Liberty Mdr waiters discouraging menu ordering at breakfast?

[Weatherman1182]

Did I read that they now have a buffet set up at breakfast and while there's a menu, they really try to get you to go to the buffet? We liked the hot and fresh food..will they not want us to order it?

 

Just asking, no complaining or worried.

[Toddcan]

There has always been tables of food (buffet, if you will) in the MDR for breakfast. You can also order off the menu. I don't think anything has changed here.

[Clarea]

Did I read that they now have a buffet set up at breakfast and while there's a menu, they really try to get you to go to the buffet? We liked the hot and fresh food..will they not want us to order it?

 

Just asking, no complaining or worried.

My experience is that the buffet complements the menu. Also, most ships we have been on don't have hot food at the breakfast buffet, only items like cut up fruit, cold cereral, granola, yogurt, etc. The only ship we've been on that had hot and cold food at the breakfast buffet was Monarch.

[cruisenfever]

Did I read that they now have a buffet set up at breakfast and while there's a menu, they really try to get you to go to the buffet? We liked the hot and fresh food..will they not want us to order it?

 

Just asking, no complaining or worried.

Every ship we've been on has a buffet of fruits, cereals, bread/rolls and juices in the morning along with a full menu that you can order from.

 

Edit to add: Forgot the yogurt and dried fruits.

Edited January 10, 2014 by cruisenfever

[nelly55]

On Indy in August the waiter served breakfast was on one deck of MDR and the buffet was on a different deck. Is it the same on Liberty?

[negc]

This is the first occasion where I have read a claim that the wait staff is actively discouraging guests from ordering their breakfast from the menu but I put it along with similar claims about other things that some feel are happening on RCI and other lines. The leap from a single experience to a claim of a new widespread policy or behavior is somewhat mind boggling.:rolleyes:

[Toddcan]

My experience is that the buffet complements the menu. Also, most ships we have been on don't have hot food at the breakfast buffet, only items like cut up fruit, cold cereral, granola, yogurt, etc. The only ship we've been on that had hot and cold food at the breakfast buffet was Monarch.

 

I am probaly wrong, but I could have sworn that there were a few hot trays on the Indy in March - Eggs/Bacon. But, I ordered off the menu, so I didn't actually take any hot items, but I thought they were there. I did end up using the buffet section as you mention - as a compliment to the menu. We ordered, and then went up to grab a yogurt or nice bowl of fruit salad.

[gerif]

Don't usually frequent the MDR for breakfast, but my feeling would be that if everyone got their own cold stuff, the waitstaff could focus on getting the hot food out faster.

[NorbertsNiece]

I think the waiters are encouraged by their senior staff to ensure that guests are aware that there is a buffet available.

[SailingDeanna]

We got off Liberty yesterday. The buffet I'm MDR had hot and cold foods. Very similar to Windjammer. Fruit, pancakes, French toast, already cooked ham and cheese omelets cut in half, pastry, sausage, bacon, cereal, scrambled eggs, etc.

 

Our waiter encouraged us to just eat the buffet instead since we ordered ham and cheese omelets. But we insisted on cooked to order. It probably just depends on your waiter! We still ordered from the menu with no problems.

[MADflyer]

I am probaly wrong, but I could have sworn that there were a few hot trays on the Indy in March - Eggs/Bacon. But, I ordered off the menu, so I didn't actually take any hot items, but I thought they were there. I did end up using the buffet section as you mention - as a compliment to the menu. We ordered, and then went up to grab a yogurt or nice bowl of fruit salad.

 

They have been expanding the buffet in all of the main dining rooms this year and I did as well have an incident on Vision in November where several guests 'joined' my table. I had asked to sit alone as I knew what I wanted, Eggs Benedict. They refused. I had to wait for the table to fill up before they would let me order, naturally.

