Dining in The Restaurant at lunch

[commodoredave]

11 hours ago, JPH814 said:

it seems like Seabourne matches your idea of an accommodation 

It does to a point. If the comments on this board are accurate, it appears that SB has an inconsistent policy of opening the MDR for breakfast and lunch. So, at this point, I am only sailing with SB on warm-weather cruises where I prefer eating outdoors for breakfast and lunch. SB might get more of my business if I could count on them to open the MDR for lunch on cool-weather cruises. For example, I spent 3 weeks on the Odyssey in the Caribbean in February, but chose Silversea for a recent Iceland/Norway cruise. Was the MDR the only reason? No, but it was one of several factors.

[SLSD]

11 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

I don't think it's quite that simple. 😉 Onshore, we too don't go to any buffet restaurant. Most are low-quality, mass-volume, all-you-can-eat, lower echelon offerings, and you can't pay me to go to one of those! But over the years, we've been to some fabulous, memorable, brunch buffets at very upscale resort hotels and top-tier city restaurants. You can visit various stations to select food and return to your white tablecloth table, while a waiter refills your champagne glass, and it can be a wonderful dining experience! I'd go back to some of those we've experienced in a heartbeat.

 

Now, I wouldn't say the offerings on Seabourn are at the high level of some of those experiences I've described, but neither are they in any way comparable to Golden Corral or Old Country Buffet or Shoney's or [insert any other all-you-can-eat buffet chain]. Just because I make my own fruit plate, or make a bagel with lox just the way I like it, or have a caesar salad made for me, or have a slice of beef tenderloin cut for me, in the Colonnade does not make it a dark, undesirable experience. At least for us. Too many people crowding a line, poorly presented food displays, unsanitary serving implements — those are things which in my opinion can take an otherwise acceptable buffet experience on the ship to undesirable. And to me, the presence or absence of white tablecloths for breakfast or lunch does not make or break whether the overall experience feels worthy of "luxury cruising".

 

Just my opinions, and yours may differ… my point was really to say that I think there are luxury buffet dining experiences in this world, and that what we may think in terms of onshore buffet restaurants in the US does not define what a more upscale buffet experience can be.

When I said it was simple, I meant for us--not for everyone else.  I was talking about assessing what luxury means for us.  I am well aware that some high end resorts/hotels/ restaurants do utilize the buffet as a means of serving their guests.  I can recall a lovely hotel in Kyoto which had a wonderful breakfast buffet which we enjoyed.  It was much more luxurious and less crowded than the Colonnade on a Seabourn ship.  There are high end restaurants in our city which also offer buffets--but not many of them--and we don't choose these places as we do not like buffets.  While I am not a germaphobe, I am a bit grossed out (is that an American term?) by the idea of self serve food stations as you have no idea how sanitary or unsanitary they might be.  But even more than that, I like the ambience provided by a curated menu and being served at a table.  I do not like schlepping through a line and choosing from many incongruent offerings.  I always try to assess calories I am taking in and that is much easier to do from a menu.  It IS as simple as that--at least for me.  All this being said, I have enjoyed every single Seabourn cruise we have taken--and we have managed to "work around" the buffet issue.  On a crossing form Kobe to Vancouver, we did have the MDR open for breakfast and lunch everyday--but only for ONE hour.  For us, this was not luxury service.  Why not allow esteemed guests a larger window for their leisurely sea days?   I now recognize that many Seabourn cruisers are fine with the buffet.  It's just not our culture or way of dining.  

[rkacruiser]

53 minutes ago, SLSD said:

But even more than that, I like the ambience provided by a curated menu and being served at a table.  I do not like schlepping through a line and choosing from many incongruent offerings

 

While I also preferred ordering from a menu, when I do dine at a buffet, on land or at sea, before I get a plate, I survey the offerings and get an idea as to what I am going to choose.  On ships that are very large, such as Princess' Royal Class ships, their Lido Restaurant is so large with so many serving lines, I can become frustrated because I forget where what I wanted was in which line.  

[SLSD]

43 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

While I also preferred ordering from a menu, when I do dine at a buffet, on land or at sea, before I get a plate, I survey the offerings and get an idea as to what I am going to choose.  On ships that are very large, such as Princess' Royal Class ships, their Lido Restaurant is so large with so many serving lines, I can become frustrated because I forget where what I wanted was in which line.  

And is having to survey several lines luxury?  For me--no.  And why should I have to curate a menu on a luxury cruise line?  I also don't prefer the galley lunch which looks to me that the kitchen has thrown everything they have out to serve.  I've done it--two times.  Will not do it again.  

