From Mr Bayley - NO buffet

[periduncan]

20 minutes ago, Yorkvillain said:

 

Ok, please report back if you change your mind.

 

Will do 😉

[LeeRB]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

It makes far more sense to me to have staff place food on your plate. That way you chose what you want. Pre-plated, or boxed, food has to be much more limiting as far as options go.

And generates much more uneaten food/waste; plus what happened to getting rid if all the one time use stuff that they were making such a big deal about the last couple years, doesn't anyone care about the environment any more?🙄

 

Rick

[periduncan]

7 minutes ago, LeeRB said:

And generates much more uneaten food/waste; plus what happened to getting rid if all the one time use stuff that they were making such a big deal about the last couple years, doesn't anyone care about the environment any more?🙄

 

Rick

Exactly. So instead of picking the food I want and will eat, they give me a box with food I won’t. I’m not going on a cruise, of which food is part of the draw,  to eat a boxed lunch and throw half of it (and the cardboard, plastic utensils, etc). Into a landfill. 

[Ocean Boy]

6 minutes ago, LeeRB said:

And generates much more uneaten food/waste; plus what happened to getting rid if all the one time use stuff that they were making such a big deal about the last couple years, doesn't anyone care about the environment any more?🙄

 

Rick

Apparently, we are now moving on from people dropping dead from infections acquired from the Windjammer to the environmental atrocities of the place.🙄

[goldfish65]

6 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Apparently, we are now moving on from people dropping dead from infections acquired from the Windjammer to the environmental atrocities of the place.🙄

Cracks me up, people so concerned about the buffet wasting food, do they not think there is other waste inherent with going on cruises all the time?

[joelheather]

I think eliminating the WJ is long over due.  Those that have been cruising for more than 20 years will remember the elimination of the midnight buffet and we all survived and kept on cruising.

 

Royal’s WJ in the past several years have become quantity over quality.  Also, self serve venues are a great waste. As so many people become gluttonous, ravenous food hoarders and leave so much over just to be thrown away.  
 

I think it will be turned a bistro like concept, akin to a fast service restaurant concept.

in the long run it may even lower the bottom line and become a new cruise  Favorite concept if executed correctly. 

[Ocean Boy]

6 minutes ago, joelheather said:

I think eliminating the WJ is long over due.  Those that have been cruising for more than 20 years will remember the elimination of the midnight buffet and we all survived and kept on cruising.

 

Royal’s WJ in the past several years have become quantity over quality.  Also, self serve venues are a great waste. As so many people become gluttonous, ravenous food hoarders and leave so much over just to be thrown away.  
 

I think it will be turned a bistro like concept, akin to a fast service restaurant concept.

in the long run it may even lower the bottom line and become a new cruise  Favorite concept if executed correctly. 

The Windjammer feeds high numbers of people throughout the day. The midnight buffets were more for show than anything else. It is pretty hard to equate the two venues other than food was present at both.

[miabusdriver]

if they are only concerned with health and not the bottom line, then its a no brainer to get rid of the up-charges on room service. wouldnt that be the best social distancing? like that will happen.......

[ATC cruiser]

If they want me to order from the room service menu they better increase the selection

[kcshoes]

The "article" posted on CC theinsider is so factually inaccurate it's difficult to even think that @Aaron Saunders even listened to or sourced the samerCoffee Chat call with @Vicki Freed and richard fainnot @Michael Bayley) hosted for Travel Advisors today. 😌

Edited May 21, 2020 by Host Star
Op request

[Ocean Boy]

12 minutes ago, ATC cruiser said:

If they want me to order from the room service menu they better increase the selection

Imagine room service trying to keep up with 5600 people deciding to have dinner in their cabins.

[Ocean Boy]

6 minutes ago, kcshoes said:

The "article" posted on CC theinsider is so factually inaccurate it's difficult to even think that @Aaron Saunders even listened to or sourced the same Coffee Chat call with @Vicki Freed and @John Fain (not @Michael Bayley) hosted for Travel Advisors today. 😌

In what ways?

