Can you avoid buffets all together?

[Coral]

Not for nothing but why would anyone want 3 sit down wait service meals a day while on a cruise?....

 

Because we don't like buffets.... Not a fan of hot dogs either.

[cr8tiv1]

Here are the free dining options on the Golden

3 main dining rooms, one for tradition dinner fixed seating, two for anytime dining. One of the anytime dining rooms may be used for early fixed seating. One DR open each day for breakfast and for lunch on sea days. DR is closed for lunch on port days. DR open from noon to 1:30 on embarkation day.

 

International Cafe, not really a buffet, but you carry your plate to your table. Waiters are there to assist if required. Panini sandwiches, desserts, salads, soups, soft cookies for lunch and dinner, doughnuts, pastries, egg sandwich for breakfast. Open 24 hours.

 

Vines, sushi plates if you purchase a drink. Open all day and into the evening. Served.

 

Prego Pizza, pizza by the slice (outdoors) Open all day and into the evening

 

Trident Grill, burgers, fries, chicken, dogs, veggie burgers, brats (outdoors) Open all day and into the evening

 

Soft Ice Cream bar (outdoors) Open all day and into the evening

 

Pub lunch on some sea days in either the Wheelhouse Bar or Crown Grill, sit down served.

 

Of course, there is the Horizon Ct. Buffet which is open from 6am until around 11pm or midnight. It serves all kinds of foods, some prepared as you wait. Grab what you wish, sit down and the waiter will serve you drinks. Free coffee and tea always available. Fruits, cheeses, desserts available all the time for snacks.

 

Surcharge restaurants include The Crown Grill, steak and seafood, and Sabatini's, Italian. $25/pp

 

Other surcharge meals may have been introduced such as the crab shack and fondue. Not sure if the Golden has these,

 

Sknight, You did an absolutely fantastic job on this list.

 

For the OP, keep this in mind. The buffet has the best lemonade ever. You can get warm cookies from the IC (they were undercooked), but I found them better up in the buffet. Cookies and milk are served in the Piazza around 4 PM every day.

 

Best pizza on the Lido deck.

 

Eating...isn't this the reason we all cruise?

[AKman2495]

Not for nothing but why would anyone want 3 sit down wait service meals a day while on a cruise?....

 

Because we find it pleasurable....

[JimmyVWine]

Not for nothing but why would anyone want 3 sit down wait service meals a day while on a cruise?....

Because we can. :p

[fishywood]

Not for nothing but why would anyone want 3 sit down wait service meals a day while on a cruise?....

 

Actually it is 4 with Afternoon Tea.

 

...and I still remember cruises with my parents 20-25 years ago when the MDR was essentially the only dining option on the ship, with two sittings for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. The only alternatives were fruit and pastries for breakfast and hamburgers for lunch by the pool. Now that I am paying my own way, why should I lower my standards?

Edited January 4, 2014 by fishywood

[Pam in CA]

I also hate buffets; not Princess' buffets in particular, but buffets in general (as does my mother-in-law). I don't think I've eaten one thing at the Horizon Court buffet in at least our last 10 Princess cruises, and I don't think my MIL has eaten there on any of the 3 cruises she's done with us.

Interestingly, my sister, who wouldn't be caught dead having dinner in the buffet at night or a buffet anywhere else, wound up wanting to only go to the Royal's buffet for dinner. I had three very, very long days with tours from very early in the morning until late afternoon in a row and after the third long day, I just wanted to eat and go back to my cabin without showering and dressing up. So we went to the buffet, she very reluctantly. From that time on, that's where she wanted to go for dinner. :) She was even happier when we discovered that we could store a bottle of wine up there and have it served. Almost every night, we ran into people we'd met and sometimes ate with a couple of others, sometimes 8-10 people. So, you never know.

[Go-Bucks!]

I just wanted to eat and go back to my cabin without showering and dressing up. So we went to the buffet, she very reluctantly. From that time on, that's where she wanted to go for dinner.

 

 

This happened to us too. Years ago we had tried eating dinner at the buffet and it wasn't good. But recently we got back from a tiring day of touring and decided to try the buffet for dinner again. This time it was very good! Since then, we've eaten dinners in the Horizon Court or Cafe Caribe on nights when the entrees in the MDR don't look interesting. We've been happy with the selection and quality. Also nice to be able to eat dinner in less than 2 hours. ;)

[donaldsc]

I think you overlooked one important fact:

My sister and brother-in-law cruise often

 

The OP isn't trying to talk them into cruising. Just cruising for the first time with Princess. Big difference.