Edited November 3, 2022 by SLSD

[brittany12]

Yes the much heralded Galley lunch is a fancier eating at the trough event where everything is literally offered and thrown in as passengers line up and gorge. It's never appealed to us either. The one Princess cruise we ever took on their small 590 passenger sister ship to the Oceania and Azamara babies before it was scuttled had oblong plates at the buffet. Maybe 16'' long.The one meal there we were forced to have because the Military Tattoo at the Edinburgh castle was starting early. I will never forget the scene of how the Princess population loaded up those giant plates at the Lido buffet. And then return trips. There is no comparison of a fancy resort lavish buffet for breakfast or brunch  and that offered in the Colonnade. 

[rkacruiser]

15 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

There is no comparison of a fancy resort lavish buffet for breakfast or brunch

 

Agree.  When the buffet's are done well, they are a joy to behold and from which to dine.  Cruise lines, once upon a time, could do this well until the long arms of USPH became involved.  

 

32 minutes ago, SLSD said:

I also don't prefer the galley lunch which looks to me that the kitchen has thrown everything they have out to serve. 

 

I would like to have the opportunity to try this.  Some cruises on which I have sailed has offered special gourmet dinners/wine pairings that began with hors d'oeuvres in the Galley with glasses of Champagne.  A different way to begin a special dinner and perfectly acceptable to me.  

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Agree.  When the buffet's are done well, they are a joy to behold and from which to dine.  Cruise lines, once upon a time, could do this well until the long arms of USPH became involved.  

 

 

I would like to have the opportunity to try this.  Some cruises on which I have sailed has offered special gourmet dinners/wine pairings that began with hors d'oeuvres in the Galley with glasses of Champagne.  A different way to begin a special dinner and perfectly acceptable to me.  

I've taken a lovely tour of the galley with champagne and appetizers--which is altogether different from the Galley Lunch.  

[skybluewaters]

5 hours ago, SLSD said:

I always try to assess calories I am taking in and that is much easier to do from a menu.

 

To me, it is much, much easier to assess calories when you can actually visualize the food before you commit to it. 

 

In a buffet, for example, you can see how much fat a piece of meat has, you can see if the food has sauces or dressings, and most importantly, you can select the specific item that satisfies your needs.

 

From a menu, you have no idea how much rich sauce or dressing an item may have. The portion size is mostly out of your control (even if you express your desire to the waiter).  The "healthy" vegetables you order from a menu may show up on your table glistening with butter or oil, whereas you would likely be able to notice this in the buffet line.  

[nancygp]

12 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

To me, it is much, much easier to assess calories when you can actually visualize the food before you commit to it. 

 

In a buffet, for example, you can see how much fat a piece of meat has, you can see if the food has sauces or dressings, and most importantly, you can select the specific item that satisfies your needs.

 

From a menu, you have no idea how much rich sauce or dressing an item may have. The portion size is mostly out of your control (even if you express your desire to the waiter).  The "healthy" vegetables you order from a menu may show up on your table glistening with butter or oil, whereas you would likely be able to notice this in the buffet line.  

Spot on Leo…fully concur

 

Enjoyed our quest cruise as much as the ovation Norway cruise…booked a spring crossing…and you?

 

nancy

[JPH814]

5 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Yes the much heralded Galley lunch is a fancier eating at the trough event where everything is literally offered and thrown in as passengers line up and gorge. It's never appealed to us either. The one Princess cruise we ever took on their small 590 passenger sister ship to the Oceania and Azamara babies before it was scuttled had oblong plates at the buffet. Maybe 16'' long.The one meal there we were forced to have because the Military Tattoo at the Edinburgh castle was starting early. I will never forget the scene of how the Princess population loaded up those giant plates at the Lido buffet. And then return trips. There is no comparison of a fancy resort lavish buffet for breakfast or brunch  and that offered in the Colonnade. 

If you believe the dessert display or the bread displays were "thrown in" you do not have much appreciation for the creativity of the kitchen staff. Several of the displays were complex and impressive.  The advantage of any buffet is the ability to try a range of things, some things you might never had tried before.  So one person's disdain for "everything" is someone else's opportunity to try something other than meat and potatoes. 

[SLSD]

8 hours ago, JPH814 said:

If you believe the dessert display or the bread displays were "thrown in" you do not have much appreciation for the creativity of the kitchen staff. Several of the displays were complex and impressive.  The advantage of any buffet is the ability to try a range of things, some things you might never had tried before.  So one person's disdain for "everything" is someone else's opportunity to try something other than meat and potatoes. 

And this is an example of different perspectives.  While I do recognize the effort and creativity that goes into the preparation of the Galley Lunch, it just doesn't appeal to me for choosing a meal. 

