No dinner buffet option

[Ashland]

12 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

One of the great things about cash vs. FCC's is that cash has no expiration date. You don't have to use it unlil you are good and ready to. I don't want to feel obligated and have to compromise and take a cruise until conditions suite me just so not forfeit the value of an FCC.

Agree... However each situation is different and has to be considered. 

We (extended family group of 10 with 3 cabins) had an RCI cancelled May 2020 cruise...took the 125% and booked May 2021 and went from JS's to one bedroom GS's. Then did the L/S to April 2022. I think this worked well for our situation.

[legaljen1969]

On 10/10/2020 at 2:52 PM, LXA350 said:

 

In today's world most people use a smart phone, hence they could replace the menus by QR Codes and for the exceptional cases they can have some paper menus available.

Yet another reason to require people to buy internet package- so their phones will work!  I turn my phone off and put it in the safe.  Cruises are about the only vacation I can find where I can truly "get away from it all."  I just went to Disney. We had planned to stay for a week and worked at least 4 hours every day and had to keep stopping to answer phone calls.   It was so bad,  I just came home early. The rest of my family enjoyed a full vacation.  

This is the disadvantage of "work from home" and "remote access." You are required to be "on" 24/7.   

I miss vacations where people could actually "get away" for a few days.   You know, when it was an actual vacation. 

[reallyitsmema]

3 minutes ago, legaljen1969 said:

Yet another reason to require people to buy internet package- so their phones will work!  I turn my phone off and put it in the safe.  Cruises are about the only vacation I can find where I can truly "get away from it all."  I just went to Disney. We had planned to stay for a week and worked at least 4 hours every day and had to keep stopping to answer phone calls.   It was so bad,  I just came home early. The rest of my family enjoyed a full vacation.  

This is the disadvantage of "work from home" and "remote access." You are required to be "on" 24/7.   

I miss vacations where people could actually "get away" for a few days.   You know, when it was an actual vacation. 

 

You do not have to buy an internet package for the app to work.  You just have to connect to the ships wifi.

[legaljen1969]

On 10/10/2020 at 3:48 PM, sfaaa said:

No cell phone? How do you plan to deal with unforeseen emergency? 

When I returned from my last vacation, I had to set down some very firm boundaries about "unforeseen emergencies."  I defined it as 
1. You will either be calling 9-1-1 prior to this call or immediately after this call.
2. Someone's life is in danger or a building is burning down. 
3. My house has/is flooded or in danger of flooding or being blown away. 

People can be so out of touch about "emergencies."    I had a major surgery in February of this past year and when I woke up, my husband told me I had 57 texts from the office- and not a single one checking on how I was doing.  This is what they blew up my phone about: 

1. We had two boxes of window envelopes to pay bills and no regular envelopes.  The regular envelopes were right there. My co-worker just didn't look two inches to the right.   When I got back to the office after my surgery there was a two page memo with schematics on where everything was to be put away.  
2. My co-workers voicemail wasn't working correctly (meaning she could not check it remotely).  All she had to do was re-boot her phone. She had worked in the office for 19 years before she retired and I took over for her.  She then returned to help with a very limited scope of things while i was out to recover. 
3. We ran out of copy paper.   (We really didn't.  There was an entire box of copy paper waiting to be loaded into the drawers. My co-worker just didn't see why she should have to empty the box and put the paper away). 

If I kept my phone on during a cruise, my internet usage and phone usage would be through the roof and I would have a miserable time.    After my surgery and my last "vacation," my boss is the only one that is to call me. He's pretty good about only calling in an "emergency" and he knows I can't always answer the phone right when he calls. 

Whenever we get to cruise again, my phone will go in the safe at all times I am on the ship. My boss can have the number to reach me in a true emergency.   I will take it out when we go ashore and check a few messages and may return a couple of emails, but that's a quick on and off. 

[legaljen1969]

13 minutes ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

You do not have to buy an internet package for the app to work.  You just have to connect to the ships wifi.

That's good to know.  Connecting to the wi-fi can be a challenge.  We were on a 4 day cruise around Christmas.  Only one day did my wi-fi work.  It never works and they always find some way to make you have to pay more for it to work. 

