Buffets and dinners. Are they currently less appealing?

[Clothing Optional]

Are the buffets open?  Late night food?  Where is your point of reconsidering if your scheduled cruise or experience is currently worth it?

[davekathy]

2 minutes ago, Clothing Optional said:

Are the buffets open?  Late night food?  Where is your point of reconsidering if your scheduled cruise or experience is currently worth it?

Currently the WJ is only breakfast and lunch. 

[firefly333]

Look for tree skier review. He said he loved dinners in Mdr this past week and they were very good. 

 

Late night options will be limited depending which ship with limited capacity. 

 

 

[Oceansaway17]

17 minutes ago, Clothing Optional said:

Are the buffets open?  Late night food?  Where is your point of reconsidering if your scheduled cruise or experience is currently worth it?

 

 

I am vaccinated but have to fly 6 hours.  Not used to wearing a mask much and my cruise on Ovation  is on the 10th.

I worry about wearing the traclet and being told I was near someone and then have to get tested and having caught it in SPITE of mask and vaccinated.  I mean crap.

 

Plus Northstar is broke on Ovation and vlogs recently have shown how empty the ship is and perhaps could also be sad.    Been to Alaska 4 times before including Ovation 2019, but I am scheduled for my "crystal" soon and I wanted it to be Ovation.  Sure wish they would mail it to me so I did not have to take the cruise.  Will decide soon on whether or not to cancel and 2nd time.  depends on the 2 day testing schedule too.  

[taglovestocruise]

20 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Currently the WJ is only breakfast and lunch. 

Read a report from someone on Anthem las week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the Windjammer all week. 

[PTC DAWG]

10 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

I am vaccinated but have to fly 6 hours.  Not used to wearing a mask much and my cruise on Ovation  is on the 10th.

I worry about wearing the traclet and being told I was near someone and then have to get tested and having caught it in SPITE of mask and vaccinated.  I mean crap.

 

Plus Northstar is broke on Ovation and vlogs recently have shown how empty the ship is and perhaps could also be sad.    Been to Alaska 4 times before including Ovation 2019, but I am scheduled for my "crystal" soon and I wanted it to be Ovation.  Sure wish they would mail it to me so I did not have to take the cruise.  Will decide soon on whether or not to cancel and 2nd time.  depends on the 2 day testing schedule too.  

It’s not just walking near someone, it takes more than that to trigger the contact tracing thing…walking down the hall and passing someone will not trigger a close contact…sitting at a bar right beside someone for 20 minutes might…

[Oceansaway17]

3 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

It’s not just walking near someone, it takes more than that to trigger the contact tracing thing…walking down the hall and passing someone will not trigger a close contact…sitting at a bar right beside someone for 20 minutes might…

oh good to know.  

Makes just about 50% less scared now.  I do plan on hiding on my balcony a LOT but I do want to eat and see a show.  Mostly just flying and sitting on a plane I guess is worriesome.  

I so far have not had to wear a mask more than 40 minutes or so doing errands.  

[Blizzard54]

We found the WJ on Ovation to be more appealing now than pre-covid. 

[ILCTCRUISER]

34 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

I am vaccinated but have to fly 6 hours.  Not used to wearing a mask much and my cruise on Ovation  is on the 10th.

I worry about wearing the traclet and being told I was near someone and then have to get tested and having caught it in SPITE of mask and vaccinated.  I mean crap.

 

Plus Northstar is broke on Ovation and vlogs recently have shown how empty the ship is and perhaps could also be sad.    Been to Alaska 4 times before including Ovation 2019, but I am scheduled for my "crystal" soon and I wanted it to be Ovation.  Sure wish they would mail it to me so I did not have to take the cruise.  Will decide soon on whether or not to cancel and 2nd time.  depends on the 2 day testing schedule too.  

You have the choice of taking it with you, having it mailed to you, or taking a pass on even receiving it.  You should get a form in your stateroom that you fill out and turn in.  We did on 13Aug Ovation cruise.

[Oceansaway17]

1 minute ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

You have the choice of taking it with you, having it mailed to you, or taking a pass on even receiving it.  You should get a form in your stateroom that you fill out and turn in.  We did on 13Aug Ovation cruise.

 

wish I could just call from home but I guess not.

I was Ovation in 2019 when I at the end of the cruise had 144 points.  I guess I had to wait until next RCI cruise which just turns out to be Ovation again.   I hope if I decide to go that I do not have to beg for it.

[ampurp85]

Anthem is doing UK sailings so that's really not applicable, unless sailing from there. Most ships are reduced capacity so no buffets after lunch. Depending on ships a cafe will be open late as well as a pizza place. MDR has been consistently better according to all restart bogs.