 

Missed that. Sorry. However, my rules still apply but not in this case.

 

DON

[satxdiver]

There are many places on a Princess ship to get food anytime of day or night. Sometimes more choices and sometimes less like in the wee hours. Room service is available 24x7.

 

I love to go to the HC for lunch as I can get the salad I want and supplement it with some seafood. Breakfast we have room delivery by hanging our tag outside the night before. It matches what we have at home for breakfast. Once in a while to break up the routine we go to the MDR for breakfast. Dinner we first peruse the HC to see what is offered and compare it to what is being offered in the MDR that night, then we make a decision. Of late it has been more HC due to the food we like or that we want to do something that night and don't have time for a 2 hour sit down meal.

[MaChere]

Not for nothing but why would anyone want 3 sit down wait service meals a day while on a cruise?....

Because it's relaxing and a far cry from our day to day life.

 

On the Coral for Alaska, we went to the buffet only once because we prefer a more calm meal experience. When we take upcoming British Isles cruise, since we will be busy with long port days, we may indeed choose to go to the buffet often rather than take the time to dress more nicely for MDR. Every day is unique. We shall see.

[riclop]

I'm considering trying to talk my sister into going on our first Princess cruise with us on the Golden.

 

My sister and brother-in-law cruise often but HATE buffets. Is it possible to avoid them all together by having 3 sit down wait service meals a day in the dining room (not room service) ?

Yes you can.

[pablo222]

My sister and brother-in-law cruise often but HATE buffets. Is it possible to avoid them all together by having 3 sit down wait service meals a day in the dining room (not room service) ?

 

No, you will not be able to have three meals a day in the dining room.

 

In general, the dining room(s) are closed for lunch on port days.

 

And, there usually will not be a table-service option available

as an alternative.

[rollingstone]

Three sit-down-meals translates into roughly 6 hrs of eating. This is half of your day. The other hours are spent at the gym, working it off or napping ( not working it off).

[Go-Bucks!]

On the Coral for Alaska, we went to the buffet only once because we prefer a more calm meal experience.

 

I rarely, if ever, go to the buffet for breakfast or lunch because of the crowded conditions and lack of available seating, but dinner is not like that at all. I like that I can go at whatever time I want and stay as long as I choose. No waiting for food to arrive for everyone. We probably eat dinner in the buffet about 30% of the time.

 

At dinnertime the buffet is calm, quiet and relaxing. There's a lovely ambiance and the servers bring drinks and are quite attentive. We always get a table by the window and enjoy such a beautiful view during the meal. VERY different from the daytime experience! :D

[5:00_Somewhere]

Interestingly, my sister, who wouldn't be caught dead having dinner in the buffet at night or a buffet anywhere else, wound up wanting to only go to the Royal's buffet for dinner. I had three very, very long days with tours from very early in the morning until late afternoon in a row and after the third long day, I just wanted to eat and go back to my cabin without showering and dressing up. So we went to the buffet, she very reluctantly. From that time on, that's where she wanted to go for dinner. :) She was even happier when we discovered that we could store a bottle of wine up there and have it served. Almost every night, we ran into people we'd met and sometimes ate with a couple of others, sometimes 8-10 people. So, you never know.

 

Oh, I completely understand the convenience, and I do not in any way mean to disparage anyone who likes the buffets. And I agree the the HC on the Royal was really beautiful and beautifully laid out, with amazing choices. I just don't like buffets for some reason. To be honest, I can't even tell you exactly why; it's nothing specific, but I've felt this way for years. Maybe because I was sort of forced to eat in so many buffets all through primary school, college, grad school, etc. (and those were usually pretty bad.) Not sure, but it's just one of my personal quirks. But, all the varied dining options is one of the many reasons we LOVE our Princess cruises. :D

Edited January 4, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[Coral]

Three sit-down-meals translates into roughly 6 hrs of eating. This is half of your day. The other hours are spent at the gym, working it off or napping ( not working it off).

 

This is not true. I have never spent more than an 6-75 minutes eating breakfast or lunch in the dining room. They are very efficient and the food IMO is better than the buffet.

 

The last time I went the buffet for dinner, the carving board had meatloaf and the rest of the entrees looked equally disappointing.

