Windjammer back to self serve?

[coffeebean]

14 hours ago, pcur said:

This all sounds like what they've been doing on HAL for years, and I am glad for it.  HAL's buffet was just more civilized, and they paid attention to preferences.  If RCCL doesn't, it's easy to find a "shirt" (as we always referred to the Windjammer management; aka "suit), and tell them the serving portions are too big, etc.  

 

On HAL I would use the universal "pinching" motions with my thumb and forefinger to indicate a very small portion, and it seemed to work.

Funny you mentioned the "pinching motion". I always use that when I cannot serve myself. This last cruise on Serenade, one of the crew moved around his serving spoon as if he was trying to get just the right amount of noodles. He put one noodle on my plate that was about 1 1/2" long and gave me a huge smile. I guess you had to be there. LOL.

[coffeebean]

13 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

We prefer the served food. As for portion size and condiment amounts, learning a few simple words in a variety of languages helps get our point across, if the crew member has limited English.  

The pinching motion of the fingers is all I need to get across that I would like a very small amount. They get the point.

[coffeebean]

10 hours ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...tables cleaned (wiped) with the same dirty rag...I wish they would offer paper placemats.

Disinfectant was used to "drown" the table at Windjammer the one day we had lunch there on Serenade. It was at least a couple of minutes before the table air dried. I liked seeing that they are really diligent about cleaning.

[coffeebean]

10 hours ago, Ashland said:

Always get a clean plate when going for more...This has always been a pet peeve of mine when people take their dirty plate back up for more 

I have never ever seen anyone do that. I have also never ever seen anyone lick their fingers and touch food that they do not take. Maybe I'm just not as observant as others.

Edited November 25, 2021 by coffeebean

[coffeebean]

5 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I agree. If it’s permanent it will have more to do with $$$ than anything else. I prefer to do it myself, and I promise I won’t put my hands in the mashed potatoes😜. In the four cruises since restart, I think it’s a much slower process. 
 

With a full ship it will be even worse. 
 

mac_tlc
 

 

NCL has self serve buffets and they have done that since they began cruising post pandemic. I'm looking forward to that.

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, coffeebean said:

I have never ever seen anyone do that. I have also never ever seen anyone lick their fingers and touch food that they do not take. Maybe I'm just not as observant as others.

The times we've gone to the WJ I haven't seen either happen, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. I believe both happen along with those touching and putting food back. BTW, I've never seen that happen either. 

[coffeebean]

2 hours ago, loman said:

I would pay a little extra to have servers in the buffet .

I never eat anything there with my bare hands . 

I even use a knife and fork to eat a muffin.

I dont use a napkin as a place mat though , as the plate provides enough of  a buffer between the food and the table for me.

How do you eat a cookie? That is surely finger "food".

[pcur]

10 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

Disinfectant was used to "drown" the table at Windjammer the one day we had lunch there on Serenade. It was at least a couple of minutes before the table air dried. I liked seeing that they are really diligent about cleaning.

Agree.  They have a bucket of disinfectant at the bussing station if they don't use a spray.  

[Travelgrrl]

2 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

How do you eat a cookie? That is surely finger "food".

I'm thinking of the Seinfeld episode where someone ate a Snickers bar with a knife and fork!

[pcur]

10 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

I have never ever seen anyone do that. I have also never ever seen anyone lick their fingers and touch food that they do not take. Maybe I'm just not as observant as others.

It's not a common occurrence, but it happens often enough.  I'm glad I won't be seeing that anymore.....puts me off my feed.  😁

[pcur]

1 minute ago, Travelgrrl said:

I'm thinking of the Seinfeld episode where someone ate a Snickers bar with a knife and fork!

I eat burritos with a knife and fork.  I don't want the tortilla, but it takes too long to explain that I just want the insides, so I let them make it, and use the knife and fork.

[BirdTravels]

44 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

NCL has self serve buffets and they have done that since they began cruising post pandemic. I'm looking forward to that.

So have buffets across the country. The WJ approach is a bit OTT

[cruisegirl1]

Not a buffet fan.   When at a buffet,  I use one plate as a plate for food and ask for a second that  I use  as a cover.  Been doing this for YEARS.  I simply cover the food plate with the upside down extra plate  The thought of all those people, breathing on my food.......!   And, don't get me started on folks who bring an open plate of food into a crowded ( ok now just 6) elevator.    

 

LOVE the new served buffet.  Hope it stays   And I still cover my plate. 

