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

[musik07]

We got off of Infinity yesterday and served ourself in buffet all week. They seemed extremely understaffed. In fact we notes a lot of food wasn’t labeled and didn’t have proper allergen labels either. 

[bartnath]

6 hours ago, Cap_D said:

The issue is it takes one slob to lick their fingers and ruin an entire vat of food.  Better to have the food served regardless of individual responsibility or choice.  

Agreed. I have literally witnessed someone eat directly from a serving spoon and then put it back. When we had our first cruise after COVID back in December, I was thrilled to not have self service in Oceanview.

[larry_s_taco]

I really wish they would keep serving at the buffet. I was a nurse for 43 years. I have taught infection control classes to nurses as well as monitoring its implementation after the classes. As sad as it sounds, nurses have to be reminded about infection control frequently. It is hard for me to expect the general public to follow infection control protocols even under the best circumstances. Covid is only one reason among many to keep the serving protocol intact. 

[jg51]

On 7/9/2022 at 2:35 PM, jg51 said:

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... We have always disbelieved that CoViD-19 is spread -- to any significant degree (if at all) -- via shared serving implements.  ...

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9 hours ago, jwlane said:

Most people probably agree with you---but what about norovirus?  Is the confidence level still there?

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We do not have the same "confidence level" in regard to norovirus -- which is why we specified "CoViD-19" in the sentence that you quoted, above.

 

Nevertheless, we are not "worry-warts" about norovirus, for these reasons:

 

1.  Experience has shown us that norovirus [NV] is rarely brought aboard ships.  We have been on approximately 35 cruises in 16 years, and we have never become sick (except for a cold or two).  We have encountered NV outbreaks only twice -- one slight, one moderate, zero widespread.

 

2.  Various crew members are always carrying out actions that are designed to prevent NV spreads (even more now than they used to) -- for example, the wet-wiping of banisters/handrails. 

 

3.  Although NV symptoms are extremely unpleasant, they usually last just one to three days.  Fatalities are ultra-rare (0.01% [1 in 10,000 cases], according to one source).

 

4.  We know that some people may tell lies, but each guest must fill out brief a health-related questionnaire on Embarkation Day, making it at least somewhat less likely that NV is being brought aboard.

 

Considering the zillions of passengers that are carried by cruises ships each year -- versus the relatively tiny number of NV cases that occur -- we do not lose a moment's sleep worrying about catching NV ... from buffet utensils or otherwise.

 

Thanks, "jwlane," for giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts about this topic.

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[ChrisNY2]

10 hours ago, larry_s_taco said:

I really wish they would keep serving at the buffet. I was a nurse for 43 years. I have taught infection control classes to nurses as well as monitoring its implementation after the classes. As sad as it sounds, nurses have to be reminded about infection control frequently. It is hard for me to expect the general public to follow infection control protocols even under the best circumstances. Covid is only one reason among many to keep the serving protocol intact. 

 

 

Yup - I'll always remember when my grandfather got a lung transplant 10 years ago - long before COVID - the Cleveland Clinic doctors told him to never eat at a buffet again, because the infection risk is just too high. 

 

I loved the service of being served on my last X cruise at the buffet, it feels so much more luxurious.

[the penguins]

9 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

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We do not have the same "confidence level" in regard to norovirus -- which is why we specified "CoViD-19" in the sentence that you quoted, above.

 

Nevertheless, we are not "worry-warts" about norovirus, for these reasons:

 

1.  Experience has shown us that norovirus [NV] is rarely brought aboard ships.  We have been on approximately 35 cruises in 16 years, and we have never become sick (except for a cold or two).  We have encountered NV outbreaks only twice -- one slight, one moderate, zero widespread.

 

2.  Various crew members are always carrying out actions that are designed to prevent NV spreads (even more now than they used to) -- for example, the wet-wiping of banisters/handrails. 

 

3.  Although NV symptoms are extremely unpleasant, they usually last just one to three days.  Fatalities are ultra-rare (0.01% [1 in 10,000 cases], according to one source).

 

4.  We know that some people may tell lies, but each guest must fill out brief a health-related questionnaire on Embarkation Day, making it at least somewhat less likely that NV is being brought aboard.

 

Considering the zillions of passengers that are carried by cruises ships each year -- versus the relatively tiny number of NV cases that occur -- we do not lose a moment's sleep worrying about catching NV ... from buffet utensils or otherwise.

 

Thanks, "jwlane," for giving us the opportunity to share our thoughts about this topic.

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Be grateful. Were were part way through 5B2B on Solstice from Sydney to Hawaii when Noro struck on day 3. Within 48 hours every member of the crew with the exception of the Captain had their hours increased by 4 hours a day for additional cleaning duties. All meals had to be served which included those for the crew. To cope with serving the crew the singers/dancers/musicians helped out in the crew restaurant. This cleaning regime continued all the way to Hawaii where boarding was delayed by 4 hours whilst the crew battled to further deep clean the ship. Arriving passengers were crammed into an arrival hall for most of those 4 hours. All B2B's were forced to leave the ship either on a free excursion or to do their own thing . All menus, condiment sets, books in the library and many other items were removed. The Noro restrictions then continued for the first 5 days of the next segment ( Hawaii to Ensenarda). In total the crew put in all the additional hours for 21 days without a break. Uniquely Ensenarda was another change over day so once the departing passengers had disembarked there was a 4 hour gap before the new passengers arrived. As a thank you to the crew for their efforts the Captain arranged for a crew party to be held around the main pool during that period an event that the 20 or so B2B passengers were previeleged to be invited to attend.

