Pre-made Sandwiches in Lido

[sherryf]

Who says it has to be sourdough bread? I have eaten a variety of BLTs on a variety of breads and they were all good. Well... bacon...

 

Well, sourdough is best, but some other breads can be okay. Just NOT rye bread. That's just wrong. It would be like making a rueben on white bread.

 

One man's gross is anther one's yummy.

 

My day used to love beet salad and cold gravy on bread. Not my cup of tea but it made him happy. (I have no idea how he cam up with that combination!)

 

Yeah, and I know a couple of kids (not mine!) who will eat american cheese, mayo, and JELLY sandwiches. They like it, but most people who know them think it's gross.

 

When making pre-made sandwiches that are supposed to appeal to a wide variety of people, weird combos should be avoided. I definitely agree with the idea of condiments in packets on the side. It would be healthier all around, since you wouldn't have mayo spoiling on sandwiches that have been sitting around too long. I also prefer to leave fattening dressings (mayo, ranch, etc) off my sandwiches to save calories, since I don't particularly like them anyway.

 

BTW, why do most of the sandwiches have USDA warnings on them that they are served raw or undercooked? Is the meat not properly cooked?

 

When looking back at the sandwich photos, I decided that I might eat the Swiss Deli sandwich, depending on whether the Cognac Cocktail Dressing is good or not. I might consider trying one on my upcoming cruise, just so I can comment first hand on the sandwiches when I return.

[idiebabe]

Anyone want to join me in restoring the Made To Order Sandwich Station in the Lido. All those against Soggy old Pre-made Sandwiches speak out.

You want mustard and they give you mayo. You want onion and they give you avacados. You want 3 slices of pastrami and they give one (maybe).

 

I totally agree with you and it comment on it every cruise on the Survey! I also have a problem with whether or not they are being properly rotated, refrigeration and people squeezing them, poking their fingers in them, etc.!

 

I find the sandwiches very inconsistent and poorly made! Also, there is none that suits anyone with dietary restrictions or allergies to certain product such as tomato. If you pull anything off of it (which you can't do if allergic to tomatoes), it leaves 1/2 piece of cheese and one piece of meat in some cases!

 

Very disappointing to pay the money we all pay on HAL and not have the made-to-order! This was one cutback we have a problem with!

[OlsSalt]

Break time - maybe Jack Nicholson can apply for the new job as the custom sandwich maker on HAL ships. His classic "no substitutions" scene from 5 Easy Pieces (voice only):

Edited June 26, 2016 by OlsSalt

[Hlitner]

I honestly didn't see a whole lot of variety on our last cruise. The super deli (or whatever it is called) was there daily.

 

The remaining were repeated about every three days I would guess (but my memory can be short).

 

Might work on a 7 day cruise but on a 33 day cruise? NOT!

 

On our 55 day....the pre-mades did not vary from the formula you would get on a 7 day. They usually had that Super Deli (it was anything but "Super") and rotated a few other sandwiches on a daily basis. i did try most of the offerings (just to see if the any good) and a few were OK...and others were not very good. But, as we have grown to expect, none of them had enough meat....and tended to use cheaper fillers (like lettuce) to fill out the sandwich.

 

Hank

[KirkNC]

I totally agree with you and it comment on it every cruise on the Survey! I also have a problem with whether or not they are being properly rotated, refrigeration and people squeezing them, poking their fingers in them, etc.!

 

I find the sandwiches very inconsistent and poorly made! Also, there is none that suits anyone with dietary restrictions or allergies to certain product such as tomato. If you pull anything off of it (which you can't do if allergic to tomatoes), it leaves 1/2 piece of cheese and one piece of meat in some cases!

 

Very disappointing to pay the money we all pay on HAL and not have the made-to-order! This was one cutback we have a problem with![/b]

 

Too funny as cheap as most HAL cruises are priced, we are lucky they feed us at all.

Edited June 26, 2016 by KirkNC

[KirkNC]

On our 55 day....the pre-mades did not vary from the formula you would get on a 7 day. They usually had that Super Deli (it was anything but "Super") and rotated a few other sandwiches on a daily basis. i did try most of the offerings (just to see if the any good) and a few were OK...and others were not very good. But, as we have grown to expect, none of them had enough meat....and tended to use cheaper fillers (like lettuce) to fill out the sandwich.

 

Hank

 

Hank the more you post the more I wonder why you sail HAL, not much seems to please you.

[Florida_gal_50]

Not if they're in individual packets. Easy. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, even vinegar, can all be placed in baskets next to the sandwiches.

 

Excellent suggestion. Does hal carry the individual packets? I don't recall ever seeing them. Disclaimer - I haven't done a search of all posts on CC :D. The sauces I was thinking more about are the horseradish cream and balsamic reduction mentioned on the sandwiches. Those would not be available in packets.

