Has HAL done away with chilled fruit soups?

[quack2]

As I'm browsing through some of the menu postings on this board, I'm not seeing the chilled fruit soups on the appetizer list.  Has HAL done away with them?  They were my favorites on past HAL cruises in Alaska.

[Ottawa traveller]

I was on the Volendam in February. They were not on the menu but we could pre order the night before. The choices were limited but I know I had cucumber several times.

 

[kazu]

They haven’t been on the menu for a couple of years now 😞 

 

I didn’t think to pre-order last time but if it is still a possibility I will on our next sailing.

[Krazy Kruizers]

They weren't on our last couple of cruises -- we loved them.  No one ever told us that we could pre order them the evening before.

 

I think that someone mentioned that near the end of the World cruise this year, a few were offered.

[rafinmd]

I don't know about the world cruise but they made an appearance at the last month of the Grand South America.

 

Roy

[msmayor]

This is sad...chilled fruit soups are so rare on any of the land-based restaurants I have been to, and have always looked forward to enjoying them on cruises.

 

Regarding ordering the night before, is this really something that I could make an inquiry about?  

[rafinmd]

Sadly, they appear to be disappearing in general.  Crystal never had them.  Royal used to have them regularly but now once a cruise if that.  Cunard only has them at MDR lunch which takes quite a bite out of my day's activities.

 

Roy

[RuthC]

Pretty much done away with them, yes. The ones they do offer on occasion are not at all like the delicious fruit soups of the past. The type of soup has changed, and the recipes are different in the soups that have remained. HAL doesn't use the rich creams, sherbets, and seasonings they used to.

I did see chilled soups once in a while on my segments of this year's World Cruise, but they never made an appearance on my June cruise. I suspect the World and Grand cruises are treated differently on this score (as on so many others) than regular cruises.

[sevenseasnomad]

3 hours ago, msmayor said:

This is sad...chilled fruit soups are so rare on any of the land-based restaurants I have been to, and have always looked forward to enjoying them on cruises.

 

Regarding ordering the night before, is this really something that I could make an inquiry about?  

Chilled fruit soups were my favorite food on HAL.  I'd even sometimes order one for dessert!  When they started disappearing, I inquired and was told "No one orders them."  WHAT?  I called Seattle after that cruise because I was so upset.  The man on the phone informed me that "you are the only one who has complained.  If more people call about the soups, we can place them back on the menu."  Okay, everyone, call.  Flood those phone lines, although I suspect tens of thousands of us could call, and it wouldn't make a difference.  I pre-ordered several of my favorites with Ship Services prior to my last cruise.

 

Yes, they served me blueberry the first night.  I was a disaster.  It had been frozen, and there were still chunks of ice in it, which watered down the content.  It had absolutely no taste whatsoever, and the blueberries were like pebbles of leather.  The next night, I had peach soup.  Same thing, same tasteless mess, at which point I told the waiter to tell the kitchen not to bother anymore. 

 

I tried talking to the maître d', who simply said the cold soups are no longer a menu item.  Yes, I'm well aware.  On my comment card, via email, I lodged a complaint about HAL totally eliminating the cold fruit soups.  I suggested that they offer at least one fruit soup per voyage, which I doubt they will do.  Very sad as this was one of the most delightful menu items and one I would never attempt at home.  Those soups were always a real treat.

[Loreto]

I was told there were no chilled soups on Alaska itineraries when I inquired while on the Oosterdam last month.  Maybe they will be on my Amazon Explorer 30 day cruise in November....I hope so!  I have mentioned that I love them and miss them when I write to HAL after each cruise.

Karen

[AV8rix]

Add me to the list of the ones who really miss the chilled soups.  Always ordered the du jour choice every evening that I had supper in the MDR. 

 

But I'm DUMB!!!!  Never occurred to me to note it on my comment cards or postcruise surveys.  I shall do so in the future. 

 

So many of the things that made HAL unique are steadily disappearing.  I wonder....if in the future HAL becomes indistinguishable from Princess (or X), will CCL decide that they don't need it any more?

 

Edited August 17, 2019 by Av8rix

[swin26]

Today on the nieuw statendam they were passing samples of cold strawberry soup with chocolate straws at the lido pool at lunch time. 

[sevenseasnomad]

32 minutes ago, swin26 said:

Today on the nieuw statendam they were passing samples of cold strawberry soup with chocolate straws at the lido pool at lunch time. 

Oh, yum!  Maybe there's hope for the soups to come back.

[Chewbecca]

A chilled banana soup was on the menu on Maasdam a couple of weeks ago.

[westcoastcruiser]

Did not see them during our 3 weeks on Nieuw Statendam last month.  Also I missed seeing the fruit crisps on the MDR menu each night.  Fortunately the crisps were served each evening in the Lido

[sambamama]

I asked about them on my last 20 day cruise and yes, you could pre-order them. I did order them about 2-3 times and they were still the same delicious soups as before. I was also told no one was ordering them. This was on the Oosterdam. 

[wander]

I love(d) the fruit soups.  However, seldom in my many days of sailing did any of my table mates order them.  For many they were too rich for an early course in the meal.  I on the other hand always ordered them as desert at the time we were ordering the main parts of the meal, just so I would not forget.