Place saver sign for Lido restaurant

[Ziggy7]

What is being suggested is nothing like chair hogging.

Your butt does not have to continuously be on the pool chair either, you can go to the pool restroom, even grab a snack a the lido.

 

It’s not like OP is suggesting that she would get up early in the morning to save the table then come back hours later to enjoy it.

 

I really don’t understand the vitriol here. The fact of the matter is that if one person stays to save a table, that person starts later than the others and finishes later so the whole table is occupied longer - so those people might be the “Thogs”.

 

I don’t personally like the buffets either, but when we do go, it’s nice to go together, share the experience, someone to talk to if the line is long, the food presentations are sometimes interesting and more so when shared with your traveling companion.

 

Don’t do many buffets on land either, but most of them you get seated, order drinks, and that’s your table until you leave. You can go together, separately or any combination.

 

So those of you on your high horse on this issue need to get off it. You don’t make the rules either. Just because you weren’t smart enough to realize that what OP proposes actually saves table time for all Vs Your “Butts in seat” model, does not give you license to be far ruder than the sign proposed by OP.

 

We get our drinks and silverware first and pick our table and will usually leave anything we’re carrying (that’s not expensive) at the table. Makes it easier to get food and if everyone did this, the line would move more smoothly.

 

 

 

 

 

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Yes! Exactly this! Well put! :D:D

[pacruise804]

My husband has back, leg and arthritis issues. Most people on the ship will have some kind of problem. What makes you think you have priority over all other cruisers? Anything but a body at a table should be removed so someone can use the table. This is not your private ship. I just don't understand where you think it is ok?

 

Just making sure I understand: if someone is sailing solo and can't carry drink, plate, and silverware at the same time - so they need to make multiple trips - that person can't use the buffet since tables should immediately be cleared if a body isn't there? Same for a parent with a young child? The poster below listed their silverware and drinks being ignored.

 

 

My husband and I get our food at the same time and then we find a table. We get our drinks last. We used to get our drinks and silverware and then put them down at the table first. But one time we did that at a table for two and when we both came back with our plates of food, a lady was sitting at our table and eating. She seemed to not notice the two sets of silverware and drinks right beside her plate. LOL.

 

Did you read upthread where another couple had their plates of food stacked and shoved out of the way since someone else wanted their seat? I suggest only one of you gets drinks at a time.

 

When we eat on lido we get our silverware and a plate of cold food, then find the table. One of us stays at the table while the other gets drinks. We eat together, then take turns getting warm food while the other waits (and probably gets dirty looks from some others because someone is at a table without food if the plates were bussed before the first person gets back). If we get dessert, one will get a plate for the two of us to share.

[happy cruzer]

So yes, this is one of the problems with a crowded buffet. There is no perfect solution. Whatever you hold the table with, can be removed.

 

We like to eat together and enjoy hot food which is almost impossible for two people when the conditions are crowded. If you both get hot food at the same time, then find a table, the food could be cold by the time you find the table. One sitting and waiting at the table while the other gets food and then going to get food, then someone eats cold food or you don't eat together. We have saved a table with a book before. However when we returned in less than 10 minutes it was moved over and a lady with her children where spread over our original table for two and another table for 4. So there is no perfect solution, if the areas are crowded.

 

Far away from the buffet is less crowded usually, like in the very back or up on an upper level. So we sit there most of the time, but that is a problem for the mobility challenged. So maybe just go with the flow if it's not crowded you will be fine, else you will have to eat seperately with one holding the seats. Good luck.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Thank you. That was what I was thinking - my sign was just going to say that we were coming back. On one cruise my table was cleared and reset and I had told the server we were not finished. I just stepped away from the table and it was reset. It was not busy and there were many tables. We never had an issue at breakfast and lunch but I did not know about dinner service. That was why I asked! The end!!!

 

Yeah, you made the mistake of courteously asking a question in good faith.

 

That rarely ends well in the land of internet tough guys.

[Don Kehote]

That rarely ends well in the land of internet tough guys.

Who needs the internet?

 

FLEX

[Mikew0805]

Buffets aren't usually the best setting for quality time anyway. We take turns getting food. I start eating before my husband gets back to the table. Does he care? No. We are together 24 hours a day on a cruise. It doesn't really make a difference if he is sitting at the table to watch me shove fries into my mouth.

 

This is also why we like to go to the MDR for dinner. That's where it is easier to talk and relax after a busy day.

 

 

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That’s great if you don’t want to have every meal together. However, we are lucky if we get one meal together at home as we don’t have the same days off and work different hours. So we will grab a seat when we walk in, hold the table one way or the other, and go get food. Has never been a problem.

 

We don’t go to many buffets on land but all the ones we have been to seat you first, and then you go get your food. This is not a foreign concept, nor unreasonable... so we will continue to do it.

 

 

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[scpirate]

FYI I am not nor have I ever been a pool chair hog. I just wanted to select a table before getting my food which we have always done. It is pain to take turns getting our food. I just wanted the least offensive way of holding a table. We eat and then leave. Our next cruise we are thinking of just eating in the Lido for dinner. I thought we would be getting up more for the many dinner courses -

LP

 

I sit down while wife gets her food when she gets back I go we do this regardless if we are on a cruise or not.for some reason she brings her purse in even though she claims not to have any money in it.she eats slow anyway I could care less if she starts without me..

