Burgers on the ship, not good quality. American Dinner different burger or same?

[podgeandrodge]

Since I was last on an NCL cruise, the burgers are different. To me, cheap quality mushy crap. 

 

Is the American Diner a different burger or the same anyone know?

[meglet]

I noticed that too in the Haven Restaurant at lunch.  My husband suggested they were double ground.  Too soft for my liking.

[roger001]

That's to  bad.  I always liked the ships' burgers. 

[ColeThornton]

Which ship?

[podgeandrodge]

38 minutes ago, meglet said:

I noticed that too in the Haven Restaurant at lunch.  My husband suggested they were double ground.  Too soft for my liking.

Yes! No texture, if I was told it was a meat substitute I would have believed it.

 

 

[Asawi]

I didn't order any hamburgers on my recent Spirit cruise, but a couple of times I managed to get to the buffet when they put out new patties and they were actually not bad at all! Good texture and not overdone. (I didn't make hamburgers with them, just had them with some coleslaw and veggies. And I only had them when just put out)

[DCGuy64]

I mean, it's a burger. What do you want? I slather mine with ketchup and mustard, lettuce & tomato, and I'm good to go. If the ones at American Diner are more the gourmet type, I'd probably spring for  them once in a while. I've never really had a bad burger at sea, but that's not the main thing I look for in the first place.

[Oakman58]

I've never been impressed with the burgers served on any cruise line until I had a burger from Guy's Burger Joint, those burgers were outstanding.

[hallux]

I had a burger on the Joy in 2022, from The Local, it was a GREAT burger, nearly on par with what I'd get at a local restaurant where I live.  The patty was thick and juicy, really good.  Some on the ship were saying the burgers from there were better than American Diner, and you PAID EXTRA for the AD ones!!

 

FFWD to 2023, on the Escape.  Ordered the same burger.  It was good, but the patty seemed like one you'd get at the buffet with the additional toppings added.

[podgeandrodge]

2 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Which ship?

Breakaway.

 

The burger is absolutely not what I got on the Star late last year, which was quite good.

 

I've just asked American Diner and they said their burger is fresh not the same frozen burger as the buffet. I'll try it and see!

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

I had a burger on the Joy in 2022, from The Local, it was a GREAT burger, nearly on par with what I'd get at a local restaurant where I live.  The patty was thick and juicy, really good.  Some on the ship were saying the burgers from there were better than American Diner, and you PAID EXTRA for the AD ones!!

 

FFWD to 2023, on the Escape.  Ordered the same burger.  It was good, but the patty seemed like one you'd get at the buffet with the additional toppings added.

I agree with that, I got a burger at O'Sheehan's and it was unbelievable, extremely juicy and really flavorful. Thanks for mentioning that, I'd forgotten about it.

[complawyer]

well they may not be top quality, imo they certainly beat mickey d"s, burger king and/or wendy's.

 

cut some slack. they're continually  grilling 100's of burgers through out  the day. my only problem is the bun falling apart before im done . i also load up the burger with mustard, relish, onion lettuce and tomato. helps to kill the taste (LOL) 

[cruisinmeme]

In January my first meal on ship was in dining room and i got a hamburger.  It was very good.

[PATRLR]

28 minutes ago, complawyer said:

well they may not be top quality, imo they certainly beat mickey d"s, burger king and/or wendy's.

Is that the bar we're setting for cruise line food now?  I was bummed when I set the bar at Applebees level, now we're dropping down to McDonald's?  😉

 

By the way, for reasons I won't get into, I had the opportunity to have a McDonald's burger recently.  I have to say, the Quarter Pounder I had wasn't bad, might even call it good.  Much, much better than they used to be.  I'd heard that they were stepping up their game in response to competition from the likes of 5 Guys and others and if the burger I had is typical, it appears they are stepping up their game.

[cruiseny4life]

My husband and I purposely eat at McDonald's a day or two ahead of our cruise, because we won't have a good burger on the cruise. Surprisingly, McDonald's puts out a good basic double quarter pounder.

 

Since we flew to our last cruise, we had a burger at Shake Shack in the airport. It was damn good. Better than McDonald's. Better than Five Guys. Better than the local popular burger place. So now, if Shake Shack is around it'll be that. If not, McDonald's it is pre-cruise for a tasty burger. 

 

We've learned the hard way and keep on going back, trying to get a good burger on NCL. Every single cruise I try again. 

