A food question

I've heard if you want something just ask for it. If they don't have it they'll get it. What about lobsters? Do they serve lobsters? Has anyone asked for them? We'll be on a Caribbean cruise.

Thanks

From our recent experience, if you ask for something not on the menu that day, they will get it for you if it can easily be obtained from a jar, even if it is expensive (e.g. caviar, foie gras). However, if it involves some preparation by the kitchen (e.g. lobster as you mentioned), they will tell you that you have to order it ahead of time (such as the day before if you so dare), otherwise, sorry! Other than at a specialty dinner (at the Terrace Cafe) one night, and as an appertizer in the Restaurant one night, lobsters were nowhere to be found. King crab legs appeared only once as one item in the galley brunch. The seafood section of the dinner menu was always fish, fish and more fish. We only saw escagot or clam once. Silversea seemed to emphasize food "from the fields", namely lamb and steak, and seafood appeared lacking in variety!

The reason I asked, is that tonight I was talking to a friend who spends a lot of time in the Dominican Republic. When I mentioned we were stopping there, he said to go to Casa de Campo and order their giant lobsters. He said they are caribbean lobsters, not maine, but they are delicious and huge. So now I'm thinking since we'll be in the Caribbean...if I asked early on....would it be something they might pick up and make for me? Or, is that expecting too much?

P.S. Maybe I should tell them I'm on a special diet. I only eat lobster, shrimp, king crab legs, clams, escargot and desert. :)

Just ask for it and they'll get it for you. If it's something that requires extensive preparation but they have the ingredients such as lobster, then they'll have it the next day for you. By the way Silversea has the best cheese selection of many cruise lines I've been on, served at exactly the right ripeness. Very impressive. One night the dining room captain served me an exquisit cheese, forgot what it was. I asked what they did with the leftover because by the next day, it would have been over-ripe. He said staff lines up and fight for it, so they never have problem with cheese leftover.

In a neighbouring thread "Just back from Whisper" on this Silversea column, (posting #21 by azgkrudi), there is a link which shows you the menus of her week-long cruise in the Caribbean. You can take a look and get the idea. Hope this helps.

 

 

P.S. Maybe I should tell them I'm on a special diet. I only eat lobster, shrimp, king crab legs, clams, escargot and desert. :)

And of course don't forget the caviar and foie gras, they taste really good!

meow, i did look at those menu's and that's what got me to thinking that I didn't see very much shellfish, especially any lobster.

simonv, when you say they have the ingredients but if it requires extensive preparation....what i'm looking for is a whole steamed or broiled lobster. Very little preparation required at all. I was wondering do they ever have fresh whole lobsters on board, or is it just frozen lobster meat?

The reason I asked, is that tonight I was talking to a friend who spends a lot of time in the Dominican Republic. When I mentioned we were stopping there, he said to go to Casa de Campo and order their giant lobsters. He said they are caribbean lobsters, not maine, but they are delicious and huge. So now I'm thinking since we'll be in the Caribbean...if I asked early on....would it be something they might pick up and make for me? Or, is that expecting too much?

 

 

P.S. Maybe I should tell them I'm on a special diet. I only eat lobster, shrimp, king crab legs, clams, escargot and desert. :)

There you go! Sorry I didn't see your post before I replied. I know they have lobsters in the freezer, but local Carribean lobsters I'm not sure if they'll do. Seabourn might do it. Or you can just get the lobster yourself on shore, and ask them to cook it.

i dont know about whole lobsters but i have asked for and received with no problem huge lobster tails, lobster salads, lobster souffles and lobster risottos. usually if i ask at lunch i can have them at dinner. or at dinner for lunch the next day. they are very accomodating.

Thanks for the info. What sailing were you on? Lobster tails are fine, and actually, if they have frozen lobster tails, they can prepare so many things that would make me happy. Actually, eating lobster tails is easier and neater then eating a whole lobster. And I'll take your advice and one night at dinner ask for cold lobster salad for lunch. On my special request form I think I'll write that I'm not a big meat eater, but enjoy lobster.

My wife and I are sailing out of Cape Town on the Silver Wind.Hoping they have plenty of South African Lobster tails.This is our first time on SS.Looking foward to the cruise.

ive been on several silversea sailings, the most recent was a 24 day barbados to rome crossing on the whisper last may. no matter which ship tho ive always been more than happy with the food. this fall i did two transatlantic crossings on the QM2. i was in princess grill where thed and service was outstanding but that's about it. too big. too impersonal. but i had to try it. from now on ill stick to silversea and seabourn.

During our cruise in December, because we were "first-timers", we were not bold enough to "pre-book" lobsters or whatever. However, we did delightfully have our fill of caviar and foie gras several times -- once we saw others had it, we quickly learnt how to ask for it too! Generally, the printed menu seemed to emphasize on food "from the fields", perhaps they should have a line in the menu saying "we welcome pre-ordering of any reasonable dish five hours ahead of time (or whatever)"! Alternatively, put a box in the "final documents" asking passengers to indicate what they would like to eat and drink (within reason, of course), and have them faxed back to Silversea a week before the cruise. This way, customers with different preferences can be better satiated, hopefully without incurring additional costs.

