WOULD YOU RATHER ? .......

[doone]

I prefer the crew serving me, I can't stand the thought of all those grubby hands all over those serving utensils.........people can be so gross!!!  This is one reason I sail HAL, don't change!!

[GlennG]

My wife and I are very grateful that Holland America Line has a crew of people who serve passengers choosing to eat in the Lido.

[albingirl]

I prefer to be served.  I've watched people, on many occasions, put their hands over the plastic slider protecting the food, to point to what they want.  As if nobody understands English.  It's rude and unacceptable to act that way.  

[mcrcruiser]

For good health reasons we like the way HAL does the service in the Lido 

[wombatKY]

1 hour ago, ottahand7 said:

I prefer the crew serving the food. Mentioned above it can also stop food wastage.  People would grab a pile of shrimp or roast beef, eat half, then decide it is time for dessert.  Every time using self serve like cheese or cereal I put my food down on my table and go to the hand sanitizer.  I know it isn't that effective versus Noro just the mechanics of a generous amount of liquid plus vigorous drying can remove some virus. 

 

I do the same thing, but I carry my hand sanitizer with me.  I love the ships that have the hand washing station in the Lido. Soap and water is right there. 

 

My other area of concern are the chairs in the Lido. They are touched a lot too. I have hospital wipes that I use on those.

 

[Daisyloo]

I prefer the staff to serve in the buffet.  We mostly sail on HAL, but also sail on Princess and they have self serve in their buffet.  I have witnessed too many incidents of passengers not washing their hands before entering the buffet, licking their fingers, eating while in line, coughing into their hands then touching the serving utensils, picking up food with their bare hands, etc etc etc.  So when we are on Princess we avoid the buffet whenever we can.  

[DFWGUYZ]

Crew served is my choice. Perhaps this should be asked as a poll.

[carolina_yankee]

I am definitely I the self-serve camp. I like what I like and I want to put together my plate the way I want to put it together. Obviously, I am fine with a dish that is made to order (sandwich, omelet) or carving station being handled by the crew, but if it's just ladling food out, I want to choose my own, and I definitely want to choose my own with regard to sauces, dressings, and salads.

 

I recognize the sanitary issues at play. It's never been an issue for me. Should that every change, my opinion might, but I do wash my hands before entering and sanitize before eating from the buffet.

 

I may actually be a deal-break for me between choosing HAL or Celebrity for an upcoming cruise.

[Sir PMP]

16 hours ago, SUESEABE said:

 

They should have thrown the teenager out.

[foodsvcmgr]

I appreciate the sanitation concerns but prefer mostly self service for the excellent reasons Fla Mariner has pointed out.

If you are somewhat particular about your food a lot of time is wasted in the process of explaining that to the line server.

[Beach710]

I like the crew to serve at the buffet. It's a plus in the column for HAL when considering which cruise line to choose.  I don't mind waiting a little longer to get food other people haven't touched. 

[*Miss G*]

2 hours ago, carolina_yankee said:

but if it's just ladling food out, I want to choose my own, and I definitely want to choose my own with regard to sauces, dressings, and salads.

You still get to choose your own and how you want it. It’s just that you are not the one handling the utensils. 

Edited August 27 by *Miss G*
Thanks, Autocorrect.

[Kay S]

3 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

 

If you are somewhat particular about your food a lot of time is wasted in the process of explaining that to the line server.

What else would you be doing with that time? 🙂

[d9704011]

33 minutes ago, Kay S said:

What else would you be doing with that time? 🙂

Putting what you want on your plate and moving along.

Edited August 27 by d9704011

[*Miss G*]

52 minutes ago, Kay S said:

What else would you be doing with that time? 🙂

 

I guess, in that 30 seconds, I could be checking my nails. 💅

[srsurman]

23 hours ago, RClark6369@aol.com said:

Would you rather for the crew to dip out your dining choices or dip them yourself in the Lido restaurant ?

I'm still fixated on what part of the world uses slang like "dip out" and "dip them yourself."

[Mary229]

18 minutes ago, srsurman said:

I'm still fixated on what part of the world uses slang like "dip out" and "dip them yourself."

The person is from Georgia, it says so below his name  Does that help?

[Caribbean Chris]

I’m definitely in the crew serving column. I’ve been very favorably impressed by the speed and agility of HAL servers as they put together a salad, make an omelet to order, etc. They are so well-trained.

[rothbury]

Years ago, we watched as a full-grown man started picking pepperoni off of pizza in the Lido.  Between bites he would lick his fingers before picking off another piece.  Until they went to the crew service for pizza we would never eat pizza in the Lido.  We've seen people reach in and grab a handful of potato chips and cookies.  If it not crew served, we stay away from it.

[Mtn2Sea]

If they would allow me five minutes in the Lido before letting anyone else in the door, I would opt for self serve, but since HAL won’t accommodate me that way, I vote for the crew serving the food due to numerous OMG I can’t believe they (passengers) did that moments.