Another Ovation viewpoint.

[2SailingNomads]

On sea days we usually go to the MDR but on occasion the patio grill and order off the menu. Fish de jour or a burger.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr Luxury]

2 hours ago, texanaust said:

 

If you are not a buffet sort of guy (same here), where do you go for lunch?  Onshore?  Apart from sushi, there is no option on SB for a waiter served lunch.  I am excluding of course the burgers, hotdogs and fish of the day served in the Colonnade.  This was true on Sojourn and Encore last summer for 5 weeks.  

 

I sure hope the Restaurant is open on sea days this summer on our voyage around Iceland.  

I very rarely have anything for lunch

I have a light breakfast and a dinner

[Techno123]

I am different again and enjoy a buffet. It means I will try new things rather than sticking with what I know. My gripe is the passengers who don't sanitise their hands before entering the restaurant and then touch all the serving utensils (or pick up with their hands ). After the events of the last 3 years I can't understand this 😱

[lincslady]

I  quite enjoy the galley lunch, but once you have been to one you get a bit more wise about how to do it.  We go early, and sit at a table of our choice  and have a glass or two of wine first.  Then go through, as it is good to see the smiling faces and congratulate them on their work, but  remember what is available, and for instance just have a little of the seafoods for a starter, then a plate with a favorite main course - for me, the carving of rare roast beef with a salad.  This is usually very good, being carved fresh from a large joint.  Back with that fairly modest plateful, and later visit the desserts and have just a small amount of one or two.  It is too easy to have something from every station, and end up  hating yourself for taking too much!

[SLSD]

4 hours ago, texanaust said:

 

If you are not a buffet sort of guy (same here), where do you go for lunch?  Onshore?  Apart from sushi, there is no option on SB for a waiter served lunch.  I am excluding of course the burgers, hotdogs and fish of the day served in the Colonnade.  This was true on Sojourn and Encore last summer for 5 weeks.  

 

I sure hope the Restaurant is open on sea days this summer on our voyage around Iceland.  

We had an entire thread about this some months ago.  There are those of us who love having lunch in the Restaurant (MDR), but it is not open very often these days for lunch, we've been told.  There are posters here who miss that and others who scoff at the idea of a venue being opened as apparently few diners take/took advantage of it.  Where to dine?  Those of us who do not do buffets have to do the few menu items in the Colonnade  or order a burger or something at the Patio Grill.  I am not a fan of room service except for breakfast.  

[Vineyard View]

We thoroughly enjoy lunch in port. For us, that is a big part of the experience in traveling, enjoying local food and wine. 
I agree about all the handling of serving utensils. Way before this past chapter, it was a clear avenue for spreading whatever might be on board. I just don’t get that piece at all. 

[SLSD]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I agree about all the handling of serving utensils. Way before this past chapter, it was a clear avenue for spreading whatever might be on board. I just don’t get that piece at all. 

I don't either.  And this is one reason I don't do buffets.  I am far from a germaphobic person, but I have to say that the buffets put me off.  I am truly surprised that they continue during the age of Covid.  Why not have a menu and let people order.  

[Vineyard View]

When we were last on Viking we chose to visit their fairly upscale ‘buffet’ that offered made to order as well. They stationed a person at the hand sanitizing areas where you had a choice to wash your hands in the sink or use sanitizer. You did not pass go until you did, and this was before Covid. On multiple sailings with them.  It is the only line we have seen that extra step rather than the stations you could just ignore if you wanted to. I don’t know if that is still tue case. Maybe there are more lines out there that do this? It added a level of comfort. I’m not a germaphobe either, but that was just common sense in our opinion. 

[markham]

This is a case where the cafeteria’s layout and staffing makes all the difference.

 

On Silver Dawn’s La Terrazza at lunchtime the deal is: obligatory hand wash as you enter, a plate is then handed to you, and the servers, located behind counters or next to the sushi/cold fish center island, dish onto your plate whatever you ask of them.

 

I hasten to add that the number of choices of hot and cold food choices outstrips Seabourn’s themed buffet lunches by far, probably by a factor of two.

 

So… no problem with this question of careless passengers.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Vineyard View]

Good to know. That is actually how it worked on our last Viking as well. In late ‘19.  Can’t comment to quantity as this will be our first Seabourn 

Edited March 9, 2023 by Vineyard View

[johng75370]

4 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I agree about all the handling of serving utensils. Way before this past chapter, it was a clear avenue for spreading whatever might be on board. I just don’t get that piece at all. 

We were recently in Japan, and any place where there was touching of shared items there was also an automated “glove dispenser” machine - made it much easier to make sure everyone was not using bare hands.  

[SLSD]

19 minutes ago, markham said:

This is a case where the cafeteria’s layout and staffing makes all the difference.

 

On Silver Dawn’s La Terrazza at lunchtime the deal is: obligatory hand wash as you enter, a plate is then handed to you, and the servers, located behind counters or next to the sushi/cold fish center island, dish onto your plate whatever you ask of them.

 

I hasten to add that the number of choices of hot and cold food choices outstrips Seabourn’s themed buffet lunches by far, probably by a factor of two.

 

So… no problem with this question of careless passengers.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

This sounds good to me Markham.  Now, if we  could  only meld the social aspects of Seabourn with the more upscale attributes of Siversea.  How hard could it be?  You would think a new CEO would see the opportunity and go with it.  

[Techno123]

Whatever the illness of the day, so many are spread via contact and I like the idea of 'strongly promoting' hand washing - what I can't understand is why an intelligent, grown adult wouldn't do so without being told to 🤔

On our one and only cruise on Oceania the buffet items were served by staff, similar to Silver Dawn.

[jondfk]

16 hours ago, Techno123 said:

Whatever the illness of the day, so many are spread via contact and I like the idea of 'strongly promoting' hand washing - what I can't understand is why an intelligent, grown adult wouldn't do so without being told to 🤔

On our one and only cruise on Oceania the buffet items were served by staff, similar to Silver Dawn.

This was still the practice on O when we sailed last September.  

 

Know what else?  The line (to the extent there was one) moved much faster with a dedicated staffer serving leaving everyone free to manage their plate and communicate their wishes.