Lobster

[TheBoy58]

This is from the current sailing Nieuw Statendam, looks like lobster is available off the complimentary menu (and as upcharge). Have not seen this on the app before?

 

[mcrcruiser]

On 7/1/2024 at 4:09 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Lobster has not been part of dressy night as a free menu item since the resumption after Covid. Except on some of the very long cruises. There has been crab and lobster themed excursions on the Canada/NE US cruises.

Yes Bruce  HAL raises prices &  takes away the lobster .  There have been so many changes not just in the MDR food but in the special restaurants as well . This  food issue could be one reason for people to look at other cruise lines . From what I been reading on this HAL board there are those who have sailed HAL ships many times & see less value than before .These are 5 star Mariners  .Yes ,other cruise lines  have done similar things . The only comparison we can make is the selectionof food at the MDR on a Celebrity ship we were on for 14 days .At the time we felt that the food variety was better on that Celebrity ship as weel as the Lido food . Unfortuantely ,Celebrity does not druise often from the West coast . We no longer can fly  as we are senior seniors with issues ,so when we cruise we go on HAL from San Diego our home port .

Because we are much older that most who cruise today ,we like the ease of cruising vas a land trip . We have seen many changes in the cruise industry from our first cruise in the early 90s some better & some worse . No one who does take a cruise has any control over the food issue .[ just that we can hope that the food be upgraded .

[EtaC]

Is over-rated. 😎

[MISTER 67]

On 6/30/2024 at 7:00 PM, Kay S said:

I don't know if that's the case, but the last lobster I had on a HAL cruise was small, dry and rubbery.

We sailed on the MSC Seashore last week and besides MSC now having very good food we had lobster on formal night and truthfully it was the best lobster in our 75 cruises since 1982, it was fairly large and cooked to perfection. 
We had some problems, powdered eggs were awful in the buffet, in our late 70s the ship was way to big for us and because kids sail for free and still on summer vacation there were way too many of them.

Bottom line is that IMHO MSC is a better cruise line than HAL with better food, service and entertainment.

Edited August 19 by MISTER 67

[MISTER 67]

5 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

Yes Bruce  HAL raises prices &  takes away the lobster .  There have been so many changes not just in the MDR food but in the special restaurants as well . This  food issue could be one reason for people to look at other cruise lines . From what I been reading on this HAL board there are those who have sailed HAL ships many times & see less value than before .These are 5 star Mariners  .Yes ,other cruise lines  have done similar things . The only comparison we can make is the selectionof food at the MDR on a Celebrity ship we were on for 14 days .At the time we felt that the food variety was better on that Celebrity ship as weel as the Lido food . Unfortuantely ,Celebrity does not druise often from the West coast . We no longer can fly  as we are senior seniors with issues ,so when we cruise we go on HAL from San Diego our home port .

Because we are much older that most who cruise today ,we like the ease of cruising vas a land trip . We have seen many changes in the cruise industry from our first cruise in the early 90s some better & some worse . No one who does take a cruise has any control over the food issue .[ just that we can hope that the food be upgraded .

Our first cruise was in 1982 and the changes in the cruise industry are just about mind boggling and none for the good, we are 4 Star Mariners and have given up on HAL, they are not close to being the cruise line they were at one time, we will stay with Celebrity and Princess.

[ghstudio]

HAL offers free lobster tails on one formal night on longer cruises.  We had it last night and I had surf and turf with two lobster tails....Nieuw Statendam on 20+ day cruise.  On other nights, you can order it at an additional price.

[mcrcruiser]

43 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

HAL offers free lobster tails on one formal night on longer cruises.  We had it last night and I had surf and turf with two lobster tails....Nieuw Statendam on 20+ day cruise.  On other nights, you can order it at an additional price.

HAL raised cruise prices substantially  &still ask people  pay extra for   that lobster tail ;which is far different from Maine lobster . 

[Hlitner]

Three weeks ago, DW bought some lobster tails (at our local supermarket) for $28 (4 - 4-5 oz tails) that were far better than what you get on HAL (or most other cruise lines).  I am long been amazed at the number of folks who love lobster or lobster tails, but never bother to make it at home.  Very simple to broil and no more expensive than buying steak.

