Someone Please Tell Carnival how to make Sausage Gravy

[mom2tcdx2]

The biscuits have always looked awful (I will stick with grabbing a croissant), and I never thought the sausage gravy even looked like I wanted to try it.  Only thing I wish Carnival did have would be regular sausage patties and not the link sausage.  

[crewsweeper]

14 minutes ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

The biscuits have always looked awful (I will stick with grabbing a croissant), and I never thought the sausage gravy even looked like I wanted to try it.  Only thing I wish Carnival did have would be regular sausage patties and not the link sausage.  

Agree on biscuits and gravy.  But I do enjoy the brats and italian sausages when served.  

[ray98]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:31 PM, markkw07 said:

C'mon now!. It's not like there is a crew of southern grandma’s in the galleys cooking! Let's be realistic about this! Even if there was, there would be people on here complaining about it, so yea my rule, if you don't like it, then don't continue eating it and of course complain about it on here!. That’s just the cruise critic way and super helpful! I don't think it's going to change from what it is much. Move along!

Southern grandma's?   If McDonald's can out out a passable biscuit it isn't that hard.

[JT1962]

I just finished my 22nd cruise in the last 30 years on 8 different cruise lines and have never had an edible biscuit and only 2-3 times had sausage gravy was decent. My recent cruise on MSC Divina had the best sausage gravy I have had on a ship. It was good over eggs, but the biscuits were the typical hockey puck equivalent.

Edited October 27, 2022 by JT1962

[Island Dog]

18 minutes ago, JT1962 said:

I just finished my 22nd cruise in the last 30 years on 8 different cruise lines and have never had an edible biscuit and only 2-3 times had sausage gravy was decent. My recent cruise on MSC Divina had the best sausage gravy I have had on a ship. It was good over eggs, but the biscuits were the typical hockey puck equivalent.

I am sitting here in utter disbelief that Italians on MSC make the best sausage gravy, But I'll take your word for it. (I'm literally lol-ing).

 

Thank you!

[JT1962]

20 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

I am sitting here in utter disbelief that Italians on MSC make the best sausage gravy, But I'll take your word for it. (I'm literally lol-ing).

 

Thank you!

Best I’ve had on a ship, but certainly not close to what I’m used too, lol. They also had Meatloaf, Chicken & Waffles, Pulled Pork BBQ, and Jack Daniels Short Ribs at dinner, all of which were good to excellent. They are making an effort to appeal to American tastes.

[Island Dog]

1 minute ago, JT1962 said:

Best I’ve had on a ship, but certainly not close to what I’m used too, lol. They also had Meatloaf, Chicken & Waffles, Pulled Pork BBQ, and Jack Daniels Short Ribs at dinner, all of which were good to excellent. They are making an effort to appeal to American tastes.

That's awesome. After a disappointing first cruise with MSC a few years ago we are giving them another shot soon. I have indeed heard that they are making strides toward changing to appeal to the North American market. Your post makes me look forward to the cruise even more. Thanks for the info.

[Crusin Hogs]

How about someone teaching them to make sweet tea  ,,not that stump water they pass off as tea , It is darker than Coca Cola 

[Ilovesailaway]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:31 PM, markkw07 said:

C'mon now!. It's not like there is a crew of southern grandma’s in the galleys cooking! Let's be realistic about this! Even if there was, there would be people on here complaining about it, so yea my rule, if you don't like it, then don't continue eating it and of course complain about it on here!. That’s just the cruise critic way and super helpful! I don't think it's going to change from what it is much. Move along!

Yes great idea, if the food on a particular cruise is terrible it should not be mentioned here on cruisecritic because that wouldn't be helpful to anyone.

And I assure you biscuits and sausage gravy is not a dish that would require any special skill to execute. You would simply need to give half a crap and it appears Carnival has decided not to.

[Island Dog]

I think the reason that they can't make a decent biscuit is that a good biscuit requires buttermilk. With no other use for buttermilk onboard we get the puck. Only reason I can think of since all of the other breads and pastries are so damned good.

[cruisinpips]

Being in the deep south doesn’t help…had a great breakfast buffet earlier this year in Miami, which is nearly as far South as possible, but the gravy was like some type of paper mache or wallpaper glue!!
It’s the ability to cook “southern style” that eludes most of these “chefs”!

[JoeMo]

About the only way to make the bread discs (toast) edible is to put a healthy tablespoon of butter, then the "gravy". The "biscuits" are like the jars on top of the buffet line, Decoration. If you try to crumble them to soak up the "gravy", they turn to powder. I snicker to myself every time I see those biscuits on a ship sailing from Texas. 

Edited October 28, 2022 by JoeMo

[RockHoundTX]

LOL. As a born-n-bred Texan, I fully understand. I actually had this conversation with the buffet "head chef" on a cruise out of Galveston. One evening (pre-Covid) he was walking around asking how the food was. My comment was "Some is pretty good, but why does all the local Southern foods taste absolutely terrible? You give it a recognized Southern name but then sever something that isn't even close.".

