No Buffet Seating

[ldubs]

57 minutes ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

Unfortunately, as people get more self absorbed, buffet table hogging is becoming more common. I have seen people playing cards or other games at buffet tables at peak times and while others are searching for tables on every one of my last several cruises. 
 

This is not limited to the mainstream lines as someone else suggested. This happens on every line. Fact. 

 

Experiences with this issue seem to vary widely.   I wonder if it happens more in some areas than others.  Don't know why that would be but it might explain why this is seemingly common for some and not for others.   

[klfrodo]

I've seen it. I just walk on by.

Who, what, or why is frankly none of my business. Many more things for me to worry about than worrying about a multigenerational family sitting around a table playing cards, communicating with each other, and having a good time.

 

A lot of people just not happy.  Complaining about kids all up in their electronics, parents getting drunk not paying attention to their kids, adults drinking or smoking that wacky weed and fighting, kids running around unsupervised. Here we a family bonding over board games or card games and people still aint happy.

[Aquahound]

Playing games at a restaurant table, prohibiting people from being able to sit down and eat, is pretty rude. If it’s not busy, fine, but I totally understand the frustration if it’s during busy times. 

[Elaine5715]

4 hours ago, klfrodo said:

I've seen it. I just walk on by.

Who, what, or why is frankly none of my business. Many more things for me to worry about than worrying about a multigenerational family sitting around a table playing cards, communicating with each other, and having a good time.

 

A lot of people just not happy.  Complaining about kids all up in their electronics, parents getting drunk not paying attention to their kids, adults drinking or smoking that wacky weed and fighting, kids running around unsupervised. Here we a family bonding over board games or card games and people still aint happy.

 

17 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

Playing games at a restaurant table, prohibiting people from being able to sit down and eat, is pretty rude. If it’s not busy, fine, but I totally understand the frustration if it’s during busy times. 

I used to see on sailings out of Miami, large families group pretty much roped off an entire Lido area of a dozen or so tables.  The Carnival Lido seating makes this easy on some ships. No one challenged them, some one was there from morning to night.  

[Dancing Shoes]

We were on Celebrity Apex and HAL Rotterdam this year.  We always found a seat.  Sometimes we had to walk around to find 2 together and occasionally sat with others.  We ate breakfast later, so lunch was not at noon either.  Did see some card playing, but these folks were down at the very end, and usually after the rush.  

[jsn55]

3 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

I used to see on sailings out of Miami, large families group pretty much roped off an entire Lido area of a dozen or so tables.  The Carnival Lido seating makes this easy on some ships. No one challenged them, some one was there from morning to night.  

As long as there's room for this kind of activity, no problem.  The problem is that the Lido is a buffet where people have snacks and meals.  Taking up a dozen tables all day for socializing is just plain wrong.  There are or should be other areas of the ship for the socializing, so the rest of the pax can have a decent meal when they wish.  

[WestCoast505]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Experiences with this issue seem to vary widely.   I wonder if it happens more in some areas than others.  Don't know why that would be but it might explain why this is seemingly common for some and not for others.   

I think the issue was made worse by several things: because the weather in Alaska was cold and wet no one wanted to sit outside.   Also the food at lunch time in the buffet was in my opinion much better than the main dining room.   So the buffet was almost a victim of its own success.  Celebrity is obviously aware of the problem since they had the signs on every table.  The easiest solution would be to have overflow seating in one of the other restaurants during breakfast and lunch servings.  That was how Norwegian handled the problem.  Unfortunately the design of the Celebrity ship didn't allow for that since the buffet wasn't near any other restaurants or the main dining room.

 

I'd be curious to know if the ship designers have a 'buffet ratio' that sets the size of the seating compared to the overall passenger count.  

Edited June 24, 2023 by WestCoast505

[Markanddonna]

7 hours ago, WestCoast505 said:

 Unfortunately the design of the Celebrity ship didn't allow for that since the buffet wasn't near any other restaurants or the main dining room.

 

I'd be curious to know if the ship designers have a 'buffet ratio' that sets the size of the seating compared to the overall passenger count.  

This is a problem for many newer ships as most still jam the buffet, pools and spas and fitness center on the same deck. They double the cabins and the decks, but add little room to these critical spaces.