 

Agree that tails are nothing like Maine Lobster (a personal passion).  We can get fresh Maine Lobster at Wegmans, but that is not DWs thing.  Whenever we cruise out of Ft Lauderdale, we go to Kelly's Landing for dinner (pre-cruise) where I will get a 2-3 pounder!  For anyone that likes real Maine lobster and fantastic clam chowder, we suggest they try Kellys Landing (no reservations so prepare to wait).  Their lobster and chowder are as good as we get in New England (their lobster is flown in from Boston.

 

Hank

[Petronillus]

On 7/2/2024 at 10:35 AM, electro said:

Get your lobster in one of the Canadian ports. You will pay 3 times the price in Bar Harbor.

 

Some years ago a friend from Newfoundland told me that their problem with lobster was getting the catch to market. They used to grind up the excess for fertilizer. The thought makes me blanch.

[Seasick Sailor]

6 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

Our first cruise was in 1982 and the changes in the cruise industry are just about mind boggling and none for the good, we are 4 Star Mariners and have given up on HAL, they are not close to being the cruise line they were at one time, we will stay with Celebrity and Princess.

 

I'm sorry you have given up on our favorite cruise line: Holland America. So do you join us on the Daily for our camaraderie?

[MISTER 67]

2 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

I'm sorry you have given up on our favorite cruise line: Holland America. So do you join us on the Daily for our camaraderie?

Yep I’m on just about everyday.

Edited August 19 by MISTER 67

[3rdGenCunarder]

14 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

Some years ago a friend from Newfoundland told me that their problem with lobster was getting the catch to market. They used to grind up the excess for fertilizer. The thought makes me blanch.

 

[Seasick Sailor]

Just now, MISTER 67 said:

Yep I’m on everyday.

 

Of the cruise lines we've sailed, Cunard, NCL, Princess, Viking, and HAL, Viking was superior in stewards, food and drink. However we can sail in a HAL Signature suite twice the days of Viking. Will sail on Viking again of course, but it needs to be very special ports if call.

[MISTER 67]

5 minutes ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

Of the cruise lines we've sailed, Cunard, NCL, Princess, Viking, and HAL, Viking was superior in stewards, food and drink. However we can sail in a HAL Signature suite twice the days of Viking. Will sail on Viking again of course, but it needs to be very special ports if call.

We are in our late 70s and ports are no longer a priority, we live in Florida and just sail out of ports in Florida to the Caribbean as we are done with flying. For us the ship is the destination with food, entertainment and service being what the cruise is all about.

Our last 2 cruises with HAL fell short in all 3, still love HAL ships with the Eurodam still my favorite, maybe someday we will give them a try again but right now as I said before we will stay with Celebrity and Princess.

[Petronillus]

3 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said:

We are in our late 70s and ports are no longer a priority, we live in Florida and just sail out of ports in Florida to the Caribbean as we are done with flying. For us the ship is the destination with food, entertainment and service being what the cruise is all about.

Our last 2 cruises with HAL fell short in all 3, still love HAL ships with the Eurodam still my favorite, maybe someday we will give them a try again but right now as I said before we will stay with Celebrity and Princess.

For DW & me, the Caribbean ports have all sort of blended together in our memories. So, if we do ever select a Caribbean cruise again it will be principally for the ship and not for the itinerary.

One possible exception: we have not yet visited the ABC islands, and I've heard good things about them, especially Aruba.

Martinique stands out for two things: (1) the ruins of the former capital city destroyed in a volcanic eruption in the early 1900s, and (2) what a big deal the tour guide made of the fact that (a)  Martinique and its neighbors are an integral part of the French nation, with their own representation in the French National Assembly and (b) consequently how well paved the roads are in Martinique.

[3rdGenCunarder]

13 minutes ago, Petronillus said:

For DW & me, the Caribbean ports have all sort of blended together in our memories. So, if we do ever select a Caribbean cruise again it will be principally for the ship and not for the itinerary.

One possible exception: we have not yet visited the ABC islands, and I've heard good things about them, especially Aruba.

