Alaskan Seafood Onboard....

[NavyCruiser]

Since this will be our first cruise to Alaska, after 35+ Carrib & Med cruises, looking forward to great NW / Pacific seafood.  Are we assuming too much that cruise lines will use local vendors to feature great northern Pacific seafood onboard, much different than the normal seafood we normally get on Carrib cruises?

If not, suggest that we spend extra $$$ & try some of the locally sourced seafood in the Alaskan port towns...?

Thanks,

 

[1025cruise]

Yes, you are assuming too much. There might be a special, but otherwise the seafood is the same as you get anywhere.

[rkacruiser]

Some cruise lines do indicate on their MDR menus "Alaskan" seafood of this or that type.  Was it locally sourced?  Doubtful.  Will it be tasty?  Likely.

 

Yes, having a lunch or two in some of the ports will most likely provide you with fresh locally sourced seafood.  King crab will be an exception to "fresh".  It's season is not during Alaskan cruising season.  Will it still be good?  Most who order it think so.  

 

The best Halibut I have ever tasted was at a small restaurant in Juneau.  And, it was fresh!  

[CruiserBruce]

The protein ( i.e. fish) on board will be frozen, per requirements.  So no truly "fresh" crab or salmon.

[Ferry_Watcher]

12 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

The protein ( i.e. fish) on board will be frozen, per requirements.  So no truly "fresh" crab or salmon.

But it still tastes amazing!

[Heidi13]

23 hours ago, NavyCruiser said:

Since this will be our first cruise to Alaska, after 35+ Carrib & Med cruises, looking forward to great NW / Pacific seafood.  Are we assuming too much that cruise lines will use local vendors to feature great northern Pacific seafood onboard, much different than the normal seafood we normally get on Carrib cruises?

If not, suggest that we spend extra $$$ & try some of the locally sourced seafood in the Alaskan port towns...?

Thanks,

 

 

It may depend on your cruise line.

 

On mainstream mega ships you might be lucky to get a special. However, on the smaller, premium/luxury ships, the Executive Chef is often ashore in port purchasing fresh fish, etc, to create destination menus.

[tunafish]

On 6/11/2022 at 3:53 PM, Heidi13 said:

 

It may depend on your cruise line.

 

On mainstream mega ships you might be lucky to get a special. However, on the smaller, premium/luxury ships, the Executive Chef is often ashore in port purchasing fresh fish, etc, to create destination menus.

maybe on a chartered yacht with 10 passengers. I do not think any legal department would allow this activity. getting fish in quantities enough for several hundred passengers constantly can not be fulfilled by a local fishing boat or two. sysco corp is your answer here

 

Edited June 17, 2022 by tunafish

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, tunafish said:

maybe on a chartered yacht with 10 passengers. I do not think any legal department would allow this activity. getting fish in quantities enough for several hundred passengers constantly can not be fulfilled by a local fishing boat or two. sysco corp is your answer here

 

 

I beg to differ.

 

Having worked the West Coast for many years, we often purchased local fish in Prince Rupert for both the pax and crew. I have many great memories of bringing fresh halibut onboard from a fish boat, docked at the adjacent dock, and having it for dinner that night.

 

Although we haven't yet sailed to Alaska with our current preferred small ship cruise line, we have completed a World Cruise with them and the Executive Chef is off ashore in many ports, purchasing fresh fish and other victuals, from local markets.

 

They certainly didn't use a wholesale restaurant supplier - kind of defeats the objective of purchasing fresh. Highly unlikely Sysco can provide product that was caught only a few hours ago.

 

If you require additional examples, check out some of the smaller ships featured on "Mighty Cruise Ships" and you often see the Executive Chef off purchasing product ashore, or local vendors arriving at the gangway.

[mpk]

On 6/10/2022 at 12:57 PM, NavyCruiser said:

Since this will be our first cruise to Alaska, after 35+ Carrib & Med cruises, looking forward to great NW / Pacific seafood.  Are we assuming too much that cruise lines will use local vendors to feature great northern Pacific seafood onboard, much different than the normal seafood we normally get on Carrib cruises?

If not, suggest that we spend extra $$$ & try some of the locally sourced seafood in the Alaskan port towns...?

 

We enjoy cruise food, but I think they load their stores once at embarkation and that's it.  I don't think they take on fish from Ketchikan, for example.   So for local foods, we do usually have a meal in port.

