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Post by compdude787 on Nov 19, 2013 18:56:35 GMT -8
High end dining aboard the Island Sky on rte 17: -Can anyone guess how much I paid for this? $8.39!!! But yeah, I usually eat on the ferry, particularly when new food comes out. The meat balls were okay, but the rest of the pasta tasted like some kind of plastic mixed with rubber, which wasn't exactly appetizing. I would like to think that best before date was accurate. Final grade - BC Ferries standards: 3/10 Final grade - WSF standards: 9.9/10 (the only downside in this case was the portion! ) At least WSF doesn't make you nuke your food. Other than the microwaved stuff on the I-Sky, BCF's food seems pretty good and probably a better use of my money than WSF's food. I never eat food on the ferries. I always get food before I get on the ferry. If you're ever at Kingston, there's a place you can get crepes and they're really yummy. You should try them sometime. Definitely worth your $6.00, and plus, you're supporting a local business. Everyone likes that.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2013 19:49:33 GMT -8
High end dining aboard the Island Sky on rte 17: -Can anyone guess how much I paid for this? $8.39!!! But yeah, I usually eat on the ferry, particularly when new food comes out. The meat balls were okay, but the rest of the pasta tasted like some kind of plastic mixed with rubber, which wasn't exactly appetizing. I would like to think that best before date was accurate. Final grade - BC Ferries standards: 3/10 Final grade - WSF standards: 9.9/10 (the only downside in this case was the portion! ) I never eat food on the ferries. I always get food before I get on the ferry. If you're ever at Kingston, there's a place you can get crepes and they're really yummy. You should try them sometime. Definitely worth your $6.00, and plus, you're supporting a local business. Everyone likes that. Haha, that's a smart move. My consumption of food on ferries could almost earn me "official WCFF taste tester." (Hey there's a custom title...) If it's food and it's on BC Ferries, chances are I will eat it, at least once
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Dec 17, 2013 18:33:49 GMT -8
I dont know where to put this so I will put it here! This is on the schedules page for route 1!
Please be advised that the Pacific Buffet will not be available on the following sailings from November 14 to December 18 while the Coastal Renaissance is in service: From Tsawwassen: 7am, 11am, 3pm, 7pm From Swartz Bay: 9am, 1pm, 5pm, 9pm
I guess they had lots of questions on the Rennie about the Buffet or lack of Buffet so I bet they put this up now.
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Post by princessofvanfan on Dec 18, 2013 14:31:02 GMT -8
High end dining aboard the Island Sky on rte 17: -Can anyone guess how much I paid for this? $8.39!!! But yeah, I usually eat on the ferry, particularly when new food comes out. The meat balls were okay, but the rest of the pasta tasted like some kind of plastic mixed with rubber, which wasn't exactly appetizing. I would like to think that best before date was accurate. Final grade - BC Ferries standards: 3/10 Final grade - WSF standards: 9.9/10 (the only downside in this case was the portion! )
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Post by princessofvanfan on Dec 18, 2013 14:33:41 GMT -8
Nasty. WSF food is quite tasty and reasonably priced. AND, they have draft beer!
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Post by Mike C on Dec 18, 2013 15:56:00 GMT -8
Nasty. WSF food is quite tasty and reasonably priced. AND, they have draft beer! Agree to disagree, my friend. The last time I ate on WSF (Kitsap), the bagels had mold on them, and my breakfast burrito gave me food poisoning. Lesson learned: eat before boarding.
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Post by paulvanb on Dec 18, 2013 16:29:33 GMT -8
Nasty. WSF food is quite tasty and reasonably priced. AND, they have draft beer! We all love beer!
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SolDuc
Voyager
West Coast Cyclist
SolDuc and SOBC - Photo by Scott
Posts: 2,055
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Post by SolDuc on Dec 18, 2013 17:52:02 GMT -8
Nasty. WSF food is quite tasty and reasonably priced. AND, they have draft beer! Agree to disagree, my friend. The last time I ate on WSF (Kitsap), the bagels had mold on them, and my breakfast burrito gave me food poisoning. Lesson learned: eat before boarding. Wait, if it was on the Kitsap then that can be a contributing factor... Haha. BCF food is really good, and WSF is nowhere close to that but it's already nice for what they have. Anything to drink is pretty good, and the soups and cookies and soups are ok, too.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,171
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Post by Neil on Dec 18, 2013 19:50:23 GMT -8
WSF routes are shorter and US regulations don't force WSF to have as many crew on board as here in Canada, so our friends to the south haven't had to find people something to do, which is part of the reason BC Ferries has much better food options.
