Buffet Service

[Purvis1231]

30 minutes ago, Pyrate13 said:

I know I'm going to burn in hades for this but thousands of people eat at buffets all around the country and I can't recall anyone dying from eating at one (could have missed one) otherwise none of them would exist. Peoples behavior is a bit disgusting sometimes but overall I doubt your chances of falling dangerously ill from eating at the buffet are that great. There are plenty of other places for germs on a ship. I don't go on a cruise to worry. But hey, that's just me.

Fire retardant suit on.

I do prefer the Holland American approach but I wonder if the anti-buffer folks have ever eaten  Mexican street where they scoop up tacos by hand or an Asia street market? Luckily the human body can handle a lot of germs and some people even claim that our society is too clean, in the long run making us less healthy. 

[2wheelin]

Eat at lots of buffets and have not witnessed all this bad behavior. I did just see a bug crawling on the sliced cheese though. I think many people are too obsessed with this. We don’t wash up after handling the utensils either and have never gotten sick from it.

I agree that we have become so cleanliness addicted that we have become less healthy. As  Grandma uses to say, kids need to eat a little dirt.

[2wheelin]

If using a cup to fill your water bottle, most people would touch the bottle with the cup and then reuse that cup for more water. Less sanitary than holding a bottle below the spigot.

I personally would prefer not to sail on a ship where they serve you at the buffet. I want to make my own selections.

[coevan]

56 minutes ago, Pyrate13 said:

I know I'm going to burn in hades for this but thousands of people eat at buffets all around the country and I can't recall anyone dying from eating at one (could have missed one) otherwise none of them would exist. Peoples behavior is a bit disgusting sometimes but overall I doubt your chances of falling dangerously ill from eating at the buffet are that great. There are plenty of other places for germs on a ship. I don't go on a cruise to worry. But hey, that's just me.

Fire retardant suit on.

 

 

Well said, too many germaphobes. I have never seen anyone sneezing, or licking their fingers. Most people are respectful, of course there are always the rude and not so sanitary ones.

[ray98]

1 hour ago, beachbum6264 said:

 

Grab a cup from the pile, fill it, pour into water bottle. Repeat until full.  At least that's what I do.

 

 

 

The cup that they are handling, probably touching their bottle with during the transfer and filling up again to repeat the process???

 

People worry too much.

[lyannea]

I may be one of the few people who like the buffets- sitting in the MDR has never been appealing to me, unless I can be seated solo, because I eat SO slow

 

Because of this, I try & get to the buffet when it first opens, - you have to take the good with the bad.

My 2 pet peeves are

parents who aren’t watching their kids- I politely told a dad that his daughter was coughing over the deserts- he said nothing back & the staff looked at me like I was a crazy lady

More than once, standing in line & the person waiting in front of me grabs what’s in their plate with their fingers & eats it. Once, I said to a lady, you’re going to use the tongs now that your fingers touched your mouth ?’ And

she denied that she had done so, as SHE WAS CHEWING the food, lol

Edited April 29, 2019 by lyannea

[Theosprey247]

I’m not afraid I’m so well pickled that no germ could grow inside me....

[robc1972]

Not so sure about the problem with filling water bottle from the tap.

When I fill a cup or my bottle I push the thing back and water comes out to the cup or bottle, neither of them come anywhere near touching anything to pass germs.

[ray98]

52 minutes ago, robc1972 said:

Not so sure about the problem with filling water bottle from the tap.

When I fill a cup or my bottle I push the thing back and water comes out to the cup or bottle, neither of them come anywhere near touching anything to pass germs.

 

Well....if your goal is to pretend we are all going to die from germs you have to embellish certain things.

[Butterbean1000]

I  have never witnessed any if this gross behavior,  but I believe it does happen from time to time.  But this is what I'm afraid of, that we will be so sanitized that we will not have any immunity to anything. BTW, I do not see a problem with someone filling a water bottle from a fountain if nothing is touching. 

Edited April 30, 2019 by Butterbean1000

[scpirate]

On 4/29/2019 at 6:38 PM, Pyrate13 said:

I know I'm going to burn in hades for this but thousands of people eat at buffets all around the country and I can't recall anyone dying from eating at one (could have missed one) otherwise none of them would exist. Peoples behavior is a bit disgusting sometimes but overall I doubt your chances of falling dangerously ill from eating at the buffet are that great. There are plenty of other places for germs on a ship. I don't go on a cruise to worry. But hey, that's just me.

Fire retardant suit on.

People get carried away with these things.i have a farm.my wife got on me the other day about changing my shoes when I leave the property.im 56 years old I rarely get sick.i get stitched up quite a bit and never got infected.to each their own.i eat at buffets almost weekly I get a kick out of watching the germaphobes.

[ABQrobin]

I have rarely seen any of these unsanitary things happening in the buffet line.  Worst thing I have seen is kids taking cookies off a plate then putting them back. 

Some exposure to germs is what gives you an immune system.  As 2wheelin said - gotta eat a little dirt.  

[gtouch]

This reminds me of when people see Health Inspector scores for restaurants and freak out and do not realize that their own homes kitchens would do much worse.

[bingomamma19]

On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2019 at 6:36 PM, coevan said:

 

 

Well said, too many germaphobes. I have never seen anyone sneezing, or licking their fingers. Most people are respectful, of course there are always the rude and not so sanitary ones.

I totally agree....I am 52 years old...never ever been a germaphobe and I never get sick.  I don't obsess over other peoples actions either.     I have been on 10 cruises and have never noticed the behavior described by OP. 

