How salty is HAL food

[judymag]

I know salt is a matter of taste but when I sailed with royal I found the food unbearably salty and ended up getting my food made to order just wondering what's people's opinions on the food on Hal thanks

 

 

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[OlsSalt]

One hears more complaints about the food being "bland" on HAL ships. I have found the very merest sprinkling of a little salt can perk up any dish that seems to be first lacking in sufficient flavor.

 

So if I had to guess, I would say HAL errs more on the side of less salt, than using more salt to make up for a lack of natural flavors. This is an menu option you can discuss with HAL before you get on the ship or arrange special low-salt options with the Maitre d' after you board.

 

The one recent addition has been increasing the amount of a cayenne pepper "hotness" to many of the international options -which is a very desired taste choice among many non North American cruisers.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I know salt is a matter of taste but when I sailed with royal I found the food unbearably salty and ended up getting my food made to order just wondering what's people's opinions on the food on Hal thanks

 

 

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As you say, everyone's tastes are different. I don't find the HAL food too salty, except for the soups. That's why they're so good;) You can request that your food be prepared without salt. I usually ask our dining room stewards for some sambal to perk things up:)

[colbe]

We are from New Zealand and are used to eating fresh unprocessed produce. We find the food, both in the USA and on the ships, very salty. We also find a lot of the food in the USA very sweet, eg; bread and buns. This is of course just a reflection of what we are accustomed to tasting. I have learned not to eat too much of the accompanying sauces as they seem to be very salty. The mashed potato, scrambled egg and spinach also all taste of nothing but salt. I do always ask for 'no added salt' when I am ordering. Not sure that it makes much difference.

I am also not sure that there is any way to avoid this problem, and I just accept that it is part of travelling on a ship that caters for North American tastes. Now don't get me started on the huge portion sizes............:D

[OlsSalt]

As you say, everyone's tastes are different. I don't find the HAL food too salty, except for the soups. That's why they're so good;) You can request that your food be prepared without salt. I usually ask our dining room stewards for some sambal to perk things up:)

 

Speaking of sambal (a flavorful Indonesian hot pepper condiment), which the ship has available either in the Lido or by request: I believe sambal olek is the milder and sweeter version, while sambal bajak is the take the roof off your mouth hotter one.

 

My memory trick for my own taste preference is olek = ok, and bajak is "bad jack".

[Kamloops50]

Ask for low salt or no salt. Then just add the salt as required.

[Lovely other]

I find it very salty ...I don't add salt to food at home so the ship food comes as quite a shock to my taste buds. Guess it depends what your used to, my husband is Chinese and salt and more salt seems to be the norm in his family ...

[Krazy Kruizers]

We are from the US and we find HAL's food very salty.

I don't cook with salt.

So special order various items without any kind of seasoning.

[roses313]

HAL food is good, but we find it too salty. I never fail to say so in the cruise survey.

[RMLincoln]

I find the hot soups to be the most salty so I've been avoiding them, or cutting my serving size way down, so I usually only have about half or less when I find one that I really want to try.

 

I guess I go for salads, baked potatoes instead of mashed, more whole foods than gussied up options. I love their unsalted butter, which I solely use at home. We live in a very rural area so we rarely eat in restaurants, but when we do I'm always struck by how salty restaurant food is.

 

m--

[Marianne]

My experience in the Dining Room is that the entrees on HAL are not very salty. Rather bland actually. And I don't use much salt when cooking. But I cannot comment on the soups, since I rarely order them. Usually choose a salad. Sometimes the entrees have more pepper on them than I prefer, but these are usually a non-American dish. You can also order your entrees with no or low salt. ;pMarianne

[Ibis]

We also find the food on board to be salty and always request no additional salt or pepper. It is quite interesting how perspective can vary but it is hard to imagine the food as being called bland. Perhaps in terms of spiciness but not in terms of salt and pepper.

[take us away]

Have found it varies by ship (or by head chef) so I try the regular menu for a day or 2, then decide if I will order salt-free based on whether my hands and/or feet are swelling. Salt-free ordering is done the evening before - just ask your steward for the menu, add your table number to the top, and whatever else he asks for. Take heed about the soups as I find them VERY salty so avoid them almost totally.

[gigianne]

I find the hot soups to be salty so I avoid those. I do enjoy the Copino in the Pinnacle Grill but have learned to ask for a sample taste of the broth before ordering. Several times it has been too salty for my taste.

[scamper]

I remember my first cruise on Zaandam many years ago. On the last night as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed my ankles were swollen. Having never experienced that, I called the infirmary and asked what might cause such a thing. The nurse said it was probably due to the high sodium content in the food. I hadn't noticed it during the week, but my ankles had returned to normal within a couple of days after getting home. I have noticed that as I get older I have become more sensitive to salty flavors. HAL would be doing their customers a favor by cutting back on sodium as it affects the blood pressure of the hypertensive.

 

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[StartrainDD]

My DW had the same ankle situation. In fact, we returned from a cruise and our primary doctor was so concerned about the swollen ankles he had her put on a heart monitor.

 

Ever since, she has a "No added salt" request in the dining room and preorders her meals. No more swollen ankles.

 

Naturally, some foods use or include more salt than others. Sometimes our waiters will identify entrees that can't really be done with 'no salt.' What I think sets HAL apart is that they will accommodate at the "Dive Inn" or "Lido" as well so long as we let them know.

