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Gala Buffet and *germs*

danya83

By danya83,
in Royal Caribbean International

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danya83

danya83

Posted
Posted

Maybe I am a germ-a-phobe, but when I was on Mariner in Sept, the Midnight Gala in the dining room had NO sanitizing of hands, sneeze shields and people were using their hands to serve themselves. The waitstaff said that is the way they always do it. Needless to say, as yummy as the food looked, I couldn't bring myself to eat any of it. On Jewel, last October, it was in WindJammer and had the sanitizer and shields. Now I know not everyone uses it...but at least in MY head....They do! LOL

 

How is it on the other ships?

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Alexis

Alexis

Posted
Posted
Maybe I am a germ-a-phobe, but when I was on Mariner in Sept, the Midnight Gala in the dining room had NO sanitizing of hands, sneeze shields and people were using their hands to serve themselves. The waitstaff said that is the way they always do it. Needless to say, as yummy as the food looked, I couldn't bring myself to eat any of it. On Jewel, last October, it was in WindJammer and had the sanitizer and shields. Now I know not everyone uses it...but at least in MY head....They do! LOL

 

How is it on the other ships?

 

The ships try their best to keep everything sanitized. It is the passengers themselves who are the problem. If they take with their hands instead of the tongs or the spoons, there are no food police there to stop them.

It is this way no matter what ship, buffets, salad bars or restaurants you go to. ;)

I live in Nevada. If I told you some of the things I have seen people do in buffets here, you would never eat again. :(

Just skip the things you see the people take with their hands and go to something else. ;)

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cb at sea

cb at sea

Posted
Posted

I've never seen a Midnight Gala Buffet have "sneeze shields"--it would totally mess up the photo ops!

I'm not into buffets, either! Don't like everyone serving themselves! We always do late seating for dinner, so aren't even hungry for the late night goodies!

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cruiserbryce

cruiserbryce

Posted
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typically the gala buffet doesnt have sneeze shields...but sanitizers are usally available at the entrance of the restaurant...unfortunatly it seems that cruises would be a germ a phobes nightmare...no matter how available sanitizers are, getting people to actually use them is the problem

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iheartbda

iheartbda

Posted
Posted

If I see someone using their hands to take something from the buffet I have no problem calling them on it.:mad: I wouldn't call myself a germaphobic but after meeting "Mr. Noro" once, I'm very careful. If you use the thongs after someone who didn't wash or sanitize their hands, your hands are now dirty. We carry a small bottle of sanitizer and use it after we have served ourselves and BEFORE we eat.

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KelJ

KelJ

Posted
Posted
If I see someone using their hands to take something from the buffet I have no problem calling them on it.:mad: I wouldn't call myself a germaphobic but after meeting "Mr. Noro" once, I'm very careful. If you use the thongs after someone who didn't wash or sanitize their hands, your hands are now dirty. We carry a small bottle of sanitizer and use it after we have served ourselves and BEFORE we eat.

 

 

Never use a thong after someone else does!!:D :) ;)

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daisymay1960

daisymay1960

Posted
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i have read that we have made a problem for ourselves by being too clean , using too many germ killing products in our homes have left us wide open to minor infections that otherwise our immune systems could deal with quite happily .

 

Though i do appreciate buffets are a risk if someone with a particulary nasty bug on their hands etc comes a bit too close to the food for comfort lol.

 

 

The biggest risk is probably in where the food has come from , who has handles at how it is stored , buffets that are left out too long , at the wrong tempreture are always a problem

 

maybe its because you can see the buffet and people handling it that causes you to worry more? If you saw what happened to any food you eat you would probably worry as well !! , just because it comes packaged nicely in supermarkets doesnt mean it hasnt passed through many many hands !

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danya83

danya83

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I've never seen a Midnight Gala Buffet have "sneeze shields"--it would totally mess up the photo ops!

I'm not into buffets, either! Don't like everyone serving themselves! We always do late seating for dinner, so aren't even hungry for the late night goodies!

 

The food that you actually take is under the sneeze shields, but the decorated and carved food is out to take pics

 

If I see someone using their hands to take something from the buffet I have no problem calling them on it.:mad: I wouldn't call myself a germophobic but after meeting "Mr. Noro" once, I'm very careful. If you use the thongs after someone who didn't wash or sanitize their hands, your hands are now dirty. We carry a small bottle of sanitizer and use it after we have served ourselves and BEFORE we eat.

