Breakfast Buffets

[lynsteve]

How do you use them?

 

Do you wander around and find a table, then send someone off one of at a time to get food, so you don't lose the table...

or

Fill your plate then wander around looking for somewhere to sit, while your food goes cold.?

or

Do you just give up with all the hassle and go to the dining room?

 

Why should buffets be such a hassle sometimes?

or

Should passengers learn a bit more etiquette?:rolleyes:

 

stevo

[Hackpba]

We had no problems last month on the Freedom of the Seas. There were 4 of us, we would find a table and the "men" would stay at the table while the ladies got their food. When they came back we would go get ours and never had any issues.

 

We did try the main dining room one morning and liked it. Of course you have to try room service at least once and eat it out on the balcony. :D

[njdevil08]

I agree, find a table, have a few in your party plop down while others get food, then switch. It's very difficult and stressful to find a table with a plate full of food in your hands.

[Luv2CruiseRCL2]

How do you use them?

 

Do you wander around and find a table, then send someone off one of at a time to get food, so you don't lose the table...

or

Fill your plate then wander around looking for somewhere to sit, while your food goes cold.?

or

Do you just give up with all the hassle and go to the dining room?

 

Why should buffets be such a hassle sometimes?

or

Should passengers learn a bit more etiquette?:rolleyes:

 

stevo

 

In the Windjammer we would find a table then one would go get food and then the other when they got back. What we do now is order room service the night before and have it delivered to the room and eat out on our balcony. That is our favorite way to have breakfast.

[cruiseguy1016]

How do you use them?

 

Do you wander around and find a table, then send someone off one of at a time to get food, so you don't lose the table...

or

Fill your plate then wander around looking for somewhere to sit, while your food goes cold.?

or

Do you just give up with all the hassle and go to the dining room?

 

Why should buffets be such a hassle sometimes?

or

Should passengers learn a bit more etiquette?:rolleyes:

 

stevo

 

I am very confused with this. I don't understand where the hassle is. Is it really that hard to find a table? It may not be the perfect table for you but there is always a table somewhere. We never find a table first. Our food never gets cold while walking to a table. If you reserve a table and split up, you don't get to eat together. What fun is that? We just get in line, get our food and then walk to the first available table. Where is the hassle with that? What etiquette are people supposed to learn?

[time4u2go]

I am very confused with this. I don't understand where the hassle is. We never find a table first. Our food never gets cold while walking to a table. If you reserve a table and split up, you don't get to eat together. What fun is that? We just get in line, get our food and then walk to the first available table. Where is the hassle with that? What etiquette are people supposed to learn?

We've noticed that on some days, at some busy times, there simply isn't a table available. So when you say "walk to the first available table", at busy times and days, that often includes walking back and forth several times throughout the seating area just waiting for a table to become available.

[luvscruising2007]

We usually find the table and then take turns going to get our food.

 

Etiquette would be for passengers to vacate a table when they have finished eating. We have been in very busy WJ's and passengers have taken over a table to play cards. Just annoying.

[cruiseguy1016]

We've noticed that on some days, at some busy times, there simply isn't a table available. So when you say "walk to the first available table", at busy times and days, that often includes walking back and forth several times throughout the seating area just waiting for a table to become available.

 

I guess we've never eaten at a super busy time. Although it is very busy some times, we've always been able to find a table.

[pepsicruiser]

We enter the Windjammer and grab a couple of drinks ie: juice, coffee, tea. Find a table and place the drinks in front of our chairs and then continue on to food lines and return to table. We never had a problem with someone removing our drinks.

[cb at sea]

We almost never do the buffet for breakfast.....the dining room is SOOOO much nicer!

You can get everything that's on the buffet, but it's served to you, on tableclothes, and no searching for tables, no waiting on a slowpoke to use the syrup, no food getting cold....just go to the dining room!!!!!

