Self-service Buffet - Is it back?

[capriccio]

On the Enchanted they opened 1/2 of the third dining room (Santorini) on the 3rd evening of the cruise on the night after the first formal night when it sounds like the 2 open MDRs we’re overwhelmed.

 

I have real concerns that when the Enchanted sails at full capacity even 3 MDRs will be overwhelmed given the mess that is Dine My Way.  Gigi’s (Alfredo’s on earlier Royal class ships had a 30 minute wait at lunch today (on a port day) at 12:30.  But there was plenty of unused space to wait in the Bistro which is only used for 4 hours a day, the same as the Salty Dog Gastropub on another deck.  The host says Gigi’s is always crowded and didn’t think much of the space allocations either.

 

The fact that it will only get worse as the number of passengers increase would make me think twice about booking the Enchanted again even though it is a beautiful ship.

Edited March 16, 2022 by capriccio

[KruzPrincess]

57 minutes ago, capriccio said:

On the Enchanted they opened 1/2 of the third dining room (Santorini) on the 3rd evening of the cruise on the night after the first formal night when it sounds like the 2 open MDRs we’re overwhelmed.

 

I have real concerns that when the Enchanted sails at full capacity even 3 MDRs will be overwhelmed given the mess that is Dine My Way.  Gigi’s (Alfredo’s on earlier Royal class ships had a 30 minute wait at lunch today (on a port day) at 12:30.  But there was plenty of unused space to wait in the Bistro which is only used for 4 hours a day, the same as the Salty Dog Gastropub on another deck.  The host says Gigi’s is always crowded and didn’t think much of the space allocations either.

 

The fact that it will only get worse as the number of passengers increase would make me think twice about booking the Enchanted again even though it is a beautiful ship.

I’m disappointed to read this as that’s the ship I want to go on. 

[MissP22]

4 hours ago, capriccio said:

On the Enchanted they opened 1/2 of the third dining room (Santorini) on the 3rd evening of the cruise on the night after the first formal night when it sounds like the 2 open MDRs we’re overwhelmed.

 

I have real concerns that when the Enchanted sails at full capacity even 3 MDRs will be overwhelmed given the mess that is Dine My Way.  Gigi’s (Alfredo’s on earlier Royal class ships had a 30 minute wait at lunch today (on a port day) at 12:30.  But there was plenty of unused space to wait in the Bistro which is only used for 4 hours a day, the same as the Salty Dog Gastropub on another deck.  The host says Gigi’s is always crowded and didn’t think much of the space allocations either.

 

The fact that it will only get worse as the number of passengers increase would make me think twice about booking the Enchanted again even though it is a beautiful ship.

What is puzzling to me is that every time we get to our DR with our reservations they still treat us as though we're there for the first time . What's the good of having reservations at all?

[Shelly97060]

On 3/14/2022 at 10:10 AM, KruzPrincess said:

 

I eat the majority of my meals in the buffet. Pre-covid, I mostly ate a big fresh salad every day, sometimes twice a day. That really doesn’t seem possible now. I think I’ll miss it.

 

I like to eat big salads for my meals as well and never had a problem getting them in the buffet.  I would just hand the server a plate and let them know the salad was my dinner and they made a beautiful big salad for me. 

[KruzPrincess]

2 minutes ago, Shelly97060 said:

I like to eat big salads for my meals as well and never had a problem getting them in the buffet.  I would just hand the server a plate and let them know the salad was my dinner and they made a beautiful big salad for me. 

Thank you. This makes me feel better. 🥗🥗

[Texas_Holdem]

the issue in part is people reusing plates or grabbing food directly with their hands,  but the biggest egregious selffish/disgusting practice were people who took their water bottles or reusable plastic cups and rammed the cup right against the ice dispenser or water dispenser,  effectively spreading whatever germs they had. 

