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Midnight Buffet?


Grburkart
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The last time I cruised was in 1978 on a NCL cruise ship that had 700 passengers. I remember one of the highlights was the midnight buffet. 

It was actually spectacular with ice sculptures and artistic impressions built into it. And the food was extraordinary with cold cuts, and desserts, at least from what I remember. 

The question is... does the midnight buffet still exist? I haven’t heard mention of it in the threads I’ve looked at. 

Holy hannah! I just realized that was 41 years ago. Lol. My new cruise is on the Emerald in October.

 

Glenn

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I miss the 24 hour buffet on Princess where I could grab a plate of shrimp, either cold or deep fried.  Or other savory items.  Not just a bunch of sweets and sandwiches.   Years ago, when we were on NCL (never again), they had a chocolate buffet at midnight.  Waaaay too much!  But a chocolate lover’s delight.  Even the regular midnight buffets were a bit over the top.  

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16 minutes ago, Linsifer said:

I miss the 24 hour buffet on Princess where I could grab a plate of shrimp, either cold or deep fried.  Or other savory items.  Not just a bunch of sweets and sandwiches.   Years ago, when we were on NCL (never again), they had a chocolate buffet at midnight.  Waaaay too much!  But a chocolate lover’s delight.  Even the regular midnight buffets were a bit over the top.  

As I’m reading this, it’s coming back to me. The chocolate decadence was incredible. The midnight buffet was a big deal back then with punch bowls made if ice, etc. 

Keep in mind, I was only 18 at the time so it wasn’t the focus of my time there. But it is now. 

 

Glenn

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Ah, yes.  Those magnificent ice and fruit sculptures.  And the FOOD!  And MORE food!  My travel agent said that things really started to change after the recession in 2008.  Cruise lines definitely took away a lot of those perks we were used to.  But, truth be known, I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t NEED all that food at gawd awful hours, anyway.  So, it’s just as well.  It was nice while it lasted. 😉 

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7 minutes ago, Linsifer said:

Ah, yes.  Those magnificent ice and fruit sculptures.  And the FOOD!  And MORE food!  My travel agent said that things really started to change after the recession in 2008.  Cruise lines definitely took away a lot of those perks we were used to.  But, truth be known, I’m at a point in my life where I just don’t NEED all that food at gawd awful hours, anyway.  So, it’s just as well.  It was nice while it lasted. 😉 

To stray away from the subject a tiny bit, when I’m in New Orleans and I’ve been indulging in the festivities, the midnight to 2 am place to go is the Clover Grill on Bourbon Street.  Best greasy food in the world. I usually have hamburger and eggs. 

I only tell this story because the talk of a midnight buffet and it reminds me of my late night excursions. If the IC is open, I’m sure I’ll be frequenting that place. 

 

Glenn

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The last time I remember a mid night buffet was back in the mid 90's.

Most ships Princess have the International Cafe open 24/7 where you can get some mid night snacks and desserts. Their regular buffet is open until 11pm, sometimes midnight.

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I recall midnight buffets and chocolate buffets in the early 2000's on other cruise lines.  It was a waste of food and effort IMO so they have all ended it.  I also remember the buffet never closed but do not miss it as the IC is open 24 hours.   

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Yes , in those days guests would line up to take photo's of it . then sample . Lots of food wasted .

Fruit & vegetable carvings as well a ice sculptures often lasted around the ship for several days.

Cruising nowadays barely resembles what a cruise was like then ,good? bad? surely cheaper now (adjusted for inflation).

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On our very first cruise we had late seating at 8:30pm and finished around 10:30pm. At 11:30 the midnight buffet opened for photos and then for food at 12. Although pretty, I though it was a waste. We had just finished dining 90 minutes ago.

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Similar to what a poster above has stated, I haven't seen a midnight buffet since the mid-1990s.  Keep in mind that the ships were much smaller and the only dining was fixed time/seating.  The midnight buffet was set up in the dining room after the late seating.  I don't remember being on any cruise that had more than 2 midnight events.  One would be a full-on event, and one would be a dessert only event.  In 2004 we went on our  first cruise that had a "full-time" buffet facility, and I really don't remember whether it was open 24 hours.  I have only been cruising with Princess since 2011, and I really do not recall if the buffet was open 24 hours on any of our earliest cruises.

 

I do agree that those midnight buffets were pretty spectacular with the ice sculptures and the decorations.  I also remember the first one that we attended--this was on our honeymoon in 1976 on the NCL Southward.  I was sleepy-eyed when we walked in, and, frankly, I really wasn't very hungry,  but it all looked so attractive and there were so many things to try.  I remember having some cold cuts on my plate, but I'm sure the plate was quite full with other choices.   I'm sure I ate everything I put on my plate, and I'm sure we went back for a dessert, but I also know that I was ready to hit my bed as soon as we left.  The only other one that I recall going to was in 1996.  This was a family cruise celebrating my wife's parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  A group wanted to go, and not wanting to be spoilsports, we went along.

