Post-Pandemic Buffet - What's Up With Oceanview Cafe?

[jg51]

4 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I’ll be going on my first X sailing next month and I’ve been wondering how their ships and the passengers would differ from my previous cruises. Are the Celebrity passengers really pretentious like this?

Long ago, many used to be. 

Nowadays, very few are. 

Unfortunately, you have now encountered one of them.

Welcome aboard! 

We think that you will be well-treated 99.9% of the time!

[Denny01]

8 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I’ll be going on my first X sailing next month and I’ve been wondering how their ships and the passengers would differ from my previous cruises. Are the Celebrity passengers really pretentious like this?

Not sure LGW59 is ‘pretentious’, just saying what they want…… waitstaff service while on vacation and on a cruise where its available. And no, X passengers are pretty much a cut from all kinds of groups, and the buffet dining is very popular and is one of the big draws on X. I think the S-Class and E-Class ships have the best buffet organization set up afloat. Love the island setups for different items. A chance to try some food items we don’t get much or never tried. 

 

That’s what’s so fun about cruising is you get to try items you’ve never tried before. And if it doesn’t work out, you can just order another entree/item. Fun to experiment. And X passengers are a fun group to be with.

 

Den

Edited May 3, 2021 by Denny01

[ipeeinthepool]

7 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I’ll be going on my first X sailing next month and I’ve been wondering how their ships and the passengers would differ from my previous cruises. Are the Celebrity passengers really pretentious like this?

 

LGW is an ok guy, don't be too hard on him.  I've found most people on Celebrity ships to be very friendly.  Please stop by the pool and we can have a few drinks.

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, Seany527 said:

I’ll be going on my first X sailing next month and I’ve been wondering how their ships and the passengers would differ from my previous cruises. Are the Celebrity passengers really pretentious like this?

You are asking the wrong person because I have and will continue to sit at a table for two with a cup of coffee.  You can call it pretentious, I call it getting what I paid for.

[Denny01]

1 minute ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

LGW is an ok guy, don't be too hard on him.  I've found most people on Celebrity ships to be very friendly.  Please stop by the pool and we can have a few drinks.

Why do you work ‘the pool’ into so many of your posts??? I’m afraid every time I see your tag and you mention the pool, I start thinking of………..I’ll just leave it at that!! I’m a pool owner and I just get a kick out of your tagname. 

 

Den

[LGW59]

14 minutes ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

LGW is an ok guy, don't be too hard on him.  I've found most people on Celebrity ships to be very friendly.  Please stop by the pool and we can have a few drinks.

😘 I am beginning to think you will cause my offer for AI drinks to bust the bank...but that is OK it is always included, BTW, where is Trulyblonde when I need her??

Edited May 3, 2021 by LGW59

[Denny01]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

😘 I am beginning to think you will cause my offer for AI drinks to bust the bank...but that is OK it is always included

Hey, I said something (kind of) nice about you……what about a drink for me!!!

 

Den

[LGW59]

Just now, Denny01 said:

Hey, I said something (kind of) nice about you……what about a drink for me!!!

 

Den

but of course Den, if you just want coffee, meet me at the buffet, otherwise I will be with Ipee and Trulyblonde by the pool...and don't worry, we will keep a VERY close eye on Ipee

[Blackduck59]

So I decided not to quote the person who wrote the novel on their personal experience with several locations of a land based buffet chain in the US. I would suggest that was certainly good luck. I'm afraid that the "I don't want to have the crew overload or underload my plate" line was quite amusing. I would think if you want a pound of bacon on your plate they would do what you ask. Every person has a different view of sanitary practices so putting the serving utensils in the hands of people trained in sanitary practices is a simple solution.

[LGW59]

4 minutes ago, Blackduck59 said:

So I decided not to quote the person who wrote the novel on their personal experience with several locations of a land based buffet chain in the US. I would suggest that was certainly good luck. I'm afraid that the "I don't want to have the crew overload or underload my plate" line was quite amusing. I would think if you want a pound of bacon on your plate they would do what you ask. Every person has a different view of sanitary practices so putting the serving utensils in the hands of people trained in sanitary practices is a simple solution.

was not sure to do a thanks or a ha ha...consider this both, very well said, now you are on the AI drink list

Edited May 3, 2021 by LGW59

[Denny01]

OK, solution to it all……it isn’t a buffet, it’s Oceanview Cafe!  Just the same as those very expensive restaurants where you go up and point to the fish/lobster/steak you want and they take it and cook that baby up. Here, you point to what you want that’s already cooked and they serve it up for you. 

