Carnival Venezia Buffet

[Heartgrove]

You could just open your mouth before butting in front of someone to ask as they may be waiting as well. It isn't fair to people who are polite.

[joge107]

Just off today.  Lido marketplace always had lines, AND, always had  Lanes completely closed. Ate there once on embarkation day.

[Haljo1935]

@joge107 were people waiting through the entire line or did they just pop in and out of different areas on the buffet?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[HappySails4U]

5 hours ago, joge107 said:

Just off today.  Lido marketplace always had lines, AND, always had  Lanes completely closed. Ate there once on embarkation day.

This should be such an easy fix for Carnival.  They have the open lanes .   OPEN THEM . . .   Are they so short staffed that they are unable to open an additional lane ???/

[joge107]

10 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@joge107 were people waiting through the entire line or did they just pop in and out of different areas on the buffet?

Thanks for sharing your experience!

To everyone's credit, and surprisingly, lines were respected. Very little "popping in".

[staceyglow]

1 minute ago, joge107 said:

To everyone's credit, and surprisingly, lines were respected. Very little "popping in".

I am not sure that all "popping in" is disrespectful. If I don't want anything at the beginning of the line, and there is space for me in the middle to get what I want, why shouldn't I pop in? At the minimum, I should be able to go around someone who is holding up the line deciding between sausage and Canadian bacon when I want neither. 

 

It's basic traffic rules. 

[young_ens]

I saw a few problems but it was mostly/all from people just turning off their brains when on-board.   So many times I'd be in line watching ahead and folks seem bewildered with the buffet:  "what do I do?". "Do I like this?" "Hun, what do you think this chicken-looking thing might be? (Sign says Masala Chicken....).   

Other big problem is people piling up plates like they're building the Empire State building.  Get a reasonable plate (less food, faster loading) and move on.  If you liked something a lot, go back for seconds (hint, they don't run out of food).  I lost count how many times I saw heaping abandoned plates on tables (actually witnessed a family sit with three plates, kid takes 1 bite and says "this ain't no good" and they all left).   What a waste.....

 

As for popping in: who cares?  Again, lots of food.  I'll ask to sneak in and grab a milk/salad.   A few times I just went around salad builders because they were the ones holding up the main buffet line.    Also, line is too long at 1 buffet section, check other side of that section or go to the other section.

[Despegue]

On 8/11/2023 at 2:29 PM, staceyglow said:

I am not sure that all "popping in" is disrespectful. If I don't want anything at the beginning of the line, and there is space for me in the middle to get what I want, why shouldn't I pop in? At the minimum, I should be able to go around someone who is holding up the line deciding between sausage and Canadian bacon when I want neither. 

 

It's basic traffic rules. 

Exactly! This whole lining up at the start of a buffet is simply ridiculous. You take what you need and get out of the area. 

[Despegue]

1 hour ago, young_ens said:

I saw a few problems but it was mostly/all from people just turning off their brains when on-board.   So many times I'd be in line watching ahead and folks seem bewildered with the buffet:  "what do I do?". "Do I like this?" "Hun, what do you think this chicken-looking thing might be? (Sign says Masala Chicken....).   

Other big problem is people piling up plates like they're building the Empire State building.  Get a reasonable plate (less food, faster loading) and move on.  If you liked something a lot, go back for seconds (hint, they don't run out of food).  I lost count how many times I saw heaping abandoned plates on tables (actually witnessed a family sit with three plates, kid takes 1 bite and says "this ain't no good" and they all left).   What a waste.....

 

As for popping in: who cares?  Again, lots of food.  I'll ask to sneak in and grab a milk/salad.   A few times I just went around salad builders because they were the ones holding up the main buffet line.    Also, line is too long at 1 buffet section, check other side of that section or go to the other section.

The lining up idiocy is partly to blame for the stacking-up of loads of food, never consumed. If you have to waste 10 minutes every time you want to take something, you will just take all at once.

 

we go first for a starter or salad item, then we return to the buffet for a soup, then we take a small portion of a main course, then maybe a different item for seconds, but with clean plates so that we do not mix some items which are simply not good together, and then dessert. 
that is the proper way of a buffet! Most people just simply don’t understand that it is not a high school cafetaria unfortunately.

[amberjohn]

1 hour ago, Despegue said:

The lining up idiocy is partly to blame for the stacking-up of loads of food, never consumed. If you have to waste 10 minutes every time you want to take something, you will just take all at once.

 

we go first for a starter or salad item, then we return to the buffet for a soup, then we take a small portion of a main course, then maybe a different item for seconds, but with clean plates so that we do not mix some items which are simply not good together, and then dessert. 
that is the proper way of a buffet! Most people just simply don’t understand that it is not a high school cafetaria unfortunately.

This is an excellent point that I haven't seen before.  Cruise lines complain about food waste and

have gone as far as charging for additional entries and many complimentary Main Dining Rooms but

they "encourage" people to overload plates because no one wants to wait in long lines (especially if

they have to do it several times with multiple family members). I took 2 Carnival Cruises in October.  No issues in the Buffet, just visited the station of food I wanted.  Hopefully Carnival will get their act together by the time I sail on the Venezia this October.

[amberjohn]

This is an excellent point that I haven't seen before.  Cruise lines complain about food waste and

have gone as far as charging for additional entries and many complimentary Main Dining Rooms but

they "encourage" people to overload plates because no one wants to wait in long lines (especially if

they have to do it several times with multiple family members). I took 2 Carnival Cruises in October.  No issues in the Buffet, just visited the station of food I wanted.  Hopefully Carnival will get their act together by the time I sail on the Venezia this October.