 

Your body does need exposure to germs to build up an immunity.    I am glad I don't live in fear of anyone touching something before me.

[jbethel11]

4 hours ago, ABQrobin said:

I have rarely seen any of these unsanitary things happening in the buffet line.  Worst thing I have seen is kids taking cookies off a plate then putting them back. 

Some exposure to germs is what gives you an immune system.  As 2wheelin said - gotta eat a little dirt.  

1

That is why I remove the cookies on top towards the back of the platter/dish and to get the bottom ones. 

[mrpayroll]

On 4/29/2019 at 6:38 PM, Pyrate13 said:

I know I'm going to burn in hades for this but thousands of people eat at buffets all around the country and I can't recall anyone dying from eating at one (could have missed one) otherwise none of them would exist. Peoples behavior is a bit disgusting sometimes but overall I doubt your chances of falling dangerously ill from eating at the buffet are that great. There are plenty of other places for germs on a ship. I don't go on a cruise to worry. But hey, that's just me.

Fire retardant suit on.

I'm with you....

[grandmarnnurse]

On 4/29/2019 at 11:18 AM, LuckyStar said:

I had a brand new Yeti that I filled up at the drink station and a lady called me out.  I actually forgot about this but as it was brand new and had never been touched, I apologized and explained this.  I was not offended in the least bit, she was right.  From then on, I knew I would always pour into my Yeti and I did so.  

I’m glad you realized what you did, but many people do this and not realize how wrong it is.  You should ALWAYS fill a separate cup and pour into a yeti cup. Just basic infection control. 

[AAAAmerican]

On 4/29/2019 at 5:36 PM, jbethel11 said:

How do you sanitarily fill your personal water bottle then? Just asking, please do not get mad at me!

Dear jbethel11,

 

Never mad and/or angry on any question.

 

The device has at the back of the Fountain the device where you place your bottle underneath the nozzle where the water comes out of , so yes the distance between the spout and the bottom of the fountain is a lot more than most have seen and/or used. The ones i have seen at different locations have a counter as well, so I wager it must have some filtering devcie too, maybe a carbon one.

 

 

[coevan]

40 minutes ago, grandmarnnurse said:

I’m glad you realized what you did, but many people do this and not realize how wrong it is.  You should ALWAYS fill a separate cup and pour into a yeti cup. Just basic infection control. 

 

 

infection control? My cup never comes in contact with anything other than air. 

[AAAAmerican]

On 4/29/2019 at 4:58 PM, fyree39 said:

I see a lot of them in airports now.  It's about time!

Dear fryeer39,

 

Yes I wonder why they are not adding the better more safely filling water fountains.

 

Ahh Eureka.. not Ca. nor Ka. eh..

 

You may have seen the now Irony in Saint Lucia with the confirmed Kosher Measles infected ship?

\

May 1, 2019, 2:25 PM EDT / Updated May 1, 2019, 4:45 PM EDT

/

300 passengers and crew was ordered quarantined in the Caribbean port of St. Lucia after a case of kosher measles was confirmed on board, island health officials said Wednesday . St. Lucia Coast Guard Sgt. Victor Theodore told that the vessel involved is named "Freewinds," which is the name of a 440-foot cruise ship owned and operated by the Church of Scientology .

 

 

 

[grandmarnnurse]

On 4/29/2019 at 6:41 PM, beachbum6264 said:

 

Grab a cup from the pile, fill it, pour into water bottle. Repeat until full.  At least that's what I do.

 

On one cruise I saw a guy pick up a sandwich from a plate full, looked at it, and then put it back on the plate.  My filter does not work, so I said what my brain was thinking.... Really? You're going to pick up a sandwich with your bare hands, then put it back? Really?  Sheepishly, he took it back.  (This was on RCCL)

I do know that I would have said something immediately! It would have shocked me so, the words would fly right out of my mouth! 

[linbobky]

On 4/30/2019 at 7:48 PM, scpirate said:

People get carried away with these things.i have a farm.my wife got on me the other day about changing my shoes when I leave the property.im 56 years old I rarely get sick.i get stitched up quite a bit and never got infected.to each their own.i eat at buffets almost weekly I get a kick out of watching the germaphobes.

thats funny. i bet when you drop food on the floor, you pick it up and eat it.

[bury me at sea]

11 minutes ago, linbobky said:

thats funny. i bet when you drop food on the floor, you pick it up and eat it.

 

I sure do, at home, unless my cat beats me to it.

 

Antibacterial soaps and cleaners never enter my house.

 

I don't eat at the buffet, but it has nothing to do with cleanliness.  I just don't think much of the food.

[Andoria]

 

 

 

42 minutes ago, bury me at sea said:

 

I sure do, at home, unless my cat beats me to it.

 

Antibacterial soaps and cleaners never enter my house.

 

I don't eat at the buffet, but it has nothing to do with cleanliness.  I just don't think much of the food.

I eat food off my floor if it isn't during shedding season. Picking dog fur off a tasty morsel crosses a line for me.

 

I'm rarely sick (knock on wood). Also, I tend to believe that if you go searching for problems (ie; watching how other passengers behavior) you're going to find them.  I tend to remain in a vacation haze until I'm forced to go back to work.

 

 

[grandmarnnurse]

On 4/29/2019 at 7:43 PM, ray98 said:

 

 

The cup that they are handling, probably touching their bottle with during the transfer and filling up again to repeat the process???

 

People worry too much.

No. Actually I fill two cups and carry it over to my table to fill my bottle.