Closing Buffet at 4:00 p.m.????

[Kristi Williamson]

The poster "Lovesublime" was not on the same sailing as the OP's daughter. "Lovesublime" was on a 2008 sailing.

 

I got that, too. But, weren't they both on the same ship? Which lends itself to what the two are saying. That SOMETIMES, this actually did happen on this ship. Again, not saying it did as fact...just that some people have been very rude in their absolute assumptions that there's just no way this happened. That's not fair.

 

I've been on ships where things happened that are NOT suppose to happen...but, they did. AND, I've been on ships where things ARE supposed to happen...and they didn't. It happens. People are human...even the staff/crew of ships and John Heald. :)

[morrieb1]

Well, I guess that makes me crazy as well. You weren't there and I definitely was. There was NO buffet open any night of our cruise. The Lido buffet isn't that large on Spirit. When you go up to that deck, you have to actually walk through the entire buffet area to get to the pizza. There was NO buffet open on either side on any night. We circled and walked around and around to make sure we didn't miss someting. We went up every night usually between the hours of 7 and 9 pm. The entire place was shut down except for the pizza. I am not crazy or imagining it. Nor were we lost or confused as some want to put it. I think I've cruised enough to know when a ship's buffet is shut down.

 

And your cruise was 8/9/11 - the one that the chef and hotel manager are referring to here?

 

(Note - I'm assuming it is the 8/9 cruise since the OP referred to "last week" and the folks from the 8/16 cruise are still onboard).

 

Em

 

 

*just want to make sure everyone is on the same page with this - it certainly would be a major issue if there was no food available apart from pizza/MDR on an Alaskan cruise which tends to be rather port intensive and can make it difficult to make dinner*

[Kristi Williamson]

And your cruise was 8/9/11 - the one that the chef and hotel manager are referring to here?

 

(Note - I'm assuming it is the 8/9 cruise since the OP referred to "last week" and the folks from the 8/16 cruise are still onboard).

 

Em

 

 

*just want to make sure everyone is on the same page with this - it certainly would be a major issue if there was no food available apart from pizza/MDR on an Alaskan cruise which tends to be rather port intensive and can make it difficult to make dinner*

 

No...Lovesublime was on an '08 sailing, but still on the Spirit...the same ship. This is what lends me to think that this has sometimes happened on the Spirit. Probably not often, and probably not intentionally...but, has happened. No way of knowing for sure, of course...but, two experienced passengers, on the same ship, sailing at different times and posting completely different threads just seems plausible. At least to me. YMMV.

[lovesublime]

And your cruise was 8/9/11 - the one that the chef and hotel manager are referring to here?

 

(Note - I'm assuming it is the 8/9 cruise since the OP referred to "last week" and the folks from the 8/16 cruise are still onboard).

 

Em

 

 

*just want to make sure everyone is on the same page with this - it certainly would be a major issue if there was no food available apart from pizza/MDR on an Alaskan cruise which tends to be rather port intensive and can make it difficult to make dinner*

 

 

 

 

No. Our cruise was July 2008. Carnival Spirit southbound Alaska.

[missypriss19]

I posted this question to John last night and he said 100% not true

[bingo3]

With the number of people on board that recent 2011 cruise, I would think there would be more than one concern expressed if there was no buffet open. The hotel Director is saying it was open and I assume they have records to prove that, and no one else has expressed concern. If the buffet is truly only open in one area, perhaps someone did not realize that and went to the wrong one.

[happy cruzin]

With the number of people on board that recent 2011 cruise, I would think there would be more than one concern expressed if there was no buffet open. The hotel Director is saying it was open and I assume they have records to prove that, and no one else has expressed concern. If the buffet is truly only open in one area, perhaps someone did not realize that and went to the wrong one.

You would think..... :cool: . I imagine there would be many, many complaints and postings!

[Haoie]

In any scenario, this is hardly new policy for the lido, just some wacky accident or something.

[Jolimont]

What the heck is going on is that your daughter is misinformed.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

You would think..... :cool: . I imagine there would be many, many complaints and postings!

 

While I find it hard to believe, but I'm not going to say it didn't since i wasn't there.

