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'Getting the most out of your cruise fare'


Velvetwater
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I was just reading a blog about a guy whos hobby is getting the most out of buffets in the US. So he goes to the buffet and fills up on duck/crabs legs/lobster etc rather than bread and salad so he can get over his moneys worth.  It was unclear whether he was always successful.

 

Anyway do you think there could be cruisers like this? Both in the buffet/free restaurants and within the activities (such as going to everything possible) and promotions (art auction fizz).

 

Have you ever seen this in action?

 

It takes me back to the time on our first cruise (Legend, 2013) where a friendly american chap was milling in and out the art gallery to get a few glasses of fizz. We saw him at the end of the cruise with a plate full of seafood at the buffet. I now wonder if was one of them.

 

Thoughts?

Edited by Velvetwater
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of course  there are people like that :classic_rolleyes:

I have seen people pile their plate high  like it is their last meal & you cannot go back to the buffet  for more

The food is a plate of mush in the end  ..but if you enjoy  it  go for it

It is not my style

 

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1 hour ago, Velvetwater said:

 

I was just reading a blog about a guy whos hobby is getting the most out of buffets in the US. So he goes to the buffet and fills up on duck/crabs legs/lobster etc rather than bread and salad so he can get over his moneys worth.  It was unclear whether he was always successful.

 

Anyway do you think there could be cruisers like this? Both in the buffet/free restaurants and within the activities (such as going to everything possible) and promotions (art auction fizz).

 

Have you ever seen this in action?

 

It takes me back to the time on our first cruise (Legend, 2013) where a friendly american chap was milling in and out the art gallery to get a few glasses of fizz. We saw him at the end of the cruise with a plate full of seafood at the buffet. I now wonder if was one of them.

 

Thoughts?

 

Of course there are lots of people like that. I'll bet you have done some of that kind of 'economizing' on a cruise.:classic_wink:

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Just interested if anyone had seen it with their own eyes.

 

I for one haven't seen the super lobster order folk on formal night but of course....it happens.

 

I know there are folk that like to pile up their plate but I was wondering if there were people that had it as some kind of hardcore cruise mission. Sort of like the casino players that try to win back their cruise on board even of they spend their sailing time completely in the casino.

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We have no doubt that there are people like this.   Perhaps they cruise to eat.   You only have to sit in the buffet for a little while and do some people watching.  Some of them are so big they look like they might explode.  I guess that they have never heard about the law of diminishing returns!

 

We have been in a few MDR's where a fellow diner has ordered two of everything...apps, entree, and deserts.

Edited by iancal
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3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

of course  there are people like that :classic_rolleyes:

I have seen people pile their plate high  like it is their last meal & you cannot go back to the buffet  for more.

............................

 

That's what always amazes me too! :classic_rolleyes:

 

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I want to get the most out of my cruisefare. For me that means that I want to be the first to embark and the last to disembark! On portdays I also prefer to be back on the ship around lunch! Not because I'm cheap but because I like to be on the ship!

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6 hours ago, Velvetwater said:

 

Just interested if anyone had seen it with their own eyes

 

 

Hi

 

You don't have to think too hard...there are many who don't think twice about stiffing their stewards and wait staff by removing the cruise lines recommended gratuities. They discuss it regularly on these forums. Same goes for all those that try to scam the system, whether it's smuggling alcohol, sharing benefits that they are not entitled to etc...

 

The person who eats more than they really need would be a minor irritant. For me looking at the waste is more significant.

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I'm not a big eater and it amazes me how much some people eat on cruises.  On my recent Liberty of the Seas cruise I overheard a man say he ordered six lobster tails as well as a steak one night.  I couldn't eat that much over two days, but good for him if that's what he enjoys.  Getting the most for your money means different things for all of us.  Just put me on a ship in the open sea and I'm happy.

 

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For me, getting the most out of my cruise fare is to book the cabin I like, do what I like on board, make special requests and tip accordingly... works out well.  Don't really care what anyone else does. 

