Get rid of the buffets already!...

[jsn55]

On 2/14/2020 at 2:58 PM, d9704011 said:

Faacy of presupposition....

 

I usually like the buffet choices on the ships I’ve been on.

We love the buffet.  We have intense business lives, so socializing is low on our lists.  Dinner at the buffet means small portions of whatever you like, no sitting around for two hours. Ice cream for dessert.  Doesn't take long to figure out what time to have dinner without a crowd.  I don't like over-eating at dinner, my husband has a bigger appetite, so the buffet works perfectly for us.  Room service breakfast and whatever/wherever we want for lunch.  I can see the ships setting up the buffet like a food court in a shopping mall.  It will be a win-win.

 

[lenquixote66]

18 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

We love the buffet.  We have intense business lives, so socializing is low on our lists.  Dinner at the buffet means small portions of whatever you like, no sitting around for two hours. Ice cream for dessert.  Doesn't take long to figure out what time to have dinner without a crowd.  I don't like over-eating at dinner, my husband has a bigger appetite, so the buffet works perfectly for us.  Room service breakfast and whatever/wherever we want for lunch.  I can see the ships setting up the buffet like a food court in a shopping mall.  It will be a win-win.

 

The only best buffet I ever liked was jimmy buffet.

[ilikeanswers]

59 minutes ago, richstowe said:

I wonder if they ate more or just wasted more .  Either way 👍 to served buffets . 

 

I assume if people were eating less at the served buffets then cruise lines would reduce the amount of food they make 😳. 

[clo]

50 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

I assume if people were eating less at the served buffets then cruise lines would reduce the amount of food they make 😳. 

On our Oceania trip, they didn't have huge pans of eggs or meat or ???. So obviously they were continuously cooking. The eggs were as good as I cook at home - and I'm a decent cook.

[sverigecruiser]

14 hours ago, clo said:

Why not forever? Who benefits other than the gluttons honestly? 

 

We had a discussion about this and you finally understood me so you know that more than gluttons benefit. 

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, richstowe said:

I wonder if they ate more or just wasted more .  Either way 👍 to served buffets . 

DW especially likes the buffets because she can control what goes into her salad, but she says they always give her much more than she wants no matter how much she asks for.

 

She also manages to lose weight on almost every cruise we take, and she is already very thin.

[ontheweb]

9 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

The only best buffet I ever liked was jimmy buffet.

Are you wasted away in Margarittaville?

[AF-1]

I agree with jsn55;  makes sense to me.  Have a wonderful Memorial weekend

[d9704011]

11 hours ago, jsn55 said:

We love the buffet.  We have intense business lives, so socializing is low on our lists.  Dinner at the buffet means small portions of whatever you like, no sitting around for two hours. Ice cream for dessert.  Doesn't take long to figure out what time to have dinner without a crowd.  I don't like over-eating at dinner, my husband has a bigger appetite, so the buffet works perfectly for us.  Room service breakfast and whatever/wherever we want for lunch.  I can see the ships setting up the buffet like a food court in a shopping mall.  It will be a win-win.

 

Not sure why you quoted my elderly post but It’s nice to see that somebody is reading well back into the thread for overall context!  As I originally said, I like buffets and agree with you on the convenience, choice and flexibility.  What the future brings remains to be seen.  Personally, other than crew members serving up the food (handling the serving utensils), I think the buffets will look pretty much the same as they do now.

[lenquixote66]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Are you wasted away in Margarittaville?

No,just lying on my bed watching the thunderstorms.

 

(if CC had a PM section I would tell you about all the times I vacationed in your area)

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, lenquixote66 said:

No,just lying on my bed watching the thunderstorms.

 

(if CC had a PM section I would tell you about all the times I vacationed in your area)

And I could answer by letting you know of the times that I was in your neck of the woods as DW is from there and the rest of her family is still there.

[lenquixote66]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And I could answer by letting you know of the times that I was in your neck of the woods as DW is from there and the rest of her family is still there.

Yes,you have told me .If her family likes Italian food I highly recommend Bacaro’s in Massapequa.

[pacruise804]

On 5/22/2020 at 12:24 PM, ed01106 said:

Self service buffets will be a thing of the past not just on cruise ships but EVERYWHERE for the foreseeable future.

 

On 5/22/2020 at 1:02 PM, clo said:

Why not forever? Who benefits other than the gluttons honestly? 

 

Those who prefer smaller portions than what is served benefit as well as gluttons.  You yourself say in post #301 that you can't stand wasting food and take smaller portions.  I benefit serving myself because I can choose to have a very small taste of something rather than the large portion servers tend to give.  Even sharing with my husband it is often too much food.

