Please excuse my TRAY question, but.......

[KAYEF]

:(Sorry, I hadn't been on here for a few months and when I began again a few weeks ago there seemed to be lots of "talk" about trays. I didn't read those threads and now I'm wondering..............are there NO trays in the Lido now?

I'm taking my s-i-l on her first cruise and don't want to tell her things that aren't true; I can't imagine how one would get breakfast without a tray:confused: to carry our fruit, hot things, maybe a pastry and tea/coffee.

I need some reasurance here.:p

We will be on Ryndam to Alaska.

THANKS..................wish I'd known about CC before our first cruise.

[lovebug33]

Apparently, and the world is now about to end because of no trays.

[cdnguy]

Well, we do most of our cruising on Princess and they did away with trays on all their ships a couple of years ago. What they have instead of regular dinner plates are big platters for your food. Some like it as we do, some others still complain. There is a tendancy to load up more with platters but then again there's lots of space on the platter for other things.

BTW we're on the Volendam in Alaska in June.:)

[hammybee]

People will cope as most do, at buffets, everywhere.

[Krazy Kruizers]

It's been awhile since we cruised on Princess -- but I do remember that we had large oval plates in the Lido -- bigger than a dinner plate and they worked very well.

Is there a chance HAL might get something similar to the oval plates that Princess has?

[cruz chic]

It's been awhile since we cruised on Princess -- but I do remember that we had large oval plates in the Lido -- bigger than a dinner plate and they worked very well.

 

Is there a chance HAL might get something similar to the oval plates that Princess has?

I just got off the Grand Princess on Friday. They do have fairly big platters that work much better then the plates on HAL. Another thing that is much better then HAL is the fact that they had tons of servers to bring you your beverage as soon as you sat down. You did not need to juggle a beverage along with a plate. It was great. That said I'm not a fan of buffets and will always pick the dining room over the buffet. A few times I did do the buffets when shore excursions required it.

[Cracker Ken]

OK - So there are no more trays. I don't like it, but there's nothing we can do about it. So, I guess it means multiple trips. One trip for the food I want on the plate, and I supposed I could stuff my napkin and silver in my pants pocket during the first trip. Then I get in line again and get me a bowl of fruit, and maybe an orange juice. I take that to the table, then go for a cup of coffee. Next, I go back to the table and eat my cold plate of food. I suppose I could reverse the order, but you get the picture. Multiple trips through the crowds, when it would have been just 1 trip in the old days.

 

I suppose we could find us a place to buy a couple of buffet trays, and just put it in our luggage. It would be easy to pack and take up hardly no space at all. If we really want a tray, this idea would certainly work. It might look a little odd to be taking your own tray to the buffet in the morning, but it would work well, and make a statement too.

[jtl513]

... and I supposed I could stuff my napkin and silver in my pants pocket during the first trip.

Those are always on the tables.

[Harry1954]

Looks as though we will have to eat as the Italians do .. first the cold/hot prelim stuff, think salad for us. Then the prima piatta .. that would be sushi or soup or other such prelim ... then secondo piatto - the main course. Finally break pudding for me .. think dessert. We just go back for each part. I really do not see where there will be that much saving. Cafeteria style eating was invented many years ago and perfected for a reason.

 

Oh well, the times they are a changin' to quote Mickey Rooney .. or was it Bugs Bunny?

 

harry

[RuthC]

Those are always on the tables.

Not always. IIRC, when the Veendam was under Code Red, there were no set-ups on the tables.

I found it very difficult to carry one small plate of salad w/roll, plus the set-up, and a glass of whatever it was I got to drink.

[usha]

:eek:ANOTHER tray thread???:eek:

[Lurker1]

Looks as though we will have to eat as the Italians do .. first the cold/hot prelim stuff, think salad for us. Then the prima piatta .. that would be sushi or soup or other such prelim ... then secondo piatto - the main course. Finally break pudding for me .. think dessert. We just go back for each part. I really do not see where there will be that much saving. Cafeteria style eating was invented many years ago and perfected for a reason.