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10 hours ago, iancal said:

We have no doubt that there are people like this.   Perhaps they cruise to eat.   You only have to sit in the buffet for a little while and do some people watching.  Some of them are so big they look like they might explode.  I guess that they have never heard about the law of diminishing returns!

 

We have been in a few MDR's where a fellow diner has ordered two of everything...apps, entree, and deserts.

 

Yeah, but they are just "nibbling" to taste different things. :classic_biggrin::classic_biggrin:

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17 hours ago, iancal said:

We have no doubt that there are people like this.   Perhaps they cruise to eat.   You only have to sit in the buffet for a little while and do some people watching.  Some of them are so big they look like they might explode.  I guess that they have never heard about the law of diminishing returns!

 

We have been in a few MDR's where a fellow diner has ordered two of everything...apps, entree, and deserts.

While you can run into grossly overweight people everywhere, there seems to be a far higher percentage on cruise ships.  Perhaps it is because they find cruising the easiest way to travel, but I am inclined to think the unlimited food tends to attract obsessive eaters.

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13 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

 

 

Hi

 

You don't have to think too hard...there are many who don't think twice about stiffing their stewards and wait staff by removing the cruise lines recommended gratuities. They discuss it regularly on these forums. Same goes for all those that try to scam the system, whether it's smuggling alcohol, sharing benefits that they are not entitled to etc...

I am a glutton and fill up at the buffet, especially on seafood, but I don't cancel the gratuities, and even add more sometimes, and I don't smuggle alcohol, cheat or share benefits I am not entitled to.

I hope people don't equate all of the above with trying to eat my fare's worth of seafood*. At the buffet, which by definition is "ALL YOU CAN EAT".

 

Why are people so intent on looking at somebody else's plate? You don't want to pile yours high? More power to you. 

 

*I don't care for lobster, but I love shrimp, crawfish, and fish.

Edited by Itchy&Scratchy
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2 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

While you can run into grossly overweight people everywhere, there seems to be a far higher percentage on cruise ships.  Perhaps it is because they find cruising the easiest way to travel, but I am inclined to think the unlimited food tends to attract obsessive eaters.

Our last cruise on Anthem a few weeks ago really saddened me. There were so many obese people that were riding scooters and many appeared to be in their 20’s or 30’s. 

My heart aches for them. 😔

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13 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

I am a glutton and fill up at the buffet, especially on seafood, ...At the buffet, which by definition is "ALL YOU CAN EAT".

 

Why are people so intent on looking at somebody else's plate? You don't want to pile yours high? More power to you...

I have to disagree with you, because somebody else's plate does indeed affect fellow passengers.  When "getting your money's worth" becomes an excuse for taking something to excess any business will either put in cost controls or end offering it altogehter. 

 

Take for example "Bacon Police".  A recent review of the Carnival Pride reported that passengers are served only two strips of bacon or slice of ham per pass through the line.  The people who piled up their plates with bacon are to be thanked for that.    A Cunard passanger witnessed a woman with a huge plate of strawberrys - that she was picking out of a fruit salad.   Like a few strawberrys on your cereal or yogart?  Too bad because one person just ate all of them. 

 

And then there was the "endless crab" promotion at a US seafood chain restaurant.  For $20 (2003) people went back for seconds.  And thirds.  And fourths.  The CEO lost her job after it almost bankrupted the chain and they never offered it again.

Edited by BlueRiband
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8 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

I have to disagree with you, because somebody else's plate does indeed affect fellow passengers.  When "getting your money's worth" becomes an excuse for taking something to excess any business will either put in cost controls or end offering it altogehter. 

 

Take for example "Bacon Police".  A recent review of the Carnival Pride reported that passengers are served only two strips of bacon or slice of ham per pass through the line.  The people who piled up their plates with bacon are to be thanked for that.    A Cunard passanger witnessed a woman with a huge plate of strawberrys - that she was picking out of a fruit salad.   Like a few strawberrys on your cereal or yogart?  Too bad because one person just ate all of them. 

