Crab Shack Question?

Hi Folks, booked on the Royal for a 10 day Caribbean cruise, I was just wondering if the crab they serve at the Crab Shack is Snow crab or King Crab? Thanks Leslie

They serve both, but not in the same order, one item has king crab another item on the menu has snow crab.

We hardly miss a "Crab Shack". Love em. They only have three per one week cruise though. The last two week cruise we were on two of the Crab Shacks conflicted with formal night and we enjoy dressing up for formal nights, we usually eat in a speciality then to avoid the hassles of the MDR, although the last formal night they had lobster in the Regal's MDR and the service and food quality was exquisite. Sure don't want to wear my white tux jacket to a Crab Shack, even though they have huge bibs and stuff, been there done that.

Anyway, they have both King Crab and Tanner (Snow Crab), I recall that one dish had both at the same time, although I just asked my wife and she couldn't recall a lot of King Crab. We live in crab country up here where King Crab, Tanner Crab and Dungeness Crab are plentiful. Personally, I like Dungeness better than the other two. The Tanner taste is okay but what a pain it is to get all the meat out. For some reason they don't offer Dungeness in the Crab Shack though.

Thanks for the replies

If you get the crab pot, be prepared for ALOT of peel and eat shrimp. :eek:

I just posted a menu under my signature. Apologies for the blurriness, but maybe it will be helpful. I'll be back on board in a couple weeks and will repost a clearer version.

Appetizer

Popcorn Shrimp & Hush Puppies in the Basket

Your Choice of Dipping Sauce: Bayou Style or Tartar

Soup

Manhattan Clam Chowder (Bacon, Tomato and Potatoes)

Please Choose Your Entrée

Bayou-Style “Mud Bug” Boil

Crawfish and Corn on the Cob with Baby Onions

Potatoes and Spicy Andouille Sausage

Or

Steamed Alaskan King Crab Legs

with Old Bay Peel & Eat Shrimp

Drawn Butter, Corn on the Cob, Boiled Potatoes and Lemon

Or

The Royal’s Mixed Steamer

Snow Crab Cluster, King Crab, Jumbo Shrimp, Clams

Mussels and Kielbasa Sausage

Corn on the Cob and New Potatoes

Or

Clam, Mussel and Shrimp Pot

Shallots, White Wine and Serrano Chili

Dessert

Selection of Gateaux and Tarts from our Pastry Shop

Served with Coffee or Tea

$20 per Person

Claw Cracking - Lip Smacking - Pots of Fun

Yummy!!!!

I am currently on the Ruby. We had Crab Shack a few nights ago, and were offered seconds of the appetizers. We said no thanks. Then we were offered more crab or shrimp when we were close to finishing our main meal. Too bad we were stuffed by then! Then this morning we ran into our waiter from that meal and got to talking about Crab Shack, since we're going back a second time. He told us we can ask them to not include the potatoes, etc. if we don't plan on eating them, or we can ask them to substitute items. DH is thinking he might enjoy a sausage instead of shrimp with his King Crab legs. We'll see how it works out. I suppose each ship has their own manner of doing things, so YMMV.

Then we were offered more crab or shrimp when we were close to finishing our main meal.

I didn't know this can be done. I could have ordered more crab when we had it in Royal. Regrets... Regrets.

I agree, it is way more than we can eat. Even one mixed Steamer is quite a bit for the two of us. But my wife likes mussels a lot more than I do, actually I don't like em, and she goes to all the trouble of digging every bit of meat out of the Snow Crabs. I like the King Crab, steamer clams and peel and eat jumbo shrimp, I also polish off the clam chowder, yummy, and eat a few of those good sausages and some potatoes, lucky I can waddle out and we still leave almost half. We have ordered a mixed steamer and a steamed King Crab and peel and eat shrimp a couple of times but that is way, way too much.

As far as menu adding/detracting, there is something to that but I can't remember the detail. What I do recall though, at one of our most recent Crab Shacks, is that a dude with his wife and another couple decided he was going to do a custom made meal for them all, so to speak. He began by giving the waiter instructions as to how to do this and cook that, then he got into one heck of a row with the chief waiter, then the chef and Madre D' came out and they pretty much laid the law down, if he wanted to eat there order off the menu, if not, leave.------So, be careful.

