Buffet Bugs

[Tomcruise92]

The points mentioned in this thread is why I personally hope Princess role out ‘The Eatery’ concept across all their ships. It is also more civilised than the buffet. 

Edited July 26 by Tomcruise92

[eclue]

We have over 75 cruises completed - 60 on Princess..We always eat at the buffet and have never been sick...Wearing gloves will not prevent transfer of airborne illness.. Just keep your immune system healthy , wash your hands before you eat and please do not jam in to those elevators. That is where people get sick. If they jam in, I just get out and take the stairs.

 

[dockman]

1 hour ago, eclue said:

We have over 75 cruises completed - 60 on Princess..We always eat at the buffet and have never been sick...Wearing gloves will not prevent transfer of airborne illness.. Just keep your immune system healthy , wash your hands before you eat and please do not jam in to those elevators. That is where people get sick. If they jam in, I just get out and take the stairs.

 

No gloves don't stop airborne but IMO every bit helps...consider yourself lucky to have never been sick...i am overall a pretty healthy guy with around 100 total cruises but every now and then something gets me and so anything i can do to mitigate my risk is ok with me.

[dockman]

2 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

And if he drops something he picks it up off the floor with his gloved hand or touches his hair, face etc....... Only if they change the gloves are they accomplishing the goal of reducing the transmission of germs. In many cases the gloves are protecting the wearer of the gloves.

I would be willing to bet that if a holland server drops something he doesn't just pick it up off the floor and carry on.  If he was spotted doing that he would likely get a harsh rebuke or worse.  Even if he touches his face the gloved hand is not likely touching the food of anything other than the handle of the spoon or tongs and not being passed along for dozens of other people to touch.

 

 I agree it is not perfect but overall i would suspect strongly bet that the fewer people who touch the tongs the better.

[ldubs]

Crowed places, like cruise ships, pose significantly greater exposure to bacteria and viruses.  And some folks are more susceptible than others.  Steps taken to reduce the risk might not be 100# and are subject to failure, but they are always good. 

[Cruise Raider]

@dockman

I wish to commend you for staying in while being sick.  I think the #1 reason people get sick is because others knowingly go out and about, even when knowing they are contagious and many don’t bother to cover their coughs or sneezes.  
 

[dockman]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

@dockman

I wish to commend you for staying in while being sick.  I think the #1 reason people get sick is because others knowingly go out and about, even when knowing they are contagious and many don’t bother to cover their coughs or sneezes.  
 

Thank you.

 

Well it also happened to be when we had about 7 straight days of wind rain cold fog...so that meant no sitting outside anyway....i even told my  room steward he did not need to clean my room as i did not want to expose him but naturally he insisted to do it anyway at least once a day.  At the very end of the cruise i was feeling lot better and not contagious and the sun came out for the last day or so back into vancouver so i did go out on open back deck a few times.  On disembarkation I sure heard lots of coughing so guess i was not only one who caught the bug.

[vakamalua]

We avoid the buffet at all costs.  Not just to avoid illness but hate the crowds, wandering around with a tray looking for a table, food that's been there a while & possiblity touched / put back, etc.  

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, dockman said:

Thank you.

 

Well it also happened to be when we had about 7 straight days of wind rain cold fog...so that meant no sitting outside anyway....i even told my  room steward he did not need to clean my room as i did not want to expose him but naturally he insisted to do it anyway at least once a day.  At the very end of the cruise i was feeling lot better and not contagious and the sun came out for the last day or so back into vancouver so i did go out on open back deck a few times.  On disembarkation I sure heard lots of coughing so guess i was not only one who caught the bug.

I am so happy you were salvage the last days of your cruise.  
 

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, vakamalua said:

We avoid the buffet at all costs.  Not just to avoid illness but hate the crowds, wandering around with a tray looking for a table, food that's been there a while & possiblity touched / put back, etc.  

 

While the buffet isn't always our first choice, there are times for lunch or a late dinner after a long port day where we find it our best option. Yes, it is crowded at times, but no one is wandering around with trays. Princess does not provide trays and hasn't for as long as I can remember cruising with Princess. Most people find their table first and either hold it by placing personal items there, or doing what my husband and I do, and taking turns - one sitting at the table while the other person gets food on individual plates.

 

And while I have seen some rather unpleasant behaviors in the buffet, I have not commonly witnessed people actually putting food on their plate and then taking it off and putting it back. Although they aren't always serving they do have staff working behind the bar to monitor the dishes and refresh them, so it isn't completely the Wild West. 

 

In general, the food is basic, there are lots of choices, especially vegetables and fruit if you are trying to eat a bit healthier or maintain some control of your choices. The meat at the carving station is often better, and served hot, compared to what you get in the MDR, and you have decent options. We generally prefer the MDR or restaurants onboard, but when we do eat at the buffet we always find something we like and I appreciate even the ability to just make a nice salad along side a bowl of soup for lunch sometimes. 

 

If people would just follow common sense approaches mentioned here to maintaining hand hygiene, most issues related to droplet borne illness would be easily avoided. And a little consideration, patience, and polite behavior by all could improve the entire experience because in general, the issue isn't the buffet itself, the servers working there, or the food - it is the rude and obnoxious behavior of a small subset of passengers who fail to remember they are sharing a ship with other people and that the entire world does not revolve around them or their immediate needs and demands.