Edited June 26, 2016 by Florida_gal_50

[Florida_gal_50]

Hank the more you post the more I wonder why you sail HAL, not much seems to please you.

 

You are not the only one ;).

[idiebabe]

Too funny as cheap as most HAL cruises are priced, we are lucky they feed us at all.

 

The cost of my Cruises are no where near cheap and neither are yours going by your signature! True there are some inexpensive rooms and deals available but when you look at what Carnival cruises cost (and they are cheap cruises) Carnival has a deli that even surpasses HAL's when they had one!

 

Hank the more you post the more I wonder why you sail HAL, not much seems to please you.

 

I would sometimes agree with this but this time he hit the nail on the head!

[KirkNC]

The cost of my Cruises are no where near cheap and neither are yours going by your signature! True there are some inexpensive rooms and deals available but when you look at what Carnival cruises cost (and they are cheap cruises) Carnival has a deli that even surpasses HAL's when they had one!

 

I would sometimes agree with this but this time he hit the nail on the head!

 

The fact you use Carnival as a comparison proves my point. HAL should be priced where the comparison is to Azamara or Oceania or the new Viking ocean cruises. HAL will fail if they continue to try to price compete with Carnival. Expense cuts are the only option when you can get cruises as cheap as HAL prices them. On our upcoming world cruise, HAL cut the price of an interior cabin from $19,999 to $16,999 or $6k per cabin. How can they do that and not cut something else be it sandwiches or whatever. We would have been happy to pay the original price for that trip. Pricing cruises at $150/pp/day is a recipe for disaster or just lots of cost cutting.

[Hlitner]

Hank the more you post the more I wonder why you sail HAL, not much seems to please you.

 

Point well taken.

[Hlitner]

Hank the more you post the more I wonder why you sail HAL, not much seems to please you.

 

Kirk, you want to attack the messenger...we can handle it :). And that is a popular political way to "pivot" away from the topic. What have I posted here that is not accurate?

 

Hank

Edited June 26, 2016 by Hlitner

[Richie2pies]

Hltiner....Why not go to the smoking thread? Why do you even cruise HAL?

[sherryf]

Excellent suggestion. Does hal carry the individual packets? I don't recall ever seeing them. Disclaimer - I haven't done a search of all posts on CC :D. The sauces I was thinking more about are the horseradish cream and balsamic reduction mentioned on the sandwiches. Those would not be available in packets.

 

They could fill little condiment cups with lids. Something like this:

 

They could be filled by staff, so not touched by guests.

[lahlah57]

The one pre-made BLT I had included ONE piece of bacon.

It might technically be a BLT, but a lame one.

 

Guess I will have to bring my leftover bacon from breakfast buffet.:p

[KirkNC]

Kirk, you want to attack the messenger...we can handle it :). And that is a popular political way to "pivot" away from the topic. What have I posted here that is not accurate?

 

Hank

 

No I really don't. I respect you and your opinion as much as any poster on CC. Your advice and experience have been helpful hundreds of times. I remember when we first started cruise frequently your advice in the port of call section were always the best be it how to get to Pompeii or Capri or wherever. Your posts here are accurate unfortunately and in some ways it makes me sad. I think you and I fundamentally agree. I think part of the difference is you are more caught up in what I call admiring the problem (which to some extent is what CC is all about). Be it fresh oj or self made sandwiches or the number of stewards in the dining room, all those are the symptoms of the problem which I believe is the lack of a viable direction for HAL as a company.

[alwaysfrantic]

They could fill little condiment cups with lids. Something like this:

 

They could be filled by staff, so not touched by guests.

 

Suddenly, if sauces and spreads were available on the side via packet or cup, 5 varieties of sandwiches become nearly unlimited. Someone who likes roast beef but hates the mandatory horseradish can now enjoy roast beef with ranch instead.

 

HAL, I hope you are reading. Cup up your fancy spreads, keep your middle of the night pre made sandwich assembly line, and let us choose if we want no spread, a little or a double cup of goo.

[Hlitner]

No I really don't. I respect you and your opinion as much as any poster on CC. Your advice and experience have been helpful hundreds of times. I remember when we first started cruise frequently your advice in the port of call section were always the best be it how to get to Pompeii or Capri or wherever. Your posts here are accurate unfortunately and in some ways it makes me sad. I think you and I fundamentally agree. I think part of the difference is you are more caught up in what I call admiring the problem (which to some extent is what CC is all about). Be it fresh oj or self made sandwiches or the number of stewards in the dining room, all those are the symptoms of the problem which I believe is the lack of a viable direction for HAL as a company.

