Maine Lobster - is it worth the upcharge?

[HD2003]

I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in New England and was also born and raised on local seafood including my beloved lobster.  I now live in Florida and it is somewhat difficult to find a well cooked lobster.  Has anyone either in the MDR or other restaurant, paid the extra for a steamed lobster and if so, how was it, is it cooked in salted water and do you feel it was worth the extra $$.  TIA

[sunlover2]

 

I would also love to know this.

 

I didn't realize there is an up charge for lobster these days

[ReneeFLL]

1 minute ago, sunlover2 said:

 

I would also love to know this.

 

I didn't realize there is an up charge for lobster these days

The upcharge is only for the Maine lobster. The warm water ones are still free on lobster night. For those that want to get picky, yes I know it’s not really free since the food was paid for in the cruise fare. There have been many comments before about the “free” stuff. 

[firefly333]

42 minutes ago, HD2003 said:

I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in New England and was also born and raised on local seafood including my beloved lobster.  I now live in Florida and it is somewhat difficult to find a well cooked lobster.  Has anyone either in the MDR or other restaurant, paid the extra for a steamed lobster and if so, how was it, is it cooked in salted water and do you feel it was worth the extra $$.  TIA

In chops there is I think $27 surcharge for a huge lobster. 1.5 lbs? Something i couldnt eat. On top of the cost to eat in chops. Wasnt worth it to me to pay. ..and I love lobster. I'd like a smaller lobster for less or included again. 

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, HD2003 said:

I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in New England and was also born and raised on local seafood including my beloved lobster.  I now live in Florida and it is somewhat difficult to find a well cooked lobster.  Has anyone either in the MDR or other restaurant, paid the extra for a steamed lobster and if so, how was it, is it cooked in salted water and do you feel it was worth the extra $$.  TIA

They are frozen, so IMHO not worth the charge.  Especially for $27.

29 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

In chops there is I think $27 surcharge for a huge lobster. 1.5 lbs? Something i couldnt eat. On top of the cost to eat in chops. Wasnt worth it to me to pay. ..and I love lobster. I'd like a smaller lobster for less or included again. 

You do realize that a 1.5 lb lobster only produces about 5-6 oz of meat?  The weight includes the shell, and the carapace, which has virtually no meat.  Here in Maine, the minimum size is by length of carapace, but generally you can't get anything smaller than 1 lb, what we call "chix".  But, as I say, since they are frozen and then steamed, the consistency is changed, and I don't like them.   And, I can get a 1.5 lb lobster for $11 and steam it myself.

[Ferry_Watcher]

3 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

 And, I can get a 1.5 lb lobster for $11 and steam it myself.

And I can get a Dungeness crab for 7.99 a pound here in Seattle, but if I have an opportunity to have a Maine Lobster at a reasonable price on a cruise ship, I will definitely do it.

 

[poocher]

48 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

In chops there is I think $27 surcharge for a huge lobster. 1.5 lbs? Something i couldnt eat. On top of the cost to eat in chops. Wasnt worth it to me to pay. ..and I love lobster. I'd like a smaller lobster for less or included again. 

Huge? 1.5 lbs?  Practically an appetizer!   Heading to Maine in two weeks to eat a large quantity!

Edited August 21, 2022 by poocher

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

And I can get a Dungeness crab for 7.99 a pound here in Seattle, but if I have an opportunity to have a Maine Lobster at a reasonable price on a cruise ship, I will definitely do it.

 

But, if you've only had a lobster on a ship, you haven't really had a Maine lobster.  And, there is no guarantee it is actually a Maine lobster, it could be the inferior Canadian version.

[Oxo]

What about a lobster Roll im New England for $38? Totally out rageous.

[ReneeFLL]

13 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

But, if you've only had a lobster on a ship, you haven't really had a Maine lobster.  And, there is no guarantee it is actually a Maine lobster, it could be the inferior Canadian version.

