Future of Windjammer cafe?

[Locobill49]

Once cruising starts back up, do you think the Windjammer buffets will continue? Will you be eating there?

On last cruises, I have seen people handle food that I’m not sure I would be comfortable with now. Thoughts?

Edited May 9, 2020 by Locobill49

[cruisinfanatic]

3 minutes ago, Locobill49 said:

Once cruising starts back up, do you think the Windjammer buffets will continue? Will you be eating there?

On last cruises, I have seen people handle food that I’m not sure I would be comfortable with now. Thoughts?

Where do you think you will eat?

[Diver2014]

We love the Windjammer Cafes.  I don't like eating in the MDR every day and we don't waste money on specialty restaurants. I'm looking forward to our next RCL cruise on Anthem of the Seas next year.  I thought

the best Windjammer Cafe (or was it called World Marketplace?) was on Radiance of the Seas.

Edited May 9, 2020 by Diver2014

[Cruise Gopher]

I think they just need mandatory hand washing before you can enter. Just have a line and hand washing stations that they shuffle people through and that would be good enough. 
 

People are so paranoid about touching things when the COVID-19 risk is so low from surface contact. It’s transmitted through respiratory droplets. 

[DaniDanielle]

We have seen a lot of people just walk through the mandatory hand washing stations.  I guess they think we don’t see them!

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

They will probably load your plate instead of you. Like a cafeteria does. Whatever they do. I will still go. They have very good food. 

[Spunky946]

Well I hate the windjammer, and we eat in the mdr whenever 

possible.  I’d bet that it will be there, but won’t be self service.

[ilovetotravel1977]

Them serving works for me! 

 

How many people are gross enough to use the washroom and NOT WASH THEIR HANDS afterwards, then come and grab the tongs and load up their bacon plate?

 

 

[lovemylab]

8 minutes ago, SkierRobUMN said:

I think they just need mandatory hand washing before you can enter. Just have a line and hand washing stations that they shuffle people through and that would be good enough. 
 

People are so paranoid about touching things when the COVID-19 risk is so low from surface contact. It’s transmitted through respiratory droplets. 

 

Mandatory hand washing doesn't help with many of the issues I've seen at the buffet.  People licking thier fingers or coughing into their hands and then touching serving utensils and other food is a big one.

 

Many items at the buffet require people to eat with their hands (ex: bread, sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, fajitas, nashos, cookies, cupcakes).   After eating these items, people are then going back to grab other food items which results in them touching utensils after they've had their fingers near and in their mouths.

 

[1992cruiser]

I have no problem getting food in the windjammer, my issue is getting a table that is cleaned. 
if they take care of that problem, I’m all in for breakfast or lunch there. I prefer more formal dinners. 

[ToroAzul]

If you are worried about WindJammer then you aren't ready to board a ship.

[danv3]

It essentially has to continue in some form.  Otherwise, there's not sufficient available feeding capacity on the ship.  

[danv3]

29 minutes ago, SkierRobUMN said:

People are so paranoid about touching things when the COVID-19 risk is so low from surface contact. It’s transmitted through respiratory droplets. 

 

This.  While surface contact could be a vector for infection, it's not the primary vector.  

[lovemylab]

3 minutes ago, danv3 said:

It essentially has to continue in some form.  Otherwise, there's not sufficient available feeding capacity on the ship.  

 

I agree.  I think the self serve option will be a thing of the past, at least to start anyways. 

[Wine-O]

1 minute ago, lovemylab said:

 

I agree.  I think the self serve option will be a thing of the past, at least to start anyways. 

 

I also think the self serve option will go away.  At least I hope so.  🍷

[Pmorton3360]

I'm not much of a Windjammer fan.  But I do like the smaller buffet at the adult pool.  I do think a crew member will be dishing up the food. Wait and see.

[Mapleleafforever]

No one knows yet, not even Royal. 

[Ptroxx]

Like others said.   They will serve you.   But they will need to hire more people to do this and put that cost of more employees onto us the cruisers.    

[ToroAzul]

3 minutes ago, Ptroxx said:

Like others said.   They will serve you.   But they will need to hire more people to do this and put that cost of more employees onto us the cruisers.    

Yeah, I was gonna go down that road but decided not to.

IF they restrict it will cost money and time. 

 

All of which gets passed to the consumer. 

 

People don't think economics is like it is but it do.

[Mugiwara]

Nothing says that they can't get creative.

 

Add a subsection to their App that includes a daily Windjammer menu, which allows you to set up an order from the available items, along with the number of the table where you're seated.  Based on the order, your tray is prepared and it's brought out to you.  

 

Silver lining, they could conceivably add more tables and space them better, since they wouldn't have the dispersed stations and circulating wandering generalities that staff need to navigate around.

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, SkierRobUMN said:

People are so paranoid about touching things when the COVID-19 risk is so low from surface contact. It’s transmitted through respiratory droplets. 

Totally agree! I think people are putting way too much emphasis on the role that a buffet plays.  You don't catch COVID-19 by eating it.

[zekekelso]

There has to be a Windjammer. My whole reason to brave the scary new cruise world is to finally taste a Windjammer hamburger. 

[ilovetotravel1977]

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

Totally agree! I think people are putting way too much emphasis on the role that a buffet plays.  You don't catch COVID-19 by eating it.

 

Then why are we constantly reminded to wash our hands and not touch our face? If it's on your hands and your hands go up to your mouth...?

[LXA350]

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

Totally agree! I think people are putting way too much emphasis on the role that a buffet plays.  You don't catch COVID-19 by eating it.

 

The Buffet restaurants such as the Windjammer are probably the venues of most concern by far. Starting already that the venue is often crowded, hence social distancing not possible and all the tongs and people caughing etc where the virus easily can spread into. Even before, no matter if it's Noro, Influenza etc, Windjammer is a breeding place for outbreaks.

 

Since the buffet seems to be a very important factor of a cruise for americans especially where it's all about quantity and not quality you can be sure that RCL and other cruiselines will not stop the buffet to avoid the cruiselines being sued by passengers that claimed they were not fed enough.

 

However with COIVD-19 RCL like other cruislines will be forced to use this situation to rethink the buffet concept and think of ways to make it safer. They will need to reduce the maximum amount of people to be in Windjammer at one time in order to avoid congestion of people especially in the buffet area. Hence the capacity of Windjammer will need to be reduced and one option to compensate is to offer a buffet setup with the same items on one of the MDR floors during peak times at breakfast and lunch as alternative or that timeslots need to be reserved for Windjammer but this would cause a revolt, so I guess this option would not work.

Enough employees will need to monitor the handwashing / sanitizing proces that the probability of someone to enter the venue without having sanitized their hands is close to 0. Since the handwashing station is not the most hygienic it's important that everyone also needs to sanitize their hands after. In general the venue will need to be sanitized more often, each table after guests leave and ideally food only to be served by e,ployees going forward.

[zalusky]

I can say that buffet style restaurants around here are permanently closing.  I fully expect the serve your own food concept will be ancient history.