 

The waiters talked all the rest of the table into just taking their hot food from the buffet and thus they turned my dining experience into me being surrounded by 10 passengers with heaping plates and me sitting there waiting for 20 minutes for my breakfast. (A bit dramatic as I did enjoy my Bircher Muesli and fruit while waiting, taken from the buffet as usual)

 

I was on Liberty for the April TA and the buffet complemented the ordered breakfast wonderfully. I then was on Navigator in May and on this cruise they had reduced the cold offerings, while expanding the hot.

 

It was first on Oasis in September that they had turned the main dining room into a full buffet experience, with most of the center section now a buffet. I ordered as usual though. Here they had even taken those that wanted 'buffet only' ahead of those of us that waited to be seated. It did make things move faster.

 

I was on a B2B on Vision and moved to a suite, there the service was fantastic and they had taken the MTD section upstairs and made it into a separate suite dining room. Even there they had added a more 'upscale' mini-buffet.

[Cruzn Fool]

We got off Liberty yesterday. The buffet I'm MDR had hot and cold foods. Very similar to Windjammer. Fruit, pancakes, French toast, already cooked ham and cheese omelets cut in half, pastry, sausage, bacon, cereal, scrambled eggs, etc.

 

Our waiter encouraged us to just eat the buffet instead since we ordered ham and cheese omelets. But we insisted on cooked to order. It probably just depends on your waiter! We still ordered from the menu with no problems.

 

 

They had the same thing on Oasis in October but the waiters didn't encourage you either way. The hostess asked you at the door if you were eating off the menu or buffett and then seated you accordingly. However, if your party had some of both it was not a problem.

 

I did wonder though if you ordered items off of the menu that were in the buffett would they just take it from the buffet overstock they had in the back or if it was indeed made to order?

[ahecht]

I am probaly wrong, but I could have sworn that there were a few hot trays on the Indy in March - Eggs/Bacon. But, I ordered off the menu, so I didn't actually take any hot items, but I thought they were there. I did end up using the buffet section as you mention - as a compliment to the menu. We ordered, and then went up to grab a yogurt or nice bowl of fruit salad.

 

It was like that last February on Independence. The buffet had cut fruit, granola, and yogurt, as well as a few chafing dishes with eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and the ubiquitous hash browns with tomato.

 

On Jewel the buffet was much smaller, and just had yogurt, granola, and a fruit basket.

[relaxatsea]

We were on the Allure this past November and went to lunch in the MDR with another couple.

 

There was a buffet available, but I wanted to order from the menu.

 

The waiter was extremely discouraging about ordering from the menu, and in the end we all went to the buffet which had nice salads, but the hot food was in chafing dishes and very mediocre.

 

We had trouble getting the waiter's attention to order desserts, so we decided that, basically, he was trying to do as little as possible.

 

We did not return to the MDR for lunch (so I guess we made his job easier!).

 

I know I could have insisted, but I just didn't want the hassle, especially since we were with friends.

[wolfcathorse]

We were on the Allure this past November and went to lunch in the MDR with another couple.

 

There was a buffet available, but I wanted to order from the menu.

 

The waiter was extremely discouraging about ordering from the menu, and in the end we all went to the buffet which had nice salads, but the hot food was in chafing dishes and very mediocre.

 

We had trouble getting the waiter's attention to order desserts, so we decided that, basically, he was trying to do as little as possible.

 

 

When we've eaten lunch in the MDR, the waiter has always told us that we had to order dessert when we ordered our meal. Which we have done, and he just delivered it when he saw we were done with our lunch.

[FLACRUISER99]

We were on the Allure this past November and went to lunch in the MDR with another couple.

 

There was a buffet available, but I wanted to order from the menu.

 

The waiter was extremely discouraging about ordering from the menu, and in the end we all went to the buffet which had nice salads, but the hot food was in chafing dishes and very mediocre.

 

We had trouble getting the waiter's attention to order desserts, so we decided that, basically, he was trying to do as little as possible.

 

We did not return to the MDR for lunch (so I guess we made his job easier!).

 

I know I could have insisted, but I just didn't want the hassle, especially since we were with friends.

