Which cruise line has the worst food?

[lenquixote66]

5 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Sure did. They used to have a snack bar on the ferry boats.

A snack bar is not the same as being served in a dining room on a cruise ship.

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

A snack bar is not the same as being served in a dining room on a cruise ship.

No one said it was. I was merely confirming that years ago you could buy food on the SI ferry.

 

However, based on my observations of how many people eat hamburgers at the cruise ship buffets and barbeques I'm not sure there really is that much difference from the SI ferry. 

[richstowe]

4 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

A snack bar is not the same as being served in a dining room on a cruise ship.

You're taking this waaay too seriously . 

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, njhorseman said:

No one said it was. I was merely confirming that years ago you could buy food on the SI ferry.

 

However, based on my observations of how many people eat hamburgers at the cruise ship buffets and barbeques I'm not sure there really is that much difference from the SI ferry. 

My time riding to work on the SI ferry was in 1959.I cannot recall a snack bar but I could be wrong.

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

My time riding to work on the SI ferry was in 1959.I cannot recall a snack bar but I could be wrong.

I recall summer lunch hours in the 1960’s making a round trip on the SI Ferry from Manhattan - taking just about an hour - and having a couple of hot dogs and orange drink.

[lenquixote66]

4 minutes ago, richstowe said:

You're taking this waaay too seriously . 

In 1969 I was in Montreal for the first time and went to a baseball game .The snack food there was excellent,but I digress,back to the original topic.

[lenquixote66]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

I recall summer lunch hours in the 1960’s making a round trip on the SI Ferry from Manhattan - taking just about an hour - and having a couple of hot dogs and orange drink.

In the 60’s I was in college and had no thoughts about cruising or dining on a cruise.

[Aquahound]

49 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Can I include the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Staten Island Ferry line?  LOL!!!

 

 

Ha!  The Washington State ferries also have cafeterias, and I've indulged in their breakfast sandwiches and cheeseburgers many times.

 

An yet, I still maintain that NCL is the worst. 

[lenquixote66]

23 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Ha!  The Washington State ferries also have cafeterias, and I've indulged in their breakfast sandwiches and cheeseburgers many times.

 

An yet, I still maintain that NCL is the worst. 

I have been on the Washington State ferries and found their food to be quite good .This was in 1993.IMHO Carnival has the worst food.I have cruised on 6 lines ,The best in order for food were Cunard,Celebrity,HAL,RCI ,NCL ,Carnival.

[clo]

56 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I recall summer lunch hours in the 1960’s making a round trip on the SI Ferry from Manhattan - taking just about an hour - and having a couple of hot dogs and orange drink.

Were you in grammar school then?!?!?

[njhorseman]

23 minutes ago, clo said:

Were you in grammar school then?!?!?

If he was, he's a youngster. I was in college by the early 60's. 

[bob brown]

Not only the SI Ferry, but the major New York subway stations used to have snack bars in them selling hot dogs, knishes, pizza, egg rolls, etc...along with gum and candy machines on the platform columns...not any more, to prevent littering.

[kristapb]

I would agree with the folks who thought NCL.  We used to enjoy their older ships, but have not been happy with the dining on the Epic, Breakaway and Getaway.  They had the itineraries and the good prices we were looking for at the time.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, clo said:

Were you in grammar school then?!?!?

I wish - no, I was at summer school, living at my parents’ - finishing my undergraduate work - picking up the three hours needed - before getting my commission and heading to Norfolk, for some serious cruising.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, bob brown said:

Not only the SI Ferry, but the major New York subway stations used to have snack bars in them selling hot dogs, knishes, pizza, egg rolls, etc...along with gum and candy machines on the platform columns...not any more, to prevent littering.

A hot dog on the ferry was one thing - you could be getting some clean air — but eating something cooked in a subway station - with the noise, the crowds, the smells - was not particularly appetizing.

[Smurf2017]

Thanks. I don't think that will ever be on my shopping list but good to know anyway. 

