Omelet on Ruby Princess

[luv2travel06]

Returned from our 14 day Circle Caribbean cruise aboard Ruby Princess about a week ago. Overall, we were very happy with the cruise, once we were able to convince a dining room manager to arrange a fixed dining time and table for us at dinner.

 

One thing we found quite peculiar was the omelet situation. The procedure was not the most convenient, and the omelet was pathetic--like something from a box of 12 at your supermarket that you would microwave for 3 minutes, not the big fluffy omelet I got used to seeing on our prior cruises.

 

I commented about it on a survey we completed on the ship. I should think that if the Captain or CEO was served one of these omelets, they would say, "We need to fix this."

 

Thinking that maybe the first one I was served was an anomaly, I ordered another later in the cruise. These are photos of that omelet. You be the judge.

[Thrak]

Sad. Truly sad. I've never had a "real" omelet on a Princess ship. Then again, what passes for hash browns is also pathetic. The "hash browns" at McDonald's are better.

[memoak]

I could live with the omelet better than the so called hash browns 

[NavyVeteran]

I have had several very good omelets on Princess ships. I've had excellent omelets for breakfast in Sabatini's.

When I'm not in a suite, I don't order omelets in the MDR. Instead, I search for the made-to-order omelet station in the buffet. The omelets there are very good and contain exactly the ingredients you request. I haven't tried the made-to-order omelet station post-COVID, so someone else needs to say whether or not it's still there.

[LACruiser88]

20 minutes ago, NavyVeteran said:

I've had excellent omelets for breakfast in Sabatini's.

Omelets at the suite breakfast venue (on some ships they are at the Crown Grill) are sweet!!!  

[luv2travel06]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

I have had several very good omelets on Princess ships. I've had excellent omelets for breakfast in Sabatini's.

When I'm not in a suite, I don't order omelets in the MDR. Instead, I search for the made-to-order omelet station in the buffet. The omelets there are very good and contain exactly the ingredients you request. I haven't tried the made-to-order omelet station post-COVID, so someone else needs to say whether or not it's still there.

I think there was an omelet station at the back of the ship when we were on the Emerald Princess in 2021 and 2022. This time, when I asked there for an omelet, I was sent to the main serving lines. I do not recall what the setup was on the Caribbean Princess in 2020 and 2022. On this cruise on the Ruby, someone would write your omelet request on a piece of paper at the main serving lines and tell you it would take 10-15 minutes to receive your order, and you would be given another piece of paper to give to a server in the buffet so they could pick it up and deliver it to you. (Instead, I would just wait nearby.) The omelets were made in a preparation area between the port and starboard serving areas of the buffet.

 

Having been on four prior Princess cruises in the recent past, I'm pretty sure I would have remembered having been previously served an omelet of the quality depicted in the photos. Other than the omelets, we found the food on the cruise to be quite satisfactory.

[negn]

I was on that Ruby cruise also and found those omelets very odd.  First cruise I had to order then have them delivered to my table.   I was always able to watch them being made.    Also, DH could not order “over easy”  eggs in buffet but could  in the dining room.  I also think someone has to teach the staff how to carve meat.  

[skynight]

I was on the same cruise as luvtotravel. Agree. Omelets are nothing like the ones at our local breakfast/lunch restaurant no matter if you get them in the DR or at the Horizon Ct.  Additionally, when you order one at the buffet you receive a slip which you provide to your server. By the time the omelet arrives, your sides are gone, your toast is cold and your coffee requires a refill. Princess needs to improve the omelet itself and improve how it is plated with sides. On the Ruby they might want to move the omelet station back to the Cafe Carib, enlarge it, and have a full plate table service. I did comment on the survey. 

Edited April 2 by skynight

[BamaVol]

11 hours ago, Thrak said:

Sad. Truly sad. I've never had a "real" omelet on a Princess ship. Then again, what passes for hash browns is also pathetic. The "hash browns" at McDonald's are better.

I would have said the hash browns at McDonald’s are identical.  I had hoped that the MDR breakfast hash browns were better than the buffet, but no.  I do like the MDR poached eggs however. 
 

As far as the buffet omelet station, delivery logistics could be improved.  Maybe something more obvious than a slip of paper instead of watching your omelet circulate around the dining room while the server searches for you. Like, maybe use the medallion to locate the omelet owner?

Edited April 2 by BamaVol

[skynight]

2 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

I would have said the hash browns at McDonald’s are identical.  I had hoped that the MDR breakfast hash browns were better than the buffet, but no.  I do like the MDR poached eggs however. 

