Buffet restaurant questions

[cricketgal]

It's been quite a few years since we have cruised Celebrity, but looking forward to being with them again. A few questions:

 

1. Do they still have waiters at the buffet restaurant to carry your tray for you and find you a table, as they used to?
   
2. At lunch, do they still have fresh made to order pasta stations in the buffet?
   
3. Are there waiters readily (I know....define readily ;)) available to provide wine/drinks (we have drink package)?
   
4. How is the food quality overall at the buffet restaurant for lunch and breakfast?
   
5. in recent years, we have done quite a few Princess cruises and while we enjoy Princess, we find the buffet very poorly designed. Will we find Celebrity more similar to RCCL in that it has a better flow to the food station layout?
   

[dolittle]

No they dont carry your tray to the tables any more in I think they stoped around 05 . I am pretty sure they have the Pasta stations as far as the designs of the buffet the newer ships have everything at stations it is easy with little or no wait. As for the quality it is mostly good it can get a little repative on a longer cruise I like the asian at lunch good egg rolls and rice with a lot of good sauces. In the moring I like the fresh ccoked eggs they do a great job and are nice ,after a few days they rember you and know how you like your eggs.

Edited November 21, 2013 by dolittle

[cle-guy]

Also there are no longer trays!

 

I was on Eclipse TA and noticed no trays. May be a S-Class thing as well?

[xjeddax]

The above posters have answered the questions about the trays and waiters.

 

And yes, the pasta station was still there on my cruise that ended yesterday: from lunch time right through to after dinner.

 

There are waiters asking after drinks, but I found them few and far between.

 

I thought for breakfast the food quality was great, I enjoyed everything I ate. But we preferred the main dining room for lunch - I only ate lunch in the buffet twice for my 18 day cruise.

[bighairtexan]

The quality is very good (for a buffet) and the layout is excellent w/ stations instead of a long line. S-class having a better layout. I know what you mean about the buffet on Princess. Lots of bottlenecks.

 

No trays on any ships any more and not even a ledge to put it on should you have one.

 

And I agree, waiters are not nearly as omnipresent as they used to be. I remember it was difficult to carry my own tray because someone was always trying to carry it for me despite gentle protestations that I was capable of doing it. Also I've notice a marked decrease in bar wait staff in the buffet, the MDR, the pool and the theater. BUt I noticed that on Princess also.

[islandchick]

I can tell you that beverage service and bussing of tables is almost non existent. The S class ships buffet stations are set up nicely, but the M class is horrible. We try to avoid the buffet and would much rather go to the for fee venues to get proper service.

[20pluscruises]

It's been quite a few years since we have cruised Celebrity, but looking forward to being with them again. A few questions:

 

1. Do they still have waiters at the buffet restaurant to carry your tray for you and find you a table, as they used to?
   
2. At lunch, do they still have fresh made to order pasta stations in the buffet?
   
3. Are there waiters readily (I know....define readily ;)) available to provide wine/drinks (we have drink package)?
   
4. How is the food quality overall at the buffet restaurant for lunch and breakfast?
   
5. in recent years, we have done quite a few Princess cruises and while we enjoy Princess, we find the buffet very poorly designed. Will we find Celebrity more similar to RCCL in that it has a better flow to the food station layout?
   

 

They now have a small bar in the buffet area for drinks and soda

[Shake]

Thankfully the trays and one long food line is only history. :cool:

 

Much easier for choices with the help of the Island Bar concept.

[sddsddean]

One tip I picked up on the Eclipse this summer (don't know if its just the Eclipse, S class or all ships!) is that if you want to skip dinner in the evening and want a less formal meal, go up to the buffet. At the rear portside station (near the desserts) they do a steak bar every night. They are to die for! One night I had two fillet steaks...just because I could!!:D Definately an option to look into.

 

Simon

[Lsimon]

It's been quite a few years since we have cruised Celebrity, but looking forward to being with them again. A few questions:

 

1. Do they still have waiters at the buffet restaurant to carry your tray for you and find you a table, as they used to?
   
2. At lunch, do they still have fresh made to order pasta stations in the buffet?
   
3. Are there waiters readily (I know....define readily ;)) available to provide wine/drinks (we have drink package)?
   
4. How is the food quality overall at the buffet restaurant for lunch and breakfast?
   
5. in recent years, we have done quite a few Princess cruises and while we enjoy Princess, we find the buffet very poorly designed. Will we find Celebrity more similar to RCCL in that it has a better flow to the food station layout?
   

