Someone's reporting The Galley is a buffet even though VV doesn't want to call it that

[NutsAboutGolf]

Was looking at this video and this persons reporting The Galley, which has 10+ international eateries.  Regardless there are plenty of other places to eat on the ship, I just found it interesting.  Fast forward to 6:30

 

[garymfreedman]

It kinda does look like a buffet am guessing, they have reduced the amount of food on it, compared to what you would typically think of a buffet.

[AlyssaJames]

It’s more like an upscale food court. I think a fair amount of it will be cooked to order.

[eroller]

At the end of the day I suppose it's still a buffet, but I think they were going for more of a "food hall" concept which have become quite popular here in Miami and I'm sure in other cities.  

[AlyssaJames]

1 minute ago, eroller said:

At the end of the day I suppose it's still a buffet, but I think they were going for more of a "food hall" concept which have become quite popular here in Miami and I'm sure in other cities.  

I’ve been to one in NYC, had the best ramen I’ve ever had in my life.

[NutsAboutGolf]

8 minutes ago, eroller said:

At the end of the day I suppose it's still a buffet, but I think they were going for more of a "food hall" concept which have become quite popular here in Miami and I'm sure in other cities.  

 

Unfortunately the vblogger didn't take any videos of the food at the galley as the difference is going to be are the majority of the offerings cooked to order or are they already made.  Love food halls myself and had the best fried chicken in NOLA at one.  I generally prefer food halls where the majority of the restaurants offer some small plate options so you can try multiple locations without getting full or wasting food.

 

Not sure if the eateries are up to date and accurate, here's what I found: bakery, pastry shop, a panini shop, a burger grill, a taco shack, a sushi bar with bento boxes, a noodle bar, a soup and salad stand, and a 24-hour American diner.

[ano]

Bloggers Ben & David have a good video and do show the food. No, maybe not a buffet in how buffets used to be 10-20 years ago, but not a whole lot different than buffets on newer cruise ships.  Yes there are "food stations" but that really isn't any different to Royal or Carnival today.  If it looks like a duck, call it a duck. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by ano

[kwokpot]

5 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Unfortunately the vblogger didn't take any videos of the food at the galley as the difference is going to be are the majority of the offerings cooked to order or are they already made.  Love food halls myself and had the best fried chicken in NOLA at one.  I generally prefer food halls where the majority of the restaurants offer some small plate options so you can try multiple locations without getting full or wasting food.

 

Not sure if the eateries are up to date and accurate, here's what I found: bakery, pastry shop, a panini shop, a burger grill, a taco shack, a sushi bar with bento boxes, a noodle bar, a soup and salad stand, and a 24-hour American diner.

The reason the Galley is closer to a buffet than a land based Food Hall is that the food on the Scarlet lady is all coming from the same kitchen and same 'owners'. A true food hall has many different restaurantaurs and vendors.

[eroller]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

The reason the Galley is closer to a buffet than a land based Food Hall is that the food on the Scarlet lady is all coming from the same kitchen and same 'owners'. A true food hall has many different restaurantaurs and vendors.

 

 

Very true, but the "concept" is more food hall.  If they can pull off the different cuisines well, it should be a success.  

[kwokpot]

2 minutes ago, eroller said:

 

 

Very true, but the "concept" is more food hall.  If they can pull off the different cuisines well, it should be a success.  

Don't get me wrong,the photos of the food look amazing and I'm very excited about the all inclusive nature of the food offerings on the ship. But then again I loved the Buffet on the Celebrity Edge so I have nothing against buffets when they're well executed.

[eroller]

Just now, kwokpot said:

Don't get me wrong,the photos of the food look amazing and I'm very excited about the all inclusive nature of the food offerings on the ship. But then again I loved the Buffet on the Celebrity Edge so I have nothing against buffets when they're well executed.

 

 

I'm with you ... and as previously mentioned most ships have gone to "food stations" in the buffet, so it's more similar to what Virgin is doing.  It's rare to see an old school buffet these days with trays and a rack that everyone slides their tray down in a long line.  Those days are pretty much over and I can't remember the last time I even saw trays.  Most lines have eliminated those years ago.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

16 minutes ago, ano said:

Bloggers Ben & David have a good video and do show the food. No, maybe not a buffet in how buffets used to be 10-20 years ago, but not a whole lot different than buffets on newer cruise ships.  Yes there are "food stations" but that really isn't any different to Royal or Carnival today.  If it looks like a duck, call it a duck. 

 

Just checked their video, 25:00 is when it starts but it appears a lot of the eateries were closed so we don't get to see very much of the food.  They even say "its like a buffet" and "its a deconstructed buffet".  