[Poodle Lady]

I am very confused with this. I don't understand where the hassle is. Is it really that hard to find a table? It may not be the perfect table for you but there is always a table somewhere. We never find a table first. Our food never gets cold while walking to a table. If you reserve a table and split up, you don't get to eat together. What fun is that? We just get in line, get our food and then walk to the first available table. Where is the hassle with that? What etiquette are people supposed to learn?

 

thanks. I'm thinking the same thing. i don't see the big problem. Are we really walking around while our food gets cold? The Windjammer isn't all that big. We just get our food, then head to the aft deck. Most of the time we are able to get a table for 4. Only once were we unable to quickly find a table outside. So we had to eat inside(oh, the horrors!) :D

[tahqa]

Well, if you're on Oasis or Allure you don't even bother with the Windjammer and instead go to Park Cafe or Johnny Rockets! :D:D:D

[digital_curator]

It depends. If it isn't busy, we get our food and sit down. Even if it is, we usually just ask if we can share a table.

 

If it is really busy (or if we have carry-ons on first/last day) we take turns, which I dislike because the meal is so disjointed- someone is eating dessert while the other is eating their main.

 

When the ship has a good MDR breakfast (Navigator didn't, Serenade did), we eat there and save the buffet for mornings when we have early excurions.

 

Our last cruise was with Celebrity and we had a Concierge Class room with an expanded breakfast room service menu. As a result, we ate on our balcony almost every morning and just ran up to the buffet to get anything to suppliment it- this worked very well.

 

The nice thing is, there are usually a few options for breakfast so we don't let us bother us too much.

[Trekker954]

Unless you need a window table, there is never a problem finding a table. We'll grab our coffee/juice, put it down at a table, go back up and fill up our plates. We aren't gone that long that the coffee gets cold, so really its not a problem.

[whyrlygig]

We usually just get our drinks first. Then we use those to hold a table while we each wander off to get our food. Even during busy times, we have always found somewhere to sit.

[nubeetom]

What got me was seeing one person sitting at a table for six with plenty of smaller tables around, they just didn't have the view they wanted. So I would walk up alone and ask if I could join them and then call my family over. They would usually eat rather fast when my three kids and my wife joined us.

[DaNana]

Etiquette would be for passengers to vacate a table when they have finished eating. We have been in very busy WJ's and passengers have taken over a table to play cards. Just annoying.

On Voyager of the Seas in March, there were announcements in the WJ on the couple of mornings we went there, asking those who were finished eating to please not hold up tables playing cards, etc. This would allow others to use the tables to eat.:eek:

There are several ships with outdoor tables also if you are on one of those like the VOS!;)

[BaileyandBella]

Hubby always heads to the buffet first while I am still getting ready or asleep, so he finds a table by the time I get there. :p

[Verfai]

We almost never do the buffet for breakfast.....the dining room is SOOOO much nicer!

You can get everything that's on the buffet, but it's served to you, on tableclothes, and no searching for tables, no waiting on a slowpoke to use the syrup, no food getting cold....just go to the dining room!!!!!

 

Hello, Can you a explain a little more how the breakfast in the MDR works?

-You can show up at a fixed time ore whenever?

-You have fixed tables?

-Your order via a menu “a la carte” or it’s a continental plate that you get? You say the same as the WJ but without the buffet and served to you, sounds interesting.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Greets

[English_in_Spain]

Hello, Can you a explain a little more how the breakfast in the MDR works?

-You can show up at a fixed time ore whenever?

-You have fixed tables?

-Your order via a menu “a la carte” or it’s a continental plate that you get? You say the same as the WJ but without the buffet and served to you, sounds interesting.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

Greets

 

You can show up at the dining room breakfast any time (obviously within opening hours)

 

You do not have fixed tables. You are usually seated with other people. If you want a table for 2 you may have to wait at busy times.

 

Yes, it is an 'a la carte' breakfast which you order and the waiter serves it to you.

 

I have mobility problems so I find the Windjammer virtually impossible to manage. We always go to the MDR for breakfast.

