Which Celebrity ships have stopped serving you at the buffet and will others follow?

[Harborgirl246]

I am very disappointed to hear of one ship going back to self serve at the buffet. Now we’ll have one more thing to worry about: Noro!

[jelayne]

It may because of staff shortages.  

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

26 minutes ago, Harborgirl246 said:

I am very disappointed to hear of one ship going back to self serve at the buffet. Now we’ll have one more thing to worry about: Noro!

 

So you "heard" this someplace.  Where?  What ship?  How about a bit more creditable post?

[WestLakeGirl]

43 minutes ago, Harborgirl246 said:

I am very disappointed to hear of one ship going back to self serve at the buffet. Now we’ll have one more thing to worry about: Noro!

Was this a Celebrity ship?

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, Harborgirl246 said:

I am very disappointed to hear of one ship going back to self serve at the buffet. Now we’ll have one more thing to worry about: Noro!

Not on any Celebrity ship - at least this is what we were told in a Q and A with senior officers on Silhouette.

[jelayne]

52 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

So you "heard" this someplace.  Where?  What ship?  How about a bit more creditable post?

I read the same thing as @Harborgirl246I can't recall which which Celebrity ship it was, but a recent poster said that on their sailing staff was not serving the food in the buffet.

[39august]

I believe that was on Infinity's first cruise due to staff shortage. I also think I read that they did revert back to crew serving toward the end of that cruise.

[cocobakerchica]

2 minutes ago, 39august said:

I believe that was on Infinity's first cruise due to staff shortage. I also think I read that they did revert back to crew serving toward the end of that cruise.

This makes a lot more sense.

[jwlane]

Lots of "I beliveve", "I hear", "I read", "I think", but not a single cited source.

[Jeremiah1212]

Equinox has been doing self serve in the buffet this week as well. 

[cruising diva]

I am on the Equinox now and the buffet is self serve.

[lexmiller]

I would be thrilled to have the buffet return to self-serve.  People need to take responsibility for their own health.  Don't worry about other people washing or not washing their hands - wash your own hands when you enter the buffet and then be sure to again wash your hands/sanitize before touching your own personal silverware set before you put anything into your mouth.  Another good tip is what my sister has always done at the buffets in Las Vegas - she carries her napkin in her hand and uses the napkin as a barrier between her hand and the communal serving utensils.  We were just on the Millennium two weeks ago and the lines in the buffet at lunch time were awful - easily 25 people deep at the salad bar alone.  There simply is not enough staff to handle the crowds.  It's your health, take responsibility for it and let's get the buffet lines moving as they used to do.  

[Oolie]

Self serve in Oceanview began on 6/26 sailing. I was on 6/18 and 6/26, change occurred on the second cruise. 

[Oolie]

On Equinox…

[Ozzmund]

15 minutes ago, lexmiller said:

I would be thrilled to have the buffet return to self-serve.  People need to take responsibility for their own health.  Don't worry about other people washing or not washing their hands - wash your own hands when you enter the buffet and then be sure to again wash your hands/sanitize before touching your own personal silverware set before you put anything into your mouth.  Another good tip is what my sister has always done at the buffets in Las Vegas - she carries her napkin in her hand and uses the napkin as a barrier between her hand and the communal serving utensils.  We were just on the Millennium two weeks ago and the lines in the buffet at lunch time were awful - easily 25 people deep at the salad bar alone.  There simply is not enough staff to handle the crowds.  It's your health, take responsibility for it and let's get the buffet lines moving as they used to do.  

I am quite happy and able to take responsibility for my own health, it is those folks who don’t that concerns me.

I have on too many occasions  seen folks using their fingers to grab food items, folks tasting, then returning food items to the serving area. 

At a self serve buffet the area is as clean as the least sanitary guest. 
 

Not for me.
 

 

[lv2cruisgrl]

3 minutes ago, Ozzmund said:

I am quite happy and able to take responsibility for my own health, it is those folks who don’t that concerns me.

I have on too many occasions  seen folks using their fingers to grab food items, folks tasting, then returning food items to the serving area. 

At a self serve buffet the area is as clean as the least sanitary guest. 
 

Not for me.
 

 

I agree. It's disgusting how people act at a buffet. Kids are even worse.

[Panzano]

Just boarded Apex this morning.  Covid is over .. Back to normal!!
We sat in large warehouse waiting room for an hour before boarding ( even though we arrived at our scheduled time). 80% unmasked with no distancing.  Buffet is a mix of self serve and staff served.  People back to not washing hands, licking their fingers and taking food without using utensils.  
Already starting to hear coughs. We are  masked at all times, except eating, as well as vaxed and double boosted (2nd booster 3 weeks ago) but still feel vulnerable.  I think people are just ready to move on.   If you’re afraid of getting Covid, now is not a good time to cruise. 

Edited July 8, 2022 by Panzano

[Jeremiah1212]

51 minutes ago, Ozzmund said:

I am quite happy and able to take responsibility for my own health, it is those folks who don’t that concerns me.

I have on too many occasions  seen folks using their fingers to grab food items, folks tasting, then returning food items to the serving area. 

At a self serve buffet the area is as clean as the least sanitary guest. 
 

Not for me.
 

 

Sounds gross in theory, but where is there more exposure? When someone grabs a single piece of bacon with their fingers or when hundreds of people use the same tongs to grab a piece of bacon? 
 

The whole served buffet concept really didn’t do much in the way of COVID prevention. Noro? Maybe. If anything it keeps people standing next to each other in line longer than they normally would have.  

[brwneyedgirl72]

I saw in a Facebook group today that it is now self serve on the Solstice as well.

[Harborgirl246]

2 hours ago, jwlane said:

Lots of "I beliveve", "I hear", "I read", "I think", but not a single cited source.

So I originally posted due to reading about Solstice but needed to get verification.
Now maybe you can see it is Equinox, Solstice, some of Apex. I’m sure we’ll hear about the rest of the fleet soon. 
 

[rotoal]

We were on Eclipse last week, and it was self-serve - I was more than a bit disappointed.  The ship wasn't full, and there was less crowding at the buffet.

[Arizona Wildcat]

2 hours ago, lexmiller said:

I would be thrilled to have the buffet return to self-serve.  People need to take responsibility for their own health.  Don't worry about other people washing or not washing their hands - wash your own hands when you enter the buffet and then be sure to again wash your hands/sanitize before touching your own personal silverware set before you put anything into your mouth.  Another good tip is what my sister has always done at the buffets in Las Vegas - she carries her napkin in her hand and uses the napkin as a barrier between her hand and the communal serving utensils.  We were just on the Millennium two weeks ago and the lines in the buffet at lunch time were awful - easily 25 people deep at the salad bar alone.  There simply is not enough staff to handle the crowds.  It's your health, take responsibility for it and let's get the buffet lines moving as they used to do.  

Great if we can either call security and have them confined to their cabin or have a trial finding those that are slovenly at the buffet sentenced to walk the plank or a public shaming.

[1025cruise]

I have cruised twice on Norwegian, and both times the buffet was self served. I also understand that Carnival has their buffets as self serve.

[goofysmom99]

3 hours ago, jwlane said:

Lots of "I beliveve", "I hear", "I read", "I think", but not a single cited source.

Whew, what a relief, now there are.

[Veinless]

2 hours ago, Harborgirl246 said:

So I originally posted due to reading about Solstice but needed to get verification.
Now maybe you can see it is Equinox, Solstice, some of Apex. I’m sure we’ll hear about the rest of the fleet soon. 
 

Eclipse too in early June. Was disappointing.