 

His comment was "Well, we hear that a lot. I would love to change it but I can't. Every recipe we make and every ingredient we get is dictated by someone in Corporate. Even the length of time and temperature is specifically dictated. We don't get to choose. I can add a little more or a little less spice but that is about it." 

 

What really boggles my mind is that I have yet to have pecan pie on ANY cruise-line. They all have something they call pecan pie, but in every case is more like an inedible, dry pecan custard or something (i.e, uses some sort of flour based custard instead of corn syrup for filling). I have been to 49 US states and 30 countries and have yet to come across this "dessert" any-where else. It seems to be exclusive to cruise ships. Only answer that I ever got that even remotely made sense was "corn syrup is too sticky to use on a cruise ship. You won't find it in any desserts or dishes.".      

Edited October 28, 2022 by RockHoundTX

[jerseyjjs]

This is how I feel when I see the "pizza" they serve onboard.  As someone from the NE, NJ specifically, it boggles my mind when I see those 30-minute+ lines.

Edited October 28, 2022 by jerseyjjs

[bguppies]

25 minutes ago, jerseyjjs said:

This is how I feel when I see the "pizza" they serve onboard.  As someone from the NE, NJ specifically, it boggles my mind when I see those 30-minute+ lines.

Its just a matter of being passable when other options aren't very good. (when buffet food all looks blech and the deli line is 30 minuites long too. On the Sunshine last month, the deli line was longer than the pizza line everytime I checked.)

 

I can't think of one mass market pizza it is better than. (which is sad)

[Pyrate13]

9 hours ago, cruisinpips said:

Being in the deep south doesn’t help…had a great breakfast buffet earlier this year in Miami, which is nearly as far South as possible, but the gravy was like some type of paper mache or wallpaper glue!!
It’s the ability to cook “southern style” that eludes most of these “chefs”!

Geographic location may be way south but population wise, Miami is hardly 'southern'.

[topaz123]

19 hours ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

The biscuits have always looked awful (I will stick with grabbing a croissant), and I never thought the sausage gravy even looked like I wanted to try it.  Only thing I wish Carnival did have would be regular sausage patties and not the link sausage.  

Replace those terrible links with the patties.

[markkw07]

21 hours ago, ray98 said:

Southern grandma's?   If McDonald's can out out a passable biscuit it isn't that hard.

You might need to reevaluate your standards if McDonald's makes a passable biscuit..

Jus sayin 😁

[markkw07]

17 hours ago, cruisinpips said:

Being in the deep south doesn’t help…had a great breakfast buffet earlier this year in Miami, which is nearly as far South as possible, but the gravy was like some type of paper mache or wallpaper glue!!
It’s the ability to cook “southern style” that eludes most of these “chefs”!

Right....and if anyone who has ever been on a cruise has seen who is in the galleys on cruise ships..I can 100% assure you that no one has a “southern” cooking background! If anyone says that's not true...then why are we even discussing the hockey pucks and "sausage gravy" 

[sanmarcosman]

2 hours ago, markkw07 said:

Right....and if anyone who has ever been on a cruise has seen who is in the galleys on cruise ships..I can 100% assure you that no one has a “southern” cooking background! If anyone says that's not true...then why are we even discussing the hockey pucks and "sausage gravy" 

The majority of the galley management and staff are from South Asia (India) so there's that. The American south? No. 

[audcc77]

OP here.  Well, it’s my last day on the Sunshine tomorrow and I’ve kept an eye on the sausage gravy situation.  
 

It appears that the first day they served it, they must have used curdled milk or maybe put it through a Ninja chopper or something because it’s back to the “normal” so-so gravy.   Cold and watery, yet chunks of sausage.  
 

All is well.  I’ll take it.  🙂

[IntrepidFromDC]

2 hours ago, audcc77 said:

OP here...  it’s back to the “normal” so-so gravy.   Cold and watery, yet chunks of sausage.  
 

All is well.  I’ll take it.  🙂

🤢

[Purvis1231]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:50 AM, Jtislandgirl said:

And biscuits.......those suckers are hard as rocks. 

Right the biscuits and gravy are terrible but there are the can pork and beans on the buffet! 

[Purvis1231]

15 hours ago, sanmarcosman said:

The majority of the galley management and staff are from South Asia (India) so there's that. The American south? No. 

It is funny the Asian staff have learned to cook Italian food but not American Southern food? Which is more difficult? 

[Island Dog]

1 minute ago, Purvis1231 said:

It is funny the Asian staff have learned to cook Italian food but not American Southern food? Which is more difficult? 

And yet the Italians on MSC have been reported on this thread to be making the best sausage gravy at sea. Bizarro world.