 

Does anyone have any solutions to this issue short of buying a drink package for bottled waters?   seems like a waste,  but hard to get away from when you have people doing silly things

[memoak]

17 hours ago, Texas_Holdem said:

the issue in part is people reusing plates or grabbing food directly with their hands,  but the biggest egregious selffish/disgusting practice were people who took their water bottles or reusable plastic cups and rammed the cup right against the ice dispenser or water dispenser,  effectively spreading whatever germs they had. 

 

Does anyone have any solutions to this issue short of buying a drink package for bottled waters?   seems like a waste,  but hard to get away from when you have people doing silly things

Just order the bottled water packages. No need to order Princess Plus unless you want alcohol, coffee drinks or sodas

[KruzPrincess]

I read that the Discovery Princess has self-service buffet now, too. That’s in addition to the Ruby. Are there any others?

[MissP22]

delete

Edited April 19, 2022 by MissP22

[sfoh]

This recent video from Discovery Princess clearly shows it's back to self-serve, at least on this April Mexican Riviera sailing. I'm guessing this is a lunch buffet?
 

 

[VibeGuy]

We all know that fomites / surface transmission aren’t a thing in COVID, right?   *RIGHT*?

 

While I’m a big fan of hand hygiene and particularly enjoy the small plated bites, CDC has been clear for over a year that the risk of surface transmission is one infection for every 10,000+ contacts with a contaminated surface.   Worry less about COVID risk from buffets and more about shorex bus travel. 
 

The single most important step Princess has taken to improve microbial safety in the Horizon Court is putting the serving utensils on a time control to limit how many sets of hands use them. It’s also why I sanitize *after* I go through the buffet line, before I unwrap my cutlery. 

[sfoh]

27 minutes ago, VibeGuy said:

We all know that fomites / surface transmission aren’t a thing in COVID, right?   *RIGHT*?

 

While I’m a big fan of hand hygiene and particularly enjoy the small plated bites, CDC has been clear for over a year that the risk of surface transmission is one infection for every 10,000+ contacts with a contaminated surface.   Worry less about COVID risk from buffets and more about shorex bus travel. 
 

The single most important step Princess has taken to improve microbial safety in the Horizon Court is putting the serving utensils on a time control to limit how many sets of hands use them. It’s also why I sanitize *after* I go through the buffet line, before I unwrap my cutlery. 

I am not worried about Covid and surface contact, it’s the other GI things. That said I wasn’t aware of the time control, and am happy to learn they have that protocol. I’ve eaten on buffets all of my life and am just diligent about hand washing and sanitizing. Thank you for the info!

[Steelers36]

IDC whether buffet is self-serve or serve-me or a mix.  I just don't want to have to wear a mask on the ship.  Hopefully, that day comes soon.

[KruzPrincess]

9 hours ago, VibeGuy said:

We all know that fomites / surface transmission aren’t a thing in COVID, right?   *RIGHT*?

 

While I’m a big fan of hand hygiene and particularly enjoy the small plated bites, CDC has been clear for over a year that the risk of surface transmission is one infection for every 10,000+ contacts with a contaminated surface.   Worry less about COVID risk from buffets and more about shorex bus travel. 
 

The single most important step Princess has taken to improve microbial safety in the Horizon Court is putting the serving utensils on a time control to limit how many sets of hands use them. It’s also why I sanitize *after* I go through the buffet line, before I unwrap my cutlery. 

I agree completely. I went to a buffet today and people put on plastic gloves if they were worried about touching utensils with their bare hands. Bring plastic gloves. I bring sanitizer with me. We should all know how Covid is spread. I’m ore worried about sitting close to people in the MDR than a self service buffet. 

[KruzPrincess]

10 hours ago, sfoh said:

This recent video from Discovery Princess clearly shows it's back to self-serve, at least on this April Mexican Riviera sailing. I'm guessing this is a lunch buffet?
 

 

Thank you. 

 

Still wondering about other ships, too. 

[VibeGuy]

I would be happy with guests being handed a paper napkin to interpose between their grimy mitts and the utensils.  
 