 

M

[alwaysflyin]

18 hours ago, coffeebean said:

Unpopular opinion here but I wish to help myself on the buffet. Only I can serve myself the tiny portions of foods that I prefer. Also, I do not like my food placed on top of other food that is already on my plate which is what the serving crew does.......every single time. The crew are in a rush so they do not take the time to be careful when placing food on the plate. I understand but I still do not have to like it. Let me serve myself. Supply those oversized disposable gloves at every buffet station and ENFORCE the use of the gloves like buffets on land have resorted to.

100% agree.  I take smaller portions and I like to be more specific about what I take.  Just give everyone the disposable gloves and have them wear masks while serving.  I don't see how the crew serving would be any safer than that.

[jcc1025]

We were on a cruise in August and on a simulated cruise in LA a couple of weeks ago. In both cases the Windjammer was served by the crew and it worked well. I also don't like a lot and it was easy to get what ever size portion you wanted. I have seen a few situlations where people were reach in with fingers to serve themselves without using the tongs and even if they kept the food if a crew member saw it they would remove the entire tray and discard it, and this was before covid so I have no problem with them serving passengers. I know it is not everyone but like lots of thing it is the few minority people who don't follow the rules that in up costing everyone. 

[loman]

2 hours ago, coffeebean said:

How do you eat a cookie? That is surely finger "food".

I dont eat cookies or bread . Not much of a cookie or baked goods fan.

I may have one piece of cake on a cruise . Dont drink anything sweet either.

[loman]

3 hours ago, davekathy said:

Reread the post. You missed the extra napkin comment. We use the extra napkin as a place mat instead of sitting our plate and utensils that we aren't using on the table top. The other napkin we use as we normally would. 

No, i understand that you have two napkins .  

I leave my utensils on the plate so nothing ever touches the table.

To each , their own . 🙂

[gadaboutgal]

Another vote to have buffet served by crew.  Pre-covid have seen and said something to a man who picked up a plate then put it back on the stack; child pick up a fruit and put it back, and someone took food from a tray, put it on their plate, then put it back-which I told to crew who withdrew the entire pan.  Really, sometimes you can not believe what people do!

Also, use a napkin as a placemat for dining.  I place my fork and knife in the appropriate positions before beginning to eat.  One, I don't like the possibility of any germs, and, two, I dislike the clatter and liquid ring on the table from drinks on the wood table.  Messy.

Really dislike Giovannis since they do not use tablecloths.

[Ashland]

8 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

In the past I have taken two sets of silverware that are wrapped in napkins. One of the napkins becomes my placemat.

Glad to know I'm not the only one that does this.

[davekathy]

21 minutes ago, loman said:

No, i understand that you have two napkins .  

I leave my utensils on the plate so nothing ever touches the table.

To each , their own . 🙂

Obviously you didn't understand when I said we use the extra napkin as a placemat and that's why you asked. I (we) don't eat muffins with a knife and fork. 😂 Too each their own. We also use hand sanitizer after sitting down and before eating. But we do this no matter where we're eating.

 

3 hours ago, loman said:

I dont understand what it is that you put on the table other than the plate , I put my knife and fork on the plate, and napkin on my lap . 

What am i missing here ?

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by davekathy

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, loman said:

I dont understand what it is that you put on the table other than the plate , I put my knife and fork on the plate, and napkin on my lap . 

What am i missing here ?

Good lord, eat your way and however works for you and the rest of us will do the same. My silverware often falls off the plate and I want it hitting a napkin not the table. Does that annoy you somehow?

[Ocean Boy]

3 hours ago, coffeebean said:

I have never ever seen anyone do that. I have also never ever seen anyone lick their fingers and touch food that they do not take. Maybe I'm just not as observant as others.

I have, it happens.

[not-enough-cruising]

5 hours ago, GWM907 said:

I was on Anthem last week. The service by the crew was very well done. They give you what you ask for. Condiments like mustard and ketchup were put in small bowels separate from your food. If you tell them how much what you want that is what you get. If you just put your plate forward for them to serve you probably get more than you want. I thought it was very well done and hope they keep it that way permanently. As a matter of fact in the Captain's Corner the Hotel Manager, in answer to a question from a passenger, stated that they have significantly less waste and they are in discussion now regarding making this permanent.

This week on Liberty, condiments in the Windjammer are self serve 

[loman]

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Good lord, eat your way and however works for you and the rest of us will do the same. My silverware often falls off the plate and I want it hitting a napkin not the table. Does that annoy you somehow?

nope 

[bonsai3s]

This will not be acceptable to most people...we were waiting at guest services...Navigator...observed a woman carrying a plateful of food...eating while in line...talking loudly...when it was her turn, she placed her plate on top of the counter at guest services...put her fork down and started licking her fingers.  After she was done, she picked up her plate and fork, started eating again as soon as she turned away from guest services. All I can say to her was "Happy Thanksgiving".......regrettably, she was clueless.