Buffet Etiquette

[Victoria '82]

Have to say I find the most anti-social behaviour are folks who 'taste' the food on display with their fingers. I mentioned it once to a lady who was tasting the chips and her husband almost punched me, he was so aggressive. Or the folk who fill their water bottles from the buffet water/juice dispenser. Don't they know about the Norwalk Virus and how easily it can spread.

 

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111 P&O cruises - 12 in the pipeline

[dgs1956]

Have to say I find the most anti-social behaviour are folks who 'taste' the food on display with their fingers. I mentioned it once to a lady who was tasting the chips and her husband almost punched me' date=' he was so aggressive. Or the folk who fill their water bottles from the buffet water/juice dispenser. Don't they know about the Norwalk Virus and how easily it can spread.

 

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111 P&O cruises - 12 in the pipeline[/quote']

 

Yep! Now these are anti-social and I don't hesitate to tell them. People ignore the signs saying not to fill water bottles. Another is reusing glasses and even worse their plates. I've seen them going into the buffet with dirty plates. Why ? I just don't understand some people.

[Triplalot]

The biggest problem that we had on our recent Oceana cruise was that the waiting staff were very eager to clear plates if you put your fork down, or decided to go and grab something else from the buffet. We never encountered problems finding a seat, even on embarkation, albeit we only used the buffet an handful of times.

[davecttr]

It is not at all antisocial to find seats in the buffet prior to getting your food,

if you do not do it this way you end up wondering around looking for a seat while your food gets cold,

It is very antisocial to try and force your own rules on others !!!

Thanks, now i know why solo cruisers are treated as second class citizens. I can sort of understand a couple choosing a table and one waiting there while the other went to get some food. Just leaving something on the table and walking away, NO. if i see this i hand in the items to staff as lost property.

 

i once found a seat in a busy buffet, oops, forgot the soup spoon, on returning with the spoon the food was still there but someone had stolen the chair :mad:

[brillo]

Thanks, now i know why solo cruisers are treated as second class citizens. I can sort of understand a couple choosing a table and one waiting there while the other went to get some food. Just leaving something on the table and walking away, NO. if i see this i hand in the items to staff as lost property.

 

i once found a seat in a busy buffet, oops, forgot the soup spoon, on returning with the spoon the food was still there but someone had stolen the chair :mad:

 

Interfering with another persons personal possesions,

now that is antisocial, I would have a very stiff word with you if they were mine !!!

[dgs1956]

Thanks, now i know why solo cruisers are treated as second class citizens. I can sort of understand a couple choosing a table and one waiting there while the other went to get some food. Just leaving something on the table and walking away, NO. if i see this i hand in the items to staff as lost property.

 

i once found a seat in a busy buffet, oops, forgot the soup spoon, on returning with the spoon the food was still there but someone had stolen the chair :mad:

 

......... and then you get the awkward types.

[insanemagnet]

Going past people to another counter isn't jumping the queue but elbowing in whilst people are working their way down a counter is. That is a big problem on Azura and Ventura with people pushing in in front of you. It is really annoying, selfish and bad manners.

I don't agree.

 

On a counter with more than two or three dishes, that is the sensible thing to do. If what I want are the dishes at the end, I will go straight there.

[Hasthagotnowtmoist]

P&O isn't anywhere as bad as IoTS on RCI. The windjammer is like a free-for-all especially as they only offer a buffet lunch (no restaurant so imagine up to 4,300 trying to get into somewhere that holds 700 or so).

 

For all buffets now we try to go at the start of service if possible, way less stress/chaos & a lot easier to find a table.

[Hasthagotnowtmoist]

I mentioned it once to a lady who was tasting the chips and her husband almost punched me' date=' he was so aggressive.

 

 

 

111 P&O cruises - 12 in the pipeline[/quote']

 

 

I agree with your point but you really should try to be more tolerant & turn the other cheek.

 

If everyone went around a ship all day long pulling other passengers up about minor things others didn't think were acceptable there would be riots.

[PORT ROYAL]

Been on 3 cruises and we as a family really try to avoid the buffet. When we have been in there we have ended up getting in the wrong queue or the wrong way and seem to be constanly apologising for our lack of knowledge with the appropriate etiquette.

 

But the most annoying thing is when we taken taken more than 2 seconds to decided on what food we are having and you can hear people tutting as well as the next person pushing their elbows into you !!!

 

P&O buffet etiquette equates to a form of "Urban Gorilla Warfare" -

Save the angst - Book elsewhere ;)

[dgs1956]

I don't agree.

 

On a counter with more than two or three dishes, that is the sensible thing to do. If what I want are the dishes at the end, I will go straight there.

 

Would you do that to the point where you would push in in front of someone and force them into waiting whilst you serve yourself? I hope not. If you read my post I did say elbowing in in front of people wasn't acceptable and passing them to an another counter wasn't the problem.

[insanemagnet]

Would you do that to the point where you would push in in front of someone and force them into waiting whilst you serve yourself? I hope not. If you read my post I did say elbowing in in front of people wasn't acceptable and passing them to an another counter wasn't the problem.

Depends what you mean by "push in".

 

If there is a single counter of 12 items and I only want some of the 8th item, then I will go directly to the 8th item.

