Lido Buffet vs MDR

[Hlitner]

13 minutes ago, albingirl said:

I'm usually grossed out by behavior in the lido. The list is long. 

Just a silly observation, but it seems like the largest folks in the room have the most overflowing plates!  I started cruising when in my 20s (about 50 years ago) when the name of the game was to see how much food I could stuff in my face on a cruise.  Used to gain about 1 pound a day, but fortunately we could only afford shorter cruises (no more than 10 days).  In those days, DW and I would dine late and then 1 1/2 hours later go back to the Lido to stuff ourselves from the midnight buffet!

 

One nice thing about the MDR is that the system does provide portion control.  And we also find that dining with others in the MDR results in making lots of new friends, having fun, and is often the only decent evening entertainment on the ship (especially when HAL passes off a BBC documentary as its main entertainment).  Somebody once told me that "dining" is an art that is rapidly being lost.  Perhaps.  Turning conversation with strangers into entertaining fun is a skill (with lots of reward).  Just reading these blogs has taught me to many folks it is not fun, often drudgery, and not how they want to spent their time.  Why spend 1 1/2 hours "dining" in the MDR when one can gulp down a meal in 15 minutes at the Lido!  I imagine that by the time most folks start cruising on HAL, if they have not learned about the fun of dining, they are not going to learn on ship.  When I see a couple eating by themselves at dinner, each starring at their phone and texting for most of the meal, it seems a little sad.  We have seen this on cruises and it some decent land-based restaurants.  In our home we have an unwritten rule of no phones at the dinner table (unless the grandchildren are calling).

 

Hank

[Mike B Landlubber]

For the folks wondering about crab…Alaska snow and king crab seasons are canceled this year because of population collapse. Someone else mentioned that Russian crab is considered verboten. There may be other suppliers, but distance and probably raised prices due to shortage could mean you won’t see a lot of crab legs anywhere on the ship in the coming year.  😞

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/16/us/alaska-snow-crab-harvest-canceled-climate/index.html

Edited November 4, 2022 by Mike B Landlubber

[Crew News]

13 minutes ago, Mike B Landlubber said:

For the folks wondering about crab…Alaska snow and king crab seasons are canceled this year because of population collapse. Someone else mentioned that Russian crab is considered verboten. There may be other suppliers, but distance and probably raised prices due to shortage could mean you won’t see a lot of crab legs anywhere in the coming year.  😞

 

https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/16/us/alaska-snow-crab-harvest-canceled-climate/index.html

Fortunately, the above announcement did not apply to Dungeness crab.

[Shelbydarling]

I think this is a to each their own issue.  We dread the Lido embarkation lunch as it’s crowded but don’t mind it for dinner.  We like that it’s not super busy for dinner and that there is a lot of variety.  We don’t like the sit with others (I’m super introverted), and our experiences on HAL anytime dining have felt a bit rushed and impersonal.  I’m sure it would be different with set dining, but we like the flexibility of eating when we want to do so.  We love Nami Sushi, and usually do that at least once per cruise.  

[Roz]

Next March I'm taking a 31-day cruise.  My longest cruise to date has been 13 days.  I've had dinner once in the Lido due to an evening shorex.  I'm guessing that on a long cruise there may be a point at which having dinner in the MDR may lose some of its appeal, or maybe I'll just want some alone time at dinner, or ports/shorex may dictate a different schedule.  

[cruisemom42]

Traveling solo, the ship buffets are a bit of a hassle. You have to get everything in one "swipe" so to speak. I enjoy dining in courses for dinner while on vacation. Getting up in search of new food between each course is risky: you come back and they've cleared your place and someone else is sitting there, lol.

 

Like Hank, I enjoy a well-paced dinner ("slow" to others) and conversation on most nights. I generally allow two hours for MDR, even when dining by myself, which I occasionally do. I prefer to have brief pauses between courses and if I have timed things out, I am not usually in a rush to get anywhere after dinner. 

 

Also I am not a big fan of the relatively early closing of the Lido on HAL. My preferred dining time is between 7:00 and 7:30 (depending on my day and time in port), but I suspect that if I arrive at 7:30 the buffet is probably going to be closing down around me while I dine.

 

@Roz   Just got off a BTB of nearly 3 weeks. While I thought I'd probably dine at the buffet at some point, the temptation to do so never surfaced. This was on Celebrity and I found the food very good in the MDR. I was glad to be on a BTB since often I'd see more than one entree that looked great -- but I knew I could try one on each leg, lol.  I did eat at the specialty restaurants twice for dinner and once for lunch, for variety.