[brittany12]

We've really gotten a bit lost on this thread into the creativity of dessert and bread displays in the Galley Lunch as well as looking to see if the beef has too much fat on it during a perusal of the buffet line. People on this site who prefer buffets for these and any other reason should be able to satisfy that on the special Galley Lunch or on the regular buffet line in the Colonnade as their choice for any meal they want. This thread really was originally about the responsibilities of a luxury cruise line charging luxury fares to meet its obligation and satisfy its promise of excellent food and superb dining venues to keep its MDR open on a regular basis for both breakfast and lunch in addition to the Colonnade. This is what a number of us who prefer that upgraded, more relaxing and enjoyable  dining experience  and remember the old days  are still expecting from luxury SB. It should be both venues until such time as SB formally advises its current and future guests that such will no longer be the case. And it should not be one set of rules for one of the SB ships, imposed on the spot, and a different set of rules for another unless real on the ground operating circumstances require it.. When I am on the Cunard ships,  I am dining in the top end, tableclothed, Queen's Grill for all three meals day on any of their four Queens.

[MBP&O2/O]

Regarding comments about how busy the Colonnade can be, are you actually 'assigned' a table  and taken to it ( a la Silversea) or is it a free-for-all?

[skybluewaters]

36 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Regarding comments about how busy the Colonnade can be, are you actually 'assigned' a table  and taken to it ( a la Silversea) or is it a free-for-all?

 

Neither.  It's not a free-for-all and you aren't assigned a table. 

You seat yourself at any available table.  If you come at peak times you might not have a great choice of tables, but the turnover is usually brisk if you prefer to wait for a certain section of the restaurant. 

I don't believe it is accurate to paint this arrangement as a "free-for-all" just because you aren't assigned a table and taken to it.

[MBP&O2/O]

It wasn't because you are not escorted to a table ... nor did I infer that! It was a simple question ... not painting an arrangement.

I asked if you were ... mainly because the Collonade has been described as being 'rammed' which I read as very busy. 

I know very little about SB and, having booked a cruise with them I am keen to learn.

[Isklaar]

39 minutes ago, MBP&O2/O said:

Regarding comments about how busy the Colonnade can be, are you actually 'assigned' a table  and taken to it ( a la Silversea) or is it a free-for-all?

 

Breakfast and lunch works like this - Find your table, sit down.Wait to be offered drinks and order anything from  the menu or the day's specials, then head to the buffet.

It does get busy, and I don't like crowds, but  I have to say that with hundreds of nights on SB, the vast majority of the time on full to capacity ships, I haven't generally found the Colonnade to be as awful as many other posters. It could  be because we eat breakfast and lunch fairly late, perhaps the 'rugby scrums' being described on this thread take place earlier. 

 

On one cruise , at breakfast one day the Colonnade was worse than a zoo.  We were docked, the weather was awful and as a result all excursions had been cancelled.  It seemed that everyone on board turned up during the same 10 minute period. A decision was made to accommodate some guests in TK Grill, right next door. Worked well.

 

In the evening, at least pre-Covid, you will be shown to a table either indoors or outdoors, according to the weather and your preference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CalmSea]

On our recent cruise on the Quest, we had all but one of our breakfast in the Colonade. It was never crowded, except on disembarkation day. On the other days, I noticed a lot of room service breakfast. Maybe that was why the Colonade was not busy except for the last day. Most times, there was no line up for food. Even when there was a line, it was usually with only a couple of people ahead of me. We did try breakfast in the dining room once, and there were, maybe only 3 tables with guests. Service at breakfast at the dining room was excellent, at the Colonade, just so so. However, we still decided we prefered the Colonade for breakfast.

[florisdekort]

This is post #193 on this thread yet ultimately, the situation on board (Quest, right now) is exactly the same as it was during my first Seabourn cruise in 2014 - The Restaurant is open for breakfast daily, and for lunch on sea days only. Nothing has changed and I therefore don’t understand what all the fuss is about.
 

(Yes, occasionally, if a high percentage of crew is in self-isolation, The Restaurant may not be open for breakfast or lunch. A shame, but that’s the times we live in.)

[skybluewaters]

20 hours ago, nancygp said:

Spot on Leo…fully concur

 

Enjoyed our quest cruise as much as the ovation Norway cruise…booked a spring crossing…and you?

 

nancy

 

Nancy,

We booked a second SB cruise while we were onboard our first cruise last month, so we'll be on the Hawaii --> Vancouver Odyssey trip next spring.  But once we got home, we realized we couldn't wait seven months for our next cruise, so we recently booked the Sojourn 16-day holiday Caribbean cruise (which begins in just 6 1/2 more weeks!).   Just like you, we're glad to have found a cruise line that fits what we are looking for. 

[nancygp]

5 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

 

Nancy,

We booked a second SB cruise while we were onboard our first cruise last month, so we'll be on the Hawaii --> Vancouver Odyssey trip next spring.  But once we got home, we realized we couldn't wait seven months for our next cruise, so we recently booked the Sojourn 16-day holiday Caribbean cruise (which begins in just 6 1/2 more weeks!).   Just like you, we're glad to have found a cruise line that fits what we are looking for. 

