Get rid of the buffets already!...

[janetz]

Get rid of specialty restaurants and offer excellent food in dining areas you don’t have to pay for.

The way it used to be 😊

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, janetz said:

Get rid of specialty restaurants and offer excellent food in dining areas you don’t have to pay for.

The way it used to be 😊

 

Awww, the good ol' days!   😀

[XBGuy]

1 hour ago, janetz said:

Get rid of specialty restaurants and offer excellent food in dining areas you don’t have to pay for.

The way it used to be 😊

 

Janetz, I have a bit of difficulty with your proposal.  If your winking emoji means "just kidding," then I'll apologize up front and you can just ignore this.

 

The truly great thing about cruising is that I get to customize my experience--and so does everybody else.  

 

My wife and l like to dine.  Dining and eating are not the same.  However, another poster commented that he could not fathom how people could enjoy spending two hours over a meal.  Well, some people do.  We do not care to have the pace of our meal dictated by other people at the table--or, even, the next table.  More than once we have been seated at a dining room two-top table at, roughly, the same time as another couple at a much too close adjacent table.  Then, the server starts treating us as one party, not two.  I don't like that.

 

Cruise lines have figured out that one size does not fit all.  Some people like the traditional dining room paradigm.  Some prefer flexibility in when and where they dine.  Some people prefer a quiet dining experience.  Some people prefer a "high energy" environment.  Some people want to rush through their meal so that they can get to a show.  Some people want to linger over their meal.

 

Every one of those preferences are correct.  There is no right or wrong.

 

So, especially, as cruise ships grew larger, and the lines had to sell more tickets, they came on the strategy of offering options in order to attract as many potential customers as possible.  From the customer's point of view, I just can't see any downside.

 

We started criuising in 1976, and it was almost thirty years before we cruised on a ship that had a specialty restaurant.  I have had plenty of dining room meals.  I am absolutely positive that I paid for every one of them.

 

While I'm at it, I would also like to thank the OP for starting this provocative conversation.  👍👍👍

[klfhngr]

6 hours ago, richstowe said:

Someone who doesn't take embarrassing selfies .

You just be a buffet junkie... 

[sverigecruiser]

7 hours ago, ed01106 said:

I don't think food court vs buffet vs MDR really have any bearing on the quantity of food waste.  It is because there is no consequences for the waste.  I am willing to bet folks who have a drink package waste more beverages than the folks paying $8 per drink.  

 

I agree with you that lots of people probably waste beverages because they have a drink package but I should never do that.

[ed01106]

10 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I agree with you that lots of people probably waste beverages because they have a drink package but I should never do that.

I think it is almost unavoidable.  While I never set out to waste anything, when on a cruise ship I am much more likely to try something new if the consequences of not liking it doesn't effect my wallet than when trying something I might not like is going to cost me money.  And sometimes i don't like it, waste it and get something familiar.  Likewise I have discovered new drinks i like and also that there are drinks i most certainly don't like at open bars.  Don't experiment as much at $8 a pop.

[davekathy]

22 hours ago, richstowe said:

Don't like buffets ? Don't go !

Agree. Apparently for some that's a difficult decision to make. 

Edited February 21, 2020 by davekathy

[sverigecruiser]

5 hours ago, ed01106 said:

I think it is almost unavoidable.  While I never set out to waste anything, when on a cruise ship I am much more likely to try something new if the consequences of not liking it doesn't effect my wallet than when trying something I might not like is going to cost me money.  And sometimes i don't like it, waste it and get something familiar.  Likewise I have discovered new drinks i like and also that there are drinks i most certainly don't like at open bars.  Don't experiment as much at $8 a pop.

 

For me it's easy to avoid. I don't order anything I might not like. So far I have never wasted any drinks when I have had a drink package.

[clo]

55 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

I don't order anything I might not like.

Does that mean you don't try new to you things?

[CHEWZGURLCRUISER]

GOLD COMMENT AWARD!!!

Not everyone likes the food served in restaurants because it isn't variety thats why they generally go to buffets

On 2/15/2020 at 11:08 AM, jperry2011 said:

Horrible idea.

 

Buffets are quick and easy.

Getting rid of them would double your wait time for food.

If you dont want to get buffet food go to a restaurant onboard.

[sverigecruiser]

7 hours ago, clo said:

Does that mean you don't try new to you things?

 

I don't mind to try new things but if I want to try a new drink I look at the ingredients and if I see anything I might not like I order something else.

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, clo said:

Does that mean you don't try new to you things?

 

I might be with Sverige on this one. If I see something that I don't think I will like I won't be inclined to give it a try.  For example, I hate eggplant.  Folks will say, "Oh you should try mine.   It is really good".  Someone could make the best egg plant dish in the history of the world and I would not like it.  Because it has egg plant and I don't like egg plant.  Same with anything that uses mung beans.  Hate them. Hate the smell of them.  Okra & Rhubarb?  Ick, bleh, pfssh.  😀😀😀

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I might be with Sverige on this one. If I see something that I don't think I will like I won't be inclined to give it a try.  For example, I hate eggplant.  Folks will say, "Oh you should try mine.   It is really good".  Someone could make the best egg plant dish in the history of the world and I would not like it.  Because it has egg plant and I don't like egg plant.  Same with anything that uses mung beans.  Hate them. Hate the smell of them.  Okra & Rhubarb?  Ick, bleh, pfssh.  😀😀😀

I can understand that, but on our dinner out on Valentines Day, I had something that included kale and I did not hate it despite I have found in the past that kale tastes like cardboard.