 

And then there was the "endless crab" promotion at a US seafood chain restaurant.  For $20 (2003) people went back for seconds.  And thirds.  And fourths.  The CEO lost her job after it almost bankrupted the chain and they never offered it again.

 

Eh, I don’t agree with this. Buffet’s are all you can eat and first come first serve. I don’t begrudge anyone who takes what they want as long as they eat what they take and not just take to take and throw half the plate out. I personally don’t like seafood and always get a kick out of it when we go to a Chinese buffet. They bring crab legs out every so often and when they do there’s always a line up at the station and people walk away with their plates piled high with crab legs. Whatever floats your boat.  They run out immediately but they manage their inventory costs by only doing so many pans a day. Now, I’ll admit, my favorite item at the Chinese buffet is the green beans and I’ll line up and pile my plate high when they bring out a fresh pan, but for some reason, no one else bee lines to the green beans. To each their own. There’s always food to go around, even if they run out of one item.

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8 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

And then there was the "endless crab" promotion at a US seafood chain restaurant.  For $20 (2003) people went back for seconds.  And thirds.  And fourths.  The CEO lost her job after it almost bankrupted the chain and they never offered it again.

 

I'm sorry, but this CEO lost her job because of her own stupidity.  

 

Can you imagine the CEO of Cadillac ever offering an "endless Escalade" promotion? 😲

Edited by DirtyDawg
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9 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

And then there was the "endless crab" promotion at a US seafood chain restaurant.  For $20 (2003) people went back for seconds.  And thirds.  And fourths.  The CEO lost her job after it almost bankrupted the chain and they never offered it again.

Red Lobster still has Endless Shrimp promotions, and they haven't gone bankrupt yet.

 

US seafood chain restaurant - would that be Red Lobster, per chance?

 

Quote

Take for example "Bacon Police".  A recent review of the Carnival Pride reported that passengers are served only two strips of bacon or slice of ham per pass through the line.  The people who piled up their plates with bacon are to be thanked for that.

it all equals out in the end. I don't take any bacon, while my DH (who is skinny, by the way) loves bacon and will take and eat 10 strips. He will also take any sweets served at breakfast and eat them all, while I stick to eggs and smoked salmon if offered on a bagel or a croissant. Just because my kid eats a plate full of french fries and nothing else at lunch, the cruise line is not going to limit french fry helpings to 3 fries per person.

 

When we go to the Chinese buffet, I will only eat 3 items: peel and eat sauteed shrimp, dumplings and sesame seed coated rice and red bean buns. That Chinese buffet is the most popular and legendary in the whole Atlanta, and it hasn't gone bankrupt yet. It's been open for years and at any given moment there is a long line of people to get in - all for a reasonable price of about $10 pp.

 

Edited by Itchy&Scratchy
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There was a popular thread here on CC that posed the question of how many lobster tails have you eaten on elegant night.

 

Responders seemed to be tripping over their keyboards with their replies of how many DOZEN tails they ate.

 

A casual people watcher on Carnival will see 7 obese passengers out of every 10 guests that pass them by.

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This thread reminded me of a story. I have a friend who at the time was very large and went to eat at his favorite Chinese buffet (a regular occurrence).  Apparently on this day, the owners had, had enough. The wife came out of the kitchen and yelled, "It all you SHOULD eat, NOT all you CAN eat.

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I can understand wanting to indulge yourself on a cruise. I like to partake in having fancier items like lobster and crab legs and will readily admit that my buffet strategy is to fill up my plate with these items rather than having bread and salad, which I could easily make for myself at home! But it's important to exercise moderation and courtesy for your fellow guests. Yes, of course you want to enjoy yourself but you also shouldn't over-indulge or overly stress about "getting your money's worth".

 

Do I want to try the various amenities of my cruise ship and take advantage of the free entertainment and facilities? For me, yes! But I won't break my back trying to maximize my time on the cruise 100%. To each their own, so long as they do not harm their fellow guests or crew members.

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