Maine Lobster

[CruiserBruce]

I am not sure why people think lobster on a ship can be "fresh". Ain't going to happen! Just for example, just got off Eurodam, a 19 day sailing from Vancouver to FLL, through the Canal. Lobster was served on day 17. How could the lobster be anything other than frozen?

 

Whether it is Maine Lobster, or any other type of lobster is another topic. You will notice that the lobster seem to be a very uniform size...I believe it is a 3 ounce tail. To supply thousands (from Behind the Scenes tour on N. Amsterdam on lobster night- there were preparing 2000 tails for that night for their heavily researched expected demand) every cruise implies farm raised, if there is such a thing in the lobster business, and most definitely frozen.

 

Whether or not you get truly fresh- even still alive, lobster, or crab for that matter is an aspect of how close you are to the source, and cost of transport keeping them alive. We live near San Francisco. Dungeness crab season is upon us, and it is very popular for Thanksgiving. Literally 10s of thousands of crabs arrive at the dock each day, and they must be alive when they touch land. Many stay alive to the stores, others are processed immediately, and on the store displays in far less than 24 hours. That is fresh.

[chengkp75]

So here's a bit of trivia to give you some insight into how weird I am. I purposely worked a weekend job (on top of my Mon-Fri job) in a butcher's and fishmonger's shop in order to learn about meat and seafood. (Yes, I am that much of a foodie.) When a fish is out of season it will only be available frozen. Conversely, when a fish is in season it will be available fresh. In addition, where you shop determines the availability of fresh vs frozen, as fresh is always available if you know where to go. If any of you have watched the great cruise ship series, you will know that fresh seafood is purchased at certain ports the same way that fresh fruit and vegetables are. So it cannot be said, definitively, that all ship seafood is frozen.

 

Proteins, particularly fish proteins have to be handled differently than fruits and vegetables, as the uncooked proteins are considered to be "potentially hazardous food". Most ships do not purchase fish locally because of the requirements to know and document how and where it was caught, and how it was stored (temperature records), which you generally don't get from a Caribbean fish market. Also, given the requirement that fish to be eaten in the raw (sushi, ceviche) must be frozen, and the possibility of the fish product being served undercooked, most lines will use frozen fish, or will flash freeze the fish before storage or use. For the main stream cruise lines, nearly all fish, except molluscan shellfish, are loaded frozen.

 

And nearly all fish landed in the US, even that labeled as "fresh" is "frozen onboard" meaning it is frozen on the fishing boat to preserve it and to kill parasites.

[chengkp75]

I am not sure why people think lobster on a ship can be "fresh". Ain't going to happen! Just for example, just got off Eurodam, a 19 day sailing from Vancouver to FLL, through the Canal. Lobster was served on day 17. How could the lobster be anything other than frozen?

 

Whether or not you get truly fresh- even still alive, lobster, or crab for that matter is an aspect of how close you are to the source, and cost of transport keeping them alive. We live near San Francisco. Dungeness crab season is upon us, and it is very popular for Thanksgiving. Literally 10s of thousands of crabs arrive at the dock each day, and they must be alive when they touch land. Many stay alive to the stores, others are processed immediately, and on the store displays in far less than 24 hours. That is fresh.

 

The only "fresh" lobster is still living. Even a whole frozen lobster is blanched before freezing. Lobsters, unless you have a "live" tank (circulating sea water), lobsters can only be kept alive in a refrigerator for 2-3 days. I don't know of any ships that have live tanks, so everything is frozen, whether tails or whole lobsters.

[navybankerteacher]

I have, and it's been FRESH lobster. Several times on cruises calling in Bar Harbor, I have come back from shore on the tender with the lobsters for that night's dinner.

 

In the Caribbean, a couple of times I have had Maine lobster in the Main Dining Room, though it has been frozen tails. But in my experience it's far more likely to be spiny lobster or langoustine in the Caribbean.

 

I have a hard time thinking about bringing over a thousand live lobsters on board by tender to serve in the MDR.

 

They may bring some on board as a specialty - perhaps - for a first-come-first-served treat in a specialty restaurant - but the idea of hauling the thousand or so which would be needed to serve in the MDR (which is what we are talking about) especially by tender, is not credible.

[sail7seas]

The only "fresh" lobster is still living. Even a whole frozen lobster is blanched before freezing. Lobsters, unless you have a "live" tank (circulating sea water), lobsters can only be kept alive in a refrigerator for 2-3 days. I don't know of any ships that have live tanks, so everything is frozen, whether tails or whole lobsters.

 

Yes and yes....... If a lobster's shel l is red, it has to have been subjject to the h heat of cooking..... they do nto come out of the ocean bright red. At least two Hotel directors/hotel managers have cclearly said justt a ougt the same thing to me when I asked aboout the disappointing texture off some of the various trypes of white fish they serve. It surre tastes to me like it has been frozen and they confirmed same as you wrote, chengkp.

