Best Seafood on Australian Cruises

Seems we are on a food topic this week, so I was wondering what is everyones opinion on the standard and selection or even availability of seafood on Australian cruises...:)

I vote for Princess Cruises, but then am a Princess fan. Did Sun Princess circumnavigation of OZ in 2008, quite a bit of seafood on board, smoked salmon, lobster, crab, fish, plenty of prawns - peeled variety.

However I find the Princess ships operating from overseas carrying loads of North Americans are a cut above the Aussie based Princess ships re cuisine generally and in particular, seafood quality/quantity/variation. (I have completed 12 Princess cruises)

Thanks NSWP,

I haven't done a princess cruise yet, I do admit that the Royal Caribbean cruises I did in America had a good selection of seafood on them.

I guess P&O might have more to offer in that line if I choose to pay extra for the 'Salt Grill'..but its always good to have a feed of prawns at a buffet. So I guess I will have to wait and see. :confused:

90% of the sea food is frozen on most cruise ships.

I vote for Princess Cruises, but then am a Princess fan. Did Sun Princess circumnavigation of OZ in 2008, quite a bit of seafood on board, smoked salmon, lobster, crab, fish, plenty of prawns - peeled variety.

 

However I find the Princess ships operating from overseas carrying loads of North Americans are a cut above the Aussie based Princess ships re cuisine generally and in particular, seafood quality/quantity/variation. (I have completed 12 Princess cruises)

We found that the food in general was better on the RC Legend in Asia than the RC Rhapsody when we sailed out of Sydney.

We didn't think that much of it at the time.

I wonder if it was just a coincidence?

Paul

From past experience on a number of ships, I tend now to avoid eating fish on cruiseships. By it's very nature, as Thied said, most/all fish on cruiseships is frozen - and fish doesn't generally take as kindly to freezing and then thawing as (say) beef does. The very best fish to eat is out of the sea one minute and on your plate the next :) However , I have found the Salmon to be OK - and I once had a feed of Whitebait on Oriana which was "to die for". It was while we were in Hong Kong harbour and I suspect that it may have come on fresh that day

Barry

Smoked Salmon is my favourite. I have a fish meal almost every night and these are always delicious but the prawn cocktails need to be "man-size".( I wish they's remove the tails).

I've found the salmon OK onboard, but been disappointed with other fish....... but then, when you've been used to eating fresh Gulf barra, NOTHING else can compare - except, perhaps, English plaice.

Haven't had any lobster, but the prawns onboard leave a lot to be desired. At home we buy green prawns and cook them ourselves. Oh.....and DH peels and de-veins them for me....which is a BIG plus!! :D

I wonder how much of the seafood, on ALL ships down here is sourced locally?

Smoked Salmon is my favourite. I have a fish meal almost every night and these are always delicious but the prawn cocktails need to be "man-size".( I wish they's remove the tails).

Anna, easy, just ask for two Prawn Cocktails, you will get them on Princess. As for the smoked salmon they put big trays of it out at breakfast buffet, the Americans like to whack it on a bagel with cream cheese. Lox and Bagel?

But as has been said, just about all seafood on the ships is frozen, lobster tails from Alaska, those small prawns they have heaps of, probably from Thailand and the fish, well from everywhere I suppose. Containers of food delivered to the

cruise ships at various ports to replenish. We have all seen them I am sure, forklifts going full speed. I saw them load lettuce once, must have been a million lettuce coming on board.

I wonder how much of the seafood, on ALL ships down here is sourced locally?

 

 

I think on princess then probably P & 0 is sourced locally as I had heard on a grape vine that it is a company of people that we know....

Anna, easy, just ask for two Prawn Cocktails, you will get them on Princess. As for the smoked salmon they put big trays of it out at breakfast buffet, the Americans like to whack it on a bagel with cream cheese. Lox and Bagel?

