A NCL Newbie sails Norwegian Prima 3/28/23

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, uneamie said:

I hope you are kidding. Why in the world would anyone go on a cruise to just sit at a table in the buffett all day? Makes no sense! But if you are not kidding then I think those people need to be told to move on. 

They'll say it's their cruise vacation, they will do whatever they want. So now in addition to chair hogging at the pool, we have chair hogging at the buffet. 🤦‍♂️

[dexddd]

We sailed Sun over 10 years ago in Baltics.  Sun has a very small buffet with overflow to back outside or Moderno. Buffet consistently packed with readers camping out with big wall of windows for view.

[nybumpkin]

17 hours ago, uneamie said:

I hope you are kidding. Why in the world would anyone go on a cruise to just sit at a table in the buffett all day? Makes no sense! But if you are not kidding then I think those people need to be told to move on.  

It's not unique to NCL - I've seen it often on my Carnival cruises, especially Conquest class with tables near the aft pool, the pizza stand, and the Seafood Shack. On one cruise we had a group set up their mahjongg games there to stay all day.

 

[uneamie]

12 minutes ago, nybumpkin said:

It's not unique to NCL - I've seen it often on my Carnival cruises, especially Conquest class with tables near the aft pool, the pizza stand, and the Seafood Shack. On one cruise we had a group set up their mahjongg games there to stay all day.

 

Now that should not be allowed. I blame the cruise line for letting this happen. There should be signs in all the restaurants and buffet to not take up seats if you are not eating. Read your books somewhere else. 

[uneamie]

13 hours ago, ontheweb said:

They'll say it's their cruise vacation, they will do whatever they want. So now in addition to chair hogging at the pool, we have chair hogging at the buffet. 🤦‍♂️

Which should not be allowed. 

[ontheweb]

10 hours ago, uneamie said:

Which should not be allowed. 

Agreed, but do you really think NCL (or for that matter any cruise line) is going to do anything to stop it?

[UKstages]

i wouldn't call this chair hogging... the primary concept behind chair hogging involves an absentee claim on an unoccupied lounge chair. if i understand this properly, this is about setting up shop and hunkering down for hours while actually occupying the space. it would be chair hogging if somebody placed a book or a sweater on a table or chair in the indulge food hall at 9 AM and then came back when they opened. this is more like overstaying your welcome or occupying a chair in a restaurant while not actively engaged in eating a meal.

 

if the space is open, that is to say, NCL doesn't close down the space when the restaurant is not serving, people are free to sit there and read a book, just like any other spot on the ship. if their leisurely reading of that book extends into restaurant opening hours, it does become a problem. but it's really an NCL design and capacity problem; i wouldn't blame somebody for sitting there and reading a book, if that's how they've chosen to spend their time.  in fact, in this forum, there are those who have recommended getting to the food hall 45 minutes or so before opening to snag a seat. 

 

the problem becomes one of trying to determine intent. and you simply can't do that. who is to say that somebody is there at the buffet to occupy a seat for two meal services? or that they simply prefer the view from that location? you can only make that determination after the two meal services have come and gone. as for why would somebody want to spend all day at the buffet... there are many for whom food is the focus of their vacation. there are also many for whom mobility is an issue.

 

i'm not sure what the solution is to any of this, although i personally would like to see the local go away on future ships to be replaced by a 24 hour indulge food hall. i don't think that will happen, but i'd sure like to see it.

 

should NCL put a dining time limit on meals at the buffet or indulge food hall? perhaps, but how would that be enforced? and would that be an hour? 90 minutes? with operating hours so limited, a time limit might only turn tables one extra time.

 

and, again, how would that be enforced?