[ontheweb]

21 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

This is a problem for many newer ships as most still jam the buffet, pools and spas and fitness center on the same deck. They double the cabins and the decks, but add little room to these critical spaces.

It's called greed. Jam in more cabins, but add not extra space other than the new cabins.

[jsn55]

27 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

It's called greed. Jam in more cabins, but add not extra space other than the new cabins.

AKA revenue management, enhanced profitability, solid bottom line ... all means the same tho.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, jsn55 said:

AKA revenue management, enhanced profitability, solid bottom line ... all means the same tho.

Though at some point, if you degrade the experience, demand and with it revenue might go down instead of up.

[ldubs]

15 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

I used to see on sailings out of Miami, large families group pretty much roped off an entire Lido area of a dozen or so tables.  The Carnival Lido seating makes this easy on some ships. No one challenged them, some one was there from morning to night.  

 

Yikes!  If seating was a premium, I'm surprised the ship staff didn't stop this.  

[donaldsc]

I might have missed this question so I will ask it - suppose there are bunch of people occupying a table for an extended period playing canasta or mahjong or they have arranged tables for a family get together.  What would happen if you complained to the buffet management?   Has anyone actually complained.  What do you think that management would do.

 

DON

[klfrodo]

2 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I might have missed this question so I will ask it - suppose there are bunch of people occupying a table for an extended period playing canasta or mahjong or they have arranged tables for a family get together.  What would happen if you complained to the buffet management?   Has anyone actually complained.  What do you think that management would do.

 

DON

Just my opinion, but I would think it all comes down to money. 

Are you Joe Schmoe and just want the table. Management's not going to do anything to disrupt a family who has every right to enjoy their vacation as does anyone else. Are they going to possibly start a huge fight to kick these people out? No

Are you a Saudi Prince who has booked all the suites for your family? Sorry canasta family, you're outta here.

 

No, I've never complained. None of my business. I may have had difficulty finding a place to sit during the busy hours, but I've always found somewhere to sit. And, if it's that busy, I just adjust my schedule.

[Charles4515]

16 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

I might have missed this question so I will ask it - suppose there are bunch of people occupying a table for an extended period playing canasta or mahjong or they have arranged tables for a family get together.  What would happen if you complained to the buffet management?   Has anyone actually complained.  What do you think that management would do.

 

DON

 

There are card rooms for playing cards or mahjong. As for family get togethers we have done about 17 or 18 group cruises and none of the group get togethers, we had some every sailing were arranged by guest relations to be in the buffet restaurant. It was always in a lounge or a section of a lounge. 

Edited June 24, 2023 by Charles4515

[Charles4515]

8 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

No, I've never complained. None of my business. I may have had difficulty finding a place to sit during the busy hours, but I've always found somewhere to sit. And, if it's that busy, I just adjust my

I mentioned before we have had success when there was difficulty finding a place to sit getting help from crew. Also most buffet dining areas have some sections of single seats. 

[ldubs]

8 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

There are card rooms for playing cards or mahjong. As for family get togethers we have done about 17 or 18 group cruises and none of the group get togethers, we had some every sailing were arranged by guest relations to be in the buffet restaurant. It was always in a lounge or a section of a lounge. 

 

On our last couple sailings (Princess) I seem to recall they would designate different lounges throughout the day for card/mahjongg players.  I saw some players in the buffet area but it was during off time when there were a lot of open tables.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

21 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Just my opinion, but I would think it all comes down to money. 

Are you Joe Schmoe and just want the table. Management's not going to do anything to disrupt a family who has every right to enjoy their vacation as does anyone else. Are they going to possibly start a huge fight to kick these people out? No

Are you a Saudi Prince who has booked all the suites for your family? Sorry canasta family, you're outta here.

 

No, I've never complained. None of my business. I may have had difficulty finding a place to sit during the busy hours, but I've always found somewhere to sit. And, if it's that busy, I just adjust my schedule.

 

Not when they don't follow the rules and basic courtesy and thereby prevent someone else from enjoying their vacation.

[jsn55]

14 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

On our last couple sailings (Princess) I seem to recall they would designate different lounges throughout the day for card/mahjongg players.  I saw some players in the buffet area but it was during off time when there were a lot of open tables.  