[ellieanne]

I have a hard time thinking about bringing over a thousand live lobsters on board by tender to serve in the MDR.

 

They may bring some on board as a specialty - perhaps - for a first-come-first-served treat in a specialty restaurant - but the idea of hauling the thousand or so which would be needed to serve in the MDR (which is what we are talking about) especially by tender, is not credible.

 

And yet, that us exactly what they did on more than one of my cruises. You don't have to believe me, but I know what I saw, what I asked, what I was told by the stewards on the tender, and what I ate in the Main Dining Room.

 

I also know from the lobstermen and HAL that HAL has a commitment to buy fresh lobster from local fishermen in Maine when they stop in Bar Harbor, so I do not for a moment doubt that the lobsters in the crates that were on the tender with me were lobsters for dinner.

[3rdGenCunarder]

And yet, that us exactly what they did on more than one of my cruises. You don't have to believe me, but I know what I saw, what I asked, what I was told by the stewards on the tender, and what I ate in the Main Dining Room.

 

I also know from the lobstermen and HAL that HAL has a commitment to buy fresh lobster from local fishermen in Maine when they stop in Bar Harbor, so I do not for a moment doubt that the lobsters in the crates that were on the tender with me were lobsters for dinner.

 

Well, they weren't brought on to be pets, so I believe you. We saw a seafood truck on the dock when Amsterdam was in Ketchikan. I think salmon was on the menu that night...

[Florida_gal_50]

Well, they weren't brought on to be pets, so I believe you. We saw a seafood truck on the dock when Amsterdam was in Ketchikan. I think salmon was on the menu that night...

Now that's funny :p. In all fairness salmon is on the menu every night (always available picks or whatever the call it).

[navybankerteacher]

And yet, that us exactly what they did on more than one of my cruises. You don't have to believe me, but I know what I saw, what I asked, what I was told by the stewards on the tender, and what I ate in the Main Dining Room.

 

I also know from the lobstermen and HAL that HAL has a commitment to buy fresh lobster from local fishermen in Maine when they stop in Bar Harbor, so I do not for a moment doubt that the lobsters in the crates that were on the tender with me were lobsters for dinner.

 

I am not saying you did not see lobsters coming on board. - but find it improbable that they would/could bring aboard the thousands necessary to serve in the MDR.

 

Also, HAL (or the lobstermen) would be really gambling --- dockside prices this year have ranged from about $5.00 to $10.00 per pound - depending on current landed catch -which always varies and is never predictable - making such a large scale commitment a genuine hedge.

[CruiserBruce]

Well, they weren't brought on to be pets, so I believe you. We saw a seafood truck on the dock when Amsterdam was in Ketchikan. I think salmon was on the menu that night...

 

I have seen hundreds of pounds of salmon brought on twice...once in Bergen, Norway, once in Juneau. In both cases, frozen hard as a rock.

[kazu]

Well, they weren't brought on to be pets, so I believe you. We saw a seafood truck on the dock when Amsterdam was in Ketchikan. I think salmon was on the menu that night...

 

LOL - good one :)

 

On our Hawaii, Tahiti, Marquesas cruise, the Westerdam Chef went on shore to purchase fish in a couple of spots. The tuna he obtained was absolutely delicious and served at a Lido bbq.

[sail7seas]

I have seen hundreds of pounds of salmon brought on twice...once in Bergen, Norway, once in Juneau. In both cases, frozen hard as a rock.

 

There you go. :) Makes perfect sense. IMO

[sail7seas]

You’re wrong. We live in MA...in a coastal town. Every grocery store carries fresh fish. Fresh lobster, too, from Maine and from our own waters here. There’s a gazillion lobster boats in our harbor. I NEVER buy frozen fish.

 

 

 

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PLEASE Sheila,, if f you have a place you c an buy not prev frozen snapper in MA< share the name of the sore, I like snapper but seeing it is not caught in local waters can only b uy it frozen when I find it.

[blizzardboy]

Maine Lobster? Not a chance on any HAL ship. They will serve warm water lobster tails (small ones) on one of the gala nights. But for lovers of Maine lobster, the tails are not even close.

 

I always do get New England lobster before any cruise out of Ft Lauderdale. But I have to go to Kelly's Landing (a shore based restaurant near the 17th Street hotels). For years I have told friends that our best seafood dinner on a cruise is the one we have the night before we embark.

 

Hank

It says on the PG menu "12 oz Maine Lobster Tail" $20 Supplement

[sail7seas]

There were times my late DH , who had a great sense of humor would say that the MDRmenus on HAL ships sometimes could be described as terrrific creative writing....... there were times the menu and the dish, when served had no resemblance to each other. :)

[chengkp75]

It says on the PG menu "12 oz Maine Lobster Tail" $20 Supplement

 

Even if it is from Maine, and the Maine Lobstermen's Association has fought a lot of battles over people calling all northern lobsters (homarus americanus) Maine lobsters, it is a frozen tail, and if not properly blanched and packaged for freezing, and not properly thawed and cooked, it bears almost no resemblance to fresh Maine lobster. Since I can get a 1.25 lb lobster for $7-8, there is no way I'd pay $20 for a frozen tail. Where's the claw meat?