 

I've tried the Haven burger multiple times. One time it was very good and I actually finished it. It also had extra mayo, extra cheese, ketchup, tomato, onion, lettuce. All that extra goup!

 

I've had O'Sheenan's burger. Downright blah, no taste at all. I ate less than half of it. I've tried the buffet burgers. Same result. I have one bite and throw it. I had the American Diner burger once, way back in April 2022, when I didn't know better. It had a nasty after taste and was not tasty. The buns fall apart on all NCL burgers. 

 

Beside the one of about five Haven burgers that was good, I did have one burger at Great Stirrup Cay. It was grilled. And it was very good, though not great. 

[disneylover89]

The burgers at the American Diner are not good.  Don't waste your money. 

[graphicguy]

May as well jump in here since I’m perusing CC.  

 

Regardless of ship, if you get a burger in the Garden Buffet, be sure to see if the crew put out fresh burgers as they usually cook them on a griddle right by where you get them in the Buffet.  If the burgers have been sitting under a heat lamp, they’ll dry out.

 

American Diner burgers are cooked to order to your preference.  So, they’re always fresh.  The down side, unless you’re having lunch there, on the 1st day of the cruise, and you’re staying in the Haven, you’re either coming out of pocket or using a Specialty Dining credit.  And, it’s not worth either.

 

Best burger I ever had on any cruise line and/or ship is in the Haven. Pricy way to get a good burger, though.

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

I've never been impressed with the burgers served on any cruise line until I had a burger from Guy's Burger Joint, those burgers were outstanding.

Agreed, those things are the bomb. Yum yum! (The ones at Johnny Rockets on RCL are also amazing)

[Suntanz]

Does anyone actually go to the American Diner on the ship? I never see anyone in there. To me, its the biggest waste of space on a ship.

[Asawi]

I see a couple of you mentioning McDonalds. Well, if that's the standard we're looking for, then the patties I had at the buffet absolutely measure up! Not that that's saying much in my opinion...

[Sand and Seas]

DH was not happy with his first Haven burger (Getaway) last month.  Mushy, greasy and tasteless burger patty,  and of course the bun fell apart😒  

 

Later in the cruise he tried again and requested they put it on the Pretzel Bun (from fish sandwich).  It was a better burger but still didn't have the good burger taste he had on prior cruises.   However, the pretzel bun held together.  Although he loves a good burger, he is learning to try other items on that menu😉

[julig22]

The burgers at O'Sheehans (or Local) used to be really good.  But they changed the meat, as has already been mentioned.  Not sure what the problem is but I found them nearly inedible and I'm not all that picky.  Chalked it up to a fluke the first time, maybe just the supply for that particular ship.  Tried again on my next cruise and still awful.  Haven't gone back.  I go to the buffet and get a chicken breast instead.

[cruiseny4life]

16 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

DH was not happy with his first Haven burger (Getaway) last month.  Mushy, greasy and tasteless burger patty,  and of course the bun fell apart😒  

 

Later in the cruise he tried again and requested they put it on the Pretzel Bun (from fish sandwich).  It was a better burger but still didn't have the good burger taste he had on prior cruises.   However, the pretzel bun held together.  Although he loves a good burger, he is learning to try other items on that menu😉

I love the idea of the pretzel burger. That's such a great customization! 

 

As for @Asawi, well unfortunately McDonald's is much better than any of those buffet burgers. That is a quite sad fact I have discovered through a few cruises and tries. Perhaps a fresh off the grill burger would be best, as @graphicguy says, but I don't have the time to wait around for that. I've got places to be....like the thermal suite or sundeck or hot tub.:-) 

[DCGuy64]

It's worth pointing out, I think, that you can usually get things made to order. For example, they usually have a selection of hamburgers and cheeseburgers on offer at the Garden Café every day. So you know what I did? I asked to have one specially made (since the others were a bit dried out), and guess what, it was delicious. You're on a cruise ship, so don't hesitate to ask for special orders.

I've never been turned down.

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

It's worth pointing out, I think, that you can usually get things made to order. For example, they usually have a selection of hamburgers and cheeseburgers on offer at the Garden Café every day. So you know what I did? I asked to have one specially made (since the others were a bit dried out), and guess what, it was delicious. You're on a cruise ship, so don't hesitate to ask for special orders.

I've never been turned down.

Unfortunately, special orders would not negate the issue with the "meat" -in quotes because I really don't know what to call it!  Burgers in the Local are cooked to order, more or less, as far as I know.  I don't think what they use in the buffet is any different than what they use elsewhere.