So, be careful.

Words to live by!

What are Hush Puppies??

Hush puppies are a smallish ball of cornbread-like dough that's deep fried. Maybe someone could add some insight of their origins - I think they're Southern, maybe?

Hush puppies are a smallish ball of cornbread-like dough that's deep fried. Maybe someone could add some insight of their origins - I think they're Southern, maybe?

Thanks, I thought they must have been some type of seafood.

Hush puppies are indeed southern.

However, there are many stories / legends about where they originated.

Generally speaking several of the stories center around fishermen who threw small pieces of fried cornmeal to quiet their barking dogs so they would scare off the fish. The fishermen would say, "hush puppies."

Hush puppies are different from cornbread. They are basically fried cornmeal... there are regional variations... such as how coarse or fine the corn meal is ground. Some mix in egg to the cornmeal, chopped onion, water, milk, even a sprinkling of sugar etc. Some parts of the south serve the fried hush puppies with a small side of whipped honey butter.

On the Regal the crab shack is located in a roped off area of the buffet, so people were getting up and making salads and bringing them back to the table. Also, we saw couples were one order the $20 dinner and the other ate from the buffet. However, no one could access the food being served to those that paid for the crab shack.

I like the story, Swice. Thanks!

And please don't form an opinion about hushpuppies based on what they serve on Princess ships. They're nowhere as tasty as Southern ones. The "popcorn" shrimp also surprised me. They're battered and fried large shrimp with the tails still on.

Would you consider the Crab Shack well worth the money? As good or better than an option on land?

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Would you consider the Crab Shack well worth the money? As good or better than an option on land?

On the Royal and Regal they roped off a section of the Horizon Court buffet, the section closest to the stern. On another Princess ship (forget which one) they used a section of the Crown Grill. You have to make reservations. It never occurred to me that we could go out of the Crab Shack area and pick up a salad, but wow, how could I even consider that when I can only tackle about half the seafood feed they provide?

Sometimes the adjacent buffet tables are pretty crowded since many of the Crab Shack guests haven't arrived yet. They fancy the Crab Shack tables up a little so they look nicer than those in the regular buffet. One time when the buffet was pretty full, I noticed a guy with a loaded plate duck under the rope, by-passing the attendant's station, then take a nice seat next to the window at a still empty table in the Crab Shack section. Didn't take more than a minute until he got the heave-ho.

Yes, I consider the 20 US dollars well worth it. Even though we live in a seafood rich state I've never encountered a regular restaurant that puts on a menu anything like the "Crab Shack" does. I'm sure there are though, maybe the French Quarter in New Orleans or somewhere in San Fran. Been in Seattle a lot over the years but never heard of anything like this there. One thing for certain, if one runs across something similar I bet you won't get it for 20 bucks.

Thank you for the info. DH and I will book when we get on board [emoji41]

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On the Crown the Crab Shack was at Cafe Caribe which is basically the aft end of the buffet seating area. I'm certainly not a crab gourmet but for $20 we enjoyed it & here's a PDF copy of the menu that 'Kennicott' previously posted:

http://www.beyondships2.com/uploads/8/2/4/5/8245255/crab_shack-fleet-29-apr-14.pdf

Here's a photo of the "Mixed Steamer" entree (snow & king crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, kielbasa sausage, corn & potatoes):

On the Regal the crab shack is located in a roped off area of the buffet, so people were getting up and making salads and bringing them back to the table. Also, we saw couples were one order the $20 dinner and the other ate from the buffet. However, no one could access the food being served to those that paid for the crab shack.

Hello Barbie,

First of all congrats on being a survivor. My wife, Dolores, is a nine year survivor and I am on my first year.

Now, for my question. I love every form of seafood. Or, for that matter, every form of food. My wife is less enthusiastic about working for her meal. If we were to go to the Crab Shack would we be able to share our table with me partaking in the seafood and she going to the Horizon Court ?

Regards,

Tom

My wife is less enthusiastic about working for her meal. If we were to go to the Crab Shack would we be able to share our table with me partaking in the seafood and she going to the Horizon Court ?

 

Regards,

 

Tom

I've read several posts saying that is possible to share a table in the Crab Shack area & that not everyone needs to purchase the Crab Shack & can get food instead from the HC.