[POA1]

Maine Lobster? Not a chance on any HAL ship. They will serve warm water lobster tails (small ones) on one of the gala nights. But for lovers of Maine lobster, the tails are not even close.

 

I always do get New England lobster before any cruise out of Ft Lauderdale. But I have to go to Kelly's Landing (a shore based restaurant near the 17th Street hotels). For years I have told friends that our best seafood dinner on a cruise is the one we have the night before we embark.

 

Hank

They have had Maine Lobster on every HAL cruise we've been on since 2014. It's frozen, but it's Maine Lobster and not warm water lobster. Let me just throw out the fact that we lived about a block away from the Maine Lobsterman's Association in Kennebunk, Maine for wellness over a decade. We know our lobster. We can tell fresh from frozen. Heck, my wife can tell the difference between today's catch and "day old tank lobster." (She eats a lot of lobster whenever possible.)

 

The only warm water lobster we saw was in the lobster shack at Half Moon Cay.

 

Years ago, HAL served warm water lobster, but they haven't in several years.

[kazu]

They have had Maine Lobster on every HAL cruise we've been on since 2014. It's frozen, but it's Maine Lobster and not warm water lobster. Let me just throw out the fact that we lived about a block away from the Maine Lobsterman's Association in Kennebunk, Maine for wellness over a decade. We know our lobster. We can tell fresh from frozen. Heck, my wife can tell the difference between today's catch and "day old tank lobster." (She eats a lot of lobster whenever possible.)

 

The only warm water lobster we saw was in the lobster shack at Half Moon Cay.

 

Years ago, HAL served warm water lobster, but they haven't in several years.

 

Well, I am glad that someone has confirmed my experience ;).

[POA1]

Yes and yes....... If a lobster's shel l is red, it has to have been subjject to the h heat of cooking..... they do nto come out of the ocean bright red. At least two Hotel directors/hotel managers have cclearly said justt a ougt the same thing to me when I asked aboout the disappointing texture off some of the various trypes of white fish they serve. It surre tastes to me like it has been frozen and they confirmed same as you wrote, chengkp.

Normally, you won't find a red lobster in the wild - but they do exist. So do yellow and blue shelled ones. The Mystic Aquarium usually has a few of the mutant colors.

[POA1]

Even if it is from Maine, and the Maine Lobstermen's Association has fought a lot of battles over people calling all northern lobsters (homarus americanus) Maine lobsters, it is a frozen tail, and if not properly blanched and packaged for freezing, and not properly thawed and cooked, it bears almost no resemblance to fresh Maine lobster. Since I can get a 1.25 lb lobster for $7-8, there is no way I'd pay $20 for a frozen tail. Where's the claw meat?

They've gotten pretty good at flash freezing the past few years. The lobster is typically blanched, then frozen. You could tell the difference. We can tell the difference. Flatlanders, not so much. The tails are what most people associate with Maine Lobster, but we're a knuckle and claw people ourselves.

[POA1]

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/08/31/new-england-aquarium-receives-rare-yellow-lobster-million-find/XhE3jtuUBfWKNMzL8kjVIL/story.html

 

Boston Globe story on a yellow / gold lobster.

[navybankerteacher]

Well, I am glad that someone has confirmed my experience ;).

 

I believe he has echoed your impression, but not necessarily "confirmed your experience".

 

The frozen lobster tail served in the MDR on our Februsry 2016 Westerdam cruise was spiny (warm water) lobster.

 

More to the point: the frozen lobster tail served on the Zuiderdam this past September (from Quebec to New York) was spiny (warm water) lobster. This despite the fact that we spent a day at Bar Harbor - no non-human tender passengers seen.

 

Frankly the huge day-to-day price fluctuations, and the difficulty of buying , transporting and storing on board the thousands of live lobsters required to serve Maine lobster in the MDR virtually forces the notion to be written off as a rural myth (somehow, "urban myth" doesn't seem applicable to Maine coastal towns).

[chengkp75]

Not to mention that if they bring whole lobster onboard, and only serve tails, they are wasting a good bit of money in discarding the knuckles and claws.

[Aquahound]

Years ago, HAL served warm water lobster, but they haven't in several years.

 

This is not correct. My HAL experience is very limited but on the 4 cruises I've been on, including just last week on Koningsdam, it was definitely warm water spiny lobster served in the MDR. I'm confident of this because I hunted spiny lobster for 20 years when I lived in the Keys. The bright white dots on the tail are always a sure giveaway.

[*Miss G*]

Not to mention that if they bring whole lobster onboard, and only serve tails, they are wasting a good bit of money in discarding the knuckles and claws.

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be discarded.