How Do They Keep Fresh Vegs and Fruit on Long Cruises?

[raudacruise]

To answer some questions:

 

1. The ships stores has special compartments for veggies that have a low oxygen content vs. high nitrogen. Oxygen is what rots veggies. The same technique is used for truck farmed fruits/veggies in the US.

 

2. At least on RCL/Celebrity they own a cargo ship that hauls the food from the US to Europe. They may get some minor amount of local food but they have long term contracts with food suppliers (like Sysco) in the US so its cheaper for them to lock in prices and not have to worry about things in Europe.

 

With the dollar dropping against the Euro as it has it's a good thing they locked in the prices. Other wise we'd probably have a "food surcharge" tacked onto our bill.

[Philob]

On my Pride of Aloha cruise last year, the buffet had fresh-cut-in-front-of-you pineapple, mangos, and papayas with "Product of Phillipines" stickers on them :cool:

[insidecabin]

To answer some questions:

 

1. The ships stores has special compartments for veggies that have a low oxygen content vs. high nitrogen. Oxygen is what rots veggies. The same technique is used for truck farmed fruits/veggies in the US.

 

2. At least on RCL/Celebrity they own a cargo ship that hauls the food from the US to Europe. They may get some minor amount of local food but they have long term contracts with food suppliers (like Sysco) in the US so its cheaper for them to lock in prices and not have to worry about things in Europe.

 

With the dollar dropping against the Euro as it has it's a good thing they locked in the prices. Other wise we'd probably have a "food surcharge" tacked onto our bill.

 

 

I think that is primeraly the frozen foods(meat/fish), seen plenty of european supplies going onto the ships over the last few trips in europe.

[cubfan60004]

I heard that they have like a million of those "as seen on tv" keep fresh baggies. LOL Im cracking myself up

[mbisson]

On a 7 day cruise to Bermuda. Does the fruit and vegetables become scarce toward end of cruise? May be a stupid question but this is my first cruise.

 

How Do They Keep Fresh Vegs and Fruit on Long Cruises?

They use transporters!!!

[kat89447]

I used to work in resturants and a friend of mine worked on ships. Storage is the same on both. They have rooms held at different temps and separate accordingly. Some are humidity/temp controlled dry rooms, then there are refriged rooms that hold food at different temps, and then huge meat locker type freezers. It is possible to buy certain produce at different levels of ripeness, and some ships will take on local produce if allowed. Still it is possible to run out of anything. If a certain type of fruit or salad is "all the rage" that week it happens. We have had it happen that something we made as a special became very popular and ran out of it quickly and couldn't replenish by the next day or two. On some boats the food storage area can be half of a deck, and the other half is wine etc. Hope this helps.

[jaja]

I heard that they have like a million of those "as seen on tv" keep fresh baggies. LOL Im cracking myself up

 

I use them and they work...esp for bananas!!!

[resurgam]

On some boats the food storage area can be half of a deck, and the other half is wine etc. Hope this helps.

Half a deck of WINE!!!!!

[bethaniesmom]

i asked for banana with breakfast one trip on like day six of a seven day cruise and was told that they didn't have any bananas...that sometimes they get thru a week with a few on the last day but other times they don't last, that they just get too ripe, too fast. otherwise I have not seen them run out of anything.

 

Beverly

[zebster15]

On a 7 day cruise to Bermuda. Does the fruit and vegetables become scarce toward end of cruise? May be a stupid question but this is my first cruise.

 

No question is a stupid question?

 

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[meaclasact2]

On a 7 day cruise to Bermuda. Does the fruit and vegetables become scarce toward end of cruise? May be a stupid question but this is my first cruise.

 

We had tons of fresh fruits and vegetables during our voyage last Fall. Regarding the fruits...I did notice that we also had some wonderful dried fruit - the dried pineapple became a favorite for DH and I for breakfast. I would swear that they dried their own fruit - which would make a lot of sense considering that some fruit might start to get over ripened. I can't prove it, and whether or not it's true doesn't really matter - I only know that the fresh fruit and the dried fruit were all wonderful...from the first day to the 15th.

 

Don't worry - they'll be more than enough and it will all be delicious.

[Heat Wave]

Like a PP said, I have had the ship run out of bananas before.

[CruisnGram]

Like a PP said, I have had the ship run out of bananas before.

