Buffet etiquette

[JMorris271]

Delicious Japanese I savored on a cruise shore excursion to avoid lines on the ship. .  You won't find that at KFC

Edited October 26, 2018 by JMorris271

[RocketMan275]

36 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

You'll find this all over Asia (and the world for that matter) these days. I'm always amused by the folks that immediately begin looking for the nearest Mickey D's, KFC, Domino's Pizza, you name it, as soon as we get off the ship in a foreign port.

 

Me, I'm talking to the locals trying to find out their favorite places to eat, cuz that's where I'm going for lunch! 

 

I should have been clearer in expressing my point.

Korea went from being very risky to eating on the economy in the seventies to having KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc., in the eighties.  It was quite a shock to encounter the plastic Colonel Sanders to one accustomed to the Korea of the Seventies.

[K32682]

1 hour ago, KroozNut said:

 

You'll find this all over Asia (and the world for that matter) these days. I'm always amused by the folks that immediately begin looking for the nearest Mickey D's, KFC, Domino's Pizza, you name it, as soon as we get off the ship in a foreign port.

 

Me, I'm talking to the locals trying to find out their favorite places to eat, cuz that's where I'm going for lunch! 

 

In 40+ years of international travel I've eaten at American fast food chains twice due to absolute necessity and am still ashamed.  I recall three colleagues who marched into a McD's in Tokyo were shocked that I had lunch at the ramen cart on the sidewalk. 

 

Even in developing countries food poisoning isn't that great a risk if the food is cooked. In some places there is a concern about water quality but that is why God made beer.  

 

   

Edited October 26, 2018 by K32682

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, JMorris271 said:

Delicious Japanese I savored on a cruise shore excursion to avoid lines on the ship. .  You won't find that at KFC

 

That looks awesome...  My kind of place to eat!! 😋

[navybankerteacher]

Of course, when you consider the tight budget many cruisers seem to apply:  how to smuggle liquor, how to reduce/remove service charges, how to find free/reduced parking, seeking motels with free transfer to cruise piers, etc.   - all of them being reasonable cost-containment efforts —- why is it surprising that many also want to bring food from the ship ashore, or return to the ship to eat, rather than pay to eat ashore?

 

 

[RocketMan275]

1 minute ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course, when you consider the tight budget many cruisers seem to apply:  how to smuggle liquor, how to reduce/remove service charges, how to find free/reduced parking, seeking motels with free transfer to cruise piers, etc.   - all of them being reasonable cost-containment efforts —- why is it surprising that many also want to bring food from the ship ashore, or return to the ship to eat, rather than pay to eat ashore?

 

 

Once upon a time, someone commented that cruising was an upscale experience for the well-off.  I was criticized for responding: "If people who cruise are so upscale, why all the "cost-containment" threads?

[cruising cockroach]

5 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Once upon a time, someone commented that cruising was an upscale experience for the well-off.  I was criticized for responding: "If people who cruise are so upscale, why all the "cost-containment" threads?

 

That was probably true a few decades ago but since cruise ships started growing in size, and relative/inflation-adjusted cost started coming down, and the cruisecos having to fill these ships by lowering fares....  Shall we say "class" is a finite amount and cruisecos ran out of supply for "class" clientele.

 

It reminds me of what someone wrote about dining out in the U.S.  The working class rarely dined Nad could not afford to dine out) out a few decades ago but all these chain restaurants (a lot of which went down in flames in the recession 9-10 years ago) changed that with affordable food.  

 

If cruising clientele were truly upscale, there would be no Carnival or Royal Caribbean ships (I''ll admit I have not been on any of these lines' ships and have only read about them).

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Once upon a time, someone commented that cruising was an upscale experience for the well-off.  I was criticized for responding: "If people who cruise are so upscale, why all the "cost-containment" threads?

There are still plenty of cruises where nearly all the passengers are well-off....or at least well off enough to afford an expensive trip.  But the shorter cruise market on mass market cruise lines is a different story.  The cruise industry now is varied enough that it serves a large cross section of society.   When we are on a month long cruise in some exotic part of the world, the passengers are completely different then what you will usually find on a 7 day (or shorter) cruise in the Caribbean.  In fact, the difference is huge!   Consider that you can now take some 7 day cruises for about the price of 1 day on an upscale cruise ship.  If you go on lines like Crystal, Seabourn or Regent you will not find passengers talking about "rum runners."  Instead they might be bringing aboard cases of wine that cost over $100 a bottle. 

 

Hank

[KroozNut]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

why is it surprising that many also want to bring food from the ship ashore, or return to the ship to eat, rather than pay to eat ashore?

 

 

Not surprising at all... just another example of penny pinching and frankly cheapness by those folks.

[julie3fan]

2 hours ago, KroozNut said:

Not surprising at all... just another example of penny pinching and frankly cheapness by those folks.

 

Sometimes being thrifty (a bit nicer term, I think...not so judgy) is how some folks are able to take a vacation.  

[JMorris271]

I get you but the food on the ship is not exactly cheep. 