 

 

[Mary229]

25 minutes ago, Roz said:

Next March I'm taking a 31-day cruise.  My longest cruise to date has been 13 days.  I've had dinner once in the Lido due to an evening shorex.  I'm guessing that on a long cruise there may be a point at which having dinner in the MDR may lose some of its appeal, or maybe I'll just want some alone time at dinner, or ports/shorex may dictate a different schedule.  

No, it doesn’t become less appealing.  As we only usually eat 2 meals a day we use the MDR for all meals, if possible, within our schedule, barring a special meal on the lunchtime lido. The only time I pass the evening MDR is if I had a particularly physically active day and my evening grooming would surpass the time needed to get to the MDR in time for a leisurely meal.  I never go to the MDR for any meal without allotting at least 90 minutes. 

[Roz]

@cruisemom42, I know that feeling all too well of running around the Lido trying to assemble my breakfast or lunch, all the while hoping one of the waiters doesn't clear my table.  I like to go to dinner between 7:30 - 8:00 pm.  

[rodndonna]

5 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Traveling solo, the ship buffets are a bit of a hassle. You have to get everything in one "swipe" so to speak. I enjoy dining in courses for dinner while on vacation. Getting up in search of new food between each course is risky: you come back and they've cleared your place and someone else is sitting there, lol.

 

 

 

Travelling as a couple, I never thought of that problem.

As a couple, one of the things I don't like about buffet eating  (among a few things) is it always feels like "tag-team" dining. 

 

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, rodndonna said:

 

Travelling as a couple, I never thought of that problem.

As a couple, one of the things I don't like about buffet eating  (among a few things) is it always feels like "tag-team" dining. 

 

  Standing in the busy aisle holding food looking for your dear spouse is no piece of cake either. I need an air tag for the DH.😁

[RuthC]

7 hours ago, Roz said:

@cruisemom42, I know that feeling all too well of running around the Lido trying to assemble my breakfast or lunch, all the while hoping one of the waiters doesn't clear my table.  I like to go to dinner between 7:30 - 8:00 pm.  

There are a couple of signals to let the stewards know you are returning to your seat in the Lido. A very old signal is to tip your seat so the back leans against the table. Not all of the newer stewards know this signal. 
The other signal is to leave your folded napkin across the seat back. 
I have been known to do both. 

You could even check with one of the stewards to ask which signal is preferred on that ship. 

[Crew News]

3 minutes ago, RuthC said:

There are a couple of signals to let the stewards know you are returning to your seat in the Lido. A very old signal is to tip your seat so the back leans against the table. Not all of the newer stewards know this signal. 
The other signal is to leave your folded napkin across the seat back. 
I have been known to do both. 

You could even check with one of the stewards to ask which signal is preferred on that ship. 

When the above does not seem to work at my 4-top Lido Market table and a couple has occupied my table before I could return, i just joined them.  After untipping my chair, adding my new dishes to the ones I left unfinished, and taking a bite or two from my unfinished dishes, I asked"So, how is your cruise going so far."

 

By observing which member of the couple scowls at the other, I learn who made the decision to disregard my tipped chair. The rest of the meal at the table was usually in silence and if not, I nodded whenever I heard something interesting spoken.

[Florida_gal_50]

I tipped the chair towards the table once and the steward told me not to do it.  I told him why and he said he understood that I was coming back.  Luckily my table wasn’t taken over when I got back.

[Banditswife]

I guess the chair tipping thing could be a tripping hazard.  I just usually let a crew member know I am coming back or leave a phone or purse behind.  Silverware still rolled up is another indication the person is coming back. 

[Florida_gal_50]

9 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

I guess the chair tipping thing could be a tripping hazard.  I just usually let a crew member know I am coming back or leave a phone or purse behind.  Silverware still rolled up is another indication the person is coming back. 

Yikes!  I would not leave either of those things behind but maybe that comes from living in the big city.  I’d probably leave the napkin on the chair back.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[Banditswife]

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yikes!  I would not leave either of those things behind but maybe that comes from living in the big city.  I’d probably leave the napkin on the chair back.

My sail & sign card is usually on a lanyard around my neck, my purse has nothing of value in it nor is the purse valuable.  I guess my phone is more valuable, but easy to replace.  But I have never had an issue doing this.  People are usually respectful of other people's property.  People leave their stuff out by the pool area to save their lounger, why not on a table in Lido?  My father had a saying: "if someone steals something from me, they must need it more than I do."  

