Although modern-day cruise ships have endless food on board, some passengers like to get creative and come up with clever hacks to make their dining experience even better.
Newer ships, like Star of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, have an unbelievable amount of restaurants available. However, one TikToker recently shared a unique buffet hack that transformed simple buffet items into a makeshift lobster roll.
Since it was posted on April 16, the viral TikTok has garnered over 85,000 views, 1,600 likes, 380 shares, 130 saves, and 70 comments.
"I have an idea for a cruise hack [on Utopia of the Seas]. They have lobster in the Windjammer and in the Solarium on Day One. They also have hot dog buns [and] Old Bay aioli," explains @findmeatsea.
(Credit: @findmeatsea / TikTok)
Although Utopia has a specialty seafood restaurant, this hack is smart for guests who might love the taste of a buttery lobster roll but don't want to pay extra.
She then proceeds to load up the hot dog bun with lettuce before dunking generous pieces of lobster meat in the aioli and layering them on the bread.
"That looks amazing," she says as she takes the first bite of her creation and nods in satisfaction, "Mmhmm, it's a hack."
She tries the hack again on another sailing but swaps the Old Bay aioli for melted butter
(Credit: @findmeatsea / TikTok)
TikToker @findmeatsea posted another video on May 11, sharing that she returned to the Windjammer for lunch on embarkation day to revise the hack based on other comments.
"I'm going to use [the lobster] to make my own lobster roll, but this time, with melted butter," she explains.
Once again, she uses a hot dog bun because she claims that the buffet does not have any sub rolls in the bakery section.
(Credit: @findmeatsea / TikTok)
Continuing on, she says, "The lobster tails are split in half so [they are] easy to separate."
After removing the meat from the tails, she dunks them in the melted butter and places them into the hot dog bun, which has already been layered with lettuce.
Although she does not state which version she prefers more, she nods to the camera and gives a thumbs-up for approval.
"That's... a crazy good idea"
People flocked to the comments to praise the creativity of the hack and share how they would spruce up their lobster roll on Utopia of the Seas.
"A little lemon but genius!" said @airdanone.
"That's the best [cruise] hack I've seen since... the mozzarella stick fried chicken sandwich and cookie ice cream sandwich hack on [CocoCay]," @Jackie Cel adds.
@Stacy walsh suggests adding tartar sauce next time, writing, "[Use] tartar sauce next time with Tabasco if you would like ... chilled lobster roll made with tartar is so yummy and add the shrimp cocktail to the lobster to make it even better."
"I'm gonna need some Mayo on that please," comments @Yondie.
Unfortunately, this is not a hack that can be done fleet-wide
Lobster is not commonly found in the Windjammer aboard Royal Caribbean ships. Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, and Utopia of the Seas are (currently) the only vessels in the fleet that offer a special seafood buffet on embarkation day.
Still, this idea highlights just how far a little creativity can go and encourages other cruisers to take a lap around the buffet and come up with their own customizable dish.
For example, if you grab a cup of vanilla soft-serve and head over to a drink machine, you can turn it into a yummy frozen treat by pouring lemonade on top of the ice cream.
Another idea is to get a plate of fries from the buffet and go to El Loco Fresh, where you can top it with everything from nacho cheese sauce to jalapeños, seasoned beef, and salsa to create your own loaded fries.
Read more: I found the best free food hack on Royal Caribbean that changed how I snack