 

I work somewhere that has buffets for meals and what is on Princess's buffet reminds me of that. I don't want to go on vacation and do something I can do every day at work.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Coral

[Host Jazzbeau]

This is not true. I have never spent more than an 6-75 minutes eating breakfast or lunch in the dining room. They are very efficient and the food IMO is better than the buffet.

 

If you can eat breakfast in 6 minutes in the MDR, I'll have to try that on port days ... but if you meant 60 minutes, that's way more time than I'm willing to spend. I can use 45 minutes of that hour on my beauty sleep, and then get a quick breakfast in HC before heading out to port.

 

HC is also great on returning from port. They have a wide variety of things available, so you can easily put together an interesting small snack to replenish and tide over to dinner.

 

The only time we used it for dinner (I do have an aversion to buffets, except the time driving cross-country to tend a sick kid when The Dinner Bell was the only thing open :)) was on our Alaska cruise on Coral last summer. We got a bottle of Amarone and two of the crystal glasses from the Maitre d' at Sabatini's, grabbed a table with a great view of the scenery, and had a leisurely dinner of as many courses as we wanted at the pace we wanted. The wine was good, the food was good -- and the view of the Inside Passage was better than any sit-down restaurant on board would have offered!

 

So I guess my point is, even if you avoid buffets generally there are times and occasions when they can be the best choice on board.

[Judycpro]

It is absolutely possible to avoid buffets. I can count on one hand the total number of meals we have eaten in the Horizon in the 10 years we have been cruising. However, I will admit to dashing up there for a mid- afternoon cookie or iced coffee. However, with the addition of the international cafés, that necessity has been eliminated. There will be no problem getting whatever you want, whenever you want.

[Colo Cruiser]

I have never spent more than an 6-75 minutes eating breakfast or lunch in the dining room.

 

Oh do tell, what is your secret? :D

[Loonbeam]

The question is not do buffets make sense or not, its can they be avoided and the answer is yes. There are certainly times they are the most practical choice. That's the nice thing about having options.

 

I prefer to avoid buffets because I have seen the food handling habits of some of my fellow passengers. And if you have food allergies that are significant I recommend avoiding the buffet for the same reason. But if time is your priority and you want a full meal, you won't find a better option in most cases.

[Coral]

If you can eat breakfast in 6 minutes in the MDR, I'll have to try that on port days ... but if you meant 60 minutes, that's way more time than I'm willing to spend. I can use 45 minutes of that hour on my beauty sleep, and then get a quick breakfast in HC before heading out to port.

 

\

 

I meant 60-75 minutes. I had written an hour but know some lunches, 75 minutes was probably more realistic.

 

Thanks for pointing out the typo.

[Coral]

Oh do tell, what is your secret? :D

 

Typo - sorry :) 60-75 minutes.

[peety3]

I'm considering trying to talk my sister into going on our first Princess cruise with us on the Golden.

 

My sister and brother-in-law cruise often but HATE buffets. Is it possible to avoid them all together by having 3 sit down wait service meals a day in the dining room (not room service) ?

 

My folks aren't normally wild about buffets, but they were amazed at the variety PLUS the freshness of the food. With so many people going through the lines, nothing sits on the buffet long. After the cruise, I asked her how I should have described the buffet to convince her that it's "not so bad", and she did struggle to give me words aside from "I had to experience it to believe it". That's my $0.02 for you...

[pablo222]

The question is not do buffets make sense or not, its can they be avoided and the answer is yes.

 

The question was can the party receive table service for 3 meals per

day, and the answer is no. On a port day, where the mdr is closed,

they will have to serve themselves in some other venue.

 

Here's a quote from the original post:

"Is it possible to avoid them all together by having 3 sit down wait service meals a day in the dining room (not room service) ? "

 

Most of the answers here are as if the question were:

"If the dining room is closed, what alternatives are there to the buffet?"

[Loonbeam]

Thanks for the clarification. I forgot about the specific request for sit down. Some form of self-service will be required on port days, although it doesn't have to be the buffet.

 

The question was can the party receive table service for 3 meals per

day, and the answer is no. On a port day, where the mdr is closed,

they will have to serve themselves in some other venue.

 

Here's a quote from the original post:

"Is it possible to avoid them all together by having 3 sit down wait service meals a day in the dining room (not room service) ? "

 

Most of the answers here are as if the question were:

"If the dining room is closed, what alternatives are there to the buffet?"