When I was on Allure I seem to remember that they sat you in a different area in the MDR for the buffet. Perhaps you sitting in the buffet seating area?

[Langley Cruisers]

There was a buffet available, but I wanted to order from the menu... The waiter was extremely discouraging about ordering from the menu... We had trouble getting the waiter's attention to order desserts, so we decided that, basically, he was trying to do as little as possible...

 

Aww, I'm sorry to hear this. :( This is definitely not the norm, please trust me. Our breakfast and lunch waiters in the MDR have always been pleasant and hard working.

 

...order dessert when we ordered our meal. Which we have done, and he just delivered it when he saw we were done with our lunch.

 

We do that too, saves a lot of time. I don't know that all passengers know they can/should do this, though.

.

[Chipmoose]

I think the waiters are encouraged by their senior staff to ensure that guests are aware that there is a buffet available.

 

I suspect you're right, the mdr is so large and the buffet not so much, I would have never known there were buffet items had we not been told by the waiter.

[SailingDeanna]

On Liberty this week, there was no separate seating for people ordering off the menu. I promise. The buffet filled the center of the room. You couldn't have missed it.

Edited January 10, 2014 by SailingDeanna

[coordinator23]

I am a creature of habit. I order the classic breakfast - eggs scrambled dry (well done) every time. Sometimes I got freshly scrambled eggs, dry and other times I had a ice cream sized/shaped scoop of semi-dry eggs. It depended on the waiter involved as to whether or not I had fresh scrambled eggs or a scoop of stuff off of the buffet.

Now that gratuities are automatic, service will go down. There is no incentive to work harder when you get "paid" either way. Saw the same thing with cabin service. This was the first cruise that we didn't use our WOW cards. On the cruise before this, we realized that we hadn't gotten WOW cards and had to beg the desk to get some. If slower service is provided, it just means less work for the servers (same if they just scoop your breakfast off of the buffet).

[Mark_K]

This is the first occasion where I have read a claim that the wait staff is actively discouraging guests from ordering their breakfast from the menu but I put it along with similar claims about other things that some feel are happening on RCI and other lines. The leap from a single experience to a claim of a new widespread policy or behavior is somewhat mind boggling.:rolleyes:

your mind must get boggled quite often around here.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Weatherman1182]

We got off Liberty yesterday. The buffet I'm MDR had hot and cold foods. Very similar to Windjammer. Fruit, pancakes, French toast, already cooked ham and cheese omelets cut in half, pastry, sausage, bacon, cereal, scrambled eggs, etc.

 

Our waiter encouraged us to just eat the buffet instead since we ordered ham and cheese omelets. But we insisted on cooked to order. It probably just depends on your waiter! We still ordered from the menu with no problems.

 

For you and others just off the liberty...how was it? Mdr food good?

[Nclbella]

We were on the Liberty for New Years, had breakfast one time in MDR. Wait staff never mentioned the buffet, and we only thought they had fruit/cereal/cold items.

 

We ordered off the menu, I ordered scrambled eggs, hubby eggs Benedict, kids pancakes. I am pretty sure mine and kids were scooped out of chafing dishes, they were not hot at all, eggs seemed like fake, powder eggs.

 

Upon picking up a piece of bacon,I noticed a hair under it.

 

Only then did I go to the buffet because I was hungry, and noticed that they had hot items, or at least items that are supposed to be hot. ;)

[fourkittys]

I am probaly wrong, but I could have sworn that there were a few hot trays on the Indy in March - Eggs/Bacon. But, I ordered off the menu, so I didn't actually take any hot items, but I thought they were there. I did end up using the buffet section as you mention - as a compliment to the menu. We ordered, and then went up to grab a yogurt or nice bowl of fruit salad.

 

We were on the FOS three years ago and they ha a great selection of hot breakfast items ...bacon, sausage, hash brown potatoes, corn beef has and I forget what else. We ordered off the menu (french toast) and then did the buffet too. Much better than the lido.