[1moresail]

Yes, time to get rid of buffets.  They have always been a germ pit.  Hopefully Holland America will follow suit as well and eliminate theirs too.

[DrivesLikeMario]

3 hours ago, WAMarathoner said:

To-go boxes?  Horrible idea.  Can you imagine the massive amount of spills on the way to the cabin?  Plus, if you're not in a balcony, who wants to eat in a closed room?  We are mostly Princess cruisers, but would ditch them in a minute if we were forced to eat in our rooms.

He didn't say the to-go boxes would be going back to the cabins with people, but going to the tables in the buffet with people.  I guess that thought was that it'd be less handling of dirty dishes by the crew.  Nothing was decided.  It was just one of MANY ideas they were thinking through.

[kcshoes]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

In what ways?

[I beg your pardon it was Mr. @Richard Fain Chairman and CEO] - "Cruise travel has evolved. And I'm happy to say and I think Royal Caribbean has been in the lead in having the cruise experience evolve. So when we look we’ll see things in a different way.  The idea that your going into a buffet, that everybody reaches in and touches the same tongs. I think it's very likely that you're not going to see that on land or sea but it doesn't mean that you don't have a buffet you might have it where all of that is served to you by other people."

[DrivesLikeMario]

Holland America did that on our one and only cruise with them.  It was a pain in the neck. 

 

My husband asked for "some bacon". 

He got 1 piece. 

He asked for "some more". 

He got 1 more piece. 

The next day, thinking he'd outsmart them at their game, he asked for 4 pieces of bacon. 

He got 1.  😄

 

It was really annoying to have to be specific and then they STILL didn't get it right.  But, that's First World Problems and if it means cruising again, we'll adapt.

[keywestbruce]

I am fairly new to cruising, and have been on 4 cruises since retiring in the summer of 2018. I am hooked! I love everything about them, and while I love traveling in general, I find there is nothing as relaxing as a cruise. One of the things I absolutely love are the food and dining options, and I am a big buffet fan (maybe a little too big  😉 if you get what I mean! I had heard about the legendary cruise ship buffets long before I went on my first cruise. While I am aware that there will be change once the ships set sail, I sincerely hope that the buffet stays open, as a buffet! If it means being served instead of self-service, so be it. Hopefully, as things start to normalize, and conditions feel safer in time, restrictions will ease up. As much as I enjoy the dining room experience, I prefer the buffet for my meals. I am a solo cruiser, and I guess one of the reasons is I can just help myself and pick my table and go back for more of whatever I like. I think the buffet food is pretty good overall, and love the amazing variety. I hope that Royal Caribbean will do whatever they can to keep the buffet. Cruising would not be the same without it. I also enjoy the dining room, and meeting people, that's one of cruisings' advantages. Also, as soon as ships are ready to sail, I am ready! I don't know if I could wait a year or two, once they start. Like I said, I'm a newbie, with 4 cruises, and raring to go. Personally, I don't worry about getting sick. I use common sense, wash my hands, and try and live and enjoy life here and now and whenever I can. Who was to think this pandemic would spring up when it did?  I can't let fear rule my life. That's just MY outlook. So, the first thing I will do when things straighten out is book a cruise!!!!

Edited May 21, 2020 by keywestbruce

[keywestbruce]

On 5/18/2020 at 2:26 AM, FiftyOnePlus said:

You cant socially distance on a holiday....lets get that straight.

People go away to socialise, for one....to meet new people. Dance, chat, play games....have fun. You cant do that and socially distance.


As for no Buffets.....
No Buffet = No cruising for us.

There is absolutely no reason to remove Buffets from cruises.

 

Thank you!  My sentiments exactly. 

[Mallefiscent]

On 5/16/2020 at 5:52 AM, BND said:

It's definitely true that a lot of food gets thrown out.  Sometimes because people get too much and other times because they're trying something to see if they like it.  I see no issue with crew serving over me serving myself.  At least I know that no one has licked their fingers and then grabbed a utensil.  Who raised these people that think you lick your fingers like that?