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

A hot dog on the ferry was one thing - you could be getting some clean air — but eating something cooked in a subway station - with the noise, the crowds, the smells - was not particularly appetizing.

I never ate anything in the subway tunnels but I did eat the delicious food from Nedicks,

Chock Full O’ Nuts and the Automat.

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I never ate anything in the subway tunnels but I did eat the delicious food from Nedicks,

Chock Full O’ Nuts and the Automat.

Yes, Nedicks — they could make about forty gallons of their orange drink out of one orange.  And Chock Full O’Nuts - “that heavenly coffee”.  Horn and Hardart’s baked beans (with a little slab of thick bacon on top) was the core of a pretty good 25 c lunch.

[George C]

I remember the horn and hardarts when I first started working they went away very shortly after in late 60’s . For those unfamiliar with it food was in windows each thing item would cost anywhere from maybe 15 cents and up pretty sure nothing was over a dollar. We are really dating ourselves.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

Yes, Nedicks — they could make about forty gallons of their orange drink out of one orange.  And Chock Full O’Nuts - “that heavenly coffee”.  Horn and Hardart’s baked beans (with a little slab of thick bacon on top) was the core of a pretty good 25 c lunch.

I also frequented cafeterias in Manhattan and Brooklyn that we’re similiar to the Automat.

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 4/9/2020 at 11:04 AM, lenquixote66 said:

One of the reasons we would cruise with NCL again,if possible would be because we like the food.Everyone has different opinions.It would be a very dull world if we all shared the same opinion.

Our first cruise was on the NCL Sun about 16 years ago and the food in the MDR was just okay and the service was terrible - have never gone back, but hope that it has improved.

 

Which brings up another question - which lines may have comparable food quality but the worst service.

Edited April 11, 2020 by NantahalaCruiser

[iancal]

Bottom line for us is that cruise line MDR is banquet food.

 

The only differences from our perspective is the name and description of the dining options on the menu, how the plate is tarted up/presented a little with squirt of this and that to make it appear gourmet and individually prepared, and the fancy place settings.  These serve to enhance our enjoyment of the product.  But...at the end of the day it is banquet style food.

 

We have sailed on a number cruise lines.  NOT once would we choose a meal in their MDR over a meal in one of our preferred local land based restaurants.  We could make an exception for Crystal though!

[lenquixote66]

13 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Our first cruise was on the NCL Sun about 16 years ago and the food in the MDR was just okay and the service was terrible - have never gone back, but hope that it has improved.

 

Which brings up another question - which lines may have comparable food quality but the worst service.

Worst service for me was on a HAL cruise on the Zeiderdam.

[travelnap]

I have had  both good and not so good meals on every cruise line I have sailed with, so I am not going to say which line has the worst food in the MDR.  None of them are gourmet dining at its finest.  Everyone has their likes and dislikes and since food is so subjective, what is good food to someone may be terrible food to someone else.  For example, I did a TA once that was 16 days long.  I think they served a different type of meat loaf about every fourth day.  A lot of people do not consider meat loaf a gourmet treat.  I don't mind a good meat loaf from time to time so I didn't think it was bad food, but others might think that was terrible.  I am just saying, to each their own.

[CruiserBruce]

36 minutes ago, travelnap said:

I have had  both good and not so good meals on every cruise line I have sailed with, so I am not going to say which line has the worst food in the MDR.  None of them are gourmet dining at its finest.  Everyone has their likes and dislikes and since food is so subjective, what is good food to someone may be terrible food to someone else.  For example, I did a TA once that was 16 days long.  I think they served a different type of meat loaf about every fourth day.  A lot of people do not consider meat loaf a gourmet treat.  I don't mind a good meat loaf from time to time so I didn't think it was bad food, but others might think that was terrible.  I am just saying, to each their own.

Very well said. Just as there is no one "best" for everyone, there is no one "worst", either.