Edited - Never mind. I googled it.

Edited August 21, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, ReneeFLL said:

What’s the difference between the two?

New Englanders fishing illegally in Canadian waters.

[chengkp75]

1 minute ago, ReneeFLL said:

What’s the difference between the two?

The water in the Gulf of Maine is slightly cooler than Canadian waters, leading to softer and sweeter meat.  

[poocher]

14 minutes ago, Oxo said:

What about a lobster Roll im New England for $38? Totally out rageous.

No more so than a 6 ounce filet mignon for the same price and probably the same weight.

[firefly333]

I remember in the olden days a surf n turf. A littlemfilet and a small tail. That's what I want. Included lobster.

[chengkp75]

7 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

New Englanders fishing illegally in Canadian waters.

Historically, it was the opposite, since Canada had no maximum size limit until about 15 years ago, but Maine was the only state on the East Coast with a maximum size limit.  It is estimated that a 3 lb lobster produces 14 times the eggs that a 1.5 lb lobster does.  So, the maximum limit helps sustainability.  Also, Canadian season is only two months long.

[chengkp75]

19 minutes ago, Oxo said:

What about a lobster Roll im New England for $38? Totally out rageous.

Well, picked lobster meat is $65/lb.  You're paying for someone to cook it, shell it, clean it, and chop it.  While I can crack a bug in about 5 minutes (soft shell), you're again getting less than half a pound of meat.

[poocher]

Half the fun of lobster is the mess you make eating it!  My sweet spot is 1 3/4 to 2 lbs.  At that size, the body is full of really sweet meat and I suck every last morsel out of it!

Edited August 21, 2022 by poocher

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Historically, it was the opposite, since Canada had no maximum size limit until about 15 years ago, but Maine was the only state on the East Coast with a maximum size limit.  It is estimated that a 3 lb lobster produces 14 times the eggs that a 1.5 lb lobster does.  So, the maximum limit helps sustainability.  Also, Canadian season is only two months long.

Well, of course you're going to see it that way.... I suppose you still think Machias Seal Island is part of the US?  Wonder whether limiting length of season (and the time of year does vary depending on the particular fisheries zone) is a better stock conservation measure than maximum size.

[chengkp75]

Just now, poocher said:

Half the fun of lobster is the mess you make eating it!  My sweet spot is 1 3/4 to 2 lbs.  At that size, the body is full of really sweet meat and I suck every last morsel out of it!

That depends on whether it is a soft shell or hard shell.  Soft shell is a new, bigger shell on a lobster, so lots of room to grow (and it's full of water), but hard shell is nearly time to molt.

[chengkp75]

Just now, d9704011 said:

Well, of course you're going to see it that way.... I suppose you still think Machias Seal Island is part of the US?  Wonder whether limiting length of season (and the time of year does vary depending on the particular fisheries zone) is a better stock conservation measure than maximum size.

There is also a limit on numbers of traps, and the season gets varied in length by the observed catch.

[poocher]

Hard shell all the way.  I don’t need to pay extra for all the water in a soft shell and IMO they just don’t taste as good.

[notscb]

2 hours ago, HD2003 said:

do you feel it was worth the extra $$

 

Honestly...

I had a $30 room credit left at the end of my time on Freedom so I figured why not get the lobster? I was...disappointed. It came out and tasted overcooked. The butter they put alongside wasn't anything special and didn't enhance any of the flavor or taste. I was disappointed (but of course still ate the entire thing because lobster).

[smokeybandit]

The better question is, is it worth it to you?

 

 

[smokeybandit]

Just now, notscb said:

The butter they put alongside wasn't anything special and didn't enhance any of the flavor or taste.

Butter hides the taste anyway. Kind of like escargot. 

[nelblu]

36 minutes ago, Oxo said:

What about a lobster Roll im New England for $38? Totally out rageous.

Wow, that's double what I paid pre-pandemic in Kennebunkport.