How many passengers were infected was never announced. We watched as "red dots" put above every cabin door to warn the crew of infection within spread along the corridors. On our section between the humps there were eventually just 6 cabins without the dots - including ours. Of course each individual passenger was probably only affected for  around 48 hours but the cumulative effect was astronomical.

[Sascol]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:07 PM, jwlane said:

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

Isn't that part of what these boards are for?  I believe I heard it somewhere so I came here to try to confirm?  Why are so many people jumping on the OP?

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, Sascol said:

try to confirm? 

Exactly!  It's hard to do without a direct, reliable report vs. hearsay.

[nanatop]

Just off Beyond today, and full self service was in Ocean View from the start of the cruise. Not sure how many were sick, but my daughter was, and she was isolated for just over 24 hours and her young son also had mild symptoms!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

4 hours ago, Sascol said:

Isn't that part of what these boards are for?  I believe I heard it somewhere so I came here to try to confirm?  Why are so many people jumping on the OP?

Because folks post unsubstantiated drivel and then others take it as gospel.  There's enough misinformation floating around on the internet.  No need to add to it here.

[Denny01]

Just got off the Solstice Alaska Cruise and a great portion of Oceanview was self-serve. They had gloves in various areas for those that wished to use them. 

 

Theater was mask-required, but few had them on. More started wearing them near the end of the cruise. All staff was masked. 

 

Den

[RichYak]

31 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Just got off the Solstice Alaska Cruise

Glad to see you were able to make it! As I recall, it was touch and go for a moment. Hope you had a great family cruise.

[Denny01]

59 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Glad to see you were able to make it! As I recall, it was touch and go for a moment. Hope you had a great family cruise.

Yes it was. I tested positive 10days prior to testing negative 2 days prior. When checking on board and reporting via the Celebrity medical form as required, I was asked to step over to talk with the medical group which checked me with temp and more questions, and was allowed to board. 

 

So no problem with boarding although testing positive close to the cruise. It was tight, I had my family with 4 SRs set up and was afraid I’d not be going, but all worked out. 

 

And all worked out properly reporting my positive testing within 10 days and not just showing my monitored negative results done just prior. 

 

Den

[C4HCG]

We think self serve is great news, portions given to us on our May cruise were small which meant having to queue again at times.

[sato]

Is Summit now self-serve?

[jg51]

21 hours ago, C4HCG said:

We think self serve is great news, portions given to us on our May cruise were small which meant having to queue again at times.

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Your comment made our eyes "bug out," because we have had the opposite complaint!  We like self-service, because we are usually served too much  food by the crew -- and we hate leaving the excess on our plates.  We were taught not to waste food.

 

When we serve ourselves, we take exactly as little or as much as we want.  Often it is too difficult (or too late) to explain the right amount to crew members, some of whom do not yet speak English well.

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[laslomas]

56 minutes ago, jg51 said:

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Your comment made our eyes "bug out," because we have had the opposite complaint!  We like self-service, because we are usually served too much  food by the crew -- and we hate leaving the excess on our plates.  We were taught not to waste food.

 

When we serve ourselves, we take exactly as little or as much as we want.  Often it is too difficult (or too late) to explain the right amount to crew members, some of whom do not yet speak English well.

.

 

This is what I have found too. I point to something and say 'just a little' and a massive amount is put on my plate, and I have to stop even more coming. I hate leaving food in a buffet as if I take it I eat it. On my last couple of cruises I always ended up leaving food on my plate.

 

This may be a stupid question, so I apologise in advance, but would disposable gloves be something that would solve the worry of sharing the utensils? That would be relatively easy to set up.

[cruisemom42]

3 minutes ago, laslomas said:

This may be a stupid question, so I apologise in advance, but would disposable gloves be something that would solve the worry of sharing the utensils? That would be relatively easy to set up.

 

No, it wouldn't. There are still those who -- for whatever reason -- find it impossible not to sample the food directly from the serving utensil. 

[Beamafar]

3 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

No, it wouldn't. There are still those who -- for whatever reason -- find it impossible not to sample the food directly from the serving utensil. 

😱😱😱   Thankfully I’ve never witnessed something that gross!

[cruisemom42]

23 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

😱😱😱   Thankfully I’ve never witnessed something that gross!

 

Exactly -- and if you are the ninth person down the line you're unlikely to know it ever happened....

[dgoz]

On 7/8/2022 at 5:55 PM, 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. 
 

I was on Solstice July 1-8 and it was mostly self serve

[LGW59]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:45 PM, 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've never been a buffet person, not a COVID thing, just a me thing.  My husband on the other hand loves them, and he is a "semi" germaphobe, (can you say hand sanitizer to go) go figure.  However, when we do go to a buffet, yes I go, happy husband = happier husband, does not matter if it is self serve or not, it's pretty much all the same to me, as my options are very limited, I just won't do the full meal there, coffee a plate of fruit, cup of yogurt and I am good.  He on the other hand is one that can really eat, taking of course normal amounts on each of his trips, trust me, with him nothing goes to waste.  I do have to add, while definitely NOT a majority, but from my own viewing experience, there are quite a bit more of the stereotypical buffet folks we hear commented on here, again not a majority but not a minimal amount either.  Enjoy your buffet self serve or not, and stop and say hello to the guy with his fruit mixed with his yogurt and coffee and just sitting back enjoying the "show".  Happy cruising.  

[Maggie North]

I, for one, am dissapointed to see crew service in the Oceanview go away. We have cruised 8 times since last November and if the lines were long, we just simply returned at a later time, or found an alternative. It has been refreshing not seeing "tasters" or "grabbers" in the buffet. I believe one unexpected benefit of crew service is less waste of food; will be interesting to see if that makes a difference going forward. Happy sailing everyone!