Windjammer hours question

[JMMM2323]

We are finishing up our first Royal Caribbean cruise in many years...we usually cruise with NCL and Celebrity, but it was a good deal with a good itinerary.  We've been really happy with the experience except for the times the buffet is open.  Afternoon is 11:30-3:30, then 6-9.  So, when you come back from a shore excursion mid afternoon, there's no food (except for a handful of desserts and a couple of tiny sandwiches with really long lines with one poor person trying to serve everyone or room service, which costs $8 plus a tip).    And there's not much except pizza and dessert after 9.  Is this the same on all RC ships??  Or just the one we're on??  

[Oceansaway17]

oh yes this is one of my peeves as well.

I like that Celebrity has the front section always open until 1am for pizza and ice cream.

 

and on rainy days, allowing folks to sit in the middle of the day to play cards or games is nice.

Yup RCI is very good a shutting and chasing folks away.   

[LeeW]

Lines like Princess close one side to reset for another meal.  Royal closes the whole buffet for quite a while between meals.

[Norwich Cruiser]

It really should have longer hours.

[bonsai3s]

Agree...Windjammer should be open later for lunch and dinner especially on port days.

 

* We did see the ROM, Restaurant Operations Manager, telling the crew to keep the Windjammer open past 9pm...on the Voyager...when many passengers came back from their excursions in Iceland.

[neverbeenhere]

Stockpile your food needs in your stateroom. I have no issue with the hours that they are open now. But, I encourage you to write and talk to anyone that might control the hours more to your liking. That’s cruising. 

[time4u2go]

I agree that the hours are inadequate. I wish they were open longer.

[Sunshine3601]

There is usually snacks, sandwiches and salads at the Cafe or Solarium in the afternoons when WJ is closed.

If your sailing on a ship with a Playmakers you can usually get food there in the evening or snacks at their pubs.

[smokeybandit]

I've never had any issue finding food options after 9pm

[Jasukkie]

It's a common complaint with Royal now. There has to be some  middle ground between the decadent midnight buffets of yore, and nothing. Their design is not set up like Norwegian where they have a front area they can easily leave open. It would be nice to have a cafe 270/park cafe type place open late, if not the buffet. I'm not a fan of Sorrento's, it just gives me indigestion.

[Merion_Mom]

Windjammer used to be open continuously from the beginning of breakfast to the end of dinner.  I agree that it's annoying that they now close "between lunch and dinner".  

 

Late night options vary from ship to ship (or more accurately, from ship class to ship class).  These need to improve, too.

 

On the other hand, it avoids some overeating.  😄 

[JMMM2323]

Thanks for all the responses...I was hoping it was just the hours on this ship, because other than this, the trip has been great.  Knowing this is normal for RC, combined with the challenge of finding clean eating options for our health conscious family member (all the protein options and veggies in the buffet seem to be heavily seasoned, breaded, sauced or fried...I know we can request simple foods, but it's a hassle and takes a long time for them to make it, even when we request it ahead of time).  We'll probably go back to NCL and Celebrity where eating options are easier for us.    Disappointed because other than the food, we have enjoyed our trip.  

[Rubyfisch]

9 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

It's a common complaint with Royal now. There has to be some  middle ground between the decadent midnight buffets of yore, and nothing. Their design is not set up like Norwegian where they have a front area they can easily leave open. It would be nice to have a cafe 270/park cafe type place open late, if not the buffet. I'm not a fan of Sorrento's, it just gives me indigestion.

On Enchantment, Park Cafe was open from 9:00 pm to 1:00 am, with pizza, sandwiches, desserts, and I think premade salads (not that I had occasion to want a Caesar salad at midnight ...). It was also open from noon to 5:00, to fill in the gaps when Windjammer was closed.

[Cruising89143]

3 hours ago, JMMM2323 said:

Thanks for all the responses...I was hoping it was just the hours on this ship, because other than this, the trip has been great.  Knowing this is normal for RC, combined with the challenge of finding clean eating options for our health conscious family member (all the protein options and veggies in the buffet seem to be heavily seasoned, breaded, sauced or fried...I know we can request simple foods, but it's a hassle and takes a long time for them to make it, even when we request it ahead of time).  We'll probably go back to NCL and Celebrity where eating options are easier for us.    Disappointed because other than the food, we have enjoyed our trip.  

I suggest keeping an eye out on Celebrity. Latest news coming from guests “currently on board” some of the ships is that X has decided to cut back on the evening offerings at the Oceanview. Not sure how deep this will go but it looks as though they’re trying to force guests to the MDR. Supposedly this just started this week. Happy New Year……🙂

[The Fun Researcher]

OP, agree about the mid afternoon peeve.

 

The bigger one for me are the later night food options.  Some ships have Playmakers, which helps, but even so Royal should do better.  Late night pizza and finger sandwiches get old after a few days.

[Castle25]

on explorer over xmas the lines for pizza at 

promenade from 3.45pm were crazy - sometimes 40 people waiting

[Mum2Mercury]

We're fine with pizza and little sandwiches for late-night snacks, though I do hate that the pizza line is so long sometimes.  

  

We do bring things back to our room sometimes; for example, we usually have some cheese and crackers from Windjammer in our room.  And maybe some cookies.  We bring a couple ziplocks for this purpose.  

[The Fun Researcher]

3 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

We're fine with pizza and little sandwiches for late-night snacks, though I do hate that the pizza line is so long sometimes.  

  

We do bring things back to our room sometimes; for example, we usually have some cheese and crackers from Windjammer in our room.  And maybe some cookies.  We bring a couple ziplocks for this purpose.  

The dessert cheese tray in the MDR is great for this too.  We've brought that back to the room quite a few times.  They will provide a cover for the plate so you can carry it back and keep it fresh.

[Mum2Mercury]

15 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

The dessert cheese tray in the MDR is great for this too.  We've brought that back to the room quite a few times.  They will provide a cover for the plate so you can carry it back and keep it fresh.

Agree, but we like to pick exactly the cheese we prefer (I despise bleu cheese, for example), and our ziplocks fit into the refrigerator more easily.  

[The Fun Researcher]

9 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Agree, but we like to pick exactly the cheese we prefer (I despise bleu cheese, for example), and our ziplocks fit into the refrigerator more easily.  

True, that makes perfect sense. No sense in wasting.

 

Bleu cheese = 🥰 for me.  🤣  I guess all this (bringing food back for later) boils down to Royal's lack of late night options.  That's just my opinion though.  Having experienced better late night options on other cruise lines it makes it sting a little more with Royal, which is our overall preferred line.  Playmakers definitely helps a lot though, but quite a few ships don't have that venue

[sunlover12]

I haven't been on Royal in several years and am wondering if Windjammer is still self-serve or do the staff put the food on your plate for you?  I will be on Wonder in a couple of weeks.

Thank you in advance. 

[davekathy]

3 minutes ago, sunlover12 said:

I haven't been on Royal in several years and am wondering if Windjammer is still self-serve or do the staff put the food on your plate for you?  I will be on Wonder in a couple of weeks.

Thank you in advance. 

Self serve. 

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, sunlover12 said:

I haven't been on Royal in several years and am wondering if Windjammer is still self-serve or do the staff put the food on your plate for you?

Staff serving the food in the WJ was a temporary measure during COVID and the rare times when there's a bad enough outbreak on the ship.

[Illbcruzn4life]

does anybody think that Royal will follow Celebrity's lead and cut the buffet to just a few items per night?

[The Fun Researcher]

19 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

does anybody think that Royal will follow Celebrity's lead and cut the buffet to just a few items per night?

Can you elaborate?  What do you mean by "just a few items per night" on the buffet?  We're booked on the Equinox and December and would be surprised if there where only a few items on the buffet. LOL

Dan