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48 minutes ago, 8dimsum said:

Another good option would be to  order from the Room Service menu.  --The IC selection is limited.

I just checked the menu items at the IC and you’re right about the limited selection they have. Having said that, they have beef and Guinness pie! Can’t ever turn that down plus the desserts look incredible and the Asian salads look great. 

I try to avoid room service because it takes away the atmosphere of the, in this case, ship. I’m travelling by myself so I look forward to the mingling. 

By the way, as your name suggests, I am also a Dim Sum fan!

 

Glenn

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2 hours ago, Grburkart said:

I just checked the menu items at the IC and you’re right about the limited selection they have. Having said that, they have beef and Guinness pie! Can’t ever turn that down plus the desserts look incredible and the Asian salads look great. 

I try to avoid room service because it takes away the atmosphere of the, in this case, ship. I’m travelling by myself so I look forward to the mingling. 

By the way, as your name suggests, I am also a Dim Sum fan!

 

Glenn

FWIW - the International Cafe items rotate, and there's no set menu. It's different daily. There's usually 6-8 sandwiches,  3-5 salads, a pot pie of some sort, and a soup during the day. More varied options than room service overall.

The late night offerings (after midnight)  are generally several sandwiches, couple salads, cheese, crackers and cookies, maybe some of the other desserts. It's sort of the "left over", so to speak..

And yes, the IC is - at times - without food. Encountered it several times on our last Emerald sailing - generally 4-5am, as they were cleaning, prepping for the coming day - absolutely nothing,  empty shelves, etc. Not even cookies. But you could get your coffee! Lol..

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And ues, I remember the midnight buffets. Celebrity had some of the most spectacular I've seen.  They discontinued around 2009, and replaced with the midnight chocolate Buffet in a lounge versus the dining room, that lasted till around 2011/2012, give or take.. That was it...

I fondly remember Princess buffet being open 24/7, more choices than the IC or room service by far.  

Ahh well, things change and evolve.  What can you do, but roll with the punches....

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17 hours ago, Grburkart said:

The last time I cruised was in 1978 on a NCL cruise ship that had 700 passengers. I remember one of the highlights was the midnight buffet. 

It was actually spectacular with ice sculptures and artistic impressions built into it. And the food was extraordinary with cold cuts, and desserts, at least from what I remember. 

The question is... does the midnight buffet still exist? I haven’t heard mention of it in the threads I’ve looked at. 

Holy hannah! I just realized that was 41 years ago. Lol. My new cruise is on the Emerald in October.

 

Glenn

LOL, my first cruise was also in 1978. I remember the midnight buffets every night.  Only nibbled on a few things as I  always felt way too full from the excellent dinner fare earlier.  I think most people felt the same as most people just took pictures of the food and ice sculptures.

 

I didn't wait as long as you for my second cruise.  Only 22 years for me.  DW got tired of hearing about how great that first one was for me that she booked us on the Carnival Trump in 2000. Her first, BTW.  They did do one midnight buffet on that 7 day cruise. Our next cruise was on Princess 2 years later and no midnight buffet was offered. We never saw another one on any later cruises.

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7 hours ago, MCC retired said:

Yes , in those days guests would line up to take photo's of it . then sample . Lots of food wasted .

Fruit & vegetable carvings as well a ice sculptures often lasted around the ship for several days.

Cruising nowadays barely resembles what a cruise was like then ,good? bad? surely cheaper now (adjusted for inflation).

This was my experience also. You cold line up at 11:30 and take pictures and then at 12:00 pm you could eat. It was more of a visual presentation than known for the food. My experience would have been late 90's and it wasn't Princess. They were doing 24 hour buffets by then. It was either RCCL or CCL.

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3 hours ago, reedprincess said:

And ues, I remember the midnight buffets. Celebrity had some of the most spectacular I've seen.  They discontinued around 2009, and replaced with the midnight chocolate Buffet in a lounge versus the dining room, that lasted till around 2011/2012, give or take.. That was it...

I fondly remember Princess buffet being open 24/7, more choices than the IC or room service by far.  

Ahh well, things change and evolve.  What can you do, but roll with the punches....

Reed, my recollection was that Celebrity started doing --what was the name?? -- some kind of tray service in the public areas at 11:30 or midnight, small bites, instead of midnight buffets.  But they left the gala buffet one night per cruise.  This was probably in the late 1980s or early 1990s.

 

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13 hours ago, akeasley said:

We had a midnight buffet on my first HAL cruise. One night was an all chocolate buffet. It was a nice feature since I had never seen one on Princess but consuming more food wasn't really needed, especially at night.

We had a midnight buffet on our first honeymoon cruise in 1971 on the Home Lines Oceanic. Nice ice sculptures, a dome that closed over the pool when it rained, large shrimp cocktail as many as you wanted, large lobsters, a Bon Voyage on board party for friends and family prior to sailing and other items that I can no longer remember.

 

Howard

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