When in port, do you try a local restaurant or eat on ship for lunch?

[KirkNC]

The only time we would go back to the ship is if we were close to it. The only port I remember doing it is Stavenger Norway where the old town was right at the dock.

[sail7seas]

For years, we enjoyed a particular restaurant in St. Thomas and had many a great lunch there.

 

We had not been to lunch there for several years and on our recent Maasdam cruise, DH and I really looked forward to returning.

 

We entered, were seated, read the menu and all seemed the same. DH has a particular dish he has not seen on menus elsewhere and he settled back waiting for the waiter to serve him.

 

When he had the first forkful the look on his face was so sad.......... it was awful and all his anticipation was for naught.

 

New owner, new chef........ bad food.

Total disappointment but I will say they were very nice when we asked for our check so we could leave. They saw our uneaten plates and said 'no charge' but there's no way we would permit that. DH left as much money on the table as we expected the lunch to cost.

 

They were so nice but their food is soooo bad. :eek:

Rturn to Maasdam and lunch in Lido.... easy remedy. :)

[TheCalicoCat]

Totally depends. I am in the camp that I paid for lunch on the ship already - so if I am close...

 

Also if I am in an iffy spot, I'd rather feel safer eating on the ship.

 

If I didn't see anything interesting or without a wait, I'll return to the ship.

 

Meanwhile, I am really replying because I read a review once where a gal really disliked the ships food. She was so excited to go to... wait for it... McDonalds. She got a lot of comments about how she didn't like the ships food because she liked McDonalds...

[sail7seas]

Of course, I get your point but is it possible there are a great many folks worldwide who like McDonalds or there wouldn't be so many, so successful ones open and operating at large profit? :D

[ellieanne]

Meanwhile, I am really replying because I read a review once where a gal really disliked the ships food. She was so excited to go to... wait for it... McDonalds. She got a lot of comments about how she didn't like the ships food because she liked McDonalds...

 

I actually like to go to McDonald's in every country I visit. I think it's interesting to see the differences in the menus, and there are differences -- there are even differences in quality. Yes, it's McDonald's, but it's not the one I visit at home.

[josie724]

I actually like to go to McDonald's in every country I visit. I think it's interesting to see the differences in the menus, and there are differences -- there are even differences in quality. Yes, it's McDonald's, but it's not the one I visit at home.

 

 

I love it....My son will be taking his first trip to France in June, and he is anticipating having a Royal with Cheese....gotta love those 20 year olds.

[IndyDenise]

I actually like to go to McDonald's in every country I visit. I think it's interesting to see the differences in the menus, and there are differences -- there are even differences in quality. Yes, it's McDonald's, but it's not the one I visit at home.

 

_________________

 

I do too. I noticed that in England and France the menu is so much more limited.

I didn't care for the London version..the ketchup was, IMO, gross. There was just something " off " in their version.

I found McD's more like home in Paris of all places.

We spent so many hours in sidewalk cafes that sometimes eating something fast hit the spot between sites.

Every McDonald's I passed was packed so I guess they are doing well overseas.

[IndyDenise]

I love it....My son will be taking his first trip to France in June, and he is anticipating having a Royal with Cheese....gotta love those 20 year olds.

 

__________

 

What's a Royal with Cheese?

[sparky-elpaso]

For us, it depends on the timing of excursions, etc. Sometimes we have time for a snack during an excursion:

 

 

On a couple of our excursion in Australia / NZ we had to tender ashore and our excursion wasn't until afternoon or we had time after our excursion so we took advantage of being able to eat locally. I don't think we ever finished anything - but it was soooo good.

 

 

 

[josie724]

I love it....My son will be taking his first trip to France in June, and he is anticipating having a Royal with Cheese....gotta love those 20 year olds.

 

__________

 

What's a Royal with Cheese?

 

 

A Quarter Pounder with cheese.... :D

[josie724]

Oh MY....Sparky that looks so good.

[Randyk47]

Let's be honest here. Some of the places to eat locally aren't really all that sanitary. DW and I have both paid the price internally for going a bit too native. You have to be careful. Indigenous food can be great tasting but the shipboard food is pretty much always safer. Once burned, twice learned, so to speak.

 

Certainly we're careful but being honest the only time I've ever gotten food poisoning, a very unpleasant experience, was from a well known and highly regarded restaurant in San Diego. :( There are no guarantees.

[Freebythesea]

We are far from "seasoned" cruisers but in Cabo we were taken a back by the really expensive food that was being offered in the port so we meandered through the streets to find a small restaurant (I adore authentic Mexican food). We came across a hole in the wall place run by several generations of women. We had THE BEST food at a fraction of the cost. We wouldn't have been able to get that here or on the ship. It was the one thing we did in Cabo that we loved.