 

I suppose going forward I won't be trying many new dishes as I don't want to waste food but I also don't want to be uncomfortably full by finishing a full serving of something I try and don't enjoy.

 

 

[clo]

1 hour ago, pacruise804 said:

I benefit serving myself because I can choose to have a very small taste of something rather than the large portion servers tend to give. 

I just say something like "just a taste/bite of x."

[pacruise804]

Only a few times have I been able to truly get small amounts and they seem very confused/concerned that it is really what I want.

[Spif Barwunkel]

Buffets, my friends, are here to stay. They'll live to cruise another day. Just not in the same format, thank goodness. Self-serve will give way to plated food. You choose your vittles, someone else puts 'em on your plate. An easy transition that lessens our exposure to the hygienically challenged. 

 

Buffets serve an intended purpose, and they do it well. They also provide the occasional glimpse into the revolting behavior of disgustingly crude humans. Indeed that can be off-putting, getting into our heads in such a way that it never gets out. Will mitigating the conditions, thus the number of hands-on players change that? Maybe, maybe not. After all, unless we do it ourselves, we will never see everything that goes on during food preparation. If we dwell on that too much, we may never eat again outside the confines of our humble abodes.

 

I will continue to enjoy the buffet when it suits my purpose. If you good folks notice any unsavory characters near me at the buffet on our next cruise, please keep that to yourself. Unless of course it's you.

 

When next you cruise, only the best of times. 

[ed01106]

4 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

 

 

Those who prefer smaller portions than what is served benefit as well as gluttons.  You yourself say in post #301 that you can't stand wasting food and take smaller portions.  I benefit serving myself because I can choose to have a very small taste of something rather than the large portion servers tend to give.  Even sharing with my husband it is often too much food.

 

I suppose going forward I won't be trying many new dishes as I don't want to waste food but I also don't want to be uncomfortably full by finishing a full serving of something I try and don't enjoy.

 

 

For all the complaints I hear about not being able to get the portion size one wants, I have never had this problem.  If I ask for a quarter spoonful that is what I got.  If I asked for more I always got. 

[jsn55]

2 hours ago, ed01106 said:

For all the complaints I hear about not being able to get the portion size one wants, I have never had this problem.  If I ask for a quarter spoonful that is what I got.  If I asked for more I always got. 

Oh so true!  This brings back memories of our first cruise a hundred years ago.  The cabin steward was unfriendly and surly.  I was scared of him and always made my husband ask for whatever we needed.  Thankfully, I grew out of that quickly.  People on cruise ships are there to make your trip great.  Just ask for what you want.  Don't accept what you don't want.  Be polite.  End of issue.

[Spif Barwunkel]

23 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Oh so true!  This brings back memories of our first cruise a hundred years ago.  The cabin steward was unfriendly and surly.  I was scared of him and always made my husband ask for whatever we needed.  Thankfully, I grew out of that quickly.  People on cruise ships are there to make your trip great.  Just ask for what you want.  Don't accept what you don't want.  Be polite.  End of issue.

I'm envious. You cruised during the height of luxury. Tailored suits and spiffy hats. Nice. On what ship did you sail? 

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Oh so true!  This brings back memories of our first cruise a hundred years ago.  The cabin steward was unfriendly and surly.  I was scared of him and always made my husband ask for whatever we needed.  Thankfully, I grew out of that quickly.  People on cruise ships are there to make your trip great.  Just ask for what you want.  Don't accept what you don't want.  Be polite.  End of issue.

My father was on a ship 107 years ago .The people that called Stewards now we’re called attendants then and not too friendly.

[SRF]

On 2/24/2020 at 12:27 PM, clo said:

Oh I know but as you said where would they find the space and pay for it and get the extra staffing.

 

And remember, staffing it not just about cost.

 

Where do you PUT the extra staff? 

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

And remember, staffing it not just about cost.

 

Where do you PUT the extra staff? 

Very good point ... buffet dining in whatever form it takes will be wildly different.  Much slower too.  When the buffet lines are long, more pax will do the sit-down option, so it will all even out ... sort of.

[ed01106]

14 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Much slower too.  

Not necessarily.  I have found lines with manned stations often move quicker as there is less indecisiveness, picking thru the entire bowl, or issues of having problems operating salad tongs and holding a plate at the same time.

[jeremyosborne81]

On 5/22/2020 at 11:02 AM, clo said:

Why not forever? Who benefits other than the gluttons honestly? 

God damn! What a judgemental trash monster

[clo]

57 minutes ago, ed01106 said:

Not necessarily.  I have found lines with manned stations often move quicker as there is less indecisiveness, picking thru the entire bowl, or issues of having problems operating salad tongs and holding a plate at the same time.

That was our experience on Oceania. 'Course they're not huge ships but there was rarely more than one or two people ahead of me.