Are Carnival buffets self-serve?

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

For years I have used the hand sanitizer after getting my food from the buffet. It's not hard, and no line to use it. 😂

[NutsAboutGolf]

30 minutes ago, ray98 said:

I guess life is tough for germiphobes who obsess of the 'what if's'.  I have eaten at buffets on cruises and on land my entire life, countless times at this point with not one problem.  Never been sick, never seen anyone touching the food or any of the other stories people parrot like it is routine. 

 

While the majority of civilized countries have health departments with inspectors, I do not think many will get sick if someone touch the food.  Yet it simply grosses me out, I envy the person who can continue eating food after a fly lands on it or they find a hair that's not theirs on it, I can't eat another bite

 

I speak from direct experience, on the Glory I saw some grab pasta with their fingers and put it in their mouth, I saw someone grab an apple then put it back and saw someone rearrange their bacon with their fingers and with their greasy fingers grab tongs to get other items

[DrSea]

9 hours ago, jsglow said:

Then your likely going to prefer a different cruise line.

I do prefer different cruise lines. 

 

To all the commenters about those being concerned about sanitation as being germaphobes, my simple response is this...Norovirus. 

 

-DrSea- 

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

I'm definitely not a germaphobe but I've seen plenty of pretty gross behavior at the buffets and I'd rather eat with clean hands. It's as simple as that. 

[Elkins45]

My experience on the other cruise lines is that being served by staff at the buffet isn’t much of an inconvenience, at least with the number of people on board all of my recent cruises. It’s probably not a real difference, but I do appreciate not having hundreds of other hands touching the serving utensils.

[DrSea]

5 minutes ago, Elkins45 said:

My experience on the other cruise lines is that being served by staff at the buffet isn’t much of an inconvenience, at least with the number of people on board all of my recent cruises. It’s probably not a real difference, but I do appreciate not having hundreds of other hands touching the serving utensils.

It really isn't inconvenient at all. If anything, they give me too much food. I always ask for half of what they give me. I like to sample things so that I don't waste their food. 

[Duanerice1]

Looks like the buffet will be empty for the rest of us.  I have no issue with self serve.  Germs are good, don't shy way from them. 

 

What's funny is the people that have the issue with the buffet have no idea what goes on in a kitchen, they just don't see it. 

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

29 minutes ago, Duanerice1 said:

Looks like the buffet will be empty for the rest of us.  I have no issue with self serve.  Germs are good, don't shy way from them. 

 

What's funny is the people that have the issue with the buffet have no idea what goes on in a kitchen, they just don't see it. 

Oh I think we know. It just seems harder to actually see it happening right in front of you and then eat it.

[NutsAboutGolf]

44 minutes ago, Duanerice1 said:

Looks like the buffet will be empty for the rest of us.  I have no issue with self serve.  Germs are good, don't shy way from them. 

 

What's funny is the people that have the issue with the buffet have no idea what goes on in a kitchen, they just don't see it. 

 

Care to share any examples?  I have some crew connections on a NCL ship, while there can be bad apples in any line of work but overall.  Cruise galleys are huge wide open spaces and are regularly internally inspected and toured by cruise line VIPs.  Most crew members have been out of work for at least a year, are on their first contract since the restart and are concerned about not receiving  another contract if they get caught doing something they shouldn't not to mention get fired on the spot for doing something really bad.  Now the quality of the ingredients is a whole another debate...

[Duanerice1]

2 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Care to share any examples?  I have some crew connections on a NCL ship, while there can be bad apples in any line of work but overall.  Cruise galleys are huge wide open spaces and are regularly internally inspected and toured by cruise line VIPs.  Most crew members have been out of work for at least a year, are on their first contract since the restart and are concerned about not receiving  another contract if they get caught doing something they shouldn't not to mention get fired on the spot for doing something really bad.  Now the quality of the ingredients is a whole another debate...

Sorry, meant restaurants, not on the cruise line.  Worked in a few.....

[NutsAboutGolf]

9 minutes ago, Duanerice1 said:

Sorry, meant restaurants, not on the cruise line.  Worked in a few.....

 

Oh yea, I was in the military in the small rural town, many of the troops GFs/wives were waitstaff, heard many stories.  Things could get really bad particularly when the majority of the kitchen staff were 20 years old or younger and management cared more about flirting with new hires than what was going on in their kitchen...

[Pellaz]

As regards buffets being self-serve and COVID, it's good to follow the science regarding surface-only contact:  

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html 

 

So, there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of catching the 'Rona from surface contact alone, even assuming the person before you 1) had the virus and 2) touched a serving spoon or a doorknob before you did.  

 

That said, it's certainly a good idea to sanitize your hands -- or even better, wash them -- before and after visiting the buffet or other high-traffic areas.   But per CDC, the actual odds of contracting COVID by surface contact alone are extremely low.  

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, Pellaz said:

As regards buffets being self-serve and COVID, it's good to follow the science regarding surface-only contact:  

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html 

 

So, there is a 1 in 10,000 chance of catching the 'Rona from surface contact alone, even assuming the person before you 1) had the virus and 2) touched a serving spoon or a doorknob before you did.  

 

That said, it's certainly a good idea to sanitize your hands -- or even better, wash them -- before and after visiting the buffet or other high-traffic areas.   But per CDC, the actual odds of contracting COVID by surface contact alone are extremely low.  

As for protecting against Covid, served buffets are just for show. However, they are still a good idea as protection against Norovirus.

[jimbo5544]

On 12/15/2021 at 6:49 PM, DrSea said:

I would STRONGLY prefer if carnival would have people serving the food because people are just so unsanitary. 

Never happen

[jimbo5544]

21 hours ago, Schoifmom said:

 

That's interesting.  My experience has been just the opposite.  I'm sure it really just all depends on the availability of the items and the judgment of the staff.

Post Covid 4 cruises and ALL had the bacon set back as the poster described and was given out by staff.  Will not be changing from that way anytime soon.

[Schoifmom]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

Post Covid 4 cruises and ALL had the bacon set back as the poster described and was given out by staff.  Will not be changing from that way anytime soon.

 

True.  I was replying to the other poster who said that there were multiple items (other than bacon) set back for the staff to serve.

 

Edited December 17, 2021 by Schoifmom

[sparks1093]

24 minutes ago, Schoifmom said:

 

True.  I was replying to the other poster who said that there were multiple items (other than bacon) set back for the staff to serve.

 

They aren't necessarily back there for the staff to serve but because passengers can't reach them the staff has to serve them. The only consistent item back there that I've seen is bacon.

[Old Fart Cruisers]

Is Carnival starting to limit capacity in the buffet, or blocking off tables for social distancing?   Are they scanning sail & sign cards when entering or exiting the buffet on any of their ships?   Are they limiting hours?  When we sailed on the Miracle in August nothing seemed to have changed (other than wearing masks until you were seated), but I have heard from others that things are different now.  

[sparks1093]

38 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Is Carnival starting to limit capacity in the buffet, or blocking off tables for social distancing?   Are they scanning sail & sign cards when entering or exiting the buffet on any of their ships?   Are they limiting hours?  When we sailed on the Miracle in August nothing seemed to have changed (other than wearing masks until you were seated), but I have heard from others that things are different now.  

I didn't see any of this on Legend a few weeks ago.

[pinto18]

15 hours ago, DrSea said:

It really isn't inconvenient at all. If anything, they give me too much food. I always ask for half of what they give me. I like to sample things so that I don't waste their food. 

This is why I prefer to serve myself. I usually get a salad at lunch and Id hate to be saying..Give me 10 garbanzo beans, and half a spoon of carrots, and two slices of tomato and....

[Airborne Spoon]

17 hours ago, Steve and Sharon said:

I'm definitely not a germaphobe but I've seen plenty of pretty gross behavior at the buffets and I'd rather eat with clean hands. It's as simple as that. 

I've been a cook (on land) for the last 18 years and while I agree that people are gross and when I'm at work I wash my hands and keep everything sanitary. When I'm off work and just out living my life i am not a fan of all the super sanitation and I take the George Carlin approach to germs. My immune system is strong AF and I never get sick.

 

 

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, pinto18 said:

This is why I prefer to serve myself. I usually get a salad at lunch and Id hate to be saying..Give me 10 garbanzo beans, and half a spoon of carrots, and two slices of tomato and....

We've been on a served buffet (on a HAL ship), and my wife had that problem. They gave her much more of each ingredient in her salad than what she would have taken. I have seen posts where it is claimed that serving in the buffet would save food waste, and maybe for some it would, but for her and it sounds like you, the opposite is true.

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We've been on a served buffet (on a HAL ship), and my wife had that problem. They gave her much more of each ingredient in her salad than what she would have taken. I have seen posts where it is claimed that serving in the buffet would save food waste, and maybe for some it would, but for her and it sounds like you, the opposite is true.

 

Just be sure to actively communicate your portion to the staff, with that being said, on the Glory's BBQ restaurant, they never listened to you, even if you said "just a little bit" you received a huge portion

[Elkins45]

I’m on the Glory right now and they aren’t even trying to get people to wash or sanitize their hands. I didn’t even see hand sanitizer stations available, but I’ll look again when I go for breakfast.

 

MSC and Celebrity are both doing a better job of trying to keep people healthy IMO, even if it’s only an illusion.

[ray98]

It is just that....an illusion.  You spend your entire day touching things other people touched.