Simple. Elegantly non-plastic.  Courteous. 
 

[KruzPrincess]

3 minutes ago, VibeGuy said:

I would be happy with guests being handed a paper napkin to interpose between their grimy mitts and the utensils.  
 

Simple. Elegantly non-plastic.  Courteous. 
 

That’s a good idea. I know there’s the excess plastic thing.

[MissP22]

15 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

IDC whether buffet is self-serve or serve-me or a mix.  I just don't want to have to wear a mask on the ship.  Hopefully, that day comes soon.

On the Enchanted it was mostly served. Very few items were self service. 

What was annoying were that they kept all (most) the items covered in-between serving them. You had to first read the labels and then get the attention of a crew member to serve them. I'm certain the crew would like to see it end soon also. 

 

Masks weren't mandatory and although there were people who wore them almost everywhere it was evident that most people didn't care to participate. Except for boarding in the terminal they never asked anyone to put a mask on. Sometimes when leaving the ship they would tell people to mask up as exiting or entering but that was only for a brief few minutes at most.

[HleeCruiser]

Dine my Way has been one big FUBAR in my opinion.  Anytime Dining and Traditional Dining worked just fine for everyone.  Hope they wake up and return to what 90% of the passengers loved.

[msmoger]

11 minutes ago, HleeCruiser said:

Dine my Way has been one big FUBAR in my opinion.  Anytime Dining and Traditional Dining worked just fine for everyone.  Hope they wake up and return to what 90% of the passengers loved.

No disrespect intended, but this thread pertains to the issue of self service in the buffet, not the main dining rooms. 😀

[dweidensaul]

On 4/17/2022 at 9:50 PM, Texas_Holdem said:

the issue in part is people reusing plates or grabbing food directly with their hands,  but the biggest egregious selffish/disgusting practice were people who took their water bottles or reusable plastic cups and rammed the cup right against the ice dispenser or water dispenser,  effectively spreading whatever germs they had. 

 

Does anyone have any solutions to this issue short of buying a drink package for bottled waters?   seems like a waste,  but hard to get away from when you have people doing silly things

Easy and allowable.  One fills the cups provided at self-serve water stations with ice and / or water and then transfers the contents to their own bottle.

[Jimmys Chippy]

Due on the Enchanted in a couple weeks and I’m unsure as to the current situation regarding buffet service, I am surprised though that cruise lines are going back to self service anyway. I should imagine that cruise lines have saved a fortune on wasted foods when those with eyes wider than their bellies have been prohibited from piling up their plates, only to leave a large portion of it uneaten.  That, coupled with the reduced potential for Covid/Norovirus being passed on through unwashed hands, it seems a bit odd to go back to old way.

[Potstech]

But it requires more ships pers. to be there to serve the food.  We often had to wait up to 10 minutes to get served on our recent Sky Princess cruise in January.  Was a common complaint heard and seen during the cruise.  Hopefully it has been solved.

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, Jimmys Chippy said:

Due on the Enchanted in a couple weeks and I’m unsure as to the current situation regarding buffet service, I am surprised though that cruise lines are going back to self service anyway. I should imagine that cruise lines have saved a fortune on wasted foods when those with eyes wider than their bellies have been prohibited from piling up their plates, only to leave a large portion of it uneaten.  That, coupled with the reduced potential for Covid/Norovirus being passed on through unwashed hands, it seems a bit odd to go back to old way.

We had the experience of being served more than we wanted on the Enchanted and of course it went in the garbage. Sometimes when asking for a "little more" of something they tend to over do it.

I could live with that but when I got coffee at the IC they had to add the cream and sugar. 🙁 Now that's something I hate for others to do. 

[I object 2]

On 3/16/2022 at 10:36 PM, Shelly97060 said:

I like to eat big salads for my meals as well and never had a problem getting them in the buffet.  I would just hand the server a plate and let them know the salad was my dinner and they made a beautiful big salad for me. 

 

What a great idea.  I'll give that a try on the Discovery next month.