[MilliesMom]

It all depends on the port. Most of the time tho we do eat our meals on the ship. We already paid for them, so by going out to eat in port we do save money and have it to spend on other things. Works for us.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't think it's a dumb question at all and I'm somewhat put off by your suggesting that it is. Does anyone else have my back on this?

 

No it is NOT a dumb question. If someone is rude to you, ignore him and he'll go back under his bridge. Or use the triangle button and the mods might shove him back under his bridge.

 

It's interesting to see what people prefer to do. No right or wrong answer, just different opinions.

 

I don't go to fast food places at home, so I would never go to McD's on vacation. But I can understand wanting that touch of home. When we were on QM2 around Australia, I was going crazy for lack of cookies. They had lovely desserts at the buffet, but sometimes all I want for dessert at lunch is a cookie. So I went to a supermarket in port, intending to buy chocolate chip cookies from the bakery department. I decided to take a quick look at the packaged cookies and there were OREOS!!! I don't eat oreos at home. Dont' dislike them, just don't bother with them. But wow, it was a bit of home halfway around the world! (even if they were made in China)

 

Great food pics, Sparky! I took photos of my lobstah roll when we were in Bah Hahbah.

[George C]

great question, we like trying a local resturtant , best lunch ever was in Naples, resturant been serving pizza for a couple of hundred years ( everything there was great). Did get sick once after eating in Grand Cayman but after 50 something cruises thats ok.

[uppitycats]

We'll always eat in port when we can, if it is only a light meal. Yes, we've paid for the cruise...but we think of that as a "floating hotel", not a "5 star restaurant experience", and we like to sample the different cultures. Of course we'll take precautions, but haven't gotten sick yet from shore food.

[Boytjie]

OK, my 2c on McDonald's... I avoid McDonald's everywhere :D OK, sometimes there is nothing else really available, like being on a toll road and it's the only thing available at the service areas. I might try it in "exotic" locations if they had something unusual (McDimSum?!).

 

If I am traveling I like to try local food and not something I can get 24/7 back home. ;)

 

Having a beer somewhere outside with a view of the port and/or ship while eating something local beats the Lido everytime! That's how I came across a Mango Pale Ale.. who knew such a thing existed and actually tasted quite nice, so nice I had to have another one.

[Jemima]

We've had lunch in port 8 or 9 times in around 200 days on HAL ships. Half of those were on longer shore excursions. Usually we take morning shore excursions and eat lunch on the ship afterwards.

[babyher]

I love it....My son will be taking his first trip to France in June, and he is anticipating having a Royal with Cheese....gotta love those 20 year olds.

 

 

AHHH he's a Pulp Fiction fan I see . *LOL*

 

My son, 23, would do the same thing.

 

 

We love trying the local fare of the various ports . Especially the out of the way places that the locals go to. Even at home when we go into NYC , we like to find these little places . Some of them are very tiny and might have about 10 -15 tables in them, but the food is excellent.

[3rdGenCunarder]

AHHH he's a Pulp Fiction fan I see . *LOL*

 

My son, 23, would do the same thing.

 

 

We love trying the local fare of the various ports . Especially the out of the way places that the locals go to. Even at home when we go into NYC , we like to find these little places . Some of them are very tiny and might have about 10 -15 tables in them, but the food is excellent.

 

So glad to hear that! It drives me crazy that there's a line to get into applebees in Times Square at lunchtime when there are lots of small indpendent restaurants nearby with tables available.

[Taxguy77]

Of course, I get your point but is it possible there are a great many folks worldwide who like McDonalds or there wouldn't be so many, so successful ones open and operating at large profit? :D

 

Yes, a lot of people eat there, some just for the convenience. Our cat won't touch the meat but will eat some of the meat out of other sandwiches!

The only McD I have enjoyed was in Southern Spain, where I had a fish sandwich and a beer.

[peaches from georgia]

We cruise to see and experience foreign lands, so we always tour the country on our first and often subsequent visits or walk the port if we have been there a number of times. There is always something new to see or learn and talking with the locals is a great way to get to know a place. We always eat while in port at a local restaurant. Laying on a beach and returning to the ship is not why we travel, not to say there is anything wrong with doing that.

[babyher]

So glad to hear that! It drives me crazy that there's a line to get into applebees in Times Square at lunchtime when there are lots of small indpendent restaurants nearby with tables available.

 

We live in CT , so we are in the city quite a lot. We did all the Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood places when the kids were little, because that is what they enjoyed .

 

Now that they are grown, we enjoy trying a lot more diverse places .

[Taxguy77]

If posible, we get off and at least have a beer, often a light snack. One of the most memorable times was in Italy within a stones throw of the ship. DW and I were seated with 4 businessmen, none of whom spoke English. Had a good time with a few words of English, Italian and Spanish plus a lot of hand waving. :D:cool: