Buffets

[SpainAlien]

On NCL from Barcelona as you walked into the buffet you were asked to use the sanitizer on the little stand, as your entered the food area you were handed a plate and cutlery set, the food was served by crew members

[craig01020]

18 hours ago, Pebbs48 said:

Are the buffets open for US based cruise to the Caribbean departing December 2021?  What are the Protocols?  Thanks!

Buffets were self-serve on my recent Caribbean cruise on the Gem, complete with washy-washy stations.

[VtMac]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

The buffet staff change out serving utensils every 30 minutes. Stay behind the staff changing utensils to minimize exposure to other people's finger licks. 

In my world this has been the standard.  At my operations we added a wipe down of handles a minimum of every 15 minutes but it's often more frequent based on guest flow.  Essentially we sanitize or change every 15 minutes at minimum.  I do have it a bit easier in a University setting as once you see someone grab a cookie with a bare hand and toss a tray of chocolate chip in front of the dining room...the rest of the student body tends to be our enforcement bureau. 

Edited November 1, 2021 by VtMac

[SomewhereGirl]

I watched on more than one occasion the staff on Encore would wipe down the tabletop, chair, and condiment bottles (ketchup, mustard).  I'm not sure I've ever seen the condiments wiped down, but that was good.

[Yinster]

On the Epic, it's just the hand sanitizers so I would wash my hands in the rest rooms before going to the buffet. My hands/skin is sensitive so hand sanitizer just dries them out. I understand why they tell you to washy washy but it would be good if there were a water basin/sink to do so outside the buffet

 

 

[hallux]

30 minutes ago, Yinster said:

but it would be good if there were a water basin/sink to do so outside the buffet

This is incorporated on some of the newer ships, kind of.  The Bliss has actual sinks by one of the entrances.  Royal is also incorporating them, the Anthem had them and it was an actual hall you passed through to enter the buffet, separate from where you might exit.

[Matman1215]

17 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

I am sure you can ask a crewmember to walk you around and plop the food onto your plate.  Just make sure they wash their hands before assisting you.

I'm in the Haven, so really won't need to bother a crew member to walk around and make my plate for me very often as I'll be dining in the Haven restaurant most of the time. Thanks for the suggestion, though! 🙂

[sverigecruiser]

10 minutes ago, Matman1215 said:

I'm in the Haven, so really won't need to bother a crew member to walk around and make my plate for me very often as I'll be dining in the Haven restaurant most of the time. Thanks for the suggestion, though! 🙂

 

Will you use the cold buffet at breakfast? Do they still have that?

[Old & Retired]

2 hours ago, Matman1215 said:

I'm in the Haven, so really won't need to bother a crew member to walk around and make my plate for me very often as I'll be dining in the Haven restaurant most of the time. Thanks for the suggestion, though! 🙂

Even better.  You can have your butler do it for you.

[TonyFred]

You can ask for disposable gloves. Use them to serve yourself and chunk them before you eat. Better safe than sorry. Noro can make you feel as bad or worse than Covid. And it has a history with anywhere folks gather and share utensils.

[luckyinpa]

last week i licked all the handles before i used them so i know they were clean. it is amazing the innocent things people do naturally. rub nose. fix hair. scratch places. its just how it is. you also have a new thing at bfast. they walk to EACH table. regardless that you heard it just 5 seconds before. and they do a coffee/pastry song and if you only take one they make a comment about that too. it gets super annoying hearing that 100 times during a bfast. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

16 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

it gets super annoying hearing that 100 times during a bfast

Next time start with a bloody mary (or two).  You'll be having fun and joining in in no time....😎

[Seany527]

23 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

I am sure you can ask a crewmember to walk you around and plop the food onto your plate.  Just make sure they wash their hands before assisting you.

Good idea, but my concerns are more from dirty people who don’t wash their hands before entering the buffet. 

[Old & Retired]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

Good idea, but my concerns are more from dirty people who don’t wash their hands before entering the buffet. 

Most 'dirty people' will still be dirty even after they wash their hands.  Maybe the ship can install a 5 minute alarm that requires all patrons to get up and wash their hands when they hear the tone.  That should keep the dirty down.

[Seany527]

8 hours ago, Old & Retired said:

Most 'dirty people' will still be dirty even after they wash their hands.  Maybe the ship can install a 5 minute alarm that requires all patrons to get up and wash their hands when they hear the tone.  That should keep the dirty down.

Or, the ship could serve passengers in the buffet. 

[Shellbelle28]

Just off the Bliss 10/24-31.Buffet was the standard serve yourself. However there was staff standing behind the counter at all stations so I'm sure they would be happy to serve you a portion if asked so you don't have to touch anything. 

I'm one of those who has always been in the restroom outside the buffet and washed my hands so I went past the sinks at the entry, but I used the Purell dispenser just in case something jumped on my hands in the intervening 10 yards and to avoid freaking people out if they noticed. The breakfast in the buffet was better (shockingly) than the MDRs, maybe we hit them at a bad time but eggs were cooked terribly and service was glacial speed. With low pax count, the buffet was less zoo-like than typical. 

[kylenyc]

21 hours ago, Seany527 said:

Good idea, but my concerns are more from dirty people who don’t wash their hands before entering the buffet. 

If you're concerned about norovirus, bring a travel bottle of Purrell with you. Serve yourself. Then use Purell on your hands before you eat. Use utensils. Don't touch your face. Don't eat with your hands.

 

If you're concerned about general hygiene, don't eat at a buffet at all. And while you're at it, you probably don't want to eat at any dining establishment on land unless it's three star Michelin. Read your land restaurants health inspection reports if you dare. Having worked in a fast food joint, you'd be shocked if i told you how much food safety regulations are followed by kitchen staff making minimum wage if that...

 

On the flip side, having been on a few behind the scenes tours and seeing the sparkling kitchens on NCL ships, I dare say food safety procedures on NCL are superior to 99% percent of any land restaurant that I will ever dine in or can afford to.

 

Washing hand at the buffet is just a suggestion. The buffet greeter isn't enforcing it and they can't on larger ships where some people need to walk through the buffet to get to the pool, spa, etc.

 

Nor are the "servers" behind the buffet even enforcing basic buffet etiquette. I saw people picking and eating at the buffet station, others coughing and sneezing without covering their mouth.

 

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by kylenyc

[BirdTravels]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:35 PM, TonyFred said:

You can ask for disposable gloves. Use them to serve yourself and chunk them before you eat. Better safe than sorry. Noro can make you feel as bad or worse than Covid. And it has a history with anywhere folks gather and share utensils.

But, once you remove your gloves, you will be touching the table, chairs, condiments on the table, the silverware handled by the crew that clean the tables. As well as anything you touched with your gloved hands. If it bothers people that much, best not to go out at this time. 

[ShelleyQT]

On 10/31/2021 at 5:45 PM, Red-Sol said:

Sadly not everyone who is fresh out of the bathroom has also just washed their hands...as disgusting as it is far too many people don't.

 

I was just in the ladies' room at a concert last weekend.  There were two women just finishing up.  They wanted to hurry back to the show (in progress) so one of them said to the other, "You don't need to wash your hands.  It's not like you peed on them."  Good grief!  Every surface in there is germ-covered and of course you need to wash, pee or no pee!

[ShelleyQT]

On 10/31/2021 at 8:33 PM, MoCruiseFan said:

 

I'd be one of those people.  That so called sanitizer is all but useless and not even close to what proper handwashing with soap and hot water will do.Do not assume that because you did not see me wash my hands does not mean that i didn't and I am not going to put that slimy, irritating, nasty goo all over my hands so someone else will feel better.

 

I wash my hands at the provided sink, with soap and water.  I, too, forego the icky spray because I just washed, and soap is much more effective than that spray.

[JustAllie]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:42 PM, luckyinpa said:

last week i licked all the handles before i used them so i know they were clean. it is amazing the innocent things people do naturally. rub nose. fix hair. scratch places. its just how it is. you also have a new thing at bfast. they walk to EACH table. regardless that you heard it just 5 seconds before. and they do a coffee/pastry song and if you only take one they make a comment about that too. it gets super annoying hearing that 100 times during a bfast. 

Hey, newsposter, keep me updated about when you are sailing so I can avoid those cruises. 

[Biffire]

I was on the Breakaway for the 9/26 sailing to Bermuda. The Breakaway has sinks by one of the buffet entrances. Staff tried to funnel people through that area, and encouraged everyone to wash hands with soap and water. As usual some folks don't listen. Buffet operations seemed the same as before with one exception. I did see staff with a cart full of freshly washed utensils, swapping out the used items. I have no idea of the frequency, but I saw them several times.

[Summerstravel]

Hope it is ok to post a Buffet question here. 

What hours is the Buffet on most Norwegian ships usually open for breakfast, lunch and dinner?  

 

thank you

[Shellbelle28]

1 minute ago, Summerstravel said:

Hope it is ok to post a Buffet question here. 

What hours is the Buffet on most Norwegian ships usually open for breakfast, lunch and dinner?  

 

thank you

I varies by day. They are different depending on port arrival times or if at sea. 

[ontheweb]

55 minutes ago, Shellbelle28 said:

I varies by day. They are different depending on port arrival times or if at sea. 

Is there generally a buffet open at dinner time. DW gets tired of being waited on and also really likes to make her own salad. We have an 11 day cruise booked for 2023 on the (not yet built) Prima, and I know she will want to eat at least 1 or 2 if not more dinners at a buffet.