This is a great solution.  Much easier for a DR manager to sweetly tell the lingerers that there's a nice place just for them.  

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Not when they don't follow the rules and basic courtesy and thereby prevent someone else from enjoying their vacation.

There's a rule? Show me the rule please.

[Toofarfromthesea]

23 hours ago, klfrodo said:

There's a rule? Show me the rule please.

 

Upthread.  The notices on tables in Celebrity buffets.

 

But do we really need a rule about observing basic courtesy and consideration?  Those big groups know:

 

1) those tables are provided for people to eat at,

2) that they see people wandering about with trays of food looking for a place to sit and eat at the tables provided for that purpose, 

3) that there are OTHER places on the ship that are provided for the playing of games.

 

They are just being inconsiderate and discourteous, and it has nothing to do with enjoying their vacation.  At its core this is no different than chair-hogging by the pool.

 

Heck, when my family and I are eating at a crowded restaurant we always vacate right after we finish because we can see that people are waiting to be seated.  Now if the restaurant is half empty we might sit for a while, but not when people are waiting.

 

[BklynBoy8]

2 minutes ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Upthread.  The notices on tables in Celebrity buffets.

 

But do we really need a rule about observing basic courtesy and consideration?  Those big groups know:

 

1) those tables are provided for people to eat at,

2) that they see people wandering about with trays of food looking for a place to sit and eat at the tables provided for that purpose, 

3) that there are OTHER places on the ship that are provided for the playing of games.

 

They are just being inconsiderate and discourteous, and it has nothing to do with enjoying their vacation.  At its core this is no different than chair-hogging by the pool.

 

Heck, when my family and I are eating at a crowded restaurant we always vacate right after we finish because we can see that people are waiting to be seated.  Now if the restaurant is half empty we might sit for a while, but not when people are waiting.

 

Ditto......

 

BTW.....don't get started about Chair Hogging. That can be and has been threads on Cruise Critics in the past. I think certain Hogging is expected while cruising by passengers that may leave courtesy home with them.

 

But, please make the best of any vacations you book!

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

Ditto......

 

BTW.....don't get started about Chair Hogging. That can be and has been threads on Cruise Critics in the past. I think certain Hogging is expected while cruising by passengers that may leave courtesy home with them.

 

But, please make the best of any vacations you book!

 

Totally agree.  But it is part and parcel with this whole "it's MY vacation and I will enjoy it however I want" with an unspoken, but acted out, complete disregard for the people around me, attitude that is at the heart of chair hogging at the pool and table hogging at the buffet.

[Tronoboy]

Regarding use of tables in the "Lido" area, is this referring to the tables within the restaurant/buffet area or is it also tables within the area that is outside by the pool, on the Lido deck?

If within the buffet restaurant (which in many ships is on the "Lido" deck) then it would seem appropriate that the tables be used only for eating meals and not for passing the time in whatever manner during mealtimes (or maybe whenever).

But if the tables are outside, in the pool area, as many are, then what? I think that those are dual-purpose tables and can be used both for meals and non-meal activities. Then I say, stay as long as you wish to occupy the table, even if not eating. However, if we are going to require that these outside tables be considered part of the buffet restaurant during mealtimes and therefore not for other purposes, then those times would have to be specified by the ship or by consensus wouldn't they?

Maybe we should tackle the issue of poolside chair-hogs before the non-meal users of the "Lido tables" - after all, at least the table users are actually using the tables while the chair hogs are.....

(just occurred to me, there are times when the chair-hog is using a buffet table at the same time as a poolside lounger!)

 

In the end, I do like to live and let live - this sort of "misbehavior" I can deal with, as many in this thread have pointed out. It can be irritating however, of course.

[wineoclock]

We were on Silhouette on 29th May sailing. The buffet was a zoo between 12-2 especially on the two sea days & embarkation. One passenger we met called it ‘smash & grab’ lunch! We probably noticed it more as the ship was bursting at the seams due to U.K. school half term. 
 

There definitely weren’t enough tables for the passengers but I didn’t see card etc playing during those times.

 

The problem I think on X is that lunch service stops at 2.30 so people feel in a rush to get there. We just went a little later when it had calmed down but still had issues on a couple of the days after an excursion.