[oakridger]

I made a 3x5 fluorescent colored card that says "I'll Be Right Back" on it.  Waiters get a kick out of it, and it's worked every time so far for me!!  I use it at the bar too.  I'm on Rotterdam right now and have seen people heading toward my table while i'm up getting something and they look at it then keep walking.  Can't post a picture of it right now  

 

~ Nancy

[Crew News]

48 minutes ago, oakridger said:

I made a 3x5 fluorescent colored card that says "I'll Be Right Back" on it.  Waiters get a kick out of it, and it's worked every time so far for me!!  I use it at the bar too.  I'm on Rotterdam right now and have seen people heading toward my table while i'm up getting something and they look at it then keep walking.  Can't post a picture of it right now  

 

~ Nancy

Another CC member, Cameron, created some table cards for me to test and mailed them from Vienna for my May 2020 cruise.  I carry them with me but have not needed them since the passenger capacity has been sailing at only 50%.  I am sure that I will use them in December.

 

The small cards fold into a tent so both sides can be seen.  One reads, "Keep calm and Roger will be right back" and another reads. "Keep calm and I'll be right back."  I

 

'm glad to read that such cards are effective.

[ChinaShrek]

On 11/3/2022 at 12:29 PM, Hlitner said:

 

One nice thing about the MDR is that the system does provide portion control.  And we also find that dining with others in the MDR results in making lots of new friends, having fun, and is often the only decent evening entertainment on the ship (especially when HAL passes off a BBC documentary as its main entertainment).  Somebody once told me that "dining" is an art that is rapidly being lost.  Perhaps.  Turning conversation with strangers into entertaining fun is a skill (with lots of reward).  Just reading these blogs has taught me to many folks it is not fun, often drudgery, and not how they want to spent their time.  

 

I often travel solo and have really mixed feelings about eating with people in the MDR. You call dining an art. I call dining with strangers work, hard work. I have to watch what I say and how I say it. People are easily offended these days (including myself). I have sat with many people who bring up controversial topics and then I have to decide how much of a battle I am going to put up with their views or do I fight back at all. I went on a cruise out of Galveston this past April and immediately the gentleman across from me (who was in the oil business) wanted to know if I voted for the idiot who is President now. When he found out that I was a teacher, I was immediately interrogated about gender identity. I never returned to the MDR for the remainder of the cruise and ate alone and sullen at the buffet. Talking to strangers can ruin a vacation. 

[trixiee]

19 minutes ago, ChinaShrek said:

I often travel solo and have really mixed feelings about eating with people in the MDR. You call dining an art. I call dining with strangers work, hard work. I have to watch what I say and how I say it. People are easily offended these days (including myself). I have sat with many people who bring up controversial topics and then I have to decide how much of a battle I am going to put up with their views or do I fight back at all. I went on a cruise out of Galveston this past April and immediately the gentleman across from me (who was in the oil business) wanted to know if I voted for the idiot who is President now. When he found out that I was a teacher, I was immediately interrogated about gender identity. I never returned to the MDR for the remainder of the cruise and ate alone and sullen at the buffet. Talking to strangers can ruin a vacation. 

I likely would have mentioned that I appreciate that politics and religion are not acceptable dinner conversation.  Once the teacher conversation came up I might have asked who won the ball game today… ?  After a chilly moment of silence.  

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, ChinaShrek said:

I often travel solo and have really mixed feelings about eating with people in the MDR. You call dining an art. I call dining with strangers work, hard work. I have to watch what I say and how I say it. People are easily offended these days (including myself). I have sat with many people who bring up controversial topics and then I have to decide how much of a battle I am going to put up with their views or do I fight back at all. I went on a cruise out of Galveston this past April and immediately the gentleman across from me (who was in the oil business) wanted to know if I voted for the idiot who is President now. When he found out that I was a teacher, I was immediately interrogated about gender identity. I never returned to the MDR for the remainder of the cruise and ate alone and sullen at the buffet. Talking to strangers can ruin a vacation. 

 

Maybe don't cruise out of Galveston.  (Just kidding, just kidding....)

 

Conversation IS an art; unfortunately some have never learned or practiced it. Too many now think the shouting matches they see on TV constitute conversation.

[Roz]

@ChinaShrek,  I know that feeling of sometimes feeling like I'm dodging land mines when it comes to dinner conversation. 

