Buffet for dinner?

[Briitini]

17 hours ago, jimbob22 said:

Jimzim (look him up on youtube) just did a good long video on Panorama which covers the problem with the Carnival dinner buffet (and I just found the same issue on the Breeze).  Typical buffet dinner: salad bar, white rice, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes, maybe around 4 sort of heavily prepared meats to choose from.   And that's it.  Just not a lot of selection, although I thought the quality was fine.  We find that the Carnival mdr gets us in and out in around an hour typically, and we eat dinners in the mdr.

 

This was my EXACT experience on our last Carnival cruise (last year). Extremely limited options at dinner. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

2 hours ago, Briitini said:

 

This was my EXACT experience on our last Carnival cruise (last year). Extremely limited options at dinner. 

It is always that way. Never expect anything different in the buffet on Carnival. I have indicated this before. They are the only cruise line, in the buffet you are lucky if they have mashed potatoes ONCE in the evening. Personally, I do not care for chicken or turkey with rice or a baked potato. Carnival is the only line that does that. When I asked about it, this was the reply. Not many people like mashed potatoes. DUH! If all the other cruise lines do it twice a day every day. They would stop if that was the case.

[TNcruising02]

20 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

It is always that way. Never expect anything different in the buffet on Carnival. I have indicated this before. They are the only cruise line, in the buffet you are lucky if they have mashed potatoes ONCE in the evening. Personally, I do not care for chicken or turkey with rice or a baked potato. Carnival is the only line that does that. When I asked about it, this was the reply. Not many people like mashed potatoes. DUH! If all the other cruise lines do it twice a day every day. They would stop if that was the case.

That's funny because my husband grumbles a little every cruise because they rarely have mashed potatoes at the buffet.

[shof515]

43 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

It is always that way. Never expect anything different in the buffet on Carnival. I have indicated this before. They are the only cruise line, in the buffet you are lucky if they have mashed potatoes ONCE in the evening. Personally, I do not care for chicken or turkey with rice or a baked potato. Carnival is the only line that does that. When I asked about it, this was the reply. Not many people like mashed potatoes. DUH! If all the other cruise lines do it twice a day every day. They would stop if that was the case.

i am also disappointed with the lack of mashed potatoes in the buffet too

[Banditswife]

We have eaten in the buffet when time was limited or we just didn't feel like doing to whole MDR thing.  Personally, I felt the food quality & selection were severely limited.  I definitely prefer the quality & selections of MDR.  But Lido buffet will do in a pinch.

[SMSACE6]

On a 6 or 7 day cruise I usually eat dinner in the buffet at least once or twice.  Sometimes like OP, just don't see anything on the dining room menu that is that appealing, or just want to "eat and run", LOL.  I agree with others who say, the dining experience in the buffet is not near a good as in the MDR, but just some days we don't want to go.  When I do go to the buffet, I tend to do the same as lunch buffet, I like salad bar and bread and butter.  Food wise, I tend to stay away from things with gravy, just because I don't like that sort of thing in general, and is just me.  I always find enough on the buffet  to satisfy me,  and I will still tend to try to go to MDR when I can or want to, but buffet will always have enough to keep me satisfied otherwise.

 

[crzndeb]

3 hours ago, shof515 said:

i am also disappointed with the lack of mashed potatoes in the buffet too

LOL....it’s funny you mention this. I was on the 24 day Splendor TP in Oct. and saw mashed potatoes once. I followed this with 7 days on RCI Voyager, and they had mashed potatoes every day for lunch and dinner.

 

I cruise solo and could care less about food options. At home, I never eat out, and pretty much eat the same thing daily. People get obsessed with food, but I often wonder if their expectations and/or complaints reflect on their daily eating habits at home, I never go to the MDR anymore as a solo traveler, because the noise and wait doesn’t agree with me personally. 
 

I always find something to eat, besides the MDR, and it doesn’t affect where I choose to eat. Even if it’s a salad and a baked potato, food is my least concern on a cruise. YMMV!

[LibratPDX]

Just off the Magic; Anytime MDR opened at 5:30, buffet dining officially started at 6pm but the deli is open 11am to 11pm.

[Datasue99]

21 hours ago, lyannea said:

Going to the buffet early helps in getting just-prepared  food that hasn’t been sitting around.

You’ll see a lot of frequent cruisers at the buffet vs MDR- not wanting to spend 15 hours in the MDR every night.

Um, nobody had ever spent “15” hours in the MDR every night - not even possible.

[lyannea]

1 minute ago, Datasue99 said:

Um, nobody had ever spent “15” hours in the MDR every night - not even possible.

Um, lol,  probably not, though I’ve seen people play cards for a long time... while looking for a place to sit down and eat

Would you be happy with 1.5 hours

as in 90 mins, darling ?

[coevan]

20 hours ago, shof515 said:

i am also disappointed with the lack of mashed potatoes in the buffet too

 

 

Get a baked potato, add some butter, milk, salt and pepper. Take your fork and smash, enjoy your fresh made mashed potatoes. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

1 hour ago, coevan said:

 

 

Get a baked potato, add some butter, milk, salt and pepper. Take your fork and smash, enjoy your fresh made mashed potatoes. 

Great. I have done that. But rally does not taste even close to real mashed. That is if you can find a fresh baked potato and not one warmed up several times that are wrinkled and dark brown on the inside. 

[coevan]

they may be old and wrinkled, but that is exactly how you make real mashed potatoes

[shof515]

57 minutes ago, twodaywonder said:

That is if you can find a fresh baked potato and not one warmed up several times that are wrinkled and dark brown on the inside. 

most of the baked potato i find at the buffet is old, stale and hard as a rock

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

7 minutes ago, shof515 said:

most of the baked potato i find at the buffet is old, stale and hard as a rock

You got that right.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

16 minutes ago, coevan said:

they may be old and wrinkled, but that is exactly how you make real mashed potatoes

Not exactly. You need milk. So after you add that now you have cold mashed potatoes. Old and wrinkles and they taste terrible. Really not even eatable. YUK! Fresh Idaho Russet potatoes and nothing else. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Also. Baked potatoes taste nothing like boiled potatoes. Totally different taste.

[scpirate]

On 1/31/2020 at 8:43 PM, jimbob22 said:

Jimzim (look him up on youtube) just did a good long video on Panorama which covers the problem with the Carnival dinner buffet (and I just found the same issue on the Breeze).  Typical buffet dinner: salad bar, white rice, steamed broccoli, baked potatoes, maybe around 4 sort of heavily prepared meats to choose from.   And that's it.  Just not a lot of selection, although I thought the quality was fine.  We find that the Carnival mdr gets us in and out in around an hour typically, and we eat dinners in the mdr.

If jimzim said it and it's on the internet it must be true.

[simplelife]

I love the entire experience of the MDR,  I loving going right to "my" table - no reservations, no waiting. Being served by a waitstaff that knows my preferences. Not  having find a table and then  juggle plates and wait at food stations. Having time to sit and relax and talk to DH and tablemates. Not being rushed by people standing near your table waiting for you to  vacate it. Did I mentioned being served??

That said, those times MDR is not an option (Lunch on port days) we have done the  buffet and don't really enjoy it -The food is just not very good and, well, it's a buffet. We usually just eat a largish breakfast and get a Guy's burger, pizza, or buritto or deli sandwich ( They are all very good - much better than buffet IMO) for lunch to tide us over for dinner in MDR.

 

[Joe817]

29 minutes ago, simplelife said:

I love the entire experience of the MDR,  I loving going right to "my" table - no reservations, no waiting. Being served by a waitstaff that knows my preferences. Not  having find a table and then  juggle plates and wait at food stations. Having time to sit and relax and talk to DH and tablemates. Not being rushed by people standing near your table waiting for you to  vacate it. Did I mentioned being served??

That said, those times MDR is not an option (Lunch on port days) we have done the  buffet and don't really enjoy it -The food is just not very good and, well, it's a buffet. We usually just eat a largish breakfast and get a Guy's burger, pizza, or buritto or deli sandwich ( They are all very good - much better than buffet IMO) for lunch to tide us over for dinner in MDR.

 

^^^^^This. I concur.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Not interested in table mates usually bitching about something, telling us about there ailments and the awful time they have had. I had enough of that nonsense. Complaining about the food they get and not what they wanted. Waiting just about forever for the food you may not even like. As for plates. How about you take one at a time. No juggling involved. Hot food and if you do not like it, go back and try something else. Do that in the MDR and you will be there long after everyone has finished. Find a nice table first. Never a problem. That is us. Most of the time when we looked at the menu for the MDR we do not see anything we would sit and wait for. No matter. Everyone loves what they want to do so just do it. I do not expect anyone to do what we do. Always, to each there own. That is why there are so many choices on a ship. We do what we like you will do what you like and we will all be happy.

[pacruise804]

20 hours ago, coevan said:

they may be old and wrinkled, but that is exactly how you make real mashed potatoes

 

I make mashed potatoes by peeling and boiling them, draining, adding milk & butter, and mashing.  I have taken soft baked potatoes and smashed them with butter, but would never consider that "real" mashed potatoes.

[coevan]

please stop, not the point at all

[jimbob22]

20 hours ago, scpirate said:

If jimzim said it and it's on the internet it must be true.

if you can find a Carnival ship with a really varied and extensive dinner buffet, keep us posted.   Numerous accounts corroborate his findings.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

2 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I make mashed potatoes by peeling and boiling them, draining, adding milk & butter, and mashing.  I have taken soft baked potatoes and smashed them with butter, but would never consider that "real" mashed potatoes.

Exactly! Don't forget cutting them up in chunks before boiling. That is what I do. More evenly boiled throughout.