 

But getting back to the actual topic, do NOT get rid of buffets. Having servers at the buffet is a good idea that some lines have already adopted. 

[clo]

9 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I don't mind to try new things but if I want to try a new drink I look at the ingredients and if I see anything I might not like I order something else.

Makes me chuckle. Some years ago Hendricks gin was super popular so I ordered a martini with it one evening. Ugh. Cucumber! I hate cucumber. So yeah I get it 🙂

[tinykygal]

On 2/14/2020 at 5:58 PM, d9704011 said:

Fallacy of presupposition....

 

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

Our 3 HAL cruises had awesome food and service at the LIDO.  We didn't handle the utensils and felt that was much healthier.

Enjoyed the stir fry choices and the wonderful salad bars.

We never ate in the MDR on our last HAL cruise.  Likewise we never fought our way around for a simple cup of coffee..HAL served us at our table.

The  MDR once entertained us, but 1 1/2-2 hr event is too long for us.

[taglovestocruise]

On 2/14/2020 at 2:13 PM, klfhngr said:

OK, it's been on my mind and wondering if I'm the only one that feels this way!

Not the only one, but almost.. If you don't like them just stay away, more room, less wait for the rest of us.

[taglovestocruise]

7 hours ago, clo said:

Makes me chuckle. Some years ago Hendricks gin was super popular so I ordered a martini with it one evening. Ugh. Cucumber! I hate cucumber. So yeah I get it 🙂

One of the things my wife looks forward to, a filet from Chop's and a Cucumber Martini.

[richstowe]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Not the only one, but almost.. If you don't like them just stay away, more room, less wait for the rest of us.

Totally agree and have said so 

BUT

I do want to thank OP for getting our minds off you know what virus . 

[ilikeanswers]

I was on a cruise that served three course meals for lunch and dinner about half way through the cruise I missed buffets. Sitting for three to four hours everyday to eat gets tiring. Sometimes you just want a quick bite and go.

[clo]

21 minutes ago, ilikeanswers said:

I was on a cruise that served three course meals for lunch and dinner about half way through the cruise I missed buffets. Sitting for three to four hours everyday to eat gets tiring. Sometimes you just want a quick bite and go.

What line was that? That sounds pretty dreadful. And I'm really 'into' good food.

[sverigecruiser]

5 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

I was on a cruise that served three course meals for lunch and dinner about half way through the cruise I missed buffets. Sitting for three to four hours everyday to eat gets tiring. Sometimes you just want a quick bite and go.

 

I don't understand. Did you have to eat three courses? I have only been on NCL and MSC and they always serve at least three courses for lunch and dinner so I thought that was the normal meal but I guess it isn't.

 

I must misunderstand something.

[That sinking feeling]

6 hours ago, ilikeanswers said:

I was on a cruise that served three course meals for lunch and dinner about half way through the cruise I missed buffets. Sitting for three to four hours everyday to eat gets tiring. Sometimes you just want a quick bite and go.

No normal human being needs to eat two three course meals a day.on top of breakfast too?

 

Madness.

[richstowe]

3 hours ago, That sinking feeling said:

No normal human being needs to eat two three course meals a day.on top of breakfast too?

 

Madness.

Have you actually been on a cruise ? Based on your definition of normal , very few are  . 

And BTW , nobody needs a cruise either . I'll take that back . Sometimes I need a cruise !

[ilikeanswers]

6 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I don't understand. Did you have to eat three courses? I have only been on NCL and MSC and they always serve at least three courses for lunch and dinner so I thought that was the normal meal but I guess it isn't.

 

I must misunderstand something.

 

Sorry I think I wasn't clear. The cruise had no choice of any other style of eating, this was a small ship cruise so there was only one dinning option. Sure I could skip the entree but I would still have to wait till everyone on the ship was served and had eaten their entree (small ship but still nearly 200 people) before I got my main so the only option is to skip dessert unless I just had the entree and nothing else😆. To be fair they did do five buffets during the two week cruise which was a really nice break from the multicourse set meals. That was my point in the original comment that you don't realise it might be nice to have a buffet option until that option is taken from you😜.

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, ilikeanswers said:

 

Sorry I think I wasn't clear. The cruise had no choice of any other style of eating, this was a small ship cruise so there was only one dinning option. Sure I could skip the entree but I would still have to wait till everyone on the ship was served and had eaten their entree (small ship but still nearly 200 people) before I got my main so the only option is to skip dessert unless I just had the entree and nothing else😆. To be fair they did do five buffets during the two week cruise which was a really nice break from the multicourse set meals. That was my point in the original comment that you don't realise it might be nice to have a buffet option until that option is taken from you😜.

 

Did you sign an NDA that prevents you from answering the question about what ship it was?