 

what a concept!! And as I said, I think, in an earlier post, a X rep said very clearly that we’d do the point-and-get at Oceanview, and I bet this goes on for an extended time. We all remember how many times ships moved over to this when they had NoroVirus outbreaks.

 

The only trouble with that happening is we will miss all the posts about some guy reaching in with his hands, or someone tasting something with the serving tool and putting it back and that ‘fun stuff’.

 

By the way, you need to realize it’s 8:30ish here on the Fla Panhandle and I had a nice Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey so I think I’m being Very Funny!

 

Den

[Blackduck59]

Den I have to wonder if Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey is on the "always included" list you may have to sign a chit for that 😁

[Shadow9612]

13 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

 

This is about the only positive thing that has resulted from Covid.  I hope these changes are permanent.  

Agreed.

 

Could another positive outcome be more people doing washey-washey ?  😉

[Shadow9612]

11 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Really ???  So he/she is sitting there having a cup of coffee, watching people ,and having a " chuckle ".

No " Big Deal "-- We all do it.

" Mind blowing selfishness " would apply more to the way people behave in the " Slugfest on 14 " , reserving lounges at the pool for 3 hrs and never using them , etc.

 

I agree.

 

Someone sitting there drinking a coffee has as much right to be there as someone eating a meal.

 

Maybe somebody reading a book at  peak meal times on a sea day could be considered selfish...

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, jg51 said:

We cannot agree with this point of view, after having gone through certain (land-based) buffet-related experiences, ever since May of 2020 -- in other words, a full twelve months.  We have been dining, without mishap (and without vaccination until recently) at three U.S. buffet restaurants.  Here's what we mean ...

 

Since the initial outbreak of the virus, we have been tested, every eight weeks, in conjunction with donations of blood -- always negative (both for virus and for anti-bodies).

 

In the U.S., there is a corporation that has had about five hundred buffet restaurants, some in many different states, for many years.  Here has been their gradual historic progression, over the last fourteen months:

 

~~ Completely closed, due to the initial panic, in March and April, 2020.

 

~~ Some locations re-opened (with very limited menus) in May, 2020, but only with employees "waiting tables" and bringing food from the buffet line to the tables.  Guests wore masks except while eating.  Employees wore masks at all times.  No locations were reported to have closed, and there were no virus outbreaks reported among guests or employees.  [We dined at least once each month during this period.]

 

~~ As more and more locations re-opened in the Autumn, guests were then permitted to walk through the buffet lines (wearing masks and maintaining strict physical distancing).  Self-service was not permitted.  Instead, employees (wearing masks) did the serving of food onto plates (stacked behind them), in accord with guests' requests.  There were still no reported virus-related closings of locations or outbreaks among guests or employees.  [We dined an average of once every two weeks during this period.]

 

~~ In the winter of 2020 (December or January) -- with almost all locations re-opened -- guests were still wearing masks and still maintaining distancing (behind ropes) ... but now self-service WAS permitted.  Again, no closings nor outbreaks reported.  [We dined an average of once every two weeks during this period.  We were vaccinated (twice) in March, 2021.]

 

~~ Today (May 2, 2021), we dined in a new one of the chain's buffet restaurants (a location we had not previously visited).  Guests and employees still wore masks, but no ropes were used, and no distancing was enforced.  Self-service continued -- and the food was fantastic!  We will keep going back to this location in the future.

 

People of all ages -- including those much too young to have been vaccinated yet -- have been dining in these restaurants.  Naturally, there was NO checking to see if anyone had been vaccinated.  There was also NO requirement that guests wash or disinfect their hands before dining, handling service spoons, etc..

 

Therefore, based on a full year's experiences with three buffets (including five or six months with self-service), we believe that it would be completely safe for cruise ships to allow self-service in the buffet restaurants -- ESPECIALLY if everyone onboard (guests and crew) have been certified as having been vaccinated -- but even if not!

 

We do not WANT to have our food brought to our O'view Cafe table by a crew member.  Nor do we want the crew to overload (or "underload") our plates, if we are allowed to walk through buffet lines.  We DO want to put, on our plates, exactly how much (or how little) we will actually eat.

 

We are respectfully reporting all of the above as Celebrity Elite Plus members, who have been at sea for hundreds of days since 2008.  We have enjoyed ALL forms of eating aboard ships -- buffets, poolside grills, MDRs, SRs.  In advance, we thank you for your kindness in reading (and responding gently to) our comments.

.

 There was also NO requirement that guests wash or disinfect their hands before dining, handling service spoons, etc.  Precisely the reason buffet as it were pre Covid will change, FOR THE BETTER.  I cannot tell if you support this or not, though my sense, after reading the ENTIRE post, is you do.  If I am wrong, I apologize, but just know, the buffet that you are currently enjoying where you live, will not exist on Celebrity, at least for the foreseeable future.

[ipeeinthepool]

11 minutes ago, Shadow9612 said:

Agreed.

 

Could another positive outcome be more people doing washey-washey ?  😉

I doubt that's going to happen.  😉

[jg51]

11 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

The desire to keep the eliminate the self-service buffet has nothing to do with Covid.  It's because there is a small percentage of cruisers that are slobs without any manners.  People that serve themselves with their hands, taste food and put it back, etc.  I would be much happier if they permanently had the crew serve the food.  ...

 

 

~~ "The desire to eliminate the self-service buffet has nothing to do with Covid."

 

That may be your desire/motivation, but we are sure that it is not the motivation of the cruise line (nor of others posting here).  Except for you, the planned closing of self-service seems to due only to fears of spreading CoViD-19 (and/or noroviruses).  As previously explained (in our original post, detailing the past year's successful experience in buffet restaurants), we believe that this kind of squeamishness/fear [which the media and others seem to have raised to a panic/paranoia level] would be groundless, especially if all passengers have been vaccinated.  We respect your opinion, but we disagree completely.

 

~~ "It's because there is a small percentage of cruisers  ... that serve themselves with their hands, taste food and put it back."

 

In over ten years of cruising, we have never seen anyone "taste food and put it back."  We believe such a thing to be a one-in-a-million event, and it is sad that you witnessed it (causing you to falsely believe that it happens now and then, rather than extremely rarely).  The fact that it almost never happens tells us that it should not be used as an excuse to do something so radical as shutting down the self-service feature.

 

On rare occasions, we have seen people take something with a bare hand (such as a piece of fruit or a bread roll) and then put it back -- but without tasting it.  We would rather they not do this, but we wouldn't "make a federal case out of it," because doing this has always been extremely unlikely to make anyone sick.  Now, with people being (1) vaccinated, (2) required to fully wash and disinfect hands, and (3) instructed not to touch any food directly, any danger will become just about non-existent in the future.  It is certainly no reason to fully shut down the self-service feature.

.

Edited May 3, 2021 by jg51

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, jg51 said:

~~ "The desire to eliminate the self-service buffet has nothing to do with Covid."

 

That may be your desire/motivation, but we are sure that it is not the motivation of the cruise line (nor of others posting here).  Except for you, the planned closing of self-service seems to due only to fears of spreading CoViD-19.  As previously explained (in our original post, detailing the past year's successful experience in buffet restaurants), we believe that this kind of squeamishness/fear [which the media and others seem to have raised to a panic/paranoia level] would be groundless, especially if all passengers have been vaccinated.  We respect your opinion, but we disagree completely.

 

~~ "It's because there is a small percentage of cruisers  ... that serve themselves with their hands, taste food and put it back."

 

In over ten years of cruising, we have never seen anyone "taste food and put it back."  We believe such a thing to be a one-in-a-million event, and it is sad that you witnessed it (causing you to falsely believe that it happens now and then, rather than extremely rarely).  The fact that it almost never happens tells us that it should not be used as an excuse to do something so radical as shutting down the self-service feature.

 

On rare occasions, we have seen people take something with a bare hand (such as a piece of fruit or a bread roll) and then put it back -- but without tasting it.  We would rather they not do this, but we wouldn't "make a federal case out of it," because doing this has always been extremely unlikely to make anyone sick.  Now, with people being (1) vaccinated, (2) required to fully wash and disinfect hands, and (3) instructed not to touch any food directly, any danger will become just about non-existent in the future.  It is certainly no reason to fully shut down the self-service feature.