[Lottacruises]

What is being suggested is nothing like chair hogging.

Your butt does not have to continuously be on the pool chair either, you can go to the pool restroom, even grab a snack a the lido.

 

It’s not like OP is suggesting that she would get up early in the morning to save the table then come back hours later to enjoy it.

 

I really don’t understand the vitriol here. The fact of the matter is that if one person stays to save a table, that person starts later than the others and finishes later so the whole table is occupied longer - so those people might be the “Thogs”.

 

I don’t personally like the buffets either, but when we do go, it’s nice to go together, share the experience, someone to talk to if the line is long, the food presentations are sometimes interesting and more so when shared with your traveling companion.

 

Don’t do many buffets on land either, but most of them you get seated, order drinks, and that’s your table until you leave. You can go together, separately or any combination.

 

So those of you on your high horse on this issue need to get off it. You don’t make the rules either. Just because you weren’t smart enough to realize that what OP proposes actually saves table time for all Vs Your “Butts in seat” model, does not give you license to be far ruder than the sign proposed by OP.

 

We get our drinks and silverware first and pick our table and will usually leave anything we’re carrying (that’s not expensive) at the table. Makes it easier to get food and if everyone did this, the line would move more smoothly.

 

 

 

 

 

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Share experience, as you said, looking for an empty table then.

[MickCruiser]

You don't have a table in the Lido. The tables are for anyone to use. I know if I saw it I'd take said sign so the table can be enjoyed first come, first served as it's supposed to be. If you want to "save" a table, plant a butt in it.

 

 

 

Zoowee....harsh. Popcorn is needed and haven’t even finished the first page!

[Mikew0805]

Share experience, as you said, looking for an empty table then.

 

Yeah... not gonna happen!

[Mikew0805]

Seriously. I wonder what some people do since there is no rule on the Carnival website that states "Don't steal candy from a baby.".

 

Well, that is a false equivalence, and a fine example of ones inability to critically think.

[Drazil65]

It is pain to take turns getting our food. I just wanted the least offensive way of holding a table.

 

Taking turns getting food while one stays at the table is what most people do that want to get a table before getting food. There are no reserved tables or areas to hold on Lido, one of you get the table the other get in line. It should not be a pain, either way you are standing in line to get your food at some point. If you eat early I cannot imagine you would have a problem anyway, first world problems I guess!!!

[lasvegascruising]

My husband and I find a table that we like, put our napkin roll with the fork, knife etc on the table with two glasses of ice water and head off to the buffet. We have never had anyone move our "set up". We figure that others can guess by the "set up" that we are in the buffet line. I like this routine because when I return to the table, I am ready to eat!! Got my napkin, fork, knife and water. I don't wait for him to return to the table and he doesn't wait for me to return. We start eating!

[BananaAnna]

My husband and I find a table that we like, put our napkin roll with the fork, knife etc on the table with two glasses of ice water and head off to the buffet. We have never had anyone move our "set up". We figure that others can guess by the "set up" that we are in the buffet line. I like this routine because when I return to the table, I am ready to eat!! Got my napkin, fork, knife and water. I don't wait for him to return to the table and he doesn't wait for me to return. We start eating!

 

I love this idea! Can see me doing the set up thing, maybe including a paperback on the table to help identify it ;), while hubby starts thru line. Or vice versa.

I do NOT enjoy wandering around carrying a plate of food and I'm way too clumsy for it to be safe. :o

[evandbob]

While a clean set up might be helpful in "claiming" a Lido table, the same may not be said if a couple or family leave plates of half eaten food in the middle of their meal while getting something else from the buffet.

 

With no one left to mind the space, Lido staff may clean off the table thinking the couple finished their meal and left the area.

 

I know it's hard to get Lido staff attention when you want something, but the minute you don't, there they are!

 

Best to have 1 person stay at the table while others go on their food or beverage quest.

[Ergates The Ant]

If the comments from some of the posters here are to be believed, an explanatory sign on the table will provoke unpleasant and hostile reactions from some of your fellow cruisers.

It would seem that leaving some personal items on the table with wrapped silverware and a drink may be the best option.

 

It is a shame that you can’t visit the buffet together, my other half appreciates me being along to point out and recommend what he might enjoy eating amongst what can sometimes be unfamiliar foods.

We usually end up browsing the buffet together, deciding what he would like to eat, then leaving him at a table with our drinks, while I collect two plates of food for us. If I had difficulty carrying them,and a less able partner, I would ask a staff member to assist me.

 

Not everyone enjoys the MDR with its limited choices and less opportunity to put together a meal of your choice. It’s sad that there seems to be no way of ensuring that everyone can enjoy the buffet without hassle.

 

I was mortified to start eating at a free table once, all cleared and empty, only to find that I had accidentally taken over someone else’s place while they were getting dessert. So it works both ways. If he had left a personal item, I would have known that the table was still in use and moved on. Unlike some of the posters, who might have seen no objection to dumping his stuff out of their way.