 

1. Waiters to carry your tray are very scarce and not available for most passengers. If someone needs assistance there are a few people who can help around but you'll have to find them and ask. Anyone who really needs help should seek out one of the managers in the area - there are usually more than one at busy times.

 

2. Yes! It is excellent

 

3. Yes and no. There are a few around but they are really busy at busy times and will get several orders from different people before heading to fill them so service is very slow. If you're in a rush then head to the bar in the buffet area on your own.

 

4. I think it is excellent - others have mixed opinions

 

5. The flow on S class is very good as it is set up with smaller stations. M class has stations too but it is converted from, and along the old, single line buffet. So it appears to be one line but it is not. If you are on an M class then on your first trip to the buffet for each of lunch and breakfast do not immediately get in line at the front! Instead take a "tour" by walking completely around the buffet, down one side, around the back, and up the other side to see all the different stations and the way the lines form before picking what you want. And don't forget the grill serving great burgers and hot dogs just outside the buffet by the pool - you can grab a plate there and bring it back to join your traveling companions in the buffet if you'd like.

[cricketgal]

Thanks for all the great responses and info. I must say that was a nice extra service when they carried your tray to a table for you, even though I am perfectly capable of carrying my own :).

 

We much prefer being served to a buffet, so always go to dining room or specialty restaurant for dinner, but sometimes do buffet for lunch or breakfast.

 

Info re drinks was pretty much what I expected, sounds like we would be better to get them beforehand, correct?

[Lsimon]

Thanks for all the great responses and info. I must say that was a nice extra service when they carried your tray to a table for you, even though I am perfectly capable of carrying my own :).

 

We much prefer being served to a buffet, so always go to dining room or specialty restaurant for dinner, but sometimes do buffet for lunch or breakfast.

 

Info re drinks was pretty much what I expected, sounds like we would be better to get them beforehand, correct?

 

We almost always end up having breakfast and lunch in the buffet and rarely if ever go to the MDR for these meals as we prefer the buffet's selection and convenience. Unfortunately the buffet has pros and cons. The biggest pro for me is the great selection. The biggest con is the way the self service seems to interfere with enjoying the meal with your traveling companions as it seems that a good percentage of the time someone is off getting something while the other is at the table.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Lsimon

[Turtles06]

The S class ships buffet stations are set up nicely, but the M class is horrible.

 

Having recently returned from the Infinity TA, and also sailed on the Eclipse, I agree with you totally. The M-class buffet layout is horribly obsolete (one friend called it "a high school cafeteria without the trays") and made the place feel crowded all the time. Plus, part of the buffet is so physically separated from the rest that I that I probably would never have noticed it for days were it not for Cruise Critic. Really poor design; the place needs to be torn up and modernized. We avoided the buffet as much as possible and ate far more breakfasts and lunches and the MDR than we usually do.

 

The buffet on the Eclipse was wonderful -- the layout as well as the food.

[Cruisercl]

I am taking my first Celebrity cruise in Jan 2014; I am a bit surprised about no trays in the buffet dining area.

 

How do you carry all of your stuff? I am not sure I like leaving my food on a table to run back and forth to get the rest of my dinner etc., especially if there is no wait staff.

Very interesting......:(

[Lsimon]

I am taking my first Celebrity cruise in Jan 2014; I am a bit surprised about no trays in the buffet dining area.

 

How do you carry all of your stuff? I am not sure I like leaving my food on a table to run back and forth to get the rest of my dinner etc., especially if there is no wait staff.

Very interesting......:(

 

There have been a lot of Cruise Critic threads debating this in the past, but it is what it is.

 

Think of it as a buffet at a nice restaurant, wedding or catered event. Have you ever seen trays at that type of setting? The key here is that it is a buffet and not a cafeteria.

 

Unless things have changed, they do have trays on the M class ships which at one time were organized more like a cafeteria than a buffet. But the S class ships are much more buffet style with different serving stations and wouldn't even have a place at the stations to set your tray down.

 

If it is any consolation they do have some really large plates.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Lsimon

[Turtles06]

Unless things have changed, they do have trays on the M class ships which at one time were organized more like a cafeteria than a buffet. .

 

No trays this month on the Infinity. And still more like a cafeteria than a buffet. In fact, as I noted above, one friend on board called it "a high school cafeteria without the trays."

[islandchick]

If there were servers getting drinks, etc then no trays would be no big deal, however you have to get everything yourself and then it becomes a pain in the ......