[donaldsc]

This is sort of relevant not specifically for AK but for the purchase of local fresh seafood.  We did a HAL cruise once that stopped at several small towns in Greenland.  When we returned to the ship on a tender there were several crew members on board with tubs of fresh fish.  Stupidly we asked them what the fish were for.  They told us that we would be eating them for dinner tonight.  If they can do it in Greenland they certainly can do it in AK.

 

Also we did a cruise in Norway once on Azamara.  We were told that the captain had a favorite local supplier for fresh picked berries for our dinner tonight.  They were delicious.

 

Now I do realize that this might be more difficult on one of the Monstrosities of the Seas cruise ships which is yet another reason to avoid them.

 

DON

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, mpk said:

 

We enjoy cruise food, but I think they load their stores once at embarkation and that's it.  I don't think they take on fish from Ketchikan, for example.   So for local foods, we do usually have a meal in port.

Absolutely not true. Have seen supplies taken on many times. Just has to meet the regulations and the inspections by the ship. Have seen frozen fish taken on in Alaska and Norway. A lot of cruise lines, when sailing in the Caribbean,  take their booze on board in St Thomas or Puerto Rico because of tax/duty benefits.

 

Sometimes its because the ship can get things cheaper locally, sometimes it's because of the length of the cruise. We have an 18 day cruise coming up. Most ships, if full, will struggle to have 18 days of food aboard, it seems 14 or 15 days is the typical maximum. 

[Senga]

We ate fresh halibut in Juneau at Hanger on the Wharf; blackened halibut tacos and halibut wrap.  Delicious….yes, but I still prefer my frozen halibut from our local Duckworths fish & chips in Toronto!  😂

[Heidi13]

2 hours ago, mpk said:

 

We enjoy cruise food, but I think they load their stores once at embarkation and that's it.  I don't think they take on fish from Ketchikan, for example.   So for local foods, we do usually have a meal in port.

 

Sorry, but you aren't even close to being correct, as they have so many variables.

 

Our next cruise is 121 days, no way they can load sufficient victuals for the crew and pax to last that length of time.

 

Most cruise lines have a centralised purchasing department, and many stores are shipped to the embarkation port, or another on the route, if easier. However, the ship can, and still does purchase products locally. Sometimes it is cheaper, others it is for freshness, or they simply ran out.

 

As I already posted, the Executive Chef on our preferred smaller ship Lines, often goes ashore to purchase fresh local products, which are used to create the destination menu offerings.

[Glaciers]

13 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

As I already posted, the Executive Chef on our preferred smaller ship Lines, often goes ashore to purchase fresh local products, which are used to create the destination menu offerings.

We did this with Seabourn in Gdansk. They called it “Shopping with the Chef”. We went to an outdoor market where he discussed the produce he was selecting and how it would be incorporated into the ship meals.

[mpk]

19 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Our next cruise is 121 days, no way they can load sufficient victuals for the crew and pax to last that length of time.

 

As I already posted, the Executive Chef on our preferred smaller ship Lines, often goes ashore to purchase fresh local products, which are used to create the destination menu offerings.

 

19 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Absolutely not true. Have seen supplies taken on many times. Just has to meet the regulations and the inspections by the ship. Have seen frozen fish taken on in Alaska and Norway. A lot of cruise lines, when sailing in the Caribbean,  take their booze on board in St Thomas or Puerto Rico because of tax/duty benefits.

 

Sometimes its because the ship can get things cheaper locally, sometimes it's because of the length of the cruise. We have an 18 day cruise coming up. Most ships, if full, will struggle to have 18 days of food aboard, it seems 14 or 15 days is the typical maximum. 

 

You're right.  I was thinking in the smaller subset of 7 to 10 day Vancouver to Seward/Whittier cruises on the mainline cruise ships.  On longer voyages, the ship would have to restock regularly.  And smaller ships can choose to get local ingredients just because they are more agile and flexible than a megaship.

[CruiserBruce]

4 hours ago, mpk said:

 

 

You're right.  I was thinking in the smaller subset of 7 to 10 day Vancouver to Seward/Whittier cruises on the mainline cruise ships.  On longer voyages, the ship would have to restock regularly.  And smaller ships can choose to get local ingredients just because they are more agile and flexible than a megaship.

But I have frozen salmon taken aboard in Ketchikan. About 400 lbs worth. A smaller HAL ship.