Yes, the hash browns are deep fried McDonalds. I did see potatoes in the buffet line that more resemble hash browns, In my opinion they are better when cut up than the deep fried ones, but they are not real has browns. 

[phabric]

1 hour ago, skynight said:. By the time the omelet arrives, your sides are gone, your toast is cold and your coffee requires a refill. 

In the buffet,I place my order for my omelette after I received it then I go for my other items I want.

[BamaVol]

10 minutes ago, skynight said:

Yes, the hash browns are deep fried McDonalds. I did see potatoes in the buffet line that more resemble hash browns, In my opinion they are better when cut up than the deep fried ones, but they are not real has browns. 

Yeah, there might be “home fries” but they don’t spend long enough in the pan.  I want browning and crispy edges. 

[Pickels]

12 hours ago, Thrak said:

Sad. Truly sad. I've never had a "real" omelet on a Princess ship. Then again, what passes for hash browns is also pathetic. The "hash browns" at McDonald's are better.

Just got off the Enchanted Princess; each morning I would make a very simple request:  "Please scramble up two fresh eggs".  Boy, you'd think I asked for something out of the ordinary  Each time, the cook would look at me as if I had two heads.   One morning I walked away to get something and when I got back, they gave me a portion of the pre-scrambled eggs.  You could tell the difference just by looking at them.  Each follow-up morning, I would stay and watch. 

[mtnesterz]

40 minutes ago, Pickels said:

...Boy, you'd think I asked for something out of the ordinary  Each time, the cook would look at me as if I had two heads.   One morning I walked away to get something and when I got back, they gave me a portion of the pre-scrambled eggs.

I have read that the scrambled eggs are made from reconstituted eggs, as part of some health regulation for cruise ships. Because they must sit out in the open, they're a pasteurized product. I'm not stating this as a fact, but I'll agree shipboard scrambled eggs seem to have a difference from what I cook at home. 

 

In general, I find the chefs have no idea what western food is supposed to taste like and are only following what they are told to do. This, I believe is the root of all things from hash brown to the upalatable Thanksgiving dinner.

The worst offender, consistently and predictably bad, is the breakfast biscuits. Overworked dough and not enough lift. I wrote Princess once with a really good recipe for yeast-rise biscuits, but I speculate that what they buy is a penny cheaper per thousand.

[Rick&Jeannie]

If you really like hash browns (I do...) don't plan on getting any on NCL!  Just go over to the NCL forum and search for "hash browns" or "cookies"!  It stirs people up almost on a par with tipping!! 😄

[skynight]

25 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

If you really like hash browns (I do...) don't plan on getting any on NCL!  Just go over to the NCL forum and search for "hash browns" or "cookies"!  It stirs people up almost on a par with tipping!! 😄

Wrong board

[Rick&Jeannie]

20 minutes ago, skynight said:

Wrong board

No...read the post again...

[BamaVol]

2 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

If you really like hash browns (I do...) don't plan on getting any on NCL!  Just go over to the NCL forum and search for "hash browns" or "cookies"!  It stirs people up almost on a par with tipping!! 😄

Are you saying there are none?  That’s outrageous. Potatoes make up a high percentage of my diet. Can I get a baked potato with breakfast?  (We’ve sailed with NCL but I don’t remember). 

[Rick&Jeannie]

13 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

Are you saying there are none?  That’s outrageous. Potatoes make up a high percentage of my diet. Can I get a baked potato with breakfast?  (We’ve sailed with NCL but I don’t remember). 

I do not have *first-hand* experience or knowledge of this, but I have been perusing the NCL board prior to an upcoming cruise with them. Apparently hash browns are scarcer than hens teeth.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, BamaVol said:

Are you saying there are none?  That’s outrageous. Potatoes make up a high percentage of my diet. Can I get a baked potato with breakfast?  (We’ve sailed with NCL but I don’t remember). 

 

They have eliminated hash browns and cookies on NCL and it is a whole scandal. Meanwhile, on all of my recent cruises (MSC) there are plenty of hash browns to be had, but good luck finding ketchup for them! I like mine with ketchup and apparently getting ketchup at breakfast is like asking for ice cream at breakfast?

 

Pertaining to the OP, I had similar problems with the MDR omelets on my Emerald Princess sailing in late 2022/early 2023.

[EDVM96]

The prefab omelettes on the Sapphire look like this:

 

 

Not comparable to a fresh made Omelette, but they seem to be better than on the Ruby.