that only means that i will be more selective i choosing where i spend my money.

Yes they are in a lot of debt and need to make cuts in all areas without compromising the cruise experience for their guests. So far they have done that. I have taken 4 cruises since covid and have another 2 booked. Had wonderful experiences on all of them. The food quality has declined somewhat but all the dishes I've tried  have been tasty and well presented. If there is anything not to one's liking they are more than happy to offer a substitution   I don't go on cruises for the food as I make tasty meals at home but I enjoy the ambiance and the various ports of call and countries I can visit and have a relaxing vacation. 

[vidsmart]

I have read a lot on various forums about how food has declined in quality post lockdown. I somewhat agree based on my cruises. However I recently ate at LeVoyage on Beyond and it was the best meal I ever had at sea or on land.

[PTC DAWG]

I’m not shopping, cooking or cleaning on a cruise..so life is good. 

[C4HCG]

On 10/29/2022 at 3:04 PM, Cruising Princess said:

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. 

Can I ask what relevance the fact that you have been sailing in sky suites has to frozen beans? 🤔

Edited October 30, 2022 by C4HCG

[phoenix_dream]

OMG stop!  Just stop!  I don't know if I can take more of these kinds of posts.  We've gone from complaining about dress codes, and chair hogs, and whatever else and now we're down to berating the green beans.  Where does it end?!?!?!

[dlh015]

"Where does it end?!?!?!"

 

When someone starts posting the Sun wasn't the proper shade of yellow on their cruise.... 

Edited October 30, 2022 by dlh015

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

Can I ask what relevance the fact that you have been sailing in sky suites has to frozen beans? 🤔

Defines that they dined in Luminae or at least that was my interpretation.

 

 

[hcat]

Plenty of crisp fresh tasting veggies in the buffet.  I use them in my lunch salads!

Least amt of cooking best for most veggies..not potatoes.

[C4HCG]

3 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Defines that they dined in Luminae or at least that was my interpretation.

 

 

Would have been better to just state that if so.

[jagoffee]

2 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

Would have been better to just state that if so.

Perhaps, since you seem to be offended.  I was just explaining  the relevance.

Edited October 30, 2022 by jagoffee

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, jagoffee said:

Perhaps, since you seem to be offended.  I was just explaining  the relevance.

😂😂😂offended? Wow, how do you work that out? I asked a question as I didn’t get the post, but why would it offend me.  And with respect you don’t know for sure the relevance.

Edited October 30, 2022 by C4HCG

[zitsky]

If Celebrity has a partnership with Starlink, maybe they can have a partnership with SpaceX and have rocket ships landing on the deck with fresh food every day???  🙂

 

BTW, I hate green beans.  No loss there.  You can blame my mother.

[NutsAboutGolf]

7 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If Celebrity has a partnership with Starlink, maybe they can have a partnership with SpaceX and have rocket ships landing on the deck with fresh food every day???  🙂

 

BTW, I hate green beans.  No loss there.  You can blame my mother.

 

Unlike the internet, it seems most cruise lines are in a constant state of decline in both quality and selection.  Good thing I don't cruise for the food.