[POA1]

Generally speaking, we've found HAL's food to be seasoned properly, although if you like a lot of salt you might have to add some.

 

A lot of people seem to think that ankle swelling is caused by salt. Not according to my doctor. He said that the tendency to retain water is usually influenced much more by increased carbohydrate and sugar consumption. Salt can exacerbate the problem, but the changes in insulin / glucagon balance are what causes the water retention.

 

Eat a half dozen donuts for two days before your next flight. (Go for glazed, jelly, cream filled, or frosted.) Don't consume anything salty. You'll puff up like the Michelin Man.

[POA1]

HAL has a sodium restricted special dietary requirements option if you are really worried.

[OlsSalt]

Another anecdotal "salt" offender that is my own favorite unproven guilty culprit is the ship's tap water.

 

I also experience what feels like "swelling" while on board. I now bring bottled water on board for my daily drinking water in the cabin, plus order Pelligrino at dinner. That switch to bottled water seems to make a difference to me.

 

On the other hand, we have been informed by those in the know the ship's water is not higher in sodium. And then I still drink tea and soups, that also use the ship's water. A puzzlement.

 

Agree, the hot soups are very salty including my beloved HAL french onion soup, though the lovely cold fruit soups are often sweet enough to order for dessert.

[Sequim88]

Agree, the hot soups are very salty including my beloved HAL french onion soup

French Onion Soup is one of our litmus test items when checking out new restaurants. We order it because most decent places have it and use it as a comparison. If they can get it right the rest usually follows. One of our "scores" is saltiness - to much is a major ding on the place. Worst we ever had was at Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana - tasted like they literally poured a can of Campbell's Onion Soup in the bowl, plopped in a chunk of bread and put a round of provolone cheese on top - all uncooked and never baked - cold and salty. I'll trust HAL: to do MUCH better. :cool:

[JimAOk1945]

I know salt is a matter of taste but when I sailed with royal I found the food unbearably salty and ended up getting my food made to order just wondering what's people's opinions on the food on Hal thanks

 

 

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Although we have only been on one HAL cruise, we were very happy with all of our meals and think the food was much better than those we had on our RC cruises. My wife said everything was just right except for the soups which were a little too salty for her. However, she enjoyed everything very much and said the French Onion Soup was her favorite. I found my self adding a little salt to certain foods.

[OlsSalt]

French Onion Soup is one of our litmus test items when checking out new restaurants. We order it because most decent places have it and use it as a comparison. If they can get it right the rest usually follows. One of our "scores" is saltiness - to much is a major ding on the place. Worst we ever had was at Fairmont Hot Springs in Montana - tasted like they literally poured a can of Campbell's Onion Soup in the bowl, plopped in a chunk of bread and put a round of provolone cheese on top - all uncooked and never baked - cold and salty. I'll trust HAL: to do MUCH better. :cool:

 

Took a cooking class once and our french trained instructor showed us how to make this classic - thoroughly caramelize sliced onions to a deep brown, toss in a handful to thyme, add water and simmer for well over an hour. No broth, salt or sugar. Just pure basics -water and onions - and it was delicious. The trick was the slow caramalizing of the onions - no short cuts there. The Mailliard effect.

[summersigh]

I know salt is a matter of taste but when I sailed with royal I found the food unbearably salty and ended up getting my food made to order just wondering what's people's opinions on the food on Hal thanks

We haven't found it to be particularly salty although we don't often order soup so I can't comment on them.

If you don't want to order the low salt menu - You can order your choices "naked" with the sauce on the side to be sure it will be ok for you. DH does this occasionally and never had a problem with it. (salt isn't his issue - he's just not a sauce kind of guy) :)

[bUU]

Generally speaking, we've found HAL's food to be seasoned properly, although if you like a lot of salt you might have to add some.

It is a major quandary. While it may seem like making dishes with less salt, and therefore relying on patrons adding salt to a finished dish, is a reasonable solution, that's doesn't jive with how the food chemistry works. From what I've read, the prevailing sentiment among food experts is that food tastes best when it is seasoned throughout. There's a talent (which I have yet to learn, but I'm trying) to seasoning properly at each step of a recipe.

 

Regardless, "properly" is always going to be subjective. Given the responses from folks who have cruised recently - how they vary and conflict with each other - it sounds like Holland America unfortunately takes that lesser approach.

 

I wonder if the specialty dining venues take the season throughout approach. It might be interesting to know if folks noted a difference.

 

A lot of people seem to think that ankle swelling is caused by salt. Not according to my doctor. He said that the tendency to retain water is usually influenced much more by increased carbohydrate and sugar consumption. Salt can exacerbate the problem, but the changes in insulin / glucagon balance are what causes the water retention.

I often encounter swelling on vacation which unequivocally can be tracked back to my failure to keep sufficiently hydrated. Vacationing is something few spend enough time doing so as to get so good at it that you perfectly account for your change in activity level and activity types by increasing your intake of water sufficiently to compensate.

[VennDiagram]

We haven't usually found HAL food salty, and I think we eat "not much" salt at home. However, with so many other posters commenting on finding HAL food salty, I need to revisit how much salt we really are using. Interesting thread!