Buffet trays

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

I do think it’s a bit ridiculous, I pick up a juice and my breakfast plate, I often get a bowl of fruit and some hot items but I haven’t got three hands! Oh well… not the end of the world but it means loads of people will be going up and down constantly.

Surely the hot items will be cold by the time you have eaten your fruit ? And lets face it, buffet food is not that hot to start with !

Even when trays were available, we would make several visits, so as to make sure our eggs and bacon were at least slightly warm.

[Yorkypete]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Sorry - you get your toast etc and bring it back to your table on a plate. Buffet staff pour your drinks. Why do you need a tray ?

Have you actually been on a cruise ever? On our cruises it is necessary to visit the serving area several times if no trays available. Try carrying six slices of toast, several butters and jam and two drinks back to your table with only two hands! I have NEVER seen orange juice, water or even tea poured at the table for you. The drinks are obtained from the drinks station nearby. This has been the case in the buffets on nearly all our 40+ cruises on various lines.

 

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Have you actually been on a cruise ever? On our cruises it is necessary to visit the serving area several times if no trays available. Try carrying six slices of toast, several butters and jam and two drinks back to your table with only two hands! I have NEVER seen orange juice, water or even tea poured at the table for you. The drinks are obtained from the drinks station nearby. This has been the case in the buffets on nearly all our 40+ cruises on various lines.

 

You have obviously never been on Princess !

[Yorkypete]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

And pretty irrelevant if you don't cruise anyway

So I cannot comment on new ideas then? Is this a closed shop for those who seem to spend their lives on ships?. I have only the experience of over 40 cruises in my 75 years.

[P&O SUE]

6 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Surely the hot items will be cold by the time you have eaten your fruit ? And lets face it, buffet food is not that hot to start with !

Even when trays were available, we would make several visits, so as to make sure our eggs and bacon were at least slightly warm.

Ok then my hot food and toast! 

[Yorkypete]

40 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Not at all as he is not cruising anymore.

So I am not allowed to criticise on a critics forum ? Is it now a closed shop for the dozen or so regular posters. I have only been on around 40 cruises so I know nothing.

 

[Yorkypete]

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You have obviously never been on Princess !

Sorry, I thought this was the P&O forum. My mistake.

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Yorkypete said:

I have only been on around 40 cruises so I know nothing.

 

But you have no current knowledge - hence why you do not know about Princess table service of drinks in the buffet. 

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Yorkypete said:

Sorry, I thought this was the P&O forum. My mistake.

You said no cruise line serves drinks in the buffet. I was proving you wrong.

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

So I cannot comment on new ideas then? Is this a closed shop for those who seem to spend their lives on ships?. I have only the experience of over 40 cruises in my 75 years.

Ahhhh, hello, you're back! 

 

It's not a new idea, I'm afraid.  Trays have not been on Cunard, Princess, Celebrity and RC for a number of years.  When cruising restarted on P&O there wasn't a tray in sight. I can confirm December Christmas cruise 2021 on Britannia no trays.  It was a big surprise to see them back in December 2022.  Meantime all my Celebrity, Princess and Cunard cruises they haven't returned.  

 

Regarding drinks, on all lines I've sailed since January 2020 drinks have been served by waiters at the table, a much better idea in my opinion as the bunfight, particularly at afternoon tea on P&O became a health and safety problem with people pushing and grabbing.

 

Having just gotten off QM2 I was delighted to see Cunard continue to serve your food to your plate in the same way as Princess and Celebrity.  P&O are the outlier on trays and I'll be pleased if they disappear and we go back to how it was on recommencement of sailing.  It is definitely a healthier, if nothing else, way to serve food.

 

I can't speak for P&O but I had no problem getting assistance on Princess when I was collecting food for two, the staff went above and beyond serving drinks as soon as we sat down and happily collecting Extras where I couldn't carry them all.

 

 

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Ahhhh, hello, you're back! 

 

It's not a new idea, I'm afraid.  Trays have not been on Cunard, Princess, Celebrity and RC for a number of years.  When cruising restarted on P&O there wasn't a tray in sight. I can confirm December Christmas cruise 2021 on Britannia no trays.  It was a big surprise to see them back in December 2022.  Meantime all my Celebrity, Princess and Cunard cruises they haven't returned.  

 

Regarding drinks, on all lines I've sailed since January 2020 drinks have been served by waiters at the table, a much better idea in my opinion as the bunfight, particularly at afternoon tea on P&O became a health and safety problem with people pushing and grabbing.

 

Having just gotten off QM2 I was delighted to see Cunard continue to serve your food to your plate in the same way as Princess and Celebrity.  P&O are the outlier on trays and I'll be pleased if they disappear and we go back to how it was on recommencement of sailing.  It is definitely a healthier, if nothing else, way to serve food.

 

I can't speak for P&O but I had no problem getting assistance on Princess when I was collecting food for two, the staff went above and beyond serving drinks as soon as we sat down and happily collecting Extras where I couldn't carry them all.

 

 

Careful MB - dont let the facts get in the way of 40 cruises over 75 years !

