From Mr Bayley - NO buffet

[KansasK]

I actually like the Windjammer for lunch.  I had been going to the Wipeout Café for breakfast on the bigger ships, but they are being removed for Portside Barbeque, that we will pay for, I think. I could easily get what I wanted and was sitting outside easily apart 6' from others when it did not matter. 

 

While I can see the problems with people touching serving utensils and with the crowds in the Windjammer, I cannot think of a place where we are closer to other people than an elevator. Think of going to dinner times, or after dinner, or after a show and there is no way to avoid this unless you walk the stairs at all times, which not everyone can. 

 

Maybe a vaccine will make all this worry go away.

[smradosko]

No buffet, no reason to go...Sorry!

[Milwaukee Eight]

2 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Suites on classes other than Oasis and Quantum do come at a premium, just not as steep. It is somewhat comparable up until an OS, at a prorated price, but not above that category.  Not to mention other classes do not get the same added perks that Oasis and Quantum class get. 
 

 

I didn’t explain very well. P’s get a lot more bang for their buck on Oasis/Quantum Class as compared to a Serenade/Mariner.  I haven’t done a comparison of, for the purpose of this discussion, insides on say Serenade to Oasis/Quantum Class. Don’t know how much more an inside cabin would differ in price from ship to ship??

 

Before all the haters come out an attack me, I know lots of P’s who book Suites, even Star Class, lots of balcony cabins too. 
 

M8 🙂

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, KansasK said:

I actually like the Windjammer for lunch.  I had been going to the Wipeout Café for breakfast on the bigger ships, but they are being removed for Portside Barbeque, that we will pay for, I think. I could easily get what I wanted and was sitting outside easily apart 6' 

The Wipeout Cafe is gone? And it is replaced with a pay venue? This is not good news to me. I like grabbing lunch there, and sometimes a snack, on Oasis.🤨

[luckyinpa]

i think they made this announcement just to stir up the pot , as it's doing here. it's a total waste of a discussion. even if you eat your meal in a bubble, the instant you touch an elevator button, get in the elevator, go to muster, walk down the steps, sit on the pool deck, sit in a theater, go in the casino, wait in line to get on the ship. wait in line to get off the ship, go on an excursion in a crowded bus, go on an excursion with more than one person, eat any place on land that has no distancing, walk any place that has no distancing, and i could go on and on...you get the idea. soon as you do anything i mentioned, you are totally at risk and when you go back on board no amount of closing buffets will ever mitigate that risk. you need to get rid of everything i mentioned and other things i didnt mention, otherwise what's the point of getting rid of even one choke point. 

 

 

 

 

[heatherpl]

I would be upset in the future of 2021 and coming years if Royal does away with the buffet. I understand at the moment during this situation to try and be mindful. But I hope they don't get rid of the buffet. I love going to the buffet when I can pick from a wide range of foods and not sitting for close to an hour or over an hour waiting for the food.

[time4u2go]

10 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i think they made this announcement just to stir up the pot , as it's doing here. it's a total waste of a discussion. even if you eat your meal in a bubble, the instant you touch an elevator button, get in the elevator, go to muster, walk down the steps, sit on the pool deck, sit in a theater, go in the casino, wait in line to get on the ship. wait in line to get off the ship, go on an excursion in a crowded bus, go on an excursion with more than one person, eat any place on land that has no distancing, walk any place that has no distancing, and i could go on and on...you get the idea. soon as you do anything i mentioned, you are totally at risk and when you go back on board no amount of closing buffets will ever mitigate that risk. you need to get rid of everything i mentioned and other things i didnt mention, otherwise what's the point of getting rid of even one choke point. 

 

 

 

 

I agree.  There are SO MANY other places on a cruise ship that people touch common things, or are just close together.  I don't understand the obsession with buffets.

[livingonthebeach]

12 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

i think they made this announcement just to stir up the pot , as it's doing here.

 

And to get everyone riled up and to see just how riled up everyone would get -- as it's doing here.  It's a fun discussion to have but boy some folks take this very personally.  It's entertainment for sure as long as everyone is a good sport about it. 🤪

[luckyinpa]

12 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

I agree.  There are SO MANY other places on a cruise ship that people touch common things, or are just close together.  I don't understand the obsession with buffets.