 

As to taking your chances, and possibly ending up having to share a table with some of the rude people posting on this thread, doesn’t sound very nice at all.

[jagsfan]

The vast majority of the strangers we share tables with are warm and friendly. Some of those may get snarky on the internet but not in their daily life.

Maybe their snarky comments are stress relievers!

 

 

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[QTPieRye]

If I saw I reserved sign, I would assume it was reserved for me.

 

Bahahahahaha! I was thinking the same thing!

[sanmarcosman]

It’s sad that there seems to be no way of ensuring that everyone can enjoy the buffet without hassle.

You could fire a cannon off in the lido dining room at dinner and not hit anyone. The seat saving issue is common during breakfast and lunch, not for dinner. Go in the evening when you'll nearly have the whole place to yourselves.

Edited August 31, 2018 by sanmarcosman

[grandmarnnurse]

We put a bag with a bottle of water. Nobody has ever cleared it away and nobody ever took our seats.

 

 

 

This is basically all we do. We put our bag on the table, then go get food.

 

 

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[christyran1228]

You could fire a cannon off in the lido dining room at dinner and not hit anyone. The seat saving issue is common during breakfast and lunch, not for dinner. Go in the evening when you'll nearly have the whole place to yourselves.

 

I enjoy dinner in the lido buffet for this very reason ... it's quiet and laid back, no lines and plenty of places to sit. And a casual dress code. Last cruise on the Breeze we ate there 6 nights out of 7, and the one night was Chef's Table. Food happened to be very good at the buffet that cruise, too.

[martinm]

I know this i snot everyones cup of tea... If I am at a table eating and someone sits down while I get more food... I just sit right back at the table w/ them. I'm polite and do not mind someone in the empty seats.

I often offer to share tables if I happen to sit at a bigger table.

 

 

They key to getting away w/ it is being friendly!

[sammee]

If the comments from some of the posters here are to be believed, an explanatory sign on the table will provoke unpleasant and hostile reactions from some of your fellow cruisers.

It would seem that leaving some personal items on the table with wrapped silverware and a drink may be the best option.

 

It is a shame that you can’t visit the buffet together, my other half appreciates me being along to point out and recommend what he might enjoy eating amongst what can sometimes be unfamiliar foods.

We usually end up browsing the buffet together, deciding what he would like to eat, then leaving him at a table with our drinks, while I collect two plates of food for us. If I had difficulty carrying them,and a less able partner, I would ask a staff member to assist me.

 

Not everyone enjoys the MDR with its limited choices and less opportunity to put together a meal of your choice. It’s sad that there seems to be no way of ensuring that everyone can enjoy the buffet without hassle.

 

I was mortified to start eating at a free table once, all cleared and empty, only to find that I had accidentally taken over someone else’s place while they were getting dessert. So it works both ways. If he had left a personal item, I would have known that the table was still in use and moved on. Unlike some of the posters, who might have seen no objection to dumping his stuff out of their way.

 

As to taking your chances, and possibly ending up having to share a table with some of the rude people posting on this thread, doesn’t sound very nice at all.

 

That happened to me 2 years ago on Pride. I was eating by myself, husband and son went for Sushi. I got up for dessert, and came back to no drink, napkin, or fork. An elderly woman was sitting across, but she didn't mind me sitting there again. They are like ninjas cleaning. I knew what I wanted and was gone for less than a minute.

[repo-cruiser]

They're asking for special treatment. Everyone else either:

 

A) Gets their food and then looks for a table, or

 

B) Gets their food in shifts with one person physically reserving the table.

 

But the OP wants special privileges based on whatever Sob Story of the Week they're peddling.

Wrong. Ifyour looking for a table and there is a sign on it, it means they got to the table first. So maybe they won't be looking for tables if they get there earlier.:)

[Lottacruises]

If the comments from some of the posters here are to be believed, an explanatory sign on the table will provoke unpleasant and hostile reactions from some of your fellow cruisers.

It would seem that leaving some personal items on the table with wrapped silverware and a drink may be the best option.

 

It is a shame that you can’t visit the buffet together, my other half appreciates me being along to point out and recommend what he might enjoy eating amongst what can sometimes be unfamiliar foods.

We usually end up browsing the buffet together, deciding what he would like to eat, then leaving him at a table with our drinks, while I collect two plates of food for us. If I had difficulty carrying them,and a less able partner, I would ask a staff member to assist me.

 

Not everyone enjoys the MDR with its limited choices and less opportunity to put together a meal of your choice. It’s sad that there seems to be no way of ensuring that everyone can enjoy the buffet without hassle.

 

I was mortified to start eating at a free table once, all cleared and empty, only to find that I had accidentally taken over someone else’s place while they were getting dessert. So it works both ways. If he had left a personal item, I would have known that the table was still in use and moved on. Unlike some of the posters, who might have seen no objection to dumping his stuff out of their way.

 

As to taking your chances, and possibly ending up having to share a table with some of the rude people posting on this thread, doesn’t sound very nice at all.

 

They weren't getting dessert,they had just came from the casino for a snack and you were at their favorite table.