 

Well that would make sense as I can't think of any veggie or fruit that has a shorter shelf life then a banana. They seem to turn brown and squishy between the grocery store and home! :eek:

[lambs2]

We had tons of fresh fruits and vegetables during our voyage last Fall. Regarding the fruits...I did notice that we also had some wonderful dried fruit - the dried pineapple became a favorite for DH and I for breakfast. I would swear that they dried their own fruit - which would make a lot of sense considering that some fruit might start to get over ripened. I can't prove it, and whether or not it's true doesn't really matter - I only know that the fresh fruit and the dried fruit were all wonderful...from the first day to the 15th.

 

Don't worry - they'll be more than enough and it will all be delicious.

 

 

The dried fruits on our recent March cruise on the Jewell were marvelous too. I LOVED the dried dates, apricots and golden raisins!

[ZoneHPH]

ATTENTION: i have just unveiled the method by which all food on the ships last as long as they do... *drumroll*

 

in addition to turning the ship over for the next batch of pax...crew members engage in this method of food preservation:

 

that's why they want you to eat in the buffet once you board. crew members are each issued a food saver. and for the dried fruits:

 

how's that for crack-investigative work?

[RaeVynn]

We get our green bags from our local food co-op... and they really do work!

 

I had salad greens keep for 10 days, once... still crisp as can be! And the bananas stay pretty darned perfect (DH likes his a tiny bit green) for the week.

 

Really good things. Check around before you buy, though... you might find them locally! :)

 

I sure hope we don't run out of bananas on our cruise!! :eek:

[flashdog_1]

I was glad to read above that the contracts with US suppliers keep them in US produce for the most part. Why?

 

All countries do not have the same sanitation standards that we do (nor method of growing them), and one ripe berry from say Costa Rica, could give your digestive system problems the rest of your life. (Not pointing a finger at CR that was just an example of a port of call that was not US). Happened to one of my friends who bought raspberries in her super market. I wait until the US produce is available instead of buying ahead of season from foreign countries.

 

A better example for a country should have been a 3rd world country outside our hemisphere, say Asia. You know, honey buckets supplying the fertilizer?

[ZoneHPH]

I was glad to read above that the contracts with US suppliers keep them in US produce for the most part. Why?

 

All countries do not have the same sanitation standards that we do (nor method of growing them), and one ripe berry from say Costa Rica, could give your digestive system problems the rest of your life. (Not pointing a finger at CR that was just an example of a port of call that was not US). Happened to one of my friends who bought raspberries in her super market. I wait until the US produce is available instead of buying ahead of season from foreign countries.

 

A better example for a country should have been a 3rd world country outside our hemisphere, say Asia. You know, honey buckets supplying the fertilizer?

 

hold on...don't we import a lot of our produce? ESPECIALLY things like bananas?

[raudacruise]

hold on...don't we import a lot of our produce? ESPECIALLY things like bananas?

Yes but mostly through US companies that have FDA/USDA inspections Example for bananas would be Dole (they have FDA certification for their organic brand).

[ZoneHPH]

Yes but mostly through US companies that have FDA/USDA inspections Example for bananas would be Dole (they have FDA certification for their organic brand).

 

ok true.

[GORDONCHICK]

Well that would make sense as I can't think of any veggie or fruit that has a shorter shelf life then a banana. They seem to turn brown and squishy between the grocery store and home! :eek:

 

They don't do what my mother does with over ripe bananas? Make banana bread?? Just kidding, but that was the whole reason we would let some bananas get too ripe when we lived at home!

[Lisa1]

They don't do what my mother does with over ripe bananas? Make banana bread?? Just kidding, but that was the whole reason we would let some bananas get too ripe when we lived at home!

 

Oh, they do make banana bread! I remember going through the Blue Lagoon on the Star almost every day to pick up a piece (or two or three, but it's a cruise - who's counting?). That was a few years ago, but I hope they bake it on the Pearl this year too!

[VoyageVirgin]

hold on...don't we import a lot of our produce? ESPECIALLY things like bananas?

 

YES, We have no bananas

[Cosmopolitan]

Oh, they do make banana bread! I remember going through the Blue Lagoon on the Star almost every day to pick up a piece (or two or three, but it's a cruise - who's counting?). That was a few years ago, but I hope they bake it on the Pearl this year too!

 

They still had it this past January, even at the NY port as you were waiting to board:)

[ktpc2005]

most probably they have chill rooms or freezer rooms to get produce fresh, on the TA trips and as someone else said just get fresh products from the ports they visit. Like on my up and coming trip around the med. Which leads me to a side questions sorry OT but do the meals on the ship reflect the ports you are about to visit or have visited?

 

On our Med Sea cruise on the Gem, the meals did not reflect the ports that you visited unless you have the Italian food in LaCucina after visting an Italian port:rolleyes: