Upside To Covid And The Buffet

[SargassoPirate]

There is an upside to covid in regards to the buffet.

 

No longer does Princess pre-set the tables in the Horizon Court.  The placements are gone. No longer do they leave apparently unused cups and tumblers on the table for the next pax to use - or remove them to the tray of "clean" items to use to set another table. No longer do they take a used cloth napkin to wipe off the table before resetting it with "clean" cups and tumblers placed upside down on the reused plastic placemat.

 

I have observed and complained about those unsanitary practices on every Princess cruise to now - only to get blank looks or excuses from the supervisors.

 

I hope covid put the fear into them permanently.

 

 

[fabby50]

We were on the Grand on their first sailing after she was able to sail again.  I really liked the new buffet setup.  I liked all the mini containers of stuff - made it so much easier to try a variety of things and not overload your plate.  They also seemed to have come up with some more creative combos than I remember from before.  I got off the ship realizing that I preferred the buffet for lunch over other venues, something I have NEVER said before.

[SargassoPirate]

I agree fabby50.  It seems to be easier no navigate, the staff serve up the food, and everything is extra clean.

 

I hope it continues in this vein, but it is consuming a lot of staff very resources.

 

 

[MissP22]

1 hour ago, fabby50 said:

I liked all the mini containers of stuff - made it so much easier to try a variety of things and not overload your plate. 

I never cared to those containers preloaded with food. I still prefer to take as much as I wanted & not waste anything or simple have the crew serve the amount you would like. 

[fabby50]

3 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

I never cared to those containers preloaded with food. I still prefer to take as much as I wanted & not waste anything or simple have the crew serve the amount you would like. 

To each his own.  Loved all the mini stuff with combos I never would have though of like the little cheese plates, the salads, the small sandwiches, etc.  I didn't waste anything, ate everything I took and I'm sure they were smaller portions than my piggy self would have loaded my plate up with.

[Coral]

I also loved how things are plated now in the buffet. I like the little flower pots of food! And small cups of fruit.

 

I agree - the changes in Horizon Court are amazing (from someone who hates buffets) - I actually liked how things were on the Grand!

[MISTER 67]

Maybe these precautions will also lead to less norovirus breakouts on the ships.

[MISTER 67]

1 minute ago, MISTER 67 said:

 

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by MISTER 67

[pris993]

We have used Room Service and the buffet now for some time over MDR.  Look forward to seeing the new set up.  Will be on the Ruby end of January.  If we want a special meal we go to Crown Grill.

 

[Coral]

Here are some pics:

[Sillyjilly]

Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing.

Can't wait for my cruise next month.

[PrincessLuver]

42 minutes ago, Coral said:

I also loved how things are plated now in the buffet. I like the little flower pots of food! And small cups of fruit.

 

I agree - the changes in Horizon Court are amazing (from someone who hates buffets) - I actually liked how things were on the Grand!

Same here.....love it too!!  Way to go Princess......

[fabby50]

36 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said:

Maybe these precautions will also lead to less norovirus breakouts on the ships.

Yep, that's what I think too.  Norovirus is something I haven't heard mentioned at all since COVID protocols took hold.  Several  years ago, we were on what was referred to as the "plague ship" when norovirus took hold.  We were off Santa Barbara on a coastal cruise and made headlines in their local paper.  They were debating not letting us off, but they did.  The locals were not at all happy to see us.

[SargassoPirate]

Before the cruise I had some trepidations on the new setup, but must say that I'm finding it delightful.  The staff will plate as much as you want - for example if three strips of bacon is not enough, all you have to do is ask for a little more.

 

Plus, having a background in food service sanitation, I commend the new procedures with bussing and cleaning the tables.

 

I still won't lay my silverware on the table, though.

[MISTER 67]

9 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Before the cruise I had some trepidations on the new setup, but must say that I'm finding it delightful.  The staff will plate as much as you want - for example if three strips of bacon is not enough, all you have to do is ask for a little more.

 

Plus, having a background in food service sanitation, I commend the new procedures with bussing and cleaning the tables.

 

I still won't lay my silverware on the table, though.

Same with us on the silverware. I watched the crew clesning tables after being used but I never saw them wipe down the salt and pepper jars and the sugar jar on the tables. I think that those items should be dispensed by the crew near the buffet in paper packages. When I had oatmeal, the crew member ladled it out in my bowl and also added brown sugar and milk at my request. 

Edited January 4, 2022 by MISTER 67

[MISTER 67]

1 hour ago, fabby50 said:

Yep, that's what I think too.  Norovirus is something I haven't heard mentioned at all since COVID protocols took hold.  Several  years ago, we were on what was referred to as the "plague ship" when norovirus took hold.  We were off Santa Barbara on a coastal cruise and made headlines in their local paper.  They were debating not letting us off, but they did.  The locals were not at all happy to see us.

We've been lucky, 64 cruises and never any Noro issues.

[MISTER 67]

2 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

Same here.....love it too!!  Way to go Princess......

We were on 2 cruises in December on the Caribbean and we thought the World Marketplace food was outstanding for a buffet, everything tasted great and never had anything that we didn't like 

[OccasionalSanta]

The problem with the little plates of food is that they take up too much room on your plate and they can be hard to balance, I would prefer a system where you pick up the small dish, dump it onto your plate, then leave the small dish in a dirty dish receptacle. 

[coopco]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

Same here.....love it too!!  Way to go Princess......

I, too, love the new set up with little snacks. The are great for grab and go so you can have a little snack in your cabin before dinner without ruining your appetite. Love them!

 

[jwattle]

1 hour ago, OccasionalSanta said:

The problem with the little plates of food is that they take up too much room on your plate and they can be hard to balance, I would prefer a system where you pick up the small dish, dump it onto your plate, then leave the small dish in a dirty dish receptacle. 

You can always dump them on as you go, stacking them in each other.🥂

[reedprincess]

We enjoyed the served buffet with some of the smaller items being prepacked and self service very much. Didn't enjoy the long waits for silverware so much, but do understand the staffing issues as omicron is working it's way through ships... Hate that the salt, pepper and sugar are in multi-use containers on the tables, and not sanitized after each group/person leaves a table. Potential spreader for whatever virus/bacteria right there.. Single serve, or brought out with the silverware setup would be much more sanitary..  at Slice and Trident Grill on deck - pepper flakes were sprinkled by staff, and salt/pepper, ketchup, relish, mustard were all in single use containers (cute small pots for mustard/ketchup/relish, paper packs for salt/pepper). No large dispensers for everyone to touch away, thankfully! yuck! Lol. 

 

Improvements, and still room for more improvements...

[Coral]

The one part I did not like - was in the dessert area/roll area on the Grand - if they handed you the dessert - they handed it to you below the glass and not above. So hands are going above the food and below the glass.

 

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

4 hours ago, fabby50 said:

Yep, that's what I think too.  Norovirus is something I haven't heard mentioned at all since COVID protocols took hold.  Several  years ago, we were on what was referred to as the "plague ship" when norovirus took hold.  We were off Santa Barbara on a coastal cruise and made headlines in their local paper.  They were debating not letting us off, but they did.  The locals were not at all happy to see us.

I was on a Celebrity ship that was in Port with you a few times during that Noro outbreak.  I remember it well.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

9 minutes ago, Coral said:

The one part I did not like - was in the dessert area/roll area on the Grand - if they handed you the dessert - they handed it to you below the glass and not above. So hands are going above the food and below the glass.

 

 

You should report that and see if you can get it changed. I agree with you.

[Shelly97060]

Agree changes to the buffet are wonderful.  Much more sanitary and it seemed like the food service was pretty fast. I hope the changes remain long after Covid is behind us.