[JJPacer]

Most cruise lines have gone to no trays. No trays on the lines we have sailed. There are large plates, big enough to carry normal portions of salad, fruit, entrée, veggies, etc. If we have dessert, we make a second trip for it. I haven't mastered carrying the large plate and a drink. So, either the waiter gets it for me, or I make a separate trip for it. It is what it is. :)

[Denny01]

Altough we don't use the buffet a lot, we loved it on Celebrity especially the Solstice Class. The stations are very efficient and make it very quick. I know some say there aren't enough changes, but there are so many choices that I can't see how anyone could get bored.

 

Excellent choice and quality for a buffet.

 

As to service, if I needed a special drink, they were always available. Dropped my silverware one time and a waiter was right there with a replacement.

 

Enjoy!

 

Den

[Shake]

Thanks for all the great responses and info. I must say that was a nice extra service when they carried your tray to a table for you, even though I am perfectly capable of carrying my own :).

 

We much prefer being served to a buffet, so always go to dining room or specialty restaurant for dinner, but sometimes do buffet for lunch or breakfast.

 

Info re drinks was pretty much what I expected, sounds like we would be better to get them beforehand, correct?

 

 

That's right. Get your drinks first and put them on the table then go get your hot food.

 

Why get your hot food first then let it get cold while your getting your drinks?? What an Amazing Timing Concept!!!!

 

And Thank Goodness........ Trays are going, going GONE.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Shake

[varoo]

I am taking my first Celebrity cruise in Jan 2014; I am a bit surprised about no trays in the buffet dining area.

 

How do you carry all of your stuff? I am not sure I like leaving my food on a table to run back and forth to get the rest of my dinner etc., especially if there is no wait staff.

Very interesting......:(

For breakfast, you have the choice of getting your coffee or tea first and leave it sitting on the table getting cold while you go to get your food.

 

Or else you can get the food first and leave it to get cold while you go for the drinks.

 

If you want cold drinks and get them first, the ice is melted by the time you get back with the food.

 

It is what it is, mainly a nuisance.

If you want to eat in a civilized manner with separate dishes for your cereal, pancakes, eggs, fruit, etc. it requires dashing back and forth.

Otherwise you end up dumping all the different kinds of food together on one of those big plates - ugh.

 

That is what they hope people will do because it results in fewer dishes for them to wash.

 

We have learned that relaxing conversation with tablemates is almost impossible while attempting to dine that way.

The buffet areas are crowded during those peak times and one person is always getting up to go for something else while another stays behind to hold the table.

More and more we find ourselves ordering room service and eating breakfast on the balcony, or going to the dining room.

 

If we want something else from the buffet, like waffles, we just go up and get that item separately later.

[Shermcruiser]

There are still trays on the Century.

[tip]

If you want to eat in a civilized manner with separate dishes for your cereal, pancakes, eggs, fruit, etc. it requires dashing back and forth.

Otherwise you end up dumping all the different kinds of food together on one of those big plates - ugh.

 

 

 

Oh my, I must be so uncivilized!:rolleyes: For years I have been eating pancakes, eggs, breakfast meats, toast, fruit, (etc., etc.) off of the same plate!

[cricketgal]

That's right. Get your drinks first and put them on the table then go get your hot food.

 

Why get your hot food first then let it get cold while your getting your drinks?? What an Amazing Timing Concept!!!!

 

And Thank Goodness........ Trays are going, going GONE.

 

Do I detect sarcasm?:cool:. What I meant was "get your drinks yourselves first as opposed to the likelihood of having them served to us". Sheesh!

 

I don't mind not having a tray as we don't feel the need to heap copious amounts of food on various plates, one will suffice.

 

I agree with the other posters though, usually preferable to have room service on your balcony

[Fouremco]

Most cruise lines have gone to no trays. No trays on the lines we have sailed. There are large plates, big enough to carry normal portions of salad, fruit, entrée, veggies, etc. If we have dessert, we make a second trip for it. I haven't mastered carrying the large plate and a drink. So, either the waiter gets it for me, or I make a separate trip for it. It is what it is. :)

I'm surprised to see you say that, as you indicate in your signature block that you have taken several HAL cruises and that you were on the Noordam this February. We did the 21 day collector cruise on the Noordam in February-March of this year, and they certainly had trays then. Judging by recent posts on the forum, HAL continues to use them fleet wide.

 

While I was initially a proponent of trays, after our experience on the Noordam and having having read many of the threads pro and con trays, I've changed my mind and look forward to eating trayless on the Eclipse this coming February-March.