[Angel57]

I just hope they don’t go over to plastic plates with sections for different food types ……🙄

[zap99]

42 minutes ago, wowzz said:

You said no cruise line serves drinks in the buffet. I was proving you wrong.

Celebrity and RC servers bring around drinks, as do P&O sometimes.

[zap99]

15 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

I just hope they don’t go over to plastic plates with sections for different food types ……🙄

That sounds like a good idea.🤣

[majortom10]

53 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

So I am not allowed to criticise on a critics forum ? Is it now a closed shop for the dozen or so regular posters. I have only been on around 40 cruises so I know nothing.

 

Not closed shop but why browse when you are not going to cruise again. Only 40 so you are a newcomer then 😂

Edited May 9, 2023 by majortom10

[zap99]

1 hour ago, Yorkypete said:

Have you actually been on a cruise ever? On our cruises it is necessary to visit the serving area several times if no trays available. Try carrying six slices of toast, several butters and jam and two drinks back to your table with only two hands! I have NEVER seen orange juice, water or even tea poured at the table for you. The drinks are obtained from the drinks station nearby. This has been the case in the buffets on nearly all our 40+ cruises on various lines.

 

Putting the toast on a plate helps. The slices stack quite well. If you use a large plate and stack the toast vertically,  there will be room for jam and butter. The plate could be placed on top of a cup to assist....or you could always make 2 trips. I'm sure there are other solutions to your problem.

[davecttr]

58 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Having just gotten off QM2 I was delighted to see Cunard continue to serve your food to your plate in the same way as Princess and Celebrity.  P&O are the outlier on trays and I'll be pleased if they disappear and we go back to how it was on recommencement of sailing.  It is definitely a healthier, if nothing else, way to serve food.

 

I can't speak for P&O but I had no problem getting assistance on Princess when I was collecting food for two, the staff went above and beyond serving drinks as soon as we sat down and happily collecting Extras where I couldn't carry them all.

 

 

Do you mean the staff placed the food on your plate and there were no self serve tongs etc? If so i think it is an excellent idea and would lessen the chance of catching Norovirus etc.  I have experienced a similar procedure on the lsmall lunchtime Glass House buffets on the Marella Discovery ships. The food is behind glass so you can't breathe or cough/sneeze over it. It does mean there has to be more servers though.

 

ps, called the Glass House because it has a retractable glass roof

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, davecttr said:

Do you mean the staff placed the food on your plate and there were no self serve tongs etc? If so i think it is an excellent idea and would lessen the chance of catching Norovirus etc.  I have experienced a similar procedure on the lsmall lunchtime Glass House buffets on the Marella Discovery ships. The food is behind glass so you can't breathe or cough/sneeze over it. It does mean there has to be more servers though.

 

ps, called the Glass House because it has a retractable glass roof

Yes, food was placed on your plate and no self serve tongs.  They were quite generous, I had to stop it being ladled on!

 

My last Princess and Celebrity cruises they did the same.

[Josy1953]

59 minutes ago, Angel57 said:

I just hope they don’t go over to plastic plates with sections for different food types ……🙄

Yuk! I can't think of anything worse.

[zap99]

44 minutes ago, zap99 said:

That sounds like a good idea.🤣

Sometimes at business functions and stand up buffets of the posher variety, the plate that one puts ones grub on has a little holder for one's wine glass. Your idea has merit and could be developed to encapsulate a variety scenario's.  The final version may look a bit like a tray.

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

Haven't been on P&O for a while, but surely they have staff to help carry extra plates etc to your table.

 

Princess still serve drinks at your table in the buffet.

They do, but as a perfectly capable able bodied passenger I would not want to  be taking up their services when less fit passengers need them more.

Furthermore the plates and dishes can  often be too hot to handle, so will we need to take our own oven gloves???

I assume Princess still use plastic plates.

[FangedRose]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

Sorry - you get your toast etc and bring it back to your table on a plate. Buffet staff pour your drinks. Why do you need a tray ?

Not always there though are they? Seen staff pouring drinks maybe half the time. Particularly in the outside eating areas.

[Denarius]

2 hours ago, wowzz said:

You have obviously never been on Princess !

Or Saga. In the Saga buffet restaurant tables are already set with cutlery and napkins. Only food is self service, all beverages are waiter served. Waiters clear the crockery from each course whilst you go to the buffet for the next, and reset the table when you finally leave. They are very good at recognising the latter, as a single traveller I have never had my table reoccupied mid meal. Unlike P&O!

And they do not have trays.

Edited May 9, 2023 by Denarius

[Ardennais]

As they now serve tiny individual portions of butter, jam, cream etc in tiny yellow dishes, you can easily end up with 6 of the little blighters, so trays are invaluable. And then there’s the bread roll to accompany a salad, so you can often have a full tray. Makes no sense to get rid of them. 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

They do, but as a perfectly capable able bodied passenger I would not want to  be taking up their services when less fit passengers need them more.

Furthermore the plates and dishes can  often be too hot to handle, so will we need to take our own oven gloves???

I assume Princess still use plastic plates.

I've never known Princess to use plastic plates in the buffet. Certainly they have been china on our last couple of cruises. I think they do use plastic plates in the on deck eateries  (pizza,  burgers etc).