Sounds great!!!  We had about 7 week between our first 2 Seabourn cruises!  
 

Nancy

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Isklaar said:

It could  be because we eat breakfast and lunch fairly late, perhaps the 'rugby scrums' being described on this thread take place earlier. 

 

Experienced cruisers, in my opinion, have discovered this "secret" for a satisfactory dining experience in any buffet restaurant on whatever ship.  Go for breakfast or lunch at "prime time" and expect a less than serene dining experience.  Go after the multitude have left, no lines, decent service as required, and a better dining experience.

 

2 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

I know very little about SB and, having booked a cruise with them I am keen to learn.

 

Have yet to book a cruise, but, am very interested and am learning.  That is a reason why I participate in this Forum.  

 

6 hours ago, brittany12 said:

This thread really was originally about the responsibilities of a luxury cruise line charging luxury fares to meet its obligation and satisfy its promise of excellent food and superb dining venues to keep its MDR open on a regular basis for both breakfast and lunch in addition to the Colonnade. This is what a number of us who prefer that upgraded, more relaxing and enjoyable  dining experience  and remember the old days  are still expecting from luxury SB. It should be both venues until such time as SB formally advises its current and future guests that such will no longer be the case. And it should not be one set of rules for one of the SB ships, imposed on the spot, and a different set of rules for another unless real on the ground operating circumstances require it.

 

The definition of "luxury cruising" is, I fear, changing just as other aspects of cruising is.  One set of "rules" for one cruise and a different set for another?  My friend, the one item that stands out after all of my years of cruising is that the only thing consistent in the cruise experience of recent years is the inconsistency of the experience from one cruise to another.  

[SLSD]

I give up on trying to explain what people are upset about.  Some of us do not do buffets--and with the MDR open for only 60 minutes at most and usually only on sea days for breakfast or lunch, it is not ideal for us.  I'm not going to make any other comments.  It's just a different perspective.  I have NO desire to go to buffet after everyone else has already dined there.  I can't imagine anything less appealing. 

Edited November 4, 2022 by SLSD

[cruiseej]

6 hours ago, brittany12 said:

This thread really was originally about the responsibilities of a luxury cruise line charging luxury fares to meet its obligation and satisfy its promise of excellent food and superb dining venues to keep its MDR open on a regular basis for both breakfast and lunch in addition to the Colonnade.

 

I'd note that the Seabourn website describes The Restaurant as being open for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is not mentioned or promised. 

 

 

Our experiences on Seabourn cruises have never had terrible crowding in the Colonnade for lunch. On one or two occasions when a large number of people returned from excursions around  the same time, they opened the back door to The Grill restaurant (on the Odyssey-class ships) so everyone could get a table without waiting. 

 

I think we have dined in The Restaurant for breakfast twice. As other have described, the venue was nearly deserted, with us and perhaps two other tables. While there are indeed white tablecloths and The Restaurant is a lovely space, we didn't particularly love the feeling or consider it a  "luxury" experience. Service was slow, but more importantly, it just felt too empty. We talked in hushed tones because it was so quiet and we didn't want to hear or be overheard by the two other couples dining there.

 

I understand we all have different expectations and different definitions of a luxury experience, so please don't read this as a knock against breakfast in The Restaurant; I'm only sharing our experiences and observations. 

 

[brittany12]

Beg to differ. I go back dozen cruises to 2012 on Odyssey and recall lunches in MDR in ports in Greece and other places.

[florisdekort]

3 hours ago, SLSD said:

I give up on trying to explain what people are upset about.  

I think everyone gets it: for you and others it is important that The Restaurant is open for lunch every day. You’ve made that loud and clear. Why would anyone deny that that is your opinion? 
 

What I object to are statements along the lines of, if you disagree with me, you don’t understand what a luxury line is. And if Seabourn doesn’t open The Restaurant for lunch every day, they are no longer a luxury line. That is just stirring the pot. 
 

Many first timers come here looking for factually correct information. What I therefore also object to is the false information that is being spread by a few. People have claimed that The Restaurant is no longer open for breakfast. That’s not true; it’s open from 8 am to 9 am. People have claimed that The Restaurant is no longer open for lunch. That’s also not true; as always it’s still open on sea days from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. 
 

Lastly, I’ve read a few times now “The Restaurant is only open for breakfast for an hour”. Again, not true. You’re being asked to walk in between 8 am and 9 am. If, like us, you walk in at 8:50 am, you’ll still be enjoying a wonderful breakfast come 10 am. So it’s open for much longer than an hour. All this dramatizing is just not helpful.