Bye bye buffet?

Actually you bring up an interesting concept (at least for me) Personally we tend to eat a lot of our meals in the Buffet (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) If we would like to have a nicer sit down type served dinner we will go to a specialty restaurant. The MDR's are what we tend to avoid. It isn't a knock against the service but eating in the MDR's tends to take longer than we would like. So if the cruise lines wanted to split up the buffets into different types of niche eateries and break up the MDR's into more specialty restaurants that would suit us just fine! :)

Especially on the larger ships. Two things that annoy me a little are the no-charge eating options on ships, and the general lack of pool space per passenger.

The spa sized pools could be located multiple locations. The Grand Princess ships have the aft pool, the outdoor spa area pool, the main pool area, and a soaking/hot tub area. By having several smaller pools and not a large central pool area combined with 10 +/- no charge, no reservation, food options, might make for better use of space.

But we're talking about replacing the traditional buffet, not replacing the traditional MDR with a series of smaller restaurants, which is what Royal Caribbean is doing. I believe they're still going to have a buffet on the Quantum.

Yes, I understand that. I was just responding to two different posters who indicated that they thought breaking up the big MDRs into smaller venues was a good idea as well. Seems like more than one cruise line is thinking outside the box when it comes to dining options for their newer ships.

Keep the buffet - I don't want a food court. It sounds like a 'no change' change to me. They are just trying something different to limit the offerings maybe.

Certain times of day, the buffet is what I want. Such as just getting in from an excursion. I like to get my food and sit out side to enjoy it.

Some years ago, when the long buffet lines were beginning to break up into specialty stations, a hotel director on Holland America told me the rationale behind it:

1. Improve traffic flow.

2. Slow people down in making selections so they'd be more inclined to go after only what they really wanted.

3. Wean people off taking "dabs" of 50 items and ending up with a mountain of food they'd most likely waste.

Next, they took away trays so people could no longer walk around with a pile of plates.

I see the food court concept as yet the next step, with portions being served by crew, rather than letting people help themselves. Sure, they can always go back for seconds, but anything that makes it a little harder must reduce some waste.

A cruise line is already set to try this concept. RCI's Quantum of the Seas will completely eliminate the big MDR in favor of 5 or so smaller complimentary venues, each of which has their own set menus and ambiance, steakhouse, Italian, etc. Only one is formal, the rest casual.

Again just my opinion and preference but I think RCI is on to something doing that. It certainly will be a good test as to how people like it.

Keep the buffet - I don't want a food court. It sounds like a 'no change' change to me. They are just trying something different to limit the offerings maybe.

 

Certain times of day' date=' the buffet is what I want. Such as just getting in from an excursion. I like to get my food and sit out side to enjoy it. [/size']

If ships start doing away with buffets and replace them with food court style eateries. It might have more to to with sanitary conditions than anything else. (think Noro) There is far less food handling and exposure under those circumstances. Don't get me wrong as I do enjoy the buffets myself...however they really are riskier with regards to contamination.

If ships start doing away with buffets and replace them with food court style eateries. It might have more to to with sanitary conditions than anything else. (think Noro) There is far less food handling and exposure under those circumstances. Don't get me wrong as I do enjoy the buffets myself...however they really are riskier with regards to contamination.

Absolutely...I've seen people behave less than respectfully at buffets. And with so many people on a cruise ship, I'm sure it happens every day. Every time we hear about a noro outbreak on a ship, the first thing I say is that some people probably aren't washing their hands in the rest room, then they touch a serving spoon from the buffet, then another guest touches the same spoon. That guest goes to their table, eats something like a piece of bread or a cookie with the contaminated hand, and boom...it starts an outbreak of noro. Or anything else for that matter.

Sorry to be graphic, but some people aren't conscious of personal hygiene like proper hand washing after using the rest room. It's common sense to many of us, but some people just don't think or just don't care.

We don't go to the buffet often on NCL late night grazing. I like to poke around and sometimes just check out all the goodies :) on sea days. Food court or buffet all the same thing to me. Though I do miss this on Princess as at night they now seem to have a Bistro in place of the buffet (yuck).

I love buffets, but my husband almost always picks up a cold on a cruise. Most likely from touching utensils on the buffet. Now, if people, who have already disinfected their hands would leave their snot rags in their pockets, or not cough directly onto their hands, then that would reduce the chance of infection.

PLEASE: If you have to blow your nose, please excuse yourself and go wash your hands.

If you have to cough, please cough into your sleeve or the crook of your arm.

In other words, please be conscientious of others.

Thank you!

Someone said in effect, why should NCL cruisers care what P&O does?