While I am at it, I have to mention that the poolside grill did decline to provide anything other than the existing salad, hot dogs and hamburgers. If Oceania can provide nice poolside-grilled halibut steaks, why not Silversea? The quality of food on Silver Shadow was very "refined", possibly more so than Oceania (which claimed to be best in food, and was indeed excellent). Nonetheless, based on the menu alone (aside from special "pre-ordering"), Silversea seemed to have less seafood variety than Oceania.

Cruise lines aside, just on the topic of seafood, we find warm water lobsters, "bugs" and shrimps to be really nice. For example, in the Spring of 2001, on our trip to Australia, we had just about the best seafood possible. Even in Perth on the west coast, the lobsters fresh from the waters near by was m..m good! Those of you cruising to the South Pacific should make a special effort to try them. On the other hand, decades ago, we had "lobster sandwiches" at Cape Cod (close to Boston), it was so nice that we still remember it. Those cruising the New England area should try it. While cats are supposed to eat mice (from the fields), we love seafood too, meow!

P.S. We like the relatively small portions served on Silversea. In this day and age of high blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol, it is good for our own health to have smaller portions. They also save on wastage and pollution. Those who like to eat more can always have additional servings, or order more than one plate for better variety! Thank you.

When I was on my first Silversea cruise, I had dinner with the Austrian hotel manager and his Canadian wife one night. We were talking about how they'd been on the ship together for several months, and I asked the lady, "Do you ever get a craving for something simple like peanut butter?" She must have thought I was being critical, because she replied, "Oh, we have peanut butter!" And sure enough, they did, although I never had the audacity to ask for it at a meal. :-)

When I first read the Whisper review by azgkrudi where she described in detail each course she and her husband ate, I decided to look for her picture to see if she weighed 200 lbs. The amount of courses they ate sounded like so much food. Then I saw pictures of some of the dishes, and realized each course is a very small portion. And when I saw her picture...there she was at the pool bar in a bikini looking quite good. I had a good laugh.

My wife and I are sailing out of Cape Town on the Silver Wind.Hoping they have plenty of South African Lobster tails.This is our first time on SS.Looking foward to the cruise.

Are you on the Capetown departure on March 24th.??? Whenever we request a "special" meal... it is suggested that we do so at least 1 day before..

No, We are on the March 2nd departure.Cape Town to Port Louis.

While it may seem logical to buy local seafood, meats and cheeses in some parts of the world, I doubt many cruise lines would do it for health reasons. As fas as I know, most cruise lines buy food exclusively from suppliers who are certified by US health authorities no matter where the ships are cruising. You can be cruising around the world and the odds are all the food will come from US supliers. For example, the beef is usually American even if you're cruising in Europe. Cruise lines do purchase some special foods locally but only from US-certified suppliers. Tom.

Your post makes good sense. In thinking it over, the cruise line would be taking a large risk by purchasing local food. I was foolish to think they would.

Thanks.

It isn't just health; it's also consistency of quality.

Silversea does buy some products locally, however, such as fish and produce. (I remember being on one cruise where the menu would say "salmon from the Copenhagen fish market" or whatever.)

i remember one cruise in south america on the shadow. we walked into the diuning room for lunch intending only to order a salad but the waiter insisted we try the sole which had just been brought onboard an hour before. you wont be sorry, he said, and he was right. it was so fresh and delicious i still recall it today.

When I first read the Whisper review by azgkrudi where she described in detail each course she and her husband ate, I decided to look for her picture to see if she weighed 200 lbs. The amount of courses they ate sounded like so much food. Then I saw pictures of some of the dishes, and realized each course is a very small portion. And when I saw her picture...there she was at the pool bar in a bikini looking quite good. I had a good laugh.

Floridamom, please don't misunderstand - aside from the appetizers and sorbet, we definitely did NOT finish any of the other courses (unless they were small, not fried, etc.). In fact, we rarely finish any dinners wherever we go back home! But we are the type to order small portions at many times of the day - e.g., we liked to have the canapes in the afternoon to tide us over, or we'd order a cheese/cracker plate in the late afternoon, etc.

Believe me, Silversea will pretty much feed you what you want, when you want it!

I'll be anxious to hear about your take on it when you get back. ;)

I meant everything as a compliment! Your descriptions and pictures of the food, and courses, were very much appreciated by a fellow cruiser, newbie to SS. My laugh was with you, not at you...I should look so good !

FM

Yes, I've read about those cheese and crackers.

Not offended in the least, Floridamom! I truly think you'll have a wonderful time and that you'll enjoy the food very much. If you crave a certain food and don't see it on the menu, go ahead and ask. I got the feeling that some of the (better) waiters almost expected this.

When our group was on the Whisper in December we decided to pre-order Grand Marnier souffles the night before. We were the envy of the dining room the next night thats for sure. It was probably one of the best Grand Marnier souffles that I had ever had the pleasure of eating....

Go ahead - if you really think you want something dont be afraid to ask. They will do their hardest to accomodate you.