[Despegue]

1 hour ago, amberjohn said:

This is an excellent point that I haven't seen before.  Cruise lines complain about food waste and

have gone as far as charging for additional entries and many complimentary Main Dining Rooms but

they "encourage" people to overload plates because no one wants to wait in long lines (especially if

they have to do it several times with multiple family members). I took 2 Carnival Cruises in October.  No issues in the Buffet, just visited the station of food I wanted.  Hopefully Carnival will get their act together by the time I sail on the Venezia this October.

I am glad that you see my point...😎 In any case, I do not at all advocate creating tensions and even agression amongst fellow guests...

 

best regards

 

Captain Tino.

[Cherries Jubilee]

Sounds like a serious design flaw. Maybe they should use a few of the unopened unstaffed spaces to hold plates and cutlery and encourage people to restart the line after each plate station. 
 

There has to be a way to put in a few breaks for restarts to stop people getting angry when someone who doesn’t want anything from the salad station gets in front of them to get to the next station.

 

 

 It’s a shame that the staff has to know that complaints about lines are tainting people’s experience and also their reviews of Venezia and they probably aren’t even brainstorming ways to alleviate the problem.

 

 

In today’s world of ships with 5000 passengers, no buffet should have just one line! 
 

 

 

 

[AFS1970]

Being that the Venezia was not designed for an American, or even a European crowd, are there different buffet rules in Asian cultures that would account for this design? Are we just trying to figure out our way around something that was not designed for us?

[Despegue]

31 minutes ago, AFS1970 said:

Being that the Venezia was not designed for an American, or even a European crowd, are there different buffet rules in Asian cultures that would account for this design? Are we just trying to figure out our way around something that was not designed for us?

Yes, I was thinking the same. Asian queuing habits vary vastly between countries though. From Survival of the Fittest in India to the extreme politeness in Japan and anything in between 🙃

[amberjohn]

11 minutes ago, Despegue said:

Yes, I was thinking the same. Asian queuing habits vary vastly between countries though. From Survival of the Fittest in India to the extreme politeness in Japan and anything in between 🙃

Even if this was true, Carnival knows the "American Buffet Model" (they have it on other ships).

How hard would it have been when they were renovated the ship to make it more manageable 

like their other ships?

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, amberjohn said:

Even if this was true, Carnival knows the "American Buffet Model" (they have it on other ships).

How hard would it have been when they were renovated the ship to make it more manageable 

like their other ships?

Thank you!! CCL spent enormous amounts of monies to "ready" the Venezia for the American market, including things like removing wax sculptures, but couldn't prioritize the buffet? Wouldn't bother me to see a blob of wax or two if it meant I could eat food while it was still hot without the sideshow of insulate passengers.

Seems there surely is more brainpower among CCL leaders...

[Drew B 58]

7 hours ago, AFS1970 said:

Being that the Venezia was not designed for an American, or even a European crowd, are there different buffet rules in Asian cultures that would account for this design? Are we just trying to figure out our way around something that was not designed for us?

Is the actual physical setup of the buffet on Venezia different from her Vista-class sisters, the Vista, the Horizon & The Panorama?

[AFS1970]

Probably not hard to fix, but maybe not a cost priority.

[dectemp]

On 8/12/2023 at 11:04 AM, amberjohn said:

This is an excellent point that I haven't seen before.  Cruise lines complain about food waste and

have gone as far as charging for additional entries and many complimentary Main Dining Rooms but

they "encourage" people to overload plates because no one wants to wait in long lines (especially if

they have to do it several times with multiple family members). I took 2 Carnival Cruises in October.  No issues in the Buffet, just visited the station of food I wanted.  Hopefully Carnival will get their act together by the time I sail on the Venezia this October.

im sailing in oct 23-30 

[Riles34]

I was on the Venezia last week and lets just say, don't hold your breath for a quick in and out buffet line. The lines wrap around the corners during peak hours and move reallllllly slowly. Breakfast is even worse, I would just get the burritos as that was the only thing with a short line. I waited patiently and grabbed what I needed but would go towards the end of operation to have a shorter line. And trying to find a damn drink in the buffet, good luck! The machines were either empty or off and the lines for the ones that were functioning were long. I just grabbed what I needed and went to Rococo for drinks and ate there.

 

Go to Hero's bar and get an Old Fashioned from Szolt.....I had about 20 in 5 days from him. Tell him Riley sent you!  

[Greyhoundcat]

Just off the Venezia today. Buffet lines were longer for very beginning of meal times of course. Didn't see any disrespect while waiting. Deli line is in the middle of both lines, but not part of the buffet line. Dessert/fruit in a separate, but close by area. We didn't notice that this was any different than our Disney cruise in February. If you go during peak hours, you will wait a little bit. 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Greyhoundcat

[byanks7]

My only problem with the buffet was patiently standing in the long line and then seeing people cut right in to grab items. 

[Riles34]

11 minutes ago, byanks7 said:

My only problem with the buffet was patiently standing in the long line and then seeing people cut right in to grab items. 

I know how you feel. I only "cut" the line once to grab a chocolate milk but the line was at a stand still and I politely asked.

[TiredTrucker]

4 hours ago, byanks7 said:

My only problem with the buffet was patiently standing in the long line and then seeing people cut right in to grab items. 

But that's how a buffet is supposed to work.

 

Sounds like Venezia is functioning as a cafeteria instead.  It should be a simple thing for Carnival to address if they wanted to.