 

[legaljen1969]

21 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

The nice thing about the app is that it uses the ships intranet so no need to purchase wifi service. If you put your phone in airplane mode and turn on wifi you won't receive outside phone calls or emails. The technology challenged will just have to deal with the paper menus and waiting on line to get into a show. I don't think that there are too many in that category. If anything covid has forced them into the 21st century. My wife is amazed how her elderly patients have caught on to video office visits via zoom. She had to talk them through it once or twice but now they prefer zoom visits to live visits.  I'm spoiled by the drive up service at restaurants and department stores. I hope that never goes away.

But sometimes the technology doesn't work properly.    I have come to embrace virtual appointments as well.  I do like the drive up service as restaurants and stores too.    We had a terrible time with our service when on the Brilliance last December.  Nothing every worked quite right.  

[legaljen1969]

8 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

LOL That's the point -- fashionable -- not made for short, fat, ugly people. 🤣

Well aren't you just full of compassion and human decency??  I am sorry some people are short, fat or ugly? It really messes up those pinterest perfect pictures and the perfect world we are to live in.   

I'm not a fan of fanny packs anyhow, but clearly I will be using something other than a fanny pack since I am short, fat and ugly.  

[livingonthebeach]

2 minutes ago, legaljen1969 said:

Well aren't you just full of compassion and human decency??  I am sorry some people are short, fat or ugly? It really messes up those pinterest perfect pictures and the perfect world we are to live in.   

I'm not a fan of fanny packs anyhow, but clearly I will be using something other than a fanny pack since I am short, fat and ugly.  

Whoaaaa!!!  Did you really think I was serious?  Do you think people on this forum look like that?   Geez Louise I’m sorry you are offended by fanny packs and that you are lacking a sense of humor - unless you are joking.  🤣😂🤣

[Dennis#1]

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

One of the great things about cash vs. FCC's is that cash has no expiration date. You don't have to use it unlil you are good and ready to. I don't want to feel obligated and have to compromise and take a cruise until conditions suite me just so not to forfeit the value of an FCC.

Too bad only one FCC can be used per person.  Sure would be nice if each cruiser could use many of them (up to the tonal cruise fare) for a cruise.

[chipmaster]

1 hour ago, legaljen1969 said:

Well aren't you just full of compassion and human decency??  I am sorry some people are short, fat or ugly? It really messes up those pinterest perfect pictures and the perfect world we are to live in.   

I'm not a fan of fanny packs anyhow, but clearly I will be using something other than a fanny pack since I am short, fat and ugly.  

 

Short, ugly are in the eyes of the beholder and standards change, but fat is fat, nothing to argue, eating more than your body needs result in storing excessive energy as "fat" in general results in an unappealing and most important a very unhealthy state.   

[Sunshine3601]

2 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

Yet another reason to require people to buy internet package- so their phones will work!  I turn my phone off and put it in the safe.  Cruises are about the only vacation I can find where I can truly "get away from it all."  I just went to Disney. We had planned to stay for a week and worked at least 4 hours every day and had to keep stopping to answer phone calls.   It was so bad,  I just came home early. The rest of my family enjoyed a full vacation.  

This is the disadvantage of "work from home" and "remote access." You are required to be "on" 24/7.   

I miss vacations where people could actually "get away" for a few days.   You know, when it was an actual vacation. 

I hear ya!  I have to bring my work laptop on every cruise, every vacation.   I have gotten used to it and happy that I have the flexibility to do that since it pays for me to be on that trip.  That is a dream of mine to go on a true vacation and disconnect for at least a week.  I haven't been able to do that in 20+ years.  

Sorry you weren't able to enjoy your trip.

[poocher]

56 minutes ago, chipmaster said:

 

Short, ugly are in the eyes of the beholder and standards change, but fat is fat, nothing to argue, eating more than your body needs result in storing excessive energy as "fat" in general results in an unappealing and most important a very unhealthy state.   

🙄🙄. I apologize for my unappealing state.  Mea culpa!!!

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, poocher said:

🙄🙄. I apologize for my unappealing state.  Mea culpa!!!

You don't need to apologize to anyone !...It's your life...enjoy it how ever you choose to !!

[livingonthebeach]

Not understanding how a few pics of fanny packs posted jokingly got so serious and heated...seems like some are looking for any excuse to pounce.  How anyone could be insulted by something not even directed at them is way beyond me.  Lots of issues here..