Still... if you're hungry on board a major BC Ferries vessel, even the Queen of Burnaby, chances are you can find something decent to eat. I've been appalled at the options on even longer WSF runs, like Anacortes-Lopez-Orcas, where you have to hope the contracted operator deems it in their interest to even be open and selling popcorn at a given time.
I'm just happy that I seem to have such splendid luck in choosing my crossings to and from Vancouver Island, since for the last few months, every time I'm on board, Chuck Currie announces that I've picked a great day to sail, owing to the culinary bounty available in the caf on those days. Wish all my life choices were as wise.
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Post by WettCoast on Dec 18, 2013 21:32:55 GMT -8
I have had occasion to 'dine' on all three west coast ferry operators (BCF, AMHS, & WSF) vessels. I can say without doubt that BC Ferries offers the best food services, with AMHS in second place.
WSF food is, in my experience, best avoided. AMHS serves up what I like to call hospital fare (i.e. similar to what patients get fed in most hospitals).
Having said all of this though, WSFs offers reasonable service to its customers at reasonable prices. That is more than can be said for the current version of BC Ferries.
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Neil
Voyager
Posts: 7,171
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Post by Neil on Dec 18, 2013 21:52:10 GMT -8
I have had occasion to 'dine' on all three west coast ferry operators (BCF, AMHS, & WSF) vessels. I can say without doubt that BC Ferries offers the best food services, with AMHS in second place. WSF food is, in my experience, best avoided. AMHS serves up what I like to call hospital fare (i.e. similar to what patients get fed in most hospitals). Having said all of this though, WSFs offers reasonable service to its customers at reasonable prices. That is more than can be said for the current version of BC Ferries. Quite right... WSF has a mandate to be a link in the highway/road system, and they do that, without pretension... and amazingly, compared to what we have in BC, 'til fairly late at night most days. What a concept.
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Koastal Karl
Voyager
Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
Posts: 7,747
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Post by Koastal Karl on Dec 18, 2013 22:15:02 GMT -8
Well what BC Ferries meal options do they have that are their own in the Cafeteria?? Everything is White Spot now on the major routes at least in the Cafeteria. I know the Burnaby and Nanaimo it's the regular BC Ferries food. Except for those routes the Buffet everything else is like White Spot and Break Garden, lol!
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Post by Balfour on Dec 18, 2013 22:33:22 GMT -8
Well what BC Ferries meal options do they have that are their own in the Cafeteria?? Everything is White Spot now on the major routes at least in the Cafeteria. I know the Burnaby and Nanaimo it's the regular BC Ferries food. Except for those routes the Buffet everything else is like White Spot and Break Garden, lol! The Only Cafeteria menu items on the major routes that are BC Ferries own recipe are the breakfast options. They still have their original clam chowder recipe on major routes, but occasionally that gets subbed in with a Campbell's recipe if the original is not available
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mrdot
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Mr. DOT
Posts: 1,252
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Post by mrdot on Dec 18, 2013 22:56:30 GMT -8
:)while on the subject of ferry food, the BC ferry service was good in the early dogwood days, when we ran a basic ferry fleet, and didn't try to match private cruise industry standards of the present day, we need to steer clear of this privatization crap, and go back to basic service and managment along Washington state standards! :)mrdot.
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Post by Kahloke on Dec 19, 2013 5:27:24 GMT -8
The food on WSF vessels wasn't always bad. I remember a time, quite a number of years ago, when you actually got fairly decent food on WSF boats. That's back when the ships still had a grill in the galley, and when they actually had cooks on board that did more than just re-heat prepackaged food items. I remember when I was a kid, you could get a decent breakfast on board a WSF vessel, similar to what you can still get on BC Ferries today. I think it was in the 90's when WSF started removing the grills from the galleys, and food service took a turn for the worse.