 

If you were serving yourself at item 7 and now had to wait for me, if you consider that as "pushing in", then that is your perception and not mine.

[whoops]

I don't agree.

 

On a counter with more than two or three dishes, that is the sensible thing to do. If what I want are the dishes at the end, I will go straight there.

 

Unless you are a person who enters the buffet the wrong way in order to survey the food on offer how do you know the food you want is at the end?

[dgs1956]

Depends what you mean by "push in".

 

If there is a single counter of 12 items and I only want some of the 8th item, then I will go directly to the 8th item.

 

If you were serving yourself at item 7 and now had to wait for me, if you consider that as "pushing in", then that is your perception and not mine.

 

That is pushing in and very bad manners and it doesn't come as a surprise that you think that way. Considering so many people think that the buffet is a scrum then perhaps its your perception of manners and consideration are at odds with others or maybe you are just trying to stir it up.

[kevinyork]

P&O isn't anywhere as bad as IoTS on RCI. The windjammer is like a free-for-all especially as they only offer a buffet lunch (no restaurant so imagine up to 4,300 trying to get into somewhere that holds 700 or so).

 

For all buffets now we try to go at the start of service if possible, way less stress/chaos & a lot easier to find a table.

 

 

There is a waiter service in THE MDR on sea days on RCI..

 

 

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[bee-ess]

Interfering with another persons personal possesions,

now that is antisocial, I would have a very stiff word with you if they were mine !!!

 

Quite agree, I would not expect to have my property moved by another passenger. It is common sense to get your table, leave something to show that the table is in use and then get your food, otherwise you are walking around with your food getting cold (most of it is not that hot to start with). Judging by the amount of sunglasses and hats on tables that's what most do.

[Hasthagotnowtmoist]

There is a waiter service in THE MDR on sea days on RCI..

 

 

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Apologies you are right, there is, and the lunches in the MDR are really nice on those days too iirc. Got a tad weary battling with thousands in the Windjammer on port days though :-(

[kevinyork]

That is pushing in and very bad manners and it doesn't come as a surprise that you think that way. Considering so many people think that the buffet is a scrum then perhaps its your perception of manners and consideration are at odds with others or maybe you are just trying to stir it up.

 

 

I disagree. A buffet is not a conveyabelt. If someone is in front of me and dishing item 1 from the line and I want item 8 then its silly for me to wait an age to see if they want items 2 to 7 too before serving myself.

 

 

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[AnnieC]

P&O buffet etiquette equates to a form of "Urban Gorilla Warfare" -

Save the angst - Book elsewhere ;)

 

Thanks for the tip. Which cruise line carries passengers who know the difference between guerrilla and gorilla?:D

[PORT ROYAL]

Thanks for the tip. Which cruise line carries passengers who know the difference between guerrilla and gorilla?:D

 

Fair point, fair question

 

Gorilla = Knuckle Draggers

[kevinyork]

Apologies you are right, there is, and the lunches in the MDR are really nice on those days too iirc. Got a tad weary battling with thousands in the Windjammer on port days though :-(

 

 

They are nice with a very lovely salad buffet as well.

 

 

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[AnnieC]

Fair point, fair question

 

/QUOTE]

 

But you haven't answered it.

 

In my experience, mainly on Cunard, the urban guerrilla (or gorilla, if you prefer) is alive and well, but in a minority, on all lines. No more on P&O than anywhere else. So where does one go to avoid them?

[dgs1956]

I disagree. A buffet is not a conveyabelt. If someone is in front of me and dishing item 1 from the line and I want item 8 then its silly for me to wait an age to see if they want items 2 to 7 too before serving myself.

 

 

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Not what I said.

Invariably the person who initially wanted Item 8 then wants to head back the way and hence a problem then results.

Edited July 20, 2015 by dgs1956

[PORT ROYAL]

Fair point, fair question

 

/QUOTE]

 

But you haven't answered it.

 

In my experience, mainly on Cunard, the urban guerrilla (or gorilla, if you prefer) is alive and well, but in a minority, on all lines. No more on P&O than anywhere else. So where does one go to avoid them?

 

To satisfy your obvious needs, may one suggest you do start immediately with A2 staterooms and work you way up to QG on Cunard, this to undertake a thorough investigation as to the percentage of knuckle draggers on Cunard compared to those found on P&O. Then report back to CC with your findings.

 

Followed by every cruise line and stateroom grade. This will ensure a thorough and detailed investigation for you to undertake.

 

On conclusion, you would have answered your own question and educated CC.

 

One wishes you every success, being in no doubt all of CC are looking forward to your enlightened reports, together with proven statistics.

[Mr Piano]

One the of highlights for us is the freedom dining in the MDR and meeting new people each evening. We always share a table and would never want a table for2

 

However, breakfast I must admit is a different matter. We like our own space in the morning, after a night on beer and wine. So on the Ventura we always headed for Beachhouse for breakfast and took our chance of finding a table for 2, as they have quite a few. We have usually managed to get one. One of sits at the table, whilst the other goes for breakfast

 

No problem with sharing at afternoon tea on sea days, but rather not at breakfast when the bags under my eyes are half way down my cheeks :D