[peteukmcr]

We grab a table and then split up to get food in the WJ. I disagree that it is easy to get a table. On Med cruises it is never easy to get a table at busy times and some nationalities do take over the tables for them and their extended families. They then also camp out there for ages after they have finished eating as meal times are a social event for them. Lunchtimes are particularly bad if you leave it until 1 pm to go to eat.

 

The staff do have to make announcements asking people to vacate their tables when finished to make way for other diners, but there are those that need to learn manners and do just that instead of hanging around.

 

As for the MDR for breakfast, never had a problem asking for a table for 2, maybe have had to wait a couple of minutes, but not too long.

[Sequim88]

We usually never have trouble finding a table somewhere. When it is just my wife and I though this often means a 6 person table as the tables for two are rare and usually filled. So if we see someone looking for a place to sit we usually offer the extra seats at our table. We've met some very interesting people this way. So not a lot different from eating breakfast in MDR in that respect.

[negc]

How do you use them?

 

Do you wander around and find a table, then send someone off one of at a time to get food, so you don't lose the table...

or

Fill your plate then wander around looking for somewhere to sit, while your food goes cold.?

or

Do you just give up with all the hassle and go to the dining room?

 

Why should buffets be such a hassle sometimes?

or

Should passengers learn a bit more etiquette?:rolleyes:

 

stevo

We don't consider it a hassle and much prefer the selection and the ability to take exactly what we want in the Windjammer rather than endure the slow service and portion-controlled meals that we all too often experience in the main dining room. Certainly some could use some lessons in etiquette but we find that applies to those who eat in the dining room as much as to those who choose the buffet.

No need to have your food get cold if you get a table before heading off to get food. We are always more than willing to share a table with others so that shouldn't be a problem either.:)

 

On Radiance class ships, eating breakfast or lunch in the open air aft section of the Windjammer, is, IMO,"so much nicer" ;) than eating those meals in the main dining room.

[The Big Booper]

We usually enter the Jam Of Wind together and grab a table, then DW wanders off for her usual breakfast while I hold the table down then get my stuff when she gets back. As NYers we trust nobody and don't leave the table alone.

 

I'm glad Bill made the point above, I don't like the MDR for breakfast because I want what I want, not what they give you. If I'm in the mood for a double helping of lox I don't want a double bagel or the other stuff that comes with it which I don't eat either, just get a heapin' of lox. Expensive and the only time we eat it is on a cruise ship.

 

I find the action station with the crispest bacon and take what I want and don't have to endure the soggy bacon you get in the MDR frequently.

 

If the eggs look good then I take plain scrambled but if the combo scrambled looks good then I take that instead.

 

My choice as to what and how much I get of things. Plus I get to circle and see what they have and how it looks before I load up.

 

I don't need or want the egoboo of having someone "serve" me.

[negc]

We usually enter the Jam Of Wind together and grab a table, then DW wanders off for her usual breakfast while I hold the table down then get my stuff when she gets back. As NYers we trust nobody and don't leave the table alone.

 

I'm glad Bill made the point above, I don't like the MDR for breakfast because I want what I want, not what they give you. If I'm in the mood for a double helping of lox I don't want a double bagel or the other stuff that comes with it which I don't eat either, just get a heapin' of lox. Expensive and the only time we eat it is on a cruise ship.

 

I find the action station with the crispest bacon and take what I want and don't have to endure the soggy bacon you get in the MDR frequently.

 

If the eggs look good then I take plain scrambled but if the combo scrambled looks good then I take that instead.

 

My choice as to what and how much I get of things. Plus I get to circle and see what they have and how it looks before I load up.

 

I don't need or want the egoboo of having someone "serve" me.

We pretty much follow the same style of dining in the Windjammer as you. One thing about breakfast in the main dining room that I found especially irritating was the ice cream scoop of cold scrambled eggs and the limp bacon that I was served. And chasing down the assistant waiter for a second serving of toast or pastries isn't my idea of great service. Normally I do not like scrambled eggs on a buffet, but recently they have been quite to my liking in the Windjammer, and hot cereals with brown sugar and raisins are a good start to my morning meal.