 

So lets "shock" you more. If we did not like HAL, you would not even see a single post from moi on this board. There are quite a few cruise lines (upon which we have cruised) where we seldom to ever voice any opinion because it is not worth the time. But HAL is still one of our "go to" lines for the many good reasons (find my original post after our recent Prinsendam cruise where we praised the ship and crew) to be on HAL. But, keeping one's mouth shut as Seattle tries to downgrade (and ruin) this cruise line is just not our style. Seattle does carefully monitor CC (especially the HAL board) and they need to be made aware when they make a bad move. Sometimes they listen and remedy issues, and other times they probably laugh and go outside for a smoke (cannot smoke inside in Seattle).

 

Hank

P.S. Happy Brexit day

[kazu]

I used be amazed that people would bring baggies to save food from the Lido, PG or wherever.

 

I guess I will no longer be amazed and will have to bring baggies to get cheese from breakfast, bread (if I want bread - or use a roll), etc. to make my own sandwich at lunch time.

 

Meanwhile, the pre-made sandwich bun and some of the contents gets thrown out. How is this eliminating waste and saving $ ????

 

There were 4 people at the salad bar on our last cruise at both ends. No wait to talk about. Why not move one of them over to the sandwiches? It's not that hard to figure out HAL.

[dakrewser]

This is one of those "damned if you do; damned if you don't" situations. If they repeat the BLT (or any of the other selections), then some people will complain about the lack of variety. If they change things up daily, then other people will complain that the item they want isn't served often enough.

 

Maybe over time they'll develop a menu of highly popular "everyday" sandwiches which will be accompanied by a rotating selection of other sandwiches.

 

Or, how about station a couple of people there to put together the sandwich YOU want - bread, protein, accoutrements, condiments all as chosen by the customer. What a concept!

[EDLOS]

I honestly didn't see a whole lot of variety on our last cruise. The super deli (or whatever it is called) was there daily.

 

The remaining were repeated about every three days I would guess (but my memory can be short).

 

Might work on a 7 day cruise but on a 33 day cruise? NOT!

 

Got even worse on a 47 Day cruise on the Maasdam this Jan/Feb. I would get some Dinner Rolls and go to the carving station and than try to find some condiments to jazz it up. Yes, I enjoyed the Asian Food station, but would not do that every day either

Here's another thought HAL. If I were to go to my favorite Luncheon Deli and was told "You can't order what you want any more, here are your 5 premade choices !" How might that play out ?

I started this thread in the hope that HAL does pay attention.

In business There were the 10 Sins of marketing that caused businesses to fail.

I believe Number 7 was " Making what you want to sell, rather than what your Customer's want to buy !"

 

Gotta go now, leaving tomorrow for 12 days on the Oosterdam. Will try to give you a live report on Lido Offerings

[cavecreekguy]

Gotta go now, leaving tomorrow for 12 days on the Oosterdam. Will try to give you a live report on Lido Offerings

 

That would be wonderful! I have a 12 day cruise on the Oosterdam leaving July 23 and would love to know what's going on in the Lido. Especially if they still have eggs benedict!

[cranethie]

I used be amazed that people would bring baggies to save food from the Lido, PG or wherever.

 

I guess I will no longer be amazed and will have to bring baggies to get cheese from breakfast, bread (if I want bread - or use a roll), etc. to make my own sandwich at lunch time. .

 

On our same Westerdam cruise (April 2016) I was not impressed when told there was no sliced bread available at lunch time (only for toast at breakfast) yet as well as premade rolls there were premade sandwiches in the trays made with sliced bread. There was what looked like sliced baguettes cut in rounds not lengthways but they don't work for me. Not enough surface area for the filling and too thick when put together.

 

Looks like there will be ziploc bags in my luggage next time - unless HAL comes to their senses and changes happen before then. We can only hope :)

Cathy

[kazu]

On our same Westerdam cruise (April 2016) I was not impressed when told there was no sliced bread available at lunch time (only for toast at breakfast) yet as well as premade rolls there were premade sandwiches in the trays made with sliced bread. There was what looked like sliced baguettes cut in rounds not lengthways but they don't work for me. Not enough surface area for the filling and too thick when put together.

 

Looks like there will be ziploc bags in my luggage next time - unless HAL comes to their senses and changes happen before then. We can only hope :)

Cathy

I did try one of those bread sandwiches Cathy (same cruise). Stupid thing fell apart -I think it had sat too long.

 

It was a wasted effort to get that thing. Those baguette things were pitiful in my opinion.

 

I loved our cruise. Everything was great - except for the dam sandwiches.

 

Come on HAL, some of us like sandwiches that are made RGHT and TO ORDER and toasted in the panini press.

 

What dork in Seattle thought this one up? The pre-makes were there before and the lineup for the made to orders should have told someone that some of us were willing to wait.

 

Email, write to Seattle if you care folks. If nothing else at least they will know that it means something to those that enjoyed it.

Edited June 27, 2016 by kazu

[Richie2pies]

Bring back the sandwiches. Your choice of course.