 

But as has been said, just about all seafood on the ships is frozen, lobster tails from Alaska, those small prawns they have heaps of, probably from Thailand and the fish, well from everywhere I suppose. Containers of food delivered to the

cruise ships at various ports to replenish. We have all seen them I am sure, forklifts going full speed. I saw them load lettuce once, must have been a million lettuce coming on board.

Interesting concoction. Les. I'll have to look into that next year....as well as a double dip on the prawn cocktail.:D

I was dissapointed in the lack of seafood on P & O. For my first cruise of the Pac Sun I would buy a huge plate of king prawns for $10 for most meals as an entree and they were beautiful. But when I went on the Pac Dawn 2 years ago they were horrible - soft, gooey and tasteless. :( I was hoping there would be more seafood meals in the restaurant but unfortunately not.

Does anyone know if there are seafood meals on the Pacific Pearl?

Liz:D

I was dissapointed in the lack of seafood on P & O. For my first cruise of the Pac Sun I would buy a huge plate of king prawns for $10 for most meals as an entree and they were beautiful. But when I went on the Pac Dawn 2 years ago they were horrible - soft, gooey and tasteless. :( I was hoping there would be more seafood meals in the restaurant but unfortunately not.

Does anyone know if there are seafood meals on the Pacific Pearl?

 

Liz:D

Bit rude paying all that money to P&O for a cruise then having to fork out more hard earned for prawns. Surely they could put the prawns and lobster/crab on gratis as per Princess etc, I mean, P&O Cruise prices are not cheap.

Just my two cents worth.

We had free prawns on the P Dawn. :confused:

I remember before I went on my first (in a long time) cruise in November 2009 when I read about lobster on the American Princess boards and how they went back for 2nds, 3rds, etc because it was so good.

Imagine my major disappointment when I had my first prawn and lobster and thought what are they thinking!?

Sorry guys, but once you freeze seafood, any seafood.........its lost any resemblence to how seafood should be.

Debsta

We had lobster on Oriana and Arcadia quite a number of times over 3 months - I wasn't greatly impressed with it. In fact, on one night that lobster was on the menu - I chose to have calfs liver and onions!! Now THAT WAS delicious!! :)

Barry

Sorry guys, but once you freeze seafood, any seafood.........its lost any resemblence to how seafood should be.

You have to realise Deb, it all depends on how qualified the staff member is on thawing it.

You do not give your compliments to the Chef...

You give your compliments to the staff member who thawed it all.

Its an art.

The meal you ate tonight,

was probably taken out of the freezer several days ago,

refrigerated , cared for ,and then tenderley ,prepared to perfection.

Just like the steak...

If its done properley..

Its delish...

If they hurry it..

YUK.

All seafood is frozen on a cruise ship.

All meat is frozen on a cruise.

Take the Ulimate Ships tour, and see how its done.

Take the Ulimate Ships tour, and see how its done.

I did :D You should know by now Dave, if it's happening, I'm there! :p

But but but....it's not just in the thawing.....it's how they freeze it in the first place :D

Let's face it....I like my fishies and seafood straight from the sea :)

You have to realise Deb, it all depends on how qualified the staff member is on thawing it.

 

You do not give your compliments to the Chef...

You give your compliments to the staff member who thawed it all.

Its an art.

 

The meal you ate tonight,

was probably taken out of the freezer several days ago,

refrigerated , cared for ,and then tenderley ,prepared to perfection.

Just like the steak...

If its done properley..

Its delish...

If they hurry it..

YUK.

All seafood is frozen on a cruise ship.

All meat is frozen on a cruise.

 

Take the Ulimate Ships tour, and see how its done.

Cruise ships aside, you would be suprised how much food in restaurants is frozen, then thawed before cooking. Certainly a lot of the seafood, much of which these days comes from Vietnam/Thailand.

I daren't think about where the seafood comes from when I'm eating out! After watching TV programmes about viruses in Vannamei prawns and Basa fish farmed in Thai sewers I only buy Australian or NZ fish - silently praying they are telling the truth on the printed labels. :cool: