Biggest Waste of Time on a Cruise Ship...

Eating at any buffet. Why would anyone do this when they can be served and enjoy a meal without getting it yourself and then finding a table.

Because if I can't be in and out of breakfast in 20 minutes or less, I'm not interested. I need to get myself in a lounge chair by the pool by 7:30 or 8:00am.

Not to mention that on my recent cruise, the buffet had about 10 times as many omelet ingredient options as the MDR had.

Hi... I've never met you but I love you. :P Excellent point!!

Thanks. Love ya' too Wendy.

SunFlower and I did the Grand to Hawaii last year. San Francisco round trip. You'll have the time of your lives!

(p.s. - Chris is OBVIOUSLY a very lucky man . . . !)

On a cruise, my biggest waste of time ( and I usually finally say way am I doing that) is trying to figure out where my wife went!! And when I find her she says "where did you go!" Too many things to do, to little time to do them all! Just have FUN!

IMO the biggest waste of time on a cruise is reading a book, this can be done at home, at no extra cost.

I did take a book with me, once, and I read two pages, there is sooooo much to see and do on a cruise ship, without reading by ones self.

john

Because if I can't be in and out of breakfast in 20 minutes or less, I'm not interested. I need to get myself in a lounge chair by the pool by 7:30 or 8:00am.

 

Not to mention that on my recent cruise, the buffet had about 10 times as many omelet ingredient options as the MDR had.

What can I say, I think buffets are waste. Like eating at McDonald for night out before the theater.

You like buffets I think they are a waste and that is what this thread is about.

Of course getting in the sun for skin cancer is not a waste.

To each there own.

What can I say, I think buffets are waste. Like eating at McDonald for night out before the theater.

 

You like buffets I think they are a waste and that is what this thread is about.

 

Of course getting in the sun for skin cancer is not a waste.

 

To each there own.

Yes, to each his own.

If McDonalds had food similar to breakfast on a cruise ship, I'd probably eat there more than once a year. haha. Besides, I am a very healthy eater, and the MDRs do not offer as many options as the buffet for those of us who eat healthy. Sure, there are some healthy things, but not as many options, and I don't like to eat the same thing every day.

IMO the biggest waste of time on a cruise is reading a book, this can be done at home, at no extra cost.

I did take a book with me, once, and I read two pages, there is sooooo much to see and do on a cruise ship, without reading by ones self.

 

john

I'm the opposite - for me, getting in some quality uninterrupted reading time on my balcony or by the pool is one of the great joys of sea days. I find it so much more relaxing and pleasant than most organized cruise ship activities! But this is what I love about cruising - 100 people can have 100 different vacations on the same cruise, without having to agree about which activities are fun and which are a waste of time.

For us it would be eating in the main dining room for breakfast or lunch. It takes forever to get through the meal. We have much better things to do with our time than wait to be served our food. We are grab-and-go kinds of people for those two meals and just consider them time wasters. We know some folks that want to be served every meal while on vacation and that's great...for them:)

 

What are your biggest time wasters?

Sleeping. :)

Ahhh, I see. Are these done where everyone on board must show at once, or are they staggered? I imagine for bigger ships that would take a lot of doing to get that many thousands of people together in one place at one time!

You aren't all in the same place per se, but each passenger will have a "station" which corresponds to the location of the lifeboat you'd be assigned to in evacuation.

Just a test run basically.

You aren't all in the same place per se, but each passenger will have a "station" which corresponds to the location of the lifeboat you'd be assigned to in evacuation.

 

 

 

 

 

Just a test run basically.

Not a waste of time if your sinking to have done that

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Biggest time-waster, completely avoidable, and completely the cruiser's fault: Standing in line waiting for the MDR to open. Folks, you have an assigned table and assigned dining time. No one is going to beat you to your spot and eat all your lobster tails.

Biggest time-waster, completely avoidable, and completely the cruiser's fault: Standing in line waiting for the MDR to open. Folks, you have an assigned table and assigned dining time. No one is going to beat you to your spot and eat all your lobster tails.

Funny you say that, because when I was on a cruise on the Celebrity Summit, it was announced that lobster (a whole lobster, not just the tail) would be available on the last night, but a lot of people at the second sitting were told that lobster wasn't available, because it had all been eaten by the people at the first sitting and the people with Celebrity Select dining who ate early, and the rest of the lobsters had been ordered by people at the second sitting who had their orders taken first.

Biggest time-waster, completely avoidable, and completely the cruiser's fault: Standing in line waiting for the MDR to open. Folks, you have an assigned table and assigned dining time. No one is going to beat you to your spot and eat all your lobster tails.

Perhaps it just shows how good the on-board entertainment can be - some prefer to line up at the MDR

Biggest time-waster, completely avoidable, and completely the cruiser's fault: Standing in line waiting for the MDR to open. Folks, you have an assigned table and assigned dining time. No one is going to beat you to your spot and eat all your lobster tails.

Now this is true at lunch 'open seating' on HAL, it may be on other lines too.

On HAL each person or party has to give his, or her name, and cabin number, this takes a long time.

I asked the reason, and was told that if a person was wanted in an emergency, that person could be found. I said that that was stupid, so, the next day the head waiter told me the real reason. If there is a problem, or complaint, at any given table, the powers that be know who to contact.

Now that does make sense, but, it does not speed up the line for lunch.

john

Biggest time-waster, completely avoidable, and completely the cruiser's fault: Standing in line waiting for the MDR to open. Folks, you have an assigned table and assigned dining time. No one is going to beat you to your spot and eat all your lobster tails.

We lined up at the MDR on the Monarch. We were on time (and hungry) but they weren't ready to open yet.

IMO, there are no wastes of time at all on a cruise. Cruisers may make the wrong decision about what they choose to do, but as far as I'm concerned I enjoy every minute I'm on a cruise. I can never "waste" time because for me holidays are all about relaxing, unwinding.. and doing things you're too busy to enjoy doing at home.

Someone said reading was a waste of time as they could read at home. Yes, so could I but I'd always things there was something else I SHOULD be doing.... and on a cruise I'd never feel guilty about "wasting??" my time doing things like that- bingo, breakfast in MDR, catching up on sleep - HEAVEN!! A cruise is a holiday not a route march through the day.

We lined up at the MDR on the Monarch. We were on time (and hungry) but they weren't ready to open yet.

So - chill out, have a cocktail and don't wait in line.

We always wait until 5 minutes after then go to MDR - no waiting - no hassle - no less food:D

Biggest waste is ques to sort dining on boarding

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Wow, what a downer thread. So negative. :( We try not to let anything bother us on a cruise. We are blessed to be able to cruise so we treasure every moment, even the little annoying ones. ;) Attitude is everything.

.

I agree! I'm thankful to be cruising... Attitude makes the difference!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Forums mobile app

For us it would be eating in the main dining room for breakfast or lunch. It takes forever to get through the meal. We have much better things to do with our time than wait to be served our food. We are grab-and-go kinds of people for those two meals and just consider them time wasters. We know some folks that want to be served every meal while on vacation and that's great...for them:)

 

What are your biggest time wasters?

My biggest time waster?

Nothing----I am on vacation and doing exactly what I want/choose.

The biggest time waster on a cruise...waiting behind the group of people who take their time making a decision and blocking the way....and when you try and get past them, they go freaking nuts about "trying to skip ahead of them" when they haven't moved in 10 minutes.

Ques for tours

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Yeah.....sometimes people are the only problem on a cruise.................but it's a necessary evil of cruising.

This has been an enlightening "read." I agree that on a cruise, if it is an activity you enjoy, it is not a waste of time. However, there are lots of time wasters, and almost all of them seem to involve standing in line.

When the port talks became shopping talks, that was the biggest waste of time for me, until I quit going. I kept hoping they would share port tips and inside information like they used to, but there is no money in that, is there? :(

Yet, some people cruise just for the shopping, so I guess it is a good thing for them. I agree with you, when they stopped sticking strictly to local information and historical data, it ruined it for me. I have a close kin that owns a shop in a tourist area and they thrive on tour companies, individual tour conductors and recommendations from sites like Trip Advisor for a lot of their bread and butter. Conversely, as you said, the Cruise line and the staff running the talks benefit from it too.