Buffet Extravaganza

[lurkernj]

I am assuming with all the cuts there is no longer a buffet extravaganza?  I can't seem to find anything about it in over a year.  We will be on a 10 night med cruise on the Apex end of October and was fine tuning my dining and was trying to see when this might be, but I see no accounts of anyone attending in the past year. 

[twincheryl]

5 minutes ago, lurkernj said:

I am assuming with all the cuts there is no longer a buffet extravaganza?  I can't seem to find anything about it in over a year.  We will be on a 10 night med cruise on the Apex end of October and was fine tuning my dining and was trying to see when this might be, but I see no accounts of anyone attending in the past year. 

We are on Silhouette now and have been on Apex and Summit in the past few months.  There is a normal, very extensive buffet at lunch but dinner is scaled down a bit.  Still plenty to choose from but not what they had in the past.

[ElmaLee]

Buffet on Edge a few weeks ago was good: plenty variety to choose from.

 

If you are referring to "brunch" when Celebrity would lay on a massive buffet one day, with ice carvings and show cooking, that was ditched many, many years ago.

[lv2cruisgrl]

5 minutes ago, ElmaLee said:

Buffet on Edge a few weeks ago was good: plenty variety to choose from.

 

If you are referring to "brunch" when Celebrity would lay on a massive buffet one day, with ice carvings and show cooking, that was ditched many, many years ago.

We had it on Edge 2021.

[jelayne]

They were doing a lower key version in the OV at lunch on the last sea day.  Chocolate fountain, lots of large shrimp, multiple meat carving stations more and better options than on a regular lunch.  There was 1 ice carving.  It was not really publicized.  We happen to go to the OV by chance the first time we saw it.  Didn’t look for it in May

[keesar]

1 hour ago, lurkernj said:

I am assuming with all the cuts there is no longer a buffet extravaganza?  I can't seem to find anything about it in over a year.  We will be on a 10 night med cruise on the Apex end of October and was fine tuning my dining and was trying to see when this might be, but I see no accounts of anyone attending in the past year. 

There is no longer the big brunch in the MDR.  On the last sea day, there is a special lunch at the OceanView.  On our cruises, it had been advertised.  We were allowed to take photos of the fruit carvings, cakes  and ice sculpture at a certain time.  Then they opened it up to the hungry folks.  

[bubbachief]

Do the still have the scones and strawberry jam around 4pm in the OVC?

[CaribbeanBound]

Those cool midnight buffets, and extravaganzas, have been gone for about a decade.  Maybe more.

[peanut head]

56 minutes ago, bubbachief said:

Do the still have the scones and strawberry jam around 4pm in the OVC?

Yes...on my last 3 cruises--Silhouette, Equinox, Constellation from 10/2022 - 2/2023

[Ocdublin]

We did not have scones on the Infinity in May 2023.

[Roxydog15]

Hi.  We just got off the Summit Greenland 12 night cruise, and in OVC there was an "extravaganza" luncheon.  Very cool undersea display made with different foods and actual fish bodies.  Carved watermelons, a bunch of additional specialties, chocolate fountain (manned/served--which is a good thing), shrimp (served), etc.  Very nice.  There was not anything done in the MDR.  But I found the food offerings in the OVC were quite often better than the MDR.  More variety/more interesting.

[JDPCruisers]

41 minutes ago, Roxydog15 said:

Hi.  We just got off the Summit Greenland 12 night cruise, and in OVC there was an "extravaganza" luncheon.  Very cool undersea display made with different foods and actual fish bodies.  Carved watermelons, a bunch of additional specialties, chocolate fountain (manned/served--which is a good thing), shrimp (served), etc.  Very nice.  There was not anything done in the MDR.  But I found the food offerings in the OVC were quite often better than the MDR.  More variety/more interesting.

Is there still hand tossed pizzas and/or pasta station in OVC?

[Roxydog15]

7 minutes ago, JDPCruisers said:

Is there still hand tossed pizzas and/or pasta station in OVC?

Yes.  (now I can only vouch for Summit) I only had the pizza once, watching my breads, but it was pretty good, not as good obviously as the corner pizza place, but passable.  Yes on pasta station also.  You can get just sauce or have add-ins.  They sauté that up and combine. 

They have the grill station also.  Regular Indian, Asian, panini station, carvery but with only one meat per day, grilled veggies, roasted veggies, mashed and baked potatoes, rice, Mexican, specials of the day,,,very nearly the same as prior to cutback scare.  It was good enough that we opted to eat there rather than the MDR, more often than usual, which was a bit of a disappointment.  Not terrible, but sometimes soup or salad appy's just doesn't cut it.

[osnv17]

6 hours ago, jelayne said:

They were doing a lower key version in the OV at lunch on the last sea day.  Chocolate fountain, lots of large shrimp, multiple meat carving stations more and better options than on a regular lunch.  There was 1 ice carving.  It was not really publicized.  We happen to go to the OV by chance the first time we saw it.  Didn’t look for it in May

Absolutely nothing on Constellation during our recent cruise

[Roxydog15]

This shouldn't be a ship-specific event. Looks like it is luck of the draw.

[xxpinksaltxx]

On the Eclipse in March, we had one day where there was the chocolate fountain, and a nicer selection of desserts, meats and cheese. Definately no ice sculptures. It didn't compare to the brunch they use to do in the MDR.

 

I didn't see afternoon tea (and we use to go everyday - unless onshore) where there use to be scones, finger sandwiches, quiche and sushi (oh the days)! I think this might have been phased out as well. Or maybe some ships are just offering scones.

[Esprit]

On Refection last month the buffet on the last day of our cruise was ten times better than the rest of the cruise.

Seafood in abundance and loads of fancy whole cakes instead of the pre sliced stuff.

Call me a cynic but I think this was done on purpose so passengers would give the buffet food a higher rating on the end of cruise questionnaire!