 

i dont watch the news or do research but has any study been done about how something like the subways /taxi/skyscraper traffic did with infections. just wondering the comparison between number of people on a cruise ship to the number of contacts a daily resident of NYC or LA has? to me cruise ship vs walking in NYC and living daily life is the same. 

[livingonthebeach]

1 minute ago, luckyinpa said:

 

i dont watch the news or do research but has any study been done about how something like the subways /taxi/skyscraper traffic did with infections. just wondering the comparison between number of people on a cruise ship to the number of contacts a daily resident of NYC or LA has? to me cruise ship vs walking in NYC and living daily life is the same. 

 

I'm not an expert nor do I do research but from what I've gathered, density does play a major role in how the virus is spread.  The more the density, the more the spread.  If you look at the major metropolitan areas these areas are the most infected.  

[LeeRB]

On 5/16/2020 at 1:37 PM, livingonthebeach said:

 

Not sure but think they will mostly do 3-5 days at least for the Caribbean.  

I'm booked on the Empress of the Seas November 14th for an 8 night out of Miami to the DR, SJ, BVI and ST Thomas. Thinking seriously about cancelling it though.

 

D+

[luckyinpa]

Just now, livingonthebeach said:

 

I'm not an expert nor do I do research but from what I've gathered, density does play a major role in how the virus is spread.  The more the density, the more the spread.  If you look at the major metropolitan areas these areas are the most infected.  

 

interesting. well as long as they quarantine every on land the same as on sea i think thats fair. like if an infected person on a subway, they can track who was on with them and keep all those people home 14 days. or if you went to a movie and someone was infected everyone in that theater be told to stay home . track them down with their CC receipts etc. big brother is everywhere anyway. and when infected people dont show symptoms for days until they are off a ship just quarantine all the people in the cab/airport/bus/plane/train that they were with. 

 

seems impossible to me. 

 

 

[livingonthebeach]

3 minutes ago, LeeRB said:

I'm booked on the Empress of the Seas November 14th for an 8 night out of Miami to the DR, SJ, BVI and ST Thomas. Thinking seriously about cancelling it though.

D+

 

 

Not sure what to tell you. Most advice on here has been to wait until RCI cancels or to postpone with the flexible rebooking terms. 

[livingonthebeach]

4 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

interesting. well as long as they quarantine every on land the same as on sea i think thats fair. like if an infected person on a subway, they can track who was on with them and keep all those people home 14 days. or if you went to a movie and someone was infected everyone in that theater be told to stay home . track them down with their CC receipts etc. big brother is everywhere anyway. and when infected people dont show symptoms for days until they are off a ship just quarantine all the people in the cab/airport/bus/plane/train that they were with. 

 

seems impossible to me. 

 

Of course it's impossible to police -- no one was ever doubting this.  The point of the last few posts was that the virus spreads more in densely populated areas.  I don't get your rant. 

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

I'm not an expert nor do I do research but from what I've gathered, density does play a major role in how the virus is spread.  The more the density, the more the spread.  If you look at the major metropolitan areas these areas are the most infected.  

This is why social distancing works.  In Pennsylvania,  each county is listed as either red, yellow or green.  None are green yet, the eastern one third of the state is still red and the rest of the state is yellow.  With the exception of Pittsburgh, which just went yellow last week, it's  a direct correlation with the density of the population.

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, LeeRB said:

I'm booked on the Empress of the Seas November 14th for an 8 night out of Miami to the DR, SJ, BVI and ST Thomas. Thinking seriously about cancelling it though.

 

 

 

D+

 

Do a lift and shift to the same time parameters next year either 4 weeks prior or after your date. You could also upgrade your ship and save money in the process. Needs to be done by August 1.

[KansasK]

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

The Wipeout Cafe is gone? And it is replaced with a pay venue? This is not good news to me. I like grabbing lunch there, and sometimes a snack, on Oasis.🤨

Maybe I got that wrong - sorry!  The barbeque place is on the is on the port side and the Wipeout Café was on the starboard side. On the Allure and Oasis, El Loco Fresh is where the Wipeout was. It sounds Mexican. I don't know if that is for pay or not. On the Harmony, Mini Bites is where the Wipeout was, but was the same as the Wipeout when I was on the Harmony. 