[Oceansaway17]

1 minute ago, ampurp85 said:

Anthem is doing UK sailings so that's really not applicable, unless sailing from there. Most ships are reduced capacity so no buffets after lunch. Depending on ships a cafe will be open late as well as a pizza place. MDR has been consistently better according to all restart bogs.

good to hear but I do like making my own salad.

[coaster]

WJ sounds more appealing to me as your plate is handed to you by crew and passengers aren't touching utensils. I feel this should be been enacted years ago to try to limit the chance of a Norovirus outbreak.

Edited August 31, 2021 by coaster

[daninwi]

17 minutes ago, Blizzard54 said:

We found the WJ on Ovation to be more appealing now than pre-covid. 

Same with us on the Allure a couple of weeks back.  Eliminates people grabbing serving utensils after taken items off their plates and eating in line.  Check off one unpleasant thing about the buffet that I hope to not see come back!

[ROYAL CARIBBEAN DUDE]

1 hour ago, Clothing Optional said:

Are the buffets open?  Late night food?  Where is your point of reconsidering if your scheduled cruise or experience is currently worth it?

 

Here on Odyssey, WJ is not open in the evening. All of the other dining venues/restaurants stay open till 9pm.

 

Café Prom is 24 hours, and Sorrento's stays open till 3am.

[TSC]

we just got off Ovation and thought the buffet in WJ was great. (pretty much the same as it was before without the grill at the back of the ship). Late night is more limited - but Sorrento's is always an option. 

[vegas7df]

We just sailed on Independence, food in all venues was much better than it has been in the past.  Especially the MDR, quality has improved. Windjammer was closed for dinner. 

[coaster]

Seems like 9 times out of 10 visits I see at least one 'finger licker' in the WJ roaming around the buffet. Crew putting food on plates is something that I hope continues.

Edited August 31, 2021 by coaster

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

Read a report from someone on Anthem las week. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were served in the Windjammer all week. 

Hmm. Hadn't read that post. Your post abut the AN WJ is the first I've read. Thanks. 

[msserious]

What has the seafood been like (if any) in WJ? Any shellfish?

[Cruise a holic]

Another option, if not a speciality restaurant is room service.    Enjoy

[rj59]

19 hours ago, coaster said:

WJ sounds more appealing to me as your plate is handed to you by crew and passengers aren't touching utensils. I feel this should be been enacted years ago to try to limit the chance of a Norovirus outbreak.

In my town last week, 25% of Covid infections were breakthrough cases. We now know that Covid isn't passed by touch, but by breathing contaminated air. So you have crew members standing behind buffet counters together for hours, talking, chatting, both wearing cloth mask that let through air and virus, and you're getting within 6 feet and breathing the air from people who share a tiny cabin and who socialize and eat in small spaces. To me, that makes it the biggest Covid risk on a ship now, whereas touching tongs presents almost zero Covid risk. If people are afraid of tongs, give them light disposable gloves like I've seen at hotel breakfast buffets. It's another instance of sticking to their Healthy Sail Panel recommendations from a year ago, instead of adapting to current knowledge of Covid and Delta and breakthrough cases. 

[brillohead]

41 minutes ago, rj59 said:

In my town last week, 25% of Covid infections were breakthrough cases. We now know that Covid isn't passed by touch, but by breathing contaminated air. So you have crew members standing behind buffet counters together for hours, talking, chatting, both wearing cloth mask that let through air and virus, and you're getting within 6 feet and breathing the air from people who share a tiny cabin and who socialize and eat in small spaces. To me, that makes it the biggest Covid risk on a ship now, whereas touching tongs presents almost zero Covid risk. If people are afraid of tongs, give them light disposable gloves like I've seen at hotel breakfast buffets. It's another instance of sticking to their Healthy Sail Panel recommendations from a year ago, instead of adapting to current knowledge of Covid and Delta and breakthrough cases. 

And yet, in spite of your fear-mongering, we aren't seeing COVID spreading like wildfire among crew members.  Hmmmm......

[Blizzard54]

8 hours ago, msserious said:

What has the seafood been like (if any) in WJ? Any shellfish?

Yes on the first day. 

[BirdTravels]

On 8/31/2021 at 3:19 PM, Clothing Optional said:

Are the buffets open?  Late night food?  Where is your point of reconsidering if your scheduled cruise or experience is currently worth it?

 

Very, Very, Very worth it. 

 

Windjammer is featured on Post #96 below. Great food, less crowds. Late night, we had snacks and pizza at Café Promenade