Do you agree that the food quality in the buffet is tasteless and is poor quality?

[Beachdude]

We found the buffet food in recent cruises on RC, Carnival and Princess not so good. However, the buffet on Celebrity a few weeks ago was surprisingly very good. Good enough we ate dinner there one night when were very tired and we have never done that before in our 20 something years of cruising. Our only loyalty to cruise lines is the best deal for the time we want to sail. But the difference in food quality might make us think twice with Celebrity.

 

Cruise line food taste and quality in general the last few years seems to continually go up and down. I suspect they are constantly experimenting to find the balance of lower cost without a full mutiny. Americans are fast foodies who care more about fast service than taste quality. I suspect the cruise lines haven't reached bottom yet.

 

Burt

[Herfnerd]

Another that disagrees with the OP's blanket statement.  And your rating of a "5" should indicated average quality food but your posts clearly state otherwise

 

Buffet's have never tried to pretend they were gourmet dining but they are still, for the most part, good.  

[Joebucks]

I put complaints about cruise food #2 on my list of most annoying vacation topics. With the #1 being "nickel and diming". It is well-known that if you want 5 star food, you will be paying 5 star prices. 

 

The cruise food is sufficient for the price. I rarely eat at the buffet, but when I do, it's never $1 TV dinner quality. I remember on my first Carnival cruise being extremely disappointed by the burgers they had on the buffet. Ever since they retooled it with Guy's, I'm happy as can be. Sure you can nitpick, but I feel stuff like that is a step in the right direction.

[Beachdude]

52 minutes ago, Beachdude said:

Cruise line food taste and quality in general the last few years seems to continually go up and down. I suspect they are constantly experimenting to find the balance of lower cost without a full mutiny. Americans are fast foodies who care more about fast service than taste quality. I suspect the cruise lines haven't reached bottom yet.

 

 

 

40 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

The cruise food is sufficient for the price. I rarely eat at the buffet, but when I do, it's never $1 TV dinner quality. I remember on my first Carnival cruise being extremely disappointed by the burgers they had on the buffet. Ever since they retooled it with Guy's, I'm happy as can be. Sure you can nitpick, but I feel stuff like that is a step in the right direction.

We are doomed.

 

Burt

Edited January 29, 2019 by Beachdude

[Grandma Cruising]

Try Azamara’s buffets - they’re great.

[Shmoo here]

6 hours ago, librarygal said:

Was everyone in our group who complained about the buffet wrong? 

In a word, yes.

 

While some foods may not be to everyone's liking, I've always found good, tasty food at the buffets onboard.  In fact, on our Carnival cruise the buffet was better (for me) than what we had in the dining room.

 

 

[RocketMan275]

Funny thing.  One can find most of the Holland MDR entrees on the Lido Buffet.

[davekathy]

8 hours ago, librarygal said:

We recently traveled with a large group of family on one of the largest Cruise ships.  Everyone had a different experience on the boat but there was one thing nearly everyone agreed to:  the food quality at the buffet was just awful.  Poor quality ingredients, tasteless and in many times cold and tough. Why did we keep going back to the buffet?  Because it was easy and did not include going to a place where we had to wait for a waitress.

 

What happened to the Cruise Ship Buffet?  It used to be so good with twice the selection.  The food quality used to be pretty good. used to be tasty.

 

Was everyone in our group who complained about the buffet wrong? 

IMO you only post to stir the pot. Sooo yes you and everyone in your group was wrong!  You always fail to mention your sail date and ship. 😕

Edited January 29, 2019 by davekathy

[Mike981]

16 minutes ago, davekathy said:

IMO you only post to stir the pot. Sooo yes you and everyone in your group was wrong!  You always fail to mention your sail date and ship. 😕

 

AGREE! So I have found another to block.

[leaveitallbehind]

17 minutes ago, davekathy said:

IMO you only post to stir the pot. Sooo yes you and everyone in your group was wrong!  You always fail to mention your sail date and ship. 😕

 

Read the other threads by this OP, Dave - they are all troll threads.  Even getting old for the "entertainment value". This OP will likely end up on my block list.  

Edited January 29, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[MCC retired]

18 minutes ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

Read the other threads by this OP, Dave - they are all troll threads.  Even getting old for the "entertainment value". This OP will likely end up on my block list.  

Good idea , block this #@&%”!  OP 

[George C]

I know rccl buffet is just bad, love the entertainment and suite perks but avoid windjammer whenever possible , loved our oasis cruise since we had suite restaurant for almost all meals. Celebrity buffet we thought was excellent for breakfast and lunch .

[GUT2407]

I wonder what some people eat at home?

 

sure cruise food has slipped in quality. But it was never gourmet on any of the mass market lines, 

 

Sure I’ve had dishes I didn’t really like, but always managed to get bye without starving to death.

[Toofarfromthesea]

This, and the other threads started by the OP remind me of an old joke.

A young man joined a religious order that does not allow any speaking, except that every 10 years you are allowed to say 2 words to the Father Superior.

At the end of the first 10 years he goes to the Father Superior's office and says, "Food Bad"

10 years pass and he is back in the Father Superior's office and says, "Bed Hard"

10 more years pass and again he is back in the Father Superior's office and says, "I quit"

To which the Father Superior responds, "I'm not surprised, you've done nothing but complain since you got here."

[sfaaa]

8 hours ago, librarygal said:

I was comparing the food in the ship to places like Old Country Buffet and various cafeterias I have eaten at like Luby's, Morrison's and Piccadilly and most Las Vegas Hotel Buffets.  I consider the food quality at these places to be about a "5" on a 1-10 scale.  The cafeteria food in the Carnival Horizon is about a "3"

 

A person can only eat poor quality food for so long before your body and mind rejects it and it leaves a negative impression, and then you can go hungry. 

If buffet food is really this bad and unacceptable to you,  why didn't you upgrade and eat at a specialty restaurant? What's the point of complaining now when it is you who chose to keep going back and ate there?

[jocap]

Compared with the soup and sandwich we have at home, the buffet is always better- freshly made bread; piles of salads and fillings, and a tasty soup in a large vat. 

[ldubs]

OP's motivations aside, I find the lunch buffets to be hit or miss.  Usually there will be a few good choices.  But if not, Babs135 has the right idea.  Grab a sandwich and salad.  

[sfaaa]

Buffet is all about choices. If one dish is meh, there are always plenty of other selections to choose from unless the person quits using his brain or legs.

[GUT2407]

The best thing is I don’t prepare it or clean up afterwards.

[Hlitner]

WOW!  So the OP is judging an entire industry (with several hundred cruise ships) based on an experience on a "one of the largest ships."  So if we are talking generalization, there is a good reason why all the high end luxury lines use relatively small ships :).  

 

But some of the comments about Americans and fast food, buffets, etc. are ridiculous generalizations.  DW and I are certainly both Americans....in fact we are Native Born Americans :).  We have spent far more then 1000 days on cruise ships (many lines) and have never (I repeat never) had dinner in a buffet!   And we seldom go out to fast food restaurants unless we are traveling and are pushed for time.

 

As far as cruise ships buffets (where we have had more then our share of breakfasts and lunches) we do think that the quality of buffets on the mass market ships has declined on nearly all lines (we have only been on 15).  For the cruise lines it is a matter of cost cutting.  We recall lunch buffets where there would be large bowls of huge shrimp....which now has been replaced by shrimp salad (if they even have that).  The once expansive cheese boards full of decent blue cheese, cheddars. Gouda, etc. and generally a thing of the past.  We also feel a little sorry for cruise line chefs who are going to be wrong no matter what they do.  If they have a Mexican table and prepare good and spicy salsa, folks will complain it is too "hot."  If they make it bland some will complain it is bland.  Most cruise lines tend to favor bland..which we think is a shame.   But we recently took our first cruise on MSC and went to their Lido buffet for lunch.  I spotted some "Italian Sausage" and next to it they had saluted onions and peppers.  I was in childhood heaven since, using a nearby decent sub roll, I could make a classic sausage sandwich.  When I took my first bite I was shocked that the sausage was actually very spicy (I loved it).  And they had lots of pizza options on that same buffet and their white pizza was loaded with garlic and fresh basil!   So there is some hope for lunch buffets.

 

And I have a message for the OP.  Not sure what line they cruised, but we used to cruise on RCI and even NCL...when those lines had decent food.  We abandoned RCI a few years ago when their philosophy changed from high quality ships to just Mega ships (DW calls them the Blight of the Seas).  Yes, they "Wow" you with ships designed not to look or feel like a real ship.  But they no longer try to wow anyone with their cuisine...unless you want to pay extra for an alternative restaurant.

 

Hank 

[Go-Bucks!]

Remember the old saying, "you get what you pay for?" It applies to cruise ship food.  Cheap cruise fare....cheap food. It may not all be horrible but they won't be spending much money on fresh, high quality food with the per-person amount of money they've been allotted by the financial folks.

 

I'm another who agrees that Oceania has great buffet food and is our preferred venue. Every restaurant, grill and cafe on the ship has lobster and steak all day every day! The buffet has the same food as the main dining room at dinner. Their specialty restaurants are very good and you can eat there at no extra charge. Are Oceania's (or luxury lines) cruisefares more expensive than Carnival, NCL, RCCL, Celebrity or Princess? Usually...but remember, "you get what you pay for."  😉

[Go-Bucks!]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Mega ships (DW calls them the Blight of the Seas).

 

I always call them "Behemoth of the Seas.  😎

[lenquixote66]

I love ice cream at all cruise line buffets, hamburgers at most and pizza on RCI

[davekathy]

5 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

 

Read the other threads by this OP, Dave - they are all troll threads.  Even getting old for the "entertainment value". This OP will likely end up on my block list.  

Mike, thanks for the heads up but I'll  pass on her other threads. This one and the noisy thread from the other day is plenty. I haven't blocked her, yet. Hmm, possibly I am a gluten for punishment. 

Edited January 30, 2019 by davekathy

[Schoifmom]