[LeeRB]

On 5/17/2020 at 6:32 AM, danv3 said:

 

This is what it really comes down to.  Like wearing masks, it's all about doing things that appear to be helpful in combating coronavirus, regardless of whether they're actually helpful.

 

(Now if we want to mitigate norovirus on ships, then yeah, the buffet needs to go.)

Actually wearing a face mask is helpful, at least according to both my doctor; and my son who happens to be a critical care nurse currently working in a 40 bed medical intensive care unit at a hospital of a major university with every bed in that unit being occupied by a COVID-19 patient, told me it is. In the simplest of terms; the primary function of the mask is not to protect you from someone that has the virus; it is to protect everyone else from you and anything you may cough, sneeze or spit out into the air when you cough, sneeze or talk if you have it and don’t know you have it. While it may provide you some protection from someone else that is not wearing a mask, you could still be exposed to the virus if they have it. Some people that have this virus are asymptomatic and do not even realize they have it, but as I understand it, they can still spread it to others. It helps in that if everyone wears a mask that covers their mouth & nose, they cannot spread the virus through their sneezing, coughing or spitting when they talk because the mask will block the particles coming out of them from getting into the air where those of us that do not have the virus could be exposed to it. Unfortunately, I must say most people I see under 35 here in Alabama are not wearing face masks in public.

 

D+

[rich_cathybrock]

On 5/18/2020 at 2:26 AM, FiftyOnePlus said:

People go away to socialise, for one....to meet new people. Dance, chat, play games....have fun. You cant do that and socially distance.

Couldn't agree more!  The whole idea that everyone else needs to get out of "our way," so we can each have 6 feet, is idiotic and untenable.  Our world is built for shoulder-to-shoulder - dining rooms, bars, elevators, beaches, pools, clubs, tourist sites, places of worship, shows...everything.  Social distancing was meant to get us through self-quarantine, NOT replace our return to "normalcy."  Once we are all no longer locked up in our homes, there simply isn't enough ROOM for everyone to be out and about and remain 6 feet apart, though it is obvious that there are some who will tell us we are in "their space".  The only way we come out of this is with a vaccine and a treatment that relegate "social distancing" to the distant past. 

 

And as to coughing, droplets, etc., we have all survived this unpleasantness blissfully ignorant of jut how much exposure we have to germs, at least up until now.  We have "Purel-ed" ourselves into a total loss of the human body's naturally-built immunity, and that's not a good thing.  There is a difference between been sanitary and being sterile.   I will choose to live what life I have left in blissful freedom rather than trying to extend it by living in a plastic bubble, because keeping away from "everyone else" is simply not living at all. 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

15 minutes ago, rich_cathybrock said:

Couldn't agree more!  The whole idea that everyone else needs to get out of "our way," so we can each have 6 feet, is idiotic and untenable.  Our world is built for shoulder-to-shoulder - dining rooms, bars, elevators, beaches, pools, clubs, tourist sites, places of worship, shows...everything.  Social distancing was meant to get us through self-quarantine, NOT replace our return to "normalcy."  Once we are all no longer locked up in our homes, there simply isn't enough ROOM for everyone to be out and about and remain 6 feet apart, though it is obvious that there are some who will tell us we are in "their space".  The only way we come out of this is with a vaccine and a treatment that relegate "social distancing" to the distant past. 

 

And as to coughing, droplets, etc., we have all survived this unpleasantness blissfully ignorant of jut how much exposure we have to germs, at least up until now.  We have "Purel-ed" ourselves into a total loss of the human body's naturally-built immunity, and that's not a good thing.  There is a difference between been sanitary and being sterile.   I will choose to live what life I have left in blissful freedom rather than trying to extend it by living in a plastic bubble, because keeping away from "everyone else" is simply not living at all. 

"And as to coughing, droplets, etc., we have all survived this unpleasantness blissfully ignorant of jut how much exposure we have to germs, at least up until now.  We have "Purel-ed" ourselves into a total loss of the human body's naturally-built immunity, and that's not a good thing.  There is a difference between been sanitary and being sterile.   I will choose to live what life I have left in blissful freedom rather than trying to extend it by living in a plastic bubble, because keeping away from "everyone else" is simply not living at all. "

Totally agree. Just about, Forever, when someone sneezes all we did was reply with a nice gesture. Sometimes we moved away from that person. What gets me, staying in your home and not getting out is only asking for trouble when we finally do socialize. Look at NY. 66% that stayed in got the virtus. Why? because there immune systems got hit hard. Personally if we all just get back to normal all will work itself out as it always has. The basic FLU kills 100s of thousands every year and many do not bother to even get the vaccine for it. Heat attacks, cancer, kidney failure and alike. Even getting killed walking. Car accident deaths. Drownings. This is just one more thing to cope with in our lives. I want to go to the buffet. We enjoy it. I will report back on what we will do today. Our local Golden Corral is open and doing the buffet. I want to see how they are doing it. One further away is open but doing it cafeteria style. My guess. You wear a clove to use the utensils when getting your food. Probably distancing in line also. We will see, I am curious. 

 

[ATC cruiser]

 

58 minutes ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

You wear a clove to use the utensils when getting your food

is that the same as wearing garlic to ward off a vampire?🧛‍♂️😊

 

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

"And as to coughing, droplets, etc., we have all survived this unpleasantness blissfully ignorant of jut how much exposure we have to germs, at least up until now.  We have "Purel-ed" ourselves into a total loss of the human body's naturally-built immunity, and that's not a good thing.  There is a difference between been sanitary and being sterile.   I will choose to live what life I have left in blissful freedom rather than trying to extend it by living in a plastic bubble, because keeping away from "everyone else" is simply not living at all. "

Totally agree. Just about, Forever, when someone sneezes all we did was reply with a nice gesture. Sometimes we moved away from that person. What gets me, staying in your home and not getting out is only asking for trouble when we finally do socialize. Look at NY. 66% that stayed in got the virtus. Why? because there immune systems got hit hard. Personally if we all just get back to normal all will work itself out as it always has. The basic FLU kills 100s of thousands every year and many do not bother to even get the vaccine for it. Heat attacks, cancer, kidney failure and alike. Even getting killed walking. Car accident deaths. Drownings. This is just one more thing to cope with in our lives. I want to go to the buffet. We enjoy it. I will report back on what we will do today. Our local Golden Corral is open and doing the buffet. I want to see how they are doing it. One further away is open but doing it cafeteria style. My guess. You wear a clove to use the utensils when getting your food. Probably distancing in line also. We will see, I am curious. 

 

I faced death more than once. Aside from those experiences I have wonderful illnesses including one for which there is no cure.I have no idea how much longer I will be on the planet but I will not add to everything by not adhering to what Dr.Fauchi and others are telling us not to do.

[ncb106]

Look everybody cruising won"t be the same anymore there will be alot off changes on cruising,i was chatting with a crew member on facebook there will  be crew members in the bathrooms etc, making sure people wash there hands i find that to be great i have seen people using the bathroom and not washing there hands.the buffet they should serve the people the food instead of the people touching the food and then put it back yes i seen it happen.this new change will show people how to be clean and wash there hands.

[traveltilidrop]

They could still go ahead with the buffet, just have the staff hand you your selections on a plate. Leave the entire seating area open, but space out the tables to be used, taking into consideration the need for social distancing. If they set up fewer stations, with fewer selections offered- perhaps choosing a theme each day such as Italian, American, or Asian- then they would have enough staff to serve everyone. 

 

During a past cruise I was on, during fears of Norovirus, a salad buffet was served in the MDR with the staff making the salad for you. There are other options as well, both casual and speciality restaurants, which provide extra dining choices which not everyone utilizes but may be worth considering depending upon how crowded the various facilities become. 

 

I definitely believe that the buffet option needs to redesigned, not only due to the current outbreak, but just from observing guests' past behavior such as the passengers who touch bread, for example, with their bare hands, only to put it the bread back on the tray after deciding they didn't want it. More than once I had to alert the staff after taking the item out and setting it aside so that no one unknowingly chose that item for themselves. 

 

I hope that Royal can keep the buffet concept going while at the same time keeping the food served free from contamination. 

[BND]

23 hours ago, smradosko said:

No buffet, no reason to go...Sorry!

LOL.  I just said to my DH last night, anyone who feels that way could have saved a lot of money and just gone to a buffet instead of cruising.