[sfaaa]

9 hours ago, KroozNut said:

 

. I'm always amused by the folks that immediately begin looking for the nearest Mickey D's, KFC, Domino's Pizza, you name it, as soon as we get off the ship in a foreign port.

 

 

 

Amused? You should be. Smart cruisers immediately go to these places to get free wifi instead of paying $15/day internet on ship. 

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, JMorris271 said:

I get you but the food on the ship is not exactly cheep. 

Well actually it is.

[donaldsc]

2 hours ago, JMorris271 said:

I get you but the food on the ship is not exactly cheep. 

 

It is cheap.  Actually, it is free.  You have already paid for it with your tour booking so you might as well eat it.

 

DON

[MicCanberra]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 2:35 AM, ldubs said:

 

Melbourne & Sydney -- sadly only one day each as port stops.  

 

 

You need to explore more of our big brown land.

[MicCanberra]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 5:14 AM, K32682 said:

So instead you'd rather have a congealed, day-old piece of chicken snuck from the buffet that was kept in an unrefrigerated cabin and smuggled out in a handbag potentially running afoul of a country's food import restrictions.  I'll take my chances on shore. 

Agreed, there is always something worth trying and if not adventurous, there nearly always is the standard global type foods (MCs or similar) available as well. If these still don't satisfy, then there is food back on the ship whenever you return. missing out on a meal won't hurt too much.

[MicCanberra]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 7:40 AM, Velvetwater said:

My main buffet bug bear is when people are rude the staff especially not minding their manners it is so rude when people just go 'Ham omelette' with no please then the polite member staff says 'Would you like anything else' and the cruiser goes 'no' with no thanks.

 

It's not a lot of effort really.

Mine too.

[MicCanberra]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 11:25 AM, Beachdude said:

Hmm, cold chicken or becoming best buds with the toilet for two days. 

 

Thinking thinking.....🤔

 

Burt

 

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 12:44 PM, K32682 said:

Or facing some tough questions when you are caught smuggling food into a country that prohibits certain food imports (e.g. U.S.A.)

 

 

Neither of those three options agree with me. Leave aboard.

[MicCanberra]

12 hours ago, JMorris271 said:

Delicious Japanese I savored on a cruise shore excursion to avoid lines on the ship. .  You won't find that at KFC

We have had similar, some really interesting tastes and some not worth trying again. But overall fantastic.

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, sfaaa said:

Amused? You should be. Smart cruisers immediately go to these places to get free wifi instead of paying $15/day internet on ship. 

Don't forget the clean toilets as well. We rarely eat at these establishments but will get a drink, use the facilities and the wifi.

[Hlitner]

7 hours ago, sfaaa said:

Amused? You should be. Smart cruisers immediately go to these places to get free wifi instead of paying $15/day internet on ship. 

No   Smart Cruisers have T-Mobile which works in over 200 countries without additional fees (except 25 cents per min for phone calls).  Some of us have better things to do then run around the world looking for Internet :).

 

Hank

[JMorris271]

7 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

Well actually it is.

The's subjective I suppose.

[Velvetwater]

 

Whats the point of not eating ashore? Local food is one of our favourite parts of our holiday.

 

We have eaten in parts of Africa,Asia and South and Central America and been fine and I am a very adventurous eater (Insects, Century eggs, live maggot cheese etc). You just have to use your head and not think probiotics are going to save you as science says the effects are minimal.Eat where the locals eat and be cautious with ice and chopped veggies and fruit and choose food stalls and restaurants that have a high turn over of customers so food isn't sitting around. Check for cleanliness and peruse the food already been eaten.

 

The thought of going back to the ship to eat each time is wierd we have only done that in a few Norway ports as we had eaten a lot of local foods already and didn't want to pay over £20 for a basic meal for one again.

[KroozNut]

12 hours ago, sfaaa said:

Amused? You should be. Smart cruisers immediately go to these places to get free wifi instead of paying $15/day internet on ship. 

 

The folks I'm talking about seek these places out to eat.... not for the free wifi. Free wifi is typically available at many places ashore, not only fast food restaurants.

[RocketMan275]

27 minutes ago, Velvetwater said:

 

Whats the point of not eating ashore? Local food is one of our favourite parts of our holiday.

 

We have eaten in parts of Africa,Asia and South and Central America and been fine and I am a very adventurous eater (Insects, Century eggs, live maggot cheese etc). You just have to use your head and not think probiotics are going to save you as science says the effects are minimal.Eat where the locals eat and be cautious with ice and chopped veggies and fruit and choose food stalls and restaurants that have a high turn over of customers so food isn't sitting around. Check for cleanliness and peruse the food already been eaten.

 

The thought of going back to the ship to eat each time is wierd we have only done that in a few Norway ports as we had eaten a lot of local foods already and didn't want to pay over £20 for a basic meal for one again.

You're point about being cautious with ice is well taken.  When I was in Korea in the seventies, the off-post bars were forbidden to serve drinks with ice and could only use single use paper cups that had to be crushed after each use.