 

Actually, you don't know that.   You really don't know what staff does behind the scenes.

[Mallefiscent]

On 5/17/2020 at 6:25 AM, LXA350 said:

 

I just do not understand why then is this buffet story so important to quite a number of posters here. The idea to try a nuber o different things at one venue, this is a great thing given the selection allows it which always depended from ship to ship. But the whole rush and crowds really made this place not apealing at all. Everyone of us should look rather look forward to something new which will make the experience much more pleasant. RCL is not dumb, they know that the whole buffet thing at least the offering is important to many and I am sure they are working hard to come up with a concept all of us can live with, even if it might not be ideal at the begining and will need to be fine tuned something to look forard to can be expected here.

 

You don't really need to understand it.  Just accept that it is important to some people, even if it isn't important to you.  The reason isn't necessarily just that they won't to shove 20,000 calories in their mouth.  

[SNJCruisers]

4 hours ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

Holland America did that on our one and only cruise with them.  It was a pain in the neck. 

 

My husband asked for "some bacon". 

He got 1 piece. 

He asked for "some more". 

He got 1 more piece. 

The next day, thinking he'd outsmart them at their game, he asked for 4 pieces of bacon. 

He got 1.  😄

 

It was really annoying to have to be specific and then they STILL didn't get it right.  But, that's First World Problems and if it means cruising again, we'll adapt.

They just drew the line in the proverbial sand.  I will never cruise on Holland America if they treat bacon lovers like that. 

[DISFANS3]

Good info on Bacon..

[LXA350]

On 5/18/2020 at 1:00 AM, logan25 said:

I don’t appreciate the judgment.  You need not concern yourself with how much food I consume.

 

I am for the most part out of patience with MDR served meals that takes 1.5 - 2 hours.  When eating alone, it is an unwanted waste of my vacation time.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Mallefiscent said:

 

You don't really need to understand it.  Just accept that it is important to some people, even if it isn't important to you.  The reason isn't necessarily just that they won't to shove 20,000 calories in their mouth.  

 

At least be open tonew concepts that will continue to be alternatives to the MDR and would replace the Windjammer. It wil benefit al of us at the end of the day. For som it might help to eat less, for the cruiseline and th environment it migh help that there will be less food waste and for all of us a more relaxed yet efficient experience will be created that if designed right might also give us a larger choice of dishes than before.

[hazence]

I guess it’s a personal thing, but whether it’s buffets, masks, the pool, etc...I want to know what the new normal will be before we book any cruise line. I mean what am I purchasing? What can I do, MUST I do...what is or isn’t available anymore?

 

I hope the cruiselines will make it clear...not just what they have done as a result of the pandemic to keep us safe...but what this new product takes away. I will be watching this space to hear how cruisers feel about “the new cruising normal.”

 

We just cancelled a beach resort vacation. Too much money for an altered experience. 

[LXA350]

1 minute ago, hazence said:

I guess it’s a personal thing, but whether it’s buffets, masks, the pool, etc...I want to know what the new normal will be before we book any cruise line. I mean what am I purchasing? What can I do, MUST I do...what is or isn’t available anymore?

 

I hope the cruiselines will make it clear...not just what they have done as a result of the pandemic to keep us safe...but what this new product takes away. I will be watching this space to hear how cruisers feel about “the new cruising normal.”

 

We just cancelled a beach resort vacation. Too much money for an altered experience. 

 

Before crusing will resume the cruiselines like Hotels etc will publish information on what they will do and what will be to expect for the guests on changes to the experience, requirements on board etc.

 

If you want to travel in the near future you will face a different experience no matter what kind of vacation you choose. Hence for the ones that are expecting a experience than before will be disapointed no matter if on land or at sea. At the end these measures are to keep all of us safe during these times (To protect us where possible).