
Cruise Lines Say ‘No’ – Not Served on Louisiana-based Cruises
If you've ever boarded a cruise ship sailing out of New Orleans, Louisiana you are not alone. That port is setting cruise line records every month it seems. More and more guests from Lafayette, Alexandria, Monroe, Shreveport, and Bossier City are finding out that a great vacation can begin and end on the banks of the Mississippi River in the Big Easy.
A lot of cruise lines are actually including New Orleans as a stop on the itinerary these days. I have sailed on many cruises where the "home port" was actually the first day of your cruise. It basically turns your cruise ship into a seaside hotel. This allows you to explore the nightlife of your home port city return to the ship for sleeping and breakfast and sail away the next day.
And if you like your food prepared a certain kind of way, you might want to take advantage of your time on shore to get the meal made the way you want it because, on the major cruise lines that serve the Port of New Orleans, this ain't Burger King and you can't have it your way.
Almost every cruise line has burgers and hot dogs as a staple for guests to snack on around the pool. The Carnival Cruise Line kicks it up a notch, oops wrong chef, they sail you to "Flavortown" with Chef Guy Fieri's "Guy's Burger Joint" on board. The TV Chef's namesake burger place is available on all Carnival ships and you can find them in airports, casinos, and resorts across the world.
The menu at Guy's Burger Joint on board a Carnival vessel is pretty simple and straightforward. They offer five different burgers. You get your choice of fries, toppings, and condiments. They also offer a veggie burger but that one isn't officially endorsed by Fieri.
A friend of mine who sails the Carnival line frequently says the Guy's Burger Joint staff is very reluctant to customize a burger for you. They don't mind making a fresh patty or leaving off a topping but if you start asking them to change too many things, they'll just give you a plain burger and a bun and encourage you to visit the condiment station.
But the one thing that Guy's Burger Joint won't do and in fact, no other cruise line that I can find that offers burgers will do for you either and that is make your burger medium rare. They will cook it medium or they will cook it medium well but medium rare is not an option.
Yes, it is a health-related issue. While it's true that many land-based restaurants in the United States do offer medium rare burgers the cruise line position is quite simple. There is a health risk associated with eating raw meat. Even land-based restaurants have to post that warning. On a cruise ship you could be hours away from medical attention should you need it, it's a risk the cruise lines don't want to take over the way you like your burger.
Now, it might be possible to get a steak prepared medium rare because a steak is a solid piece of meat and there are fewer places for bacteria to grow compared to the mixed-up mash that is ground beef. It's also a fair assumption that the quality of meat used in making ground beef is slightly less than the quality of meat chosen for steaks.
Trust me, food poisoning or the feeling associated with food poisoning is not something you or your fellow cruisers want to experience while on the open ocean. If you can't eat an overcooked burger, go to the main dining room for a New York Strip, it's always on the menu and I know of at least one cruise line that will bring it to your table while it's still mooing if you want it that rare.
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Gallery Credit: Bruce Mikells
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