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

@dockman

I wish to commend you for staying in while being sick.  I think the #1 reason people get sick is because others knowingly go out and about, even when knowing they are contagious and many don’t bother to cover their coughs or sneezes.  
 

 

Remember the medical forms we filled out during embarkation in the old days.  The questions about have you a cold, cough, etc, etc, were never answered honestly.   

[EDVM96]

Another "better not answer" thread. 🤣

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, karatemom2 said:

 

 

 

If people would just follow common sense approaches mentioned here to maintaining hand hygiene, most issues related to droplet borne illness would be easily avoided. 

What are the odds of that?

[EDVM96]

Karen manages the rest.

[karatemom2]

56 minutes ago, Kay S said:

What are the odds of that?

Like pretty much zero sadly. That’s why all you can do is the best to try to protect yourself. But it would be nice if we could all be more considerate in the sandbox. Pie in the sky, I know. 

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Remember the medical forms we filled out during embarkation in the old days.  The questions about have you a cold, cough, etc, etc, were never answered honestly.   

We’ve always bought the Princess insurance (now we have an annual policy) so, instead of lying on the form, we did cancel one of our cruises.  
I can’t imagine being willing to lie about my health for selfish reasons.  It’s shameful anyone would do that.  

[HaveDogWillTravel]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

We’ve always bought the Princess insurance (now we have an annual policy) so, instead of lying on the form, we did cancel one of our cruises.  
I can’t imagine being willing to lie about my health for selfish reasons.  It’s shameful anyone would do that.  

Yes me too. Cancelled with less than a week to sail. Our annual plan covered it as well. 

[Kay S]

Remember the "form ladies" who wouldn't let you through the doors until you filled out the health form?  The one in San Pedro were especially ferocious!  😄

[susancruzs]

Interesting read, 2 things I avoid on a cruise, buffet area and elevators.  I've been on board 30 days, never once to the buffet, a few times in an elevator.  Just my personal choice, I'm older but I can use the stairs.

[Iamcruzin]

On 7/25/2024 at 10:11 AM, sunviking90 said:

Whew, when I saw your title, I thought you were talking about the creepy crawly bugs! 
We consider the buffet a hazmat zone and proceed accordingly. There’s a lot you just can’t “unsee” in the buffet.

It also peaked my interest for the same reason.  Turned out to be click bate. Same old poor hygiene thread.  

[sunviking90]

12 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

It also peaked my interest for the same reason.  Turned out to be click bate. Same old poor hygiene thread.  

I don’t think calling it “click bait” is really appropriate.

[Iamcruzin]

1 minute ago, sunviking90 said:

I don’t think calling it “click bait” is really appropriate.

When you are drawn in by a title expecting to read about insects and it turns out to be about a virus that's the definition of click bait. The buffets have been a breading ground for disease long before covid and will continue to be as long as they leave food out and passengers are helping themselves and are breathing around it . All of the hand sanitizer in the world won't prevent germs. 

[Cruisemeister2002]

21 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

@dockman

I wish to commend you for staying in while being sick.  I think the #1 reason people get sick is because others knowingly go out and about, even when knowing they are contagious and many don’t bother to cover their coughs or sneezes.  
 

There would not be this problem if cruise lines and insurance company's got their act together. People who have coughs and cold won't forgo their cruise because unless you have a doctors certificate (sick note) they won't pay out and the cruise line takes your money and you lose your cruise also. Last year I cruised with P&O in March/April a 35 nighter to the Caribbean, USA/Mexico. The amount of people who had coughs was beyond belief. Neither I or my wife had any problems when we boarded, but she had a few days where she was in the cabin. I tested us for Covid but the tests were negative. Although a section of our ship had men sectioning off a corridor in order to spray the area. This disclaimer that you sign saying you haven't been ill in the last two weeks is bunkum as nobody will want to be turned away from a cruise they have maybe saved all year for and most working class people can't afford to lose thousands.

[555]

To all those that avoid the buffet: thank you.

It leaves more food & room for the rest of us. 🤓😄

[Cruise Raider]

55 minutes ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

There would not be this problem if cruise lines and insurance company's got their act together. People who have coughs and cold won't forgo their cruise because unless you have a doctors certificate (sick note) they won't pay out and the cruise line takes your money and you lose your cruise also. Last year I cruised with P&O in March/April a 35 nighter to the Caribbean, USA/Mexico. The amount of people who had coughs was beyond belief. Neither I or my wife had any problems when we boarded, but she had a few days where she was in the cabin. I tested us for Covid but the tests were negative. Although a section of our ship had men sectioning off a corridor in order to spray the area. This disclaimer that you sign saying you haven't been ill in the last two weeks is bunkum as nobody will want to be turned away from a cruise they have maybe saved all year for and most working class people can't afford to lose thousands.

I don’t place the blame on the cruise lines or insurance companies.  The blame solely lies with those that know they are sick and don't take any measures to isolate themselves from others.  Would they do the same at home?  Some do, some don’t.  It’s the ones that don’t that are the problem.  
I know if I’m sick at party time, I turn down any invitations I may have received.  I contracted CoVid from someone at a party that wasn’t honest about their health and missed out on a free cruise.  😖 

I stick with my statement on commending the OP for self isolating when feeling sick!    It won’t be a foolproof solution but they probably saved hundreds of others from also getting sick.