 

An amusing remark someone made to me on my last cruise was "how do you like living in a rural area?".  Nashville is a city and the state capital.  Moreover, it's one of the fastest growing cities in the US.  The image of a toothless hillbilly sittin' on a hay bale and spittin' out watermelon seeds still persists, thanks to shows like Hee Haw. 😁

[Florida_gal_50]

2 minutes ago, Roz said:

@ChinaShrek,  I know that feeling of sometimes feeling like I'm dodging land mines when it comes to dinner conversation. 

 

An amusing remark someone made to me on my last cruise was "how do you like living in a rural area?".  Nashville is a city and the state capital.  Moreover, it's one of the fastest growing cities in the US.  The image of a toothless hillbilly sittin' on a hay bale and spittin' out watermelon seeds still persists, thanks to shows like Hee Haw. 😁

Wow, just wow.  I live in Canada and I’m well aware of the hotspot your city has become.  I’ve been asked some pretty stupid questions as well.  This is exactly why I eat mostly at specialty restaurants.

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

I often travel solo and have really mixed feelings about eating with people in the MDR. You call dining an art. I call dining with strangers work, hard work. I have to watch what I say and how I say it. People are easily offended these days (including myself). I have sat with many people who bring up controversial topics and then I have to decide how much of a battle I am going to put up with their views or do I fight back at all. I went on a cruise out of Galveston this past April and immediately the gentleman across from me (who was in the oil business) wanted to know if I voted for the idiot who is President now. When he found out that I was a teacher, I was immediately interrogated about gender identity. I never returned to the MDR for the remainder of the cruise and ate alone and sullen at the buffet. Talking to strangers can ruin a vacation. 

Good point.  It has happened to us, but was the exception.  When I talk about the "art" of conversation, part of the art is not to venture into controversial (especially hot button) topics with relative strangers.  Once you get to know folks, the rules change as everyone starts to understand the various comfort levels of the group.  It is telling that quite a few posters, here on CC over the years, indicate that they do not even know what topics are fair game.  My goodness, being on a cruise makes it very easy.  The typical ice breaker topics are the cruise, ports, travel, etc.  The old axiom of not talking about religion and politics certainly applies.

 

DW and I love the Open Seating concepts on cruises.  Most of the time we go to the MDR (especially early in a cruise) we tell the host/hostess we would like to share a large table.  When we meet folks that get along we often dine with them on some other nights.  If we get some "table duds" we politely do our best to avoid those folks in the future.  On many cruises we quickly find a small group of folks who seem to enjoy each other, and will often dine with some or all of those folks on future nights.  On some longer cruises we actually form a regular group, sometimes arrange for a specific table waiter, and we all tend to become good friends :).  On other cruises this does not happen, but we usually find a few others that we enjoy seeing now and then on other nights.  And than there are a few rare cruises when nothing seems to work out, and DW and I will either keep sharing with strangers or ask for a 2 top.  But with Open dining we have all the options.

 

One wonderful and interesting exception happens on Seabourn where that luxury line has what they call "Hosted Tables."  These large tables are hosted by 1 or 2 staff ranging from the Captain, other Senior Officers, Senior Staff, and entertainers.  You only get go to a hosted tables if you volunteer, and they are generally made up of some singles and a few couples.  Most of those tables have been fantastic and we have made many friends on our Seabourn cruises.  One very Senior Officer (who used to work for HAL) told us he avoided the MDR on HAL, but loved the hosted tables on Seabourn.  He explained that the company encouraged the senior staff to host a table at least twice a week.  On Seabourn it is also very common for the Captain (and Staff Captain) to routinely host tables.  On one cruise we were invited to dine with the Captain in the alternative Thomas Keller Grill and there were only two couples (the other couple was from Wales) and the Captain.  We were relative newbies on that line, in a lower category suite, and there was no reason for us to be invited to that table other than having volunteered for hosted tables.  This particular Captain turned out to be a delight and told us he liked to host small tables (only 4 others) because it got boring dining with the same few senior officers night after night.   The "loneliness of command" is not much of an issue when with passengers.  On SB, most folks are very well traveled and do not ask the silly questions like "how fast does the ship go."  What we have found fascinating about Captains and Chief Engineers are where they decide to live.  Their job makes it relatively easy for them to live anywhere the world and they settle in various countries for some strange reasons.  It is amazing how many do not live in their native countries.

 

Hank

[ChinaShrek]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Maybe don't cruise out of Galveston.  (Just kidding, just kidding....)

 

Conversation IS an art; unfortunately some have never learned or practiced it. Too many now think the shouting matches they see on TV constitute conversation.

To be fair, it was a Carnival cruise. I never experienced anything like it on HAL but it made me weary.