.

One in a million??  Surely you jest!

 

[wrk2cruise]

Self service is a cost savings to the Cruise Line and will return as soon as they think they can get away with it.   That's how we got to self service in the first place.

[HappyCamper49]

On 5/1/2021 at 8:32 PM, LWeiler77 said:

Hey everyone!  I wanted to find out what's going on with the Oceanview Cafe on Celebrity.  Do they still have a buffet, and if so, how is it served?  Another place where my husband and I frequently vacation is Las Vegas, and so far, their buffets are not coming back in any form any time soon, at least not at the MGM resorts.  And with all the new changes in restaurants and food on board the new and revolutionized ships, will there still be an Oceanview Cafe as we know it?  And, of course, the bigger question - how likely are you to eat at the buffet in a post-pandemic world...? 

 

I looked at the Celebrity website, and while they have the Oceanview Cafe listed as a restaurant outlet, there is no real specific information on service. And if it's still a buffet-style buffet (yeah, I know that's redundant), I'm not sure how likely I am to eat there, even with the vaccine and health protocols in place, which is sad, because I'm usually a fan.  

 

Anyone have any further insights?  Or wish to share their thoughts about buffet-ing? 🙂 

Just a thought----pre-pandemic, Holland America had servers at their buffet.  Lines were very long, but the idea was to help eliminate Noro.  Perhaps this will be the way to go?

[HappyCamper49]

12 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

The desire to keep the eliminate the self-service buffet has nothing to do with Covid.  It's because there is a small percentage of cruisers that are slobs without any manners.  People that serve themselves with their hands, taste food and put it back, etc.  I would be much happier if they permanently had the crew serve the food.  

 

I am reporting this as an Elite member soon to be Elite Plus.  Don't worry about being gentle, give me your best shot.  

Having watched some cruisers handle breads with their hands and then put the breads back, I have no problem with your suggestion.  

[TeeRick]

The status of a self-serve "to Buffet or not Buffet" is a long time topic here on CC.  My vote is to be served by a crew member in the most sanitary way.  I liked to be served on vacation since it is not common at home! 😀

 

Although right now the discussion is around COVID, that has become much less of an issue for buffets on fully vaccinated ships.  Besides COVID is generally not spread on surfaces or food.  Even the CDC says that now.  Mostly respiratory droplets.  So my reason was and continues to be the avoidance of norovirus on a cruise ship.  That all by itself is the compelling reason for the crew serving the buffet.  

[ipeeinthepool]

1 hour ago, jg51 said:

In over ten years of cruising, we have never seen anyone "taste food and put it back."  We believe such a thing to be a one-in-a-million event, and it is sad that you witnessed it (causing you to falsely believe that it happens now and then, rather than extremely rarely).  The fact that it almost never happens tells us that it should not be used as an excuse to do something so radical as shutting down the self-service feature.

 

On rare occasions, we have seen people take something with a bare hand (such as a piece of fruit or a bread roll) and then put it back -- but without tasting it.  We would rather they not do this, but we wouldn't "make a federal case out of it," because doing this has always been extremely unlikely to make anyone sick.  Now, with people being (1) vaccinated, (2) required to fully wash and disinfect hands, and (3) instructed not to touch any food directly, any danger will become just about non-existent in the future.  It is certainly no reason to fully shut down the self-service feature.

.

🤣🤣🤣

 

This is the funniest thing that I've read on CC in quite some time.

 

You got to be kidding? Correct.  The poor manners exhibited by some cruisers in the buffet have been the subject of many threads.  

 

 

[Pinboy]

On 5/2/2021 at 8:45 PM, ipeeinthepool said:

I am reporting this as an Elite member soon to be Elite Plus.

LOL--- You Da Man !!!

Pinboy ain't No Elite Plus -- But -- I agree with YOU --- I'm learning from the " Best ".

In fact, LOL-- I would love to see a sign :

" Welcome to the Slugfest on 14--- Wash Your Fxxx Hands , Don't taste NO food and Only Push in front of other people if YOU are hungry ".

Maybe one day you and I can meet at the pool --- You in the pool, me outside --- Guess why ??

 

[davekathy]