We currently have two cruise lines, P&O and RCI who are shaking up the norms with new concepts for both MDR and Buffet. If these experiments are successful, meaning popular with cruisers, then we can expect other cruise lines, including NCL, to eventually copy them, just like most everyone eventually adopted some form of Freestyle from NCL.

P&O's description of their concept never referred to a "food court", but to "restaurants", so I think it's too soon to know what they are really talking about. I do like buffets, but P&O's concept might really appeal to some buffet snobs who never darken the door.

I personally would prefer to see an NCL freestyle version of RCI's MDR breakup instead. Get rid of that huge cavernous room. They are off to a good start with the addition of the Taste and Savor concept. Now take it a step further.

I love buffets, but my husband almost always picks up a cold on a cruise. Most likely from touching utensils on the buffet. Now, if people, who have already disinfected their hands would leave their snot rags in their pockets, or not cough directly onto their hands, then that would reduce the chance of infection.

 

PLEASE: If you have to blow your nose, please excuse yourself and go wash your hands.

 

If you have to cough, please cough into your sleeve or the crook of your arm.

 

In other words, please be conscientious of others.

 

Thank you!

And to add to that...please please PLEASE refrain from eating your food while still at the buffet picking other food. Especially if you are eating with your hands. And licking your fingers. And then touching serving utensils. Yes, I have seen this, no exaggeration!

Again just my opinion and preference but I think RCI is on to something doing that. It certainly will be a good test as to how people like it.

From what I can gather, Disney does something similar, by dining in a different venue nightly.

I never cruised with Disney, but I saw this mentioned on a travel video.

On our last cruise to Alaska this past August, we ate in the main dining room some, we ate a whole lot at O'Sheehans. We ate quite a bit at the buffet, which was when we were wanting to be able to eat quickly without having to wait to be served.

I, personally, thinks it's fun scoping out the buffet in search of something that catches my eye and looks yummy!!!! Like a treasure hunt!!!! HA!

But, when I really let myself think about eating in the buffet, I get a little bit eeked (pry not a real word) out about having so many people handling the serving spoons etc. So, I try to keep that out of my mind. We've been fortunate and have never gotten sick from anyone or anything while on a cruise.

I see one problem for me if food court type stations are set up. I would probably want things from a few of the stations and I wonder what the wait time would be to do that. In the buffet, I gets small bits of many different things from many different areas of the buffet.

I can see a food court style being good. I enjoy eating at food courts when I go to the mall. But, that being said, I still think I would prefer the traditional style buffet!

Maybe ncl will give it a try on one or two of their ships to see how it goes and how it's received??????

And, I do remember the traditional midnight buffet. WE had that on our cruise on Premier's Big Red Boat many years ago. I can't remember a whole lot about the food offerings, but I do remember how beautiful the presentation was, and I did take many pictures.

Since we seldom go to buffets any more, it wouldn't bother me. In fact, might enjoy something new.

From what I can gather, Disney does something similar, by dining in a different venue nightly.

 

I never cruised with Disney, but I saw this mentioned on a travel video.

With Disney you rotate among the 3 restaurants in a set, pre-arranged pattern. Your servers follow you as well so you have them the whole trip.

Regarding the buffet on DCL, you can eat at the buffet on a limited number of nights (I think it is all but the first and last night) but it is a sit down affair where you order off a menu with items being served in the other restaurants that night. They don't actually have the buffet stocked with food. I guess the concept is to make it more leisurely and quicker - and supposedly a training ground for servers.

We've been on DCL for quite some time and while you could eat at the buffet on the 2 older ships at the time, I still don't recall it actually being buffet food, it seems to me it is like it is now where you order and get served. The only difference is the older ships had buffets that looked like something at an old hospital vs. the new ships are quite nice.

Regarding the buffet on DCL, you can eat at the buffet on a limited number of nights (I think it is all but the first and last night) but it is a sit down affair where you order off a menu with items being served in the other restaurants that night. They don't actually have the buffet stocked with food. I guess the concept is to make it more leisurely and quicker - and supposedly a training ground for servers.

If you sit down and order off a menu and then have the items served to you, how is that a buffet?:confused:. Although I do like the idea of being able to order items available in other restaurants.

Someone said in effect, why should NCL cruisers care what P&O does?

 

...

Things tend to propagate within the cruise business.

:thumbup:

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And to add to that...please please PLEASE refrain from eating your food while still at the buffet picking other food. Especially if you are eating with your hands. And licking your fingers. And then touching serving utensils. Yes, I have seen this, no exaggeration!

I see disgusting things like that too I saw a lady eat almost a whole plate of food once in line while piling more food on her plate. Licking her fingers and touching everything.

