Buffets on Riviera not self service?

[keithm]

IMHO, the food in the Cunard grills is sometimes much better.

The food on Oceania is often very good but sometimes mediocre. They have certainly found a marketing niche in promoting their food and to some extent it's warranted.

Without a doubt the food in the Queens Grill on the QM2 was the best we ever had at sea. Those were a couple of "halo" cruises we did several years back. We do more modest means now. We've done 3 trips on the Celebrity Eclipse(2014/2015/2017) & one on Regal Princess (2016)The food overall was extremely good(not true gourmet, but still very good overall) The 2017 trip on the Eclipse, the food was fair to at times rather poor. The "chic" nights had better fare, but we just couldn't believe the quality could drop so much in just 1 year. We also always do a table for 2. Being a gay couple, we have no need to have tablemates with antigay attitudes. It's not happened to us, but have met quite a few who had issues. That being said how many tables for 2 does Oceania usually have? Figure we're looking at Marina/Riviera.

[Paulchili]

You should have no trouble at all getting a table for 2 at any restaurant.

MDR may be a bit more difficult if eating at height of dinner hour - may involve a short wait (easier and more choices when eating early). We often see a couple at a table for 4.

[Hlitner]

A couple of comments about the posts. Somebody mentioned that O's buffet is not like a "cafeteria"....hence there are no trays. Quite a few cruise lines (even lower class cruise lines) have eliminated trays for multiple reasons (health, folks can not carry as much food, energy savings not washing trays, etc). And as to limiting self service, this is happening throughout the cruise industry...as a means of reducing the risk of Noro (and other nasty things) transmission. HAL has already converted all of its buffets to crew served stations.

 

Hank

[LHT28]

Someone correct me if wrong but did Oceania have trays back in the early years ??

My memory is probably faulty at this stage of my advanced age but I was thinking on our 1st cruise in 2004 there were trays

maybe I was confusing O with one of the main stream lines

 

Just curious if anyone remembers trays on O ??

[orchestrapal]

Someone correct me if wrong but did Oceania have trays back in the early years ??

My memory is probably faulty at this stage of my advanced age but I was thinking on our 1st cruise in 2004 there were trays

maybe I was confusing O with one of the main stream lines

Just curious if anyone remembers trays on O ??

 

I don't remember them ever having trays but they did have more waiters who took plates to the tables.

[Mura]

It does make sense that more lines (whether luxury or not) are avoiding the trays and self-service in the buffet. That Oceania has done so for years just makes them ahead of the crowd is all.

 

I do remember trays when Renaissance was in existence but quite frankly don't remember if Oceania was still using them on our first early cruise with them (early 2003 or 2004, I forget which).

 

It amuses me that sometimes waiters spring into action to take my plate to our table and other times they figure I'm mobile ..

[LHT28]

I don't remember them ever having trays but they did have more waiters who took plates to the tables.

Yes maybe I was thinking of the cafeteria on Princess

I do remember the 1st cruise with the waiters always wanting to carry my plate ..not something I like but easier to go with the flow than argue with them :halo:

[janecambridge]

A few years back,Princess abandoned their trays as they could not be properly and sufficiently cleaned at the high temperatures needed to eliminate certain viruses/bacteria.

[Hawaiidan]

Thanks LHT.

 

So that presumably means there's a serving station where the server will put everything I want on the plate? Rather than the usual self-serve long section where there's, say, proteins at one end and then you pass along the various vegetables, etc? If so, that sounds a much better system - buffet queues can get silly while people differ about deciding what they want, while your lunch is getting cold.

 

 

There are NO que or lines Foods are arranged by cuisine not type at the carving station, potatoes, veg, sauce, es, At Grill all sorts of side dishes. and soup, There are 9 main sections Tapas Carving station as described, Grill station with the stuff like carving, A cuisine of the day, Italian, French, German, Asian, Seafood with their side dishes Then Salad/bread station with 5 or 6 choices, A Cheese station, A sushi station, A desert pastry station, A ice cream station

 

You ask for an item, then for another and they may pass the plate to another station that has what you want

the buffets feed from all directions there is no que line as there are 9 different feeds with 2 or 3 cooks at each station. so 27 people can get served at a time Most people do a salad and appetizer run then go back for the main meal choice. Drinks will be served at the table and ordered from the table Then a desert run.. There are no trays no lines and no structured orders to obey... except you dont touch till the plate is entirely complete.

It is all very smooth and the only standing is to point at the stuff you want.... they will mix and match... IE a slice of prime rub from carving a lobster tail from Grill veg from any station,.

I loath the pig-trough buffet lines of other ships where people with trays attempt to load them beyond their ability to cary them....feeding frenzy The Germans have a word for it "FRESSING" ( look it up)

[UAL_FlyGal]

We spent 6 months on Insignia last year and ate most of our meals in Terrace. We got to know the young men and women there very well. Many, if not most, have their Bachelors degrees and all are multi-lingual.

Now that's FABULOUS!!

[MarkieMarkNYC]

There are NO que or lines Foods are arranged by cuisine not type at the carving station, potatoes, veg, sauce, es, At Grill all sorts of side dishes. and soup, There are 9 main sections Tapas Carving station as described, Grill station with the stuff like carving, A cuisine of the day, Italian, French, German, Asian, Seafood with their side dishes Then Salad/bread station with 5 or 6 choices, A Cheese station, A sushi station, A desert pastry station, A ice cream station

 

You ask for an item, then for another and they may pass the plate to another station that has what you want

the buffets feed from all directions there is no que line as there are 9 different feeds with 2 or 3 cooks at each station. so 27 people can get served at a time Most people do a salad and appetizer run then go back for the main meal choice. Drinks will be served at the table and ordered from the table Then a desert run.. There are no trays no lines and no structured orders to obey... except you dont touch till the plate is entirely complete.