 

Why would you think there would be many more postings?

 

How many pax out of the 2000+ on the Spirit are CC members? Out of that how many of them do you think skip the MDR to eat dinner in the Lido?

 

Bill

[Snorkel2Much]

Here is the Hotel Director " the lido buffet is open until 3:30pm. Then reopens at 5:30pm for dinner everynight and has never not opened for alternative dining "

 

John Heald

I checked with the Chef who said " This has never happened "

 

And I checked with the Chef on another ship just to make sure and he said " what a load of bollocks, whoever posted this must have eaten some spoiled shrimp "........OK, that was me obvioulsy but I can say that none of the ships have stopped their alternative dining and maybe the poster was confused.....anyway....Mach mate - can you set the record straight over there please. Panic over.

 

From JH FB page.

I believe JH correctly forwarded what that chef said, but was that the chef currently onboard the Spirit? Were they onboard the Spirit in 08?

 

Unlike many here, I am not willing to dismiss out of hand an account from a long time poster with no history of exaggerations simply because a Carnival spokesman busy running the entertainment staff on a different ship said so. Let alone two separate accounts of this type of situation on that ship, on that run.

[flintg]

I believe JH correctly forwarded what that chef said, but was that the chef currently onboard the Spirit? Were they onboard the Spirit in 08?

 

Unlike many here, I am not willing to dismiss out of hand an account from a long time poster with no history of exaggerations simply because a Carnival spokesman busy running the entertainment staff on a different ship said so. Let alone two separate accounts of this type of situation on that ship, on that run.

 

The question that struck me about this is: If these were experienced cruisers, why did they Not go to Guest Services and get an explaination?

I can find no complaints about this on any travel board - cruise critic is just one of several.:confused:

[LittleJeanne]

i sure hope the buffet is open my whole week, when i go. i chose anytime dining so that i could do the buffet without anyone wondering where i am in the dining room.

 

 

OK, I'm not trying to stir things up or anything, but do I read this right? That you signed up for anytime dining so that you felt free to not go there?

 

I'm asking because I've known people who requested anytime dining and never got it and they did want to go to the MDR, just not at 6 or 8:15.

 

I've read of more and more people preferring to go to the Lido buffet for dinner. With more people not wanting to go to the MDR I'm just thinkking maybe when we request early, late, or anytime maybe they should add the option of no mdr.

[leaski]

My 2 cents, FWIW, is that if in fact the scheduled and posted buffet on the Lido deck was 'missing', I would think there would have been a huge line at the Guest Services desk, demanding to know where it went, and what kind of compensation Carnival was going to hand out.:eek: Then of course this would have escalated to the immediate posting to JH's facebook page asking where it went, resulting in at least two whole days of ranting endlessly, on and on and on about it.:( Then we would have the typical blog poster who will then call John all sorts of names, and swear they will never cruise Carnival again because they heard on CC that Carnival was no longer serving food to it's guests. And, that since we must now pack our own food for the cruise, is Carnival going to allow larger coolers to be brought on the ship?

 

Not saying I don't believe the OP's DD, just that is seems highly improbable, to me. My opinion only.:)

[ccartman2]

OK, I'm not trying to stir things up or anything, but do I read this right? That you signed up for anytime dining so that you felt free to not go there?

 

I'm asking because I've known people who requested anytime dining and never got it and they did want to go to the MDR, just not at 6 or 8:15.

 

I've read of more and more people preferring to go to the Lido buffet for dinner. With more people not wanting to go to the MDR I'm just thinkking maybe when we request early, late, or anytime maybe they should add the option of no mdr.

 

That is actually a good idea for those who don't want to eat in the main dining room to say so, to free up the seating for someone who does want it.

[martinchem]

In 34 cruises on 5 cruiselines with or without MDR, I have never seen a Lido Buffet closed at dinner, period. I often go up and try something I want to try without commitment to a full helping and have NEVER found the restaurant closed at dinner time.

[cathyz]

Maybe another cruiser from this same cruise can also comment? A 2nd opinion would help either way.

[happy cruzin]

While I find it hard to believe, but I'm not going to say it didn't since i wasn't there.