No matter how many times people are told to wash their hands, there are always people who don't care and will not do it. I do not trust utensils at a buffet (on a ship or on land).

Maybe I am OCD, but my method to 'protect' myself in a buffet is I serve my food with my right hand touching utensils only. I then consider that hand contaminated. My left hand does not touch any utensils and that is the hand I will use to eat any food I have to touch like a bread roll, cookie, etc. I even try to avoid touching my cup with my left hand because the server is touching everyone's glasses bare handed and has germs too.

Something to notice on your next cruise: The buffet utensils change colors each hour. Yes, they are color coded so staff knows when they need to be changed out. We were told this and I did notice it being done.

We always go by the hand sanitizer station before sitting down with our food, rub it in really well and only then pick up our napkin and touch our silverware. Repeat every time you go back to the buffet line.

Something to notice on your next cruise: The buffet utensils change colors each hour. Yes' date=' they are color coded so staff knows when they need to be changed out. We were told this and I did notice it being done.

 

 

 

We always go by the hand sanitizer station before sitting down with our food, rub it in really well and only then pick up our napkin and touch our silverware. Repeat every time you go back to the buffet line.

 

 

 

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Exactly! The best way to protect yourself is to cleans/sanitize AFTER serving yourself your food but prior to eating with your hands that just touched all those shared utensils.

Something to notice on your next cruise: The buffet utensils change colors each hour. Yes' date=' they are color coded so staff knows when they need to be changed out. We were told this and I did notice it being done.

 

We always go by the hand sanitizer station before sitting down with our food, rub it in really well and only then pick up our napkin and touch our silverware. Repeat every time you go back to the buffet line.

 

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Excellent observation.

As piggish as some of our fellow humans can be if health department regulations are being properly followed buffets are safe places to eat with one exception- potential cross contamination of allergens. DW had a minor seafood reaction after eating at a Chinese food buffet because someone had used a spoon from the shrimp dish to get something from the next pan over. That's what worries me more than germs. Germs might make you sick but if you get something you are allergic to then it could kill you.

If you sit down and order off a menu and then have the items served to you, how is that a buffet?:confused:. Although I do like the idea of being able to order items available in other restaurants.

It isn't - you eat in the buffet area but not off the buffet. They list it as dining in "Cabanas" which is the name for the buffet on the new ships. The other thing I should have pointed out is the benefit of eating in the buffet is you don't have to eat at your designated dining time which is either 5 ish or 8 ish.

If they did away with the buffet where would you ever find Jimmy?

I see disgusting things like that too I saw a lady eat almost a whole plate of food once in line while piling more food on her plate. Licking her fingers and touching everything.

 

No matter how many times people are told to wash their hands, there are always people who don't care and will not do it. I do not trust utensils at a buffet (on a ship or on land).

 

Maybe I am OCD, but my method to 'protect' myself in a buffet is I serve my food with my right hand touching utensils only. I then consider that hand contaminated. My left hand does not touch any utensils and that is the hand I will use to eat any food I have to touch like a bread roll, cookie, etc. I even try to avoid touching my cup with my left hand because the server is touching everyone's glasses bare handed and has germs too.

I do exactly the same thing at a buffet! We rarely eat at buffets, even on a cruise we eat in the MDR much more. But there is still the occasional trip to the buffet even if it's only to grab a quick chocolate croissant after I eat breakfast in the MDR. ;)

At home, there is only one buffet where we eat...it's a Japanese restaurant and it closes for a few hours between lunch and dinner. They frequently change out the utensils and they are always cleaning. My son is allergic to shellfish so we get there earlier than they open and we are first to sit down and go to the buffet before other guests can potentially cross contaminate something by using a serving spoon from shellfish in a dish my son would eat. He knows he has to get all his food as soon as we get there, and he is very happy with it. We also eat at character buffets at Disney World when we go there. But I always do the hand thing just like you! I also sanitize my hands again before I eat. I carry sanitizer on me all the time. The kids and DH use it too...I insist! :)

Something to notice on your next cruise: The buffet utensils change colors each hour. Yes' date=' they are color coded so staff knows when they need to be changed out. We were told this and I did notice it being done.

 

We always go by the hand sanitizer station before sitting down with our food, rub it in really well and only then pick up our napkin and touch our silverware. Repeat every time you go back to the buffet line.

 

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I do this on vacation or at home, even after ordering food when not at a buffet. The menus in a restaurant have more germs than anything else in the restaurant! Think about it...everyone touches them. We always sanitize out hands, or we go wash our hands, after handing the menu to the server.