It is all very smooth and the only standing is to point at the stuff you want.... they will mix and match... IE a slice of prime rub from carving a lobster tail from Grill veg from any station,.

I loath the pig-trough buffet lines of other ships where people with trays attempt to load them beyond their ability to cary them....feeding frenzy The Germans have a word for it "FRESSING" ( look it up)

Thank you for clearing that up.

[Harters]

Great explanation, Hawaiidan. Many thanks.

 

Like you, I hate the feeding frenzy that you can get with a buffet. And I hate standing there with meat on my plate going cold, while I'm waiting for some idiot to decide if they are actually going to put cucumber on their plate and move along to let me get to the salads.

[sandbag7]

Who should I believe, my memory from earlier this year or these posts?

I don't know anything about Hawaiidan's Tapas carving station. I did experience some queuing at popular stations though nothing too problematic.

I typically handed my plate to a server who provided sushi or cheese or whatever - my plate was returned to me and I went to the next area ; I did not notice anyone whose plate was carried from station to station but I suppose it's possible.

I carried my own plate to my table as did many others; perhaps as many as half followed as their plate was carried for them.

Most of the food items were served warm but I did experience some luke warm veal and a few other items.

Dining in the buffet was generally pleasant but nothing I would seek out to repeat on land. If it is as good on Riviera this December I'll be satisfied.

[Harters]

I'm sorry but I have another, probably silly, question about how the buffet operates.

 

Do you first find a table, order drinks and then go and get food? Or get food first then find a table?

[ORV]

I'm sorry but I have another, probably silly, question about how the buffet operates.

 

Do you first find a table, order drinks and then go and get food? Or get food first then find a table?

 

Either way works.

[Paulchili]

I'm sorry but I have another, probably silly, question about how the buffet operates.

 

Do you first find a table, order drinks and then go and get food? Or get food first then find a table?

 

It is best to get a table first and get the drinks (at least water). That way you do not have to walk around with your plate(s) looking for a table when it's busy. Also, having drinks on the table tells others that the table is already taken.

That's the way we do it.

[Harters]

Thanks both.

 

Table first seems to the way to go - advertising the table being taken by having drinks on it sounds good.

[golfguyhhi]

Harters,

 

ORV's answer is not incorrect.

However, I think you will enjoy your meal experience more if you find a table, make contact with a server to get water in your glass (and maybe have one of the drinks people come over to order a beverage) before you go to get your food. It's no fun to get your food, walk out onto the veranda, stand there looking for a table and finding you just missed the last one by a minute and having to turn around and go back inside to start your search again. Worse if you have a hot meal growing colder as you wander around.

We always find a table and order a glass of prosecco to sip while we relax and get ready to go in to make our food choices.

As some have mentioned above, we get our food and eat on a course-by-course basis so we don't have so much on our plates. And we always allow the staff to carry our plates when they ask to do so as we figure it must be a part of their job as I doubt they'd just offer because we look pitiful.

Another tip -- learn the names of several of the waitstaff and the food prep staff. And the head waiters and maitre de's. Greet them by name. Have fun with them. You -- and they -- will have a much more pleasant experience. A very small investment for a big and satisfying return.

By the way, the staff name badges also include their home country. With Google translate, it's very easy to learn how to say "Hello, how are you?" in a bunch of different languages. Try it. You'll be amazed at the result.

[LHT28]

Having a glass of water on the table is no guarantee some other passenger will not scoop the table behind your back :loudcry:

We came back to our nice window table to find someone sitting there drinking our water ..good thing it was the 1st course & we had not used our utensils yet :eek:

Now when we do eat in the Terrace I take my sweater & leave it on the chair

[Paulchili]

golfguyhi,

All excellent points.

The only thing I would add is that we also drape our napkins over the chair when we go get our food (or a sweater as Lyn suggested or a book on the table if you are reading) - all telltale signs that the table is taken.

[Harters]

Napkin on the chair is my standard procedure in any buffet, when I've gone to get food. It suggests to the staff that you're still eating, so not to clear the table.

[cbb]

we too leave the napkin on the back of the chair, something on the seat, and often cross the now- freed utensils where a plate would be.

 

I try to catch a waiter's eye and let him/her know we are at that table.

 

ATW16 we had a non-North American couple who would shove the utensils, napkins, sweaters, books aside and assume a table.

 

Fortunately, the Terrace wait staff would intervene and escort them to another table....often by snagging their plates and walking their plates to that table, then come back and reset the 1st table!!! Amazing in so many ways!!!

[Paulchili]

ATW16 we had a non-North American couple who would shove the utensils, napkins, sweaters, books aside and assume a table.

 

Fortunately, the Terrace wait staff would intervene and escort them to another table....often by snagging their plates and walking their plates to that table, then come back and reset the 1st table!!! Amazing in so many ways!!!

 

It is amazing - what were they thinking? That people just forgot their sweaters/books, etc?

Did they eventually get the message or were they "untrainable"? :D

[Mura]

We also do as Lyn and Paul suggest ... sometimes when we've seen a glass of water on a table we honestly couldn't tell if it was new or used. But if you see a sweater or other personal items, it becomes much clearer.

 

Mura

[cbb]

"Did they eventually get the message or were they "untrainable"?" I think perhaps the answer might be 'they just didn't care.'

 

This was a couple who also hated what was in their bento boxes on a shorex and complained to staff that it was inedible ....and why Japanese food? And of course.....we were in...Japan.

 

Fortunately, they weren't on board the whole 6 months!!