 

Why would you think there would be many more postings?

 

How many pax out of the 2000+ on the Spirit are CC members? Out of that how many of them do you think skip the MDR to eat dinner in the Lido?

 

Bill

 

Certainly more than one! And even those who typically eat the the MDR - and may not have experienced it first hand - would surely come here to complain about another "cutback" :rolleyes:!!

[waiting4acruise]

Well, I guess that makes me crazy as well. You weren't there and I definitely was. There was NO buffet open any night of our cruise. The Lido buffet isn't that large on Spirit. When you go up to that deck, you have to actually walk through the entire buffet area to get to the pizza. There was NO buffet open on either side on any night. We circled and walked around and around to make sure we didn't miss someting. We went up every night usually between the hours of 7 and 9 pm. The entire place was shut down except for the pizza. I am not crazy or imagining it. Nor were we lost or confused as some want to put it. I think I've cruised enough to know when a ship's buffet is shut down.

I find it amazing a lot of other people on your cruise have not reported this.

[tef43]

Maybe another cruiser from this same cruise can also comment? A 2nd opinion would help either way.

A quick inquiry on the Roll Call for that sailing would do the trick.

 

Moot point however, since the Spirit hotel director and the beards, through JH, have vigorously debunked this rumor on FB.

[waiting4acruise]

I got that, Mach. And I'm not saying it DID happen...but, I'm not swearing that it didn't, either. People are human and it's not like the guy's going to say, "Oh yeah...we did that because _________ (fill in the blank)" many weeks later. It's their jobs and they aren't likely looking to lose them any time soon if they can help it.

 

I just think it's a little pompous for people to get on here and call passengers (more than one who says this DID happen) liars simply because John "says" he asks and they emailed him a quick reply that "says" they didn't do it...end of story. The truth is....we don't KNOW. So, it seems much more truthful to say that it's never happened to you, but assume that it COULD have happened to them...regardless of what the hotel director emailed back to John after asking the Head Chef who said he didn't do that five weeks past, or so. :rolleyes::p

How do you know these people reporting this were actually on the cruise?

[happy cruzer]

The question that struck me about this is: If these were experienced cruisers, why did they Not go to Guest Services and get an explaination?

I can find no complaints about this on any travel board - cruise critic is just one of several.:confused:

 

Yep, if the daily schedule said the Lido buffet was to be open and it wasn't I too would go to Guest Services to see what was up.

 

I could see closing it for one night if there was a maintenance issue or if they were having outside deck buffet or something unusual.

 

But that should all be listed in the schedule, what the schedule says to me is an important detail that has been omitted. And if it was incorrect was it reported.

[JerseyshoreBruce]

I knew this couldn't be true but didn't want to get accused of bashing the OP. Carnival would never get rid of the buffet! Think they would cut dining room before the buffet. Great news Mach!

[seacat66]

OK, I'm not trying to stir things up or anything, but do I read this right? That you signed up for anytime dining so that you felt free to not go there?

 

I'm asking because I've known people who requested anytime dining and never got it and they did want to go to the MDR, just not at 6 or 8:15.

 

I've read of more and more people preferring to go to the Lido buffet for dinner. With more people not wanting to go to the MDR I'm just thinkking maybe when we request early, late, or anytime maybe they should add the option of no mdr.

 

 

i am going solo, and when i booked, i told the booking agent that i didn't know what to request for dining, and my reasons. she said she would put me with anytime dining. i haven't gone on my cruise yet, so i don't know what i will do yet, anytime or buffet. going solo is not always best in the dining room.

[lovesublime]

I guess, according to the latest posts that I'm either crazy or a liar-probably both. It's funny to me that you folks who weren't on the cruise are calling us liars based based on what other people who also weren't on the cruise are telling you.

 

No. We didn't go to the passenger services desk to inquire. We figured it was a fluke for which they had a reason to keep the Lido closed in the evenings. I have no reason to come on here and spread rumors or lies. I can assure you that our buffet was never open in the evenings on our Alaska Spirit cruise. Again, we were not in the 'wrong' place or confused. Take it or leave it.