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, eroller said:

I'm with you ... and as previously mentioned most ships have gone to "food stations" in the buffet, so it's more similar to what Virgin is doing.

 

Well with a real buffet, except for possibly a few live cooking stations, dishes are made in advance and the food could possibly sitting there for hours.  I still didn't get a great look at the galley from either video yet with Ben & Davids, I do think there will be a lot of made to order as some eateries appear to not have room anywhere to put out food.

[AlyssaJames]

Pulled out some stills. I don’t think all the food stalls are online yet.

 

 

 

 

[timf2001]

The main difference between a food hall and buffet is whether the food is plated and served to you, or you dish it out yourself.  It does appear at least some items are self-serve such as the salad bar and desserts.  Hopefully this is not the case for the hot food stations, or else it really is just a buffet under a different name.  I would welcome a true food hall type setup because it would be much more hygienic, without having to worry about who else may have touched the food or serving utensils.

[snuckles12]

Are these food offerings behind glass? I have seen many posts about it being more of a buffet from people who have posted tours. The difference to me would be is this self serve? It doesn’t look like it is. That is the reason I do not do land or sea buffets. The whole germ aspect. Ha! I see as I was writing this the poster above me was saying the same. I took the salad bar as they would be serving it because of the sign. But who knows?

Edited February 25, 2020 by snuckles12

[AlyssaJames]

1 minute ago, timf2001 said:

The main difference between a food hall and buffet is whether the food is plated and served to you, or you dish it out yourself.  It does appear at least some items are self-serve such as the salad bar and desserts.  Hopefully this is not the case for the hot food stations, or else it really is just a buffet under a different name.  I would welcome a true food hall type setup because it would be much more hygienic, without having to worry about who else may have touched the food or serving utensils.

Actually, I just noticed the serving tongs for the dessert bar are on the server side of the buffet, not the passenger side. (Scroll up.)

[hotsauce126]

This is definitely more of a food hall than a buffet

[nigelc]

10 hours ago, hotsauce126 said:

This is definitely more of a food hall than a buffet

 

A food hall with only one vendor and on-board a ship - isn't that a just buffet? Most cruise ships have different food stations spread out in the space but they simply call them what they are - a buffet. 

[timf2001]

1 hour ago, nigelc said:

 

A food hall with only one vendor and on-board a ship - isn't that a just buffet? Most cruise ships have different food stations spread out in the space but they simply call them what they are - a buffet. 

 

Again, if you aren't dishing out the food yourself, it's not a buffet.

[NutsAboutGolf]

I'm now thinking that the majority of the eateries were closed/offline for the original video which was some sort of preview, one day cruise.  Still lots of questions which will be answered soon and you'd imagine things can evolve over time.

  

3 hours ago, timf2001 said:

 

Again, if you aren't dishing out the food yourself, it's not a buffet.

 

Isn't that a cafeteria (lol)?  There are going to be things like the taco stand, the taco meat most likely won't be cooked to order (nor would it make sense to) but they'd make the taco for you.  Regardless, there appears to be another dozen eateries that are more like restaurants if one doesn't like the Eatery concept.

[timf2001]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I'm now thinking that the majority of the eateries were closed/offline for the original video which was some sort of preview, one day cruise.  Still lots of questions which will be answered soon and you'd imagine things can evolve over time.

  

 

Isn't that a cafeteria (lol)?  There are going to be things like the taco stand, the taco meat most likely won't be cooked to order (nor would it make sense to) but they'd make the taco for you.  Regardless, there appears to be another dozen eateries that are more like restaurants if one doesn't like the Eatery concept.

 

Cafeteria did come to mind, but I think they'll try to give it a more upscale feel than that.  Concession Stand may be a better comparison, where most of the ingredients are pre-cooked (or already being cooked before you order) and they assemble it once you order.

[ano]

6 hours ago, timf2001 said:

 

Again, if you aren't dishing out the food yourself, it's not a buffet.

I don't know. Oceania serves everything to you and they call theirs a buffet. 

[ChipLondon]

Okay I can clear this up IT IS NOT A BUFFET.....

You cannot serve yourself at any of the food sections, you cannot pile your plate up with a selection of different meals, each serving is prepared for you as per your order. ( maybe with the exception of Bread or Desserts. ) Therefore there is much less food waste, no nobody ( who may have just come out of a bathroom, without washing their hands ) is touching the tongs or service spoons. I really like this area and am on board for a 9 day sailing.

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

It appears that the people calling this a buffet are not following the dictionary definition of a buffet.  They are calling them buffets based on it having multiple food stations/eateries without mentioning if it’s self service or not.

Edited February 28, 2020 by NutsAboutGolf