Martinique stands out for two things: (1) the ruins of the former capital city destroyed in a volcanic eruption in the early 1900s, and (2) what a big deal the tour guide made of the fact that (a)  Martinique and its neighbors are an integral part of the French nation, with their own representation in the French National Assembly and (b) consequently how well paved the roads are in Martinique.

 

The ABCs are great! Curacao is my favorite because there's a lot to do beyond the beach, although the beach is good. I like to snorkel, and last winter I had a fantastic snorkel in Bonaire. I wanted to jump ship (and I really like Eurodam), stay overnight and do the snorkel again! Great snorkel with turtles in Curacao a few years ago. I think Aruba is better for staying at a resort. There isn't a lot else to do. Oranjestad is kind of sad. The waterfront street is full of malls and designer stores, built for the cruise tourists. Go one block back and the locally owned stores are mostly empty. 

 

Like Martinique, Guadeloupe is a department of France, not a colony or territory. And it, too, has good infrastructure. We were in Guadeloupe in a winter after a hurricane. Except for some stumps in the botanical garden where damaged trees had been taken down in the storm, the islands appeared to have recovered completely.

[mcrcruiser]

4 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

We are in our late 70s and ports are no longer a priority, we live in Florida and just sail out of ports in Florida to the Caribbean as we are done with flying. For us the ship is the destination with food, entertainment and service being what the cruise is all about.

Our last 2 cruises with HAL fell short in all 3, still love HAL ships with the Eurodam still my favorite, maybe someday we will give them a try again but right now as I said before we will stay with Celebrity and Princess.

My wife's first cousin & her husband reside in Florida for many many years . They are in their early to mid 70s . They saoled once with us on Koningsdam in the Caribbean long ago but they will not sail on Holland Ships for the reasons you have already posted  .In our cruise market San diego if we want to cruise it is only Holland for us .we are in our mid 80s &handicapped  .We have 3 future HAL cruise booked if we make them because if health issues 

[MISTER 67]

37 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

My wife's first cousin & her husband reside in Florida for many many years . They are in their early to mid 70s . They saoled once with us on Koningsdam in the Caribbean long ago but they will not sail on Holland Ships for the reasons you have already posted  .In our cruise market San diego if we want to cruise it is only Holland for us .we are in our mid 80s &handicapped  .We have 3 future HAL cruise booked if we make them because if health issues 

Wishing you the best of health.

[Petronillus]

29 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said:

Wishing you the best of health.

IIRC, George Burns booked a venue in Las Vegas for his 100th birthday and he lived to play the gig.

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, Petronillus said:

IIRC, George Burns booked a venue in Las Vegas for his 100th birthday and he lived to play the gig.

We saw Ann Margaret at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas back in the early 90s and because George Burns discovered her he was seated a couple of tables from us.

[kangforpres]

On 8/19/2024 at 4:43 PM, MISTER 67 said:

We saw Ann Margaret at Caesar’s Palace in Vegas back in the early 90s and because George Burns discovered her he was seated a couple of tables from us.

Was he eating lobster?

[MISTER 67]

7 hours ago, kangforpres said:

Was he eating lobster?

No but he was smoking cigars.

[Petronillus]

4 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

No but he was smoking cigars.

And they eventually led to his early demise. 😉

[Ileneilene123]

Back to lobster …

 

My husband ordered the surf & turf for an upcharge off of the MDR menu on the Zaandam to Alaska last month. He said it was definitely not Maine lobster and it was “NOT good.”  We live outside of Boston and he was born and raised here, so he knows lobstah. Ymmv. 

Edited August 26 by Ileneilene123

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, Ileneilene123 said:

My husband ordered the surf & turf for an upcharge off of the MDR menu on the Zaandam last month. He said it was definitely not Maine lobster and it was “NOT good.”  We live outside of Boston and he was born and raised here, so he knows lobster. Ymmv. 

I don't think they advertise that it is Maine lobster (I think the lobster in the Pinnacle, or the Morimoto lobster is advertised as Maine lobster). It is well known that the cruise lines typically use warm water lobster, farm raised. There isn't enough Maine lobster to supply all the cruise lines.