[Dennis#1]

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Not understanding how a few pics of fanny packs posted jokingly got so serious and heated...seems like some are looking for any excuse to pounce.  How anyone could be insulted by something not even directed at them is way beyond me.  Lots of issues here..

[sfaaa]

51 minutes ago, Dennis#1 said:

Because he is ugly with skinny legs and less than 6 feet tall.

[Iamcruzin]

13 hours ago, legaljen1969 said:

But sometimes the technology doesn't work properly.    I have come to embrace virtual appointments as well.  I do like the drive up service as restaurants and stores too.    We had a terrible time with our service when on the Brilliance last December.  Nothing every worked quite right.  

Unfortunately that does happen even at home. I have had issues with the WiFi internet service I purchased on Princess and Celebrity in the past but I haven’t had an issue with the ships intranet and the WiFi service is much better now than in the past.

[bigrednole]

Not really an issue for me. Not sure if they are mixing the words buffet with cafeteria style though. I suspect, and could be wrong, that they will serve plated food. For my cruise on Oasis and the unlimited dining plan, I doubt I would have eaten in the buffet anyway.

[livingonthebeach]

3 hours ago, bigrednole said:

Not really an issue for me. Not sure if they are mixing the words buffet with cafeteria style though. I suspect, and could be wrong, that they will serve plated food. For my cruise on Oasis and the unlimited dining plan, I doubt I would have eaten in the buffet anyway.

 

Right, the WJ will be open for breakfast and lunch and closed for dinner starting in Singapore -- who knows what the scenario will look like when operations start again in FL or elsewhere.

Edited October 12, 2020 by livingonthebeach

[Ocean Boy]

5 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Right, the WJ will be open for breakfast and lunch and closed for dinner starting in Singapore -- who knows what the scenario will look like when operations start again in FL or elsewhere.

This is why my Oasis cruise for January is about to get cancelled by me. There just isn't enough time between now and then to see how things are going on the ships. Of course, that is assuming that there will even be U.S. sailings in January.

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, bigrednole said:

Not really an issue for me. Not sure if they are mixing the words buffet with cafeteria style though. I suspect, and could be wrong, that they will serve plated food. For my cruise on Oasis and the unlimited dining plan, I doubt I would have eaten in the buffet anyway.

I didn't go back and read the info again but I think it said the Windjammer would be closed for dinner. I still can't figure that out. Having it open is much better for distancing of people throughout dining venues.

[livingonthebeach]

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

This is why my Oasis cruise for January is about to get cancelled by me. There just isn't enough time between now and then to see how things are going on the ships. Of course, that is assuming that there will even be U.S. sailings in January.

 

I totally get get it -- and you are right. I have canceled a few on my end as well.

[HBE4]

35 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I didn't go back and read the info again but I think it said the Windjammer would be closed for dinner. I still can't figure that out. Having it open is much better for distancing of people throughout dining venues.

 

I'm with you, it doesn't make sense.  You'd think the more dining venues open, the easier it is to social distance by the spreading people out.  

 

The only thing I can think of is that it's easier to control capacity with the set dining times and reservations for My Time dining in the MDR vs the walk-up WJ. 

[3monkeys4me]

40 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

I'm with you, it doesn't make sense.  You'd think the more dining venues open, the easier it is to social distance by the spreading people out.  

 

The only thing I can think of is that it's easier to control capacity with the set dining times and reservations for My Time dining in the MDR vs the walk-up WJ. 

 

This is why I am wondering if they are considering using the windjammer extra seating for dinner service, but plated meals vs. buffet or cafeteria style. 

 

On DCL their buffet is only open for breakfast and lunch. Dinner is a more casual sit down venue that has a fairly standard menu. It had their basic offerings and sometimes offers some of the favorites from the various dining rooms. They could do something similar on Royal. I think more of the buffet regulars would be disappointed in the change, but it is an easier set up to manage, at least initially. 

[Ocean Boy]

31 minutes ago, 3monkeys4me said:

I think more of the buffet regulars would be disappointed in the change, but it is an easier set up to manage, at least initially. 

If they can manage the Windjammer for breakfast and lunch when many people use it, then they can certainly manage it  for dinner when many people use the MDR instead.