 

Oh well, the times they are a changin' to quote Mickey Rooney .. or was it Bugs Bunny?

 

harry

 

Believe it was Bob Dylan . . . don't know what he would think about trays in the Lido, though . . .

[Krazy Kruizers]

I just got off the Grand Princess on Friday. They do have fairly big platters that work much better then the plates on HAL. Another thing that is much better then HAL is the fact that they had tons of servers to bring you your beverage as soon as you sat down. You did not need to juggle a beverage along with a plate. It was great. That said I'm not a fan of buffets and will always pick the dining room over the buffet. A few times I did do the buffets when shore excursions required it.

 

So it sounds as though Princess is thinking about all the food people need to put onto one plate and have gone from the large oval plates to something like a platter.

Thanks for the information.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Not always. IIRC, when the Veendam was under Code Red, there were no set-ups on the tables.

I found it very difficult to carry one small plate of salad w/roll, plus the set-up, and a glass of whatever it was I got to drink.

 

 

You are right -- all the ships that we have been on that were in Code Red -- we were given the set-ups as we entered the buffet line -- had to carry everything -- nothing was on the tables.

[pipedreams62]

[jtl513]

Obviously she's unhappy about the dress code! :D

[usha]

epic!:D

[MadManOfBethesda]

I didn't read those threads and now I'm wondering..............are there NO trays in the Lido now?

 

You know, I've had that problem with various issues as well.

 

I see threads posing questions to which I'd like to know the answer, but instead of reading them I just end up wondering.

 

That is so frustrating to me. I wish there was an easy way to solve that problem.

[HALFans]

You know, I've had that problem with various issues as well.

 

I see threads posing questions to which I'd like to know the answer, but instead of reading them I just end up wondering.

 

That is so frustrating to me. I wish there was an easy way to solve that problem.

 

 

Sometime's it's better not to know??? ;)

 

(I just love this image for that question!)

[Copper10-8]

 

 

What are you doing in the oven, Jay?;)

[Boytjie]

Not always. IIRC, when the Veendam was under Code Red, there were no set-ups on the tables.

I found it very difficult to carry one small plate of salad w/roll, plus the set-up, and a glass of whatever it was I got to drink.

 

Strange.... Why would it make a difference as to where your cutlery was: on the table or in the buffet line?

[lovebug33]

I think the end to all of this is that it is safer to not have the trays. After reading some people's answers, I wouldn't touch a tray if there was one available. Here's my suggestion: Vegas is in desperate need of tourists. None of the buffets here have trays. So, come, spend some money in my fair town, and practice not having a tray. Then, it won't be so bad when you get on the cruise. Take this from an experienced, 32 year vet of the buffet system! :D

[Millie6]

So it sounds as though Princess is thinking about all the food people need to put onto one plate and have gone from the large oval plates to something like a platter.

 

Thanks for the information.

We were just on the Sapphire Princess in February - no trays, no silver on the table or anyone handing it to us in line, we picked it up at the entrance to the buffet. If you forgot, you had to fight your way through a line up to get at it. (They actually had an entrance and an exit to the buffet, and if you try and exit at the entrance, perhaps because you had to go back there for your napkin and cutlery, you get scowled at by those waiting to get in.)

 

The large oval plates/platters were a little larger than the dinner plates - you could maybe add a bun or fruit to your meal. Nobody was running around offering beverages. It was just stupid, as is the no tray policy.:confused:

 

They also had desserts in amongst the main dishes (they were warm ones like puddings) which was really weird. Then they had a salad bar in the middle of the buffet area, so if you got out of the entree line to see the salads, you lost your place.

[pipedreams62]

OK - So there are no more trays. I don't like it, but there's nothing we can do about it. So, I guess it means multiple trips. One trip for the food I want on the plate, and I supposed I could stuff my napkin and silver in my pants pocket during the first trip.

[rochelle_s]

 

Copper 10-8,

 

He is obviously checking to see if the bulb needs changing! ;)

 

Rochelle