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Post by Mike on Jan 21, 2014 15:00:34 GMT -8
One of my favourite things about the Northern routes is the fact that their galleys prepare specials for lunch and dinner. You often can get something that they don't serve down south. This is one of the dinner specials served while aboard: Breaded pork cutlets with gravy, new potatos and corn. Dinner Special on the Northern Expedition by West Coast Photography, on Flickr
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Post by Low Light Mike on Apr 5, 2014 18:17:14 GMT -8
A facebook photo that I saw today, of a chilli dog on the Queen of Chilliwack, got me wondering:
What if we were to match up a typical ferry food menu item to each ship, to show which food item best represented that particular ship.
The Chilli-Dog on the Chilliwack was a good match, not only because of the similar sounding name, but because the disgusting looking food item matched the generally unpleasant riding experience to be found on the 'Chilliwack.
Likewise, the elegant Northern Expedition ship would be matched up to a more elegant food item, such as one of the high-end buffet items.
Also, the short-route barge ferries would be similar to a BreadGarden wrap: no frills, just quick and simple to get the job done.
What are some other matches between specific ferries and ferry-food items?
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Post by Starsteward on Apr 6, 2014 9:46:50 GMT -8
A facebook photo that I saw today, of a chilli dog on the Queen of Chilliwack, got me wondering: What if we were to match up a typical ferry food menu item to each ship, to show which food item best represented that particular ship. The Chilli-Dog on the Chilliwack was a good match, not only because of the similar sounding name, but because the disgusting looking food item matched the generally unpleasant riding experience to be found on the 'Chilliwack. Likewise, the elegant Northern Expedition ship would be matched up to a more elegant food item, such as one of the high-end buffet items. Also, the short-route barge ferries would be similar to a BreadGarden wrap: no frills, just quick and simple to get the job done. What are some other matches between specific ferries and ferry-food items? Routes 1 and 9 could feature a variety of Lamb dishes, as the Gilf Islands have a perponderance of Lamb farms. Sadly, maybe the idea of offering Lamb items on those menus isn't a great idea after all as I'm not so sure that the 'fast-food" or "buffet" style dining regimens on any of the BC Ferries routes lends itself to any sort of culinery excellence. By comparison, European Ferry companies, continue to provide its 'guests' with superior levels of gastronomic delights in buffets, cafeterias, themed dining rooms, and the latter are truly lovely to see. Linen table cloths, fine china, quality glassware, high-end cutlery, topped off with flower vase arrangements on the tables, epitomize , ( in general terms), the higher expectations of the European travelling public. Cultural expectations drive this level of service as well as one other small item: 'Competition'
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2014 7:55:01 GMT -8
Waffles aboard the Queen of Burnaby:
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 25, 2014 5:29:16 GMT -8
That plate presentation might garner a 2 out of 10 on any of the current reality T.V. cooking shows. That plate would get someone sent home on 'Master Chef'
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Post by paulvanb on Jun 25, 2014 19:42:56 GMT -8
Even food Coast Ferries served back in the day was much better than what anyone serves now. I fully agree with Mr. DOT regarding the Dogwood fleet.
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Post by Starsteward on Jun 26, 2014 11:30:52 GMT -8
Even food Coast Ferries served back in the day was much better than what anyone serves now. I fully agree with Mr. DOT regarding the Dogwood fleet. Make that a 'pair' of agrees with mrdot.
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Post by chinook2 on Jul 10, 2014 11:16:07 GMT -8
The glory days of BCF dining. My Grandparents having lunch in the original restaurant of (i am guessing by the drapes) either the Saanich or the Esquimalt, c.1963.-65
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Post by Starsteward on Jul 10, 2014 11:20:49 GMT -8
The glory days of BCF dining. My Grandparents having lunch in the original restaurant of (i am guessing by the drapes) either the Saanich or the Esquimalt, c.1963.-65 Back in those days your Grandparents would have had their order taken and served by a Steward, tables cleaned off after they were finished, by a greener than grass busboy who made less than $ 200.00 per month.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2014 14:14:01 GMT -8
As of yesterday, there's a new entree in the Coastal Cafe. It's basically a roast beef sandwich with BEEF DIP and a caesar salad.
I think I'll be trying it on my next ferry trip.
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