 

I am the paranoid type....and I DID call a few people on it. I got a few dirty looks but I also got a lot more of people "with" me on the whole clean hands thing. Like I said...if it's there, at least I can *think* the hands are all clean! LOL

 

i have read that we have made a problem for ourselves by being too clean , using too many germ killing products in our homes have left us wide open to minor infections that otherwise our immune systems could deal with quite happily .

 

Though i do appreciate buffets are a risk if someone with a particularly nasty bug on their hands etc comes a bit too close to the food for comfort lol.

 

 

The biggest risk is probably in where the food has come from , who has handles at how it is stored , buffets that are left out too long , at the wrong temperature are always a problem

 

maybe its because you can see the buffet and people handling it that causes you to worry more? If you saw what happened to any food you eat you would probably worry as well !! , just because it comes packaged nicely in supermarkets doesn't mean it hasn't passed through many many hands !

 

I have also heard this. I agree as well.

 

And yes it has everything to do with me seeing what is going on. I mean I can think it at the stores or restaurants, but I try to keep it out of sight out of mind!

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daisymay1960

daisymay1960

Posted
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A few months ago we were in Londons China town having a meal and one of the waiters , he wasnt serving at the time btw , sneezed very loudly into his hands , i know this is gross but it was one of those very big noisy wet sneezes , they proceeded to clear his throat .......needless to say i couldnt eat anymore !

 

And funnily enough my husband was very ill that night , we have eaten 3 times in China Town , never felt completely happy with the hygeine and will never eat there again ( and believe me i am not a germ freak lol )

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abba_dabba_doo

abba_dabba_doo

Posted
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A few months ago we were in Londons China town having a meal and one of the waiters , he wasnt serving at the time btw , sneezed very loudly into his hands , i know this is gross but it was one of those very big noisy wet sneezes , they proceeded to clear his throat .......needless to say i couldnt eat anymore !

 

And funnily enough my husband was very ill that night , we have eaten 3 times in China Town , never felt completely happy with the hygeine and will never eat there again ( and believe me i am not a germ freak lol )

 

 

Ewww, now that's just nasty.....I really hope he washed his hands. Yuck!:eek:

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Sugar*Magnolia

Sugar*Magnolia

Posted
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Gala buffets may be a thing of the past. Did not have one on Freedom last week and was told it had been discontinued as part of the cost savings.

 

Wow!! Really?? :eek: :rolleyes: :)

 

We always have late seating so we dont usually eat the Gala Buffet but it is nice to see and go to anyway....As for pictures......take 'em each time, but they look all the same in the different photo albums!

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snl

snl

Posted
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Not to get anyone upset.... but does anyone ever think about what happens in restaurants before your food is delivered to you?? There are no shields while cooking, plating or serving. So we all have to hope that people are generally clean. As long as we all santize...buffets should be fine:D

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iheartbda

iheartbda

Posted
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Gala buffets may be a thing of the past. Did not have one on Freedom last week and was told it had been discontinued as part of the cost savings.

 

Wouldn't bother me to see them gone. Too late at night and who can, or needs anymore food? Seems a waste all around.

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OHCruisin

OHCruisin

Posted
Posted
Wouldn't bother me to see them gone. Too late at night and who can, or needs anymore food? Seems a waste all around.

 

While it doesn't overly bother me (late seating, I never even go to view it) it's just one more way RCI is dumbing down the cruise experience. They're cutting out (or at least cutting down) live music, cutting the gala buffet, food in dining room, while decent, is not what it used to be. Don't get me wrong. I love RCI, but if they keep cutting things out, it will be time to cruise on another line.

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johnjohnga

johnjohnga

Posted
Posted

Spermatophobia, spermophobia, and bacillophobia are all words for an IRRATIONAL fear of germs. (I prefer the last choice, lest I be misunderstood.)

 

Keep in mind that it's not at all irrational to be concerned about germs, especially aboard a ship. On MSC, there was a staff member at the head of the buffet line enforcing the rule of sanitizing hands before entering the buffet line. I'd like to think that staff members would be trained to politely, but firmly, discourage those who would dig in with bare hands.

 

I'm seen on documentaries (and I don't know how true it is), that the average salt-shaker on the table has as many bacteria as a toilet seat. I guess it's best not to think too long on whether that's true or I may never eat in public again.

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alittlenauti

alittlenauti

Posted
Posted
I think those midnight buffets are a total waste. (I got my fire extinguisher out lol.)

 

 

I totally agree marci22.... Personally i wouldnt miss them at all and i think it would do us all a favour in many ways, like someone else mentioned , who really needs to eat AGAIN at that time of night.

 

Doubt it would happen but maybe they could reinstate something else like live music , those buffets must cost huge amounts of money!

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