Nieuw Amsterdam - new process in Lido

[Mary229]

7 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

I think it depended on what ship you were on.  On the Westerdam and Rotterdam when I was on, (I believe beginning in 2016) everything was served.

 

On the Prinsendam (which had far fewer passengers and very seasoned ones who seemed to know to follow rules) we could get our own salads and cheese and breads.  Everything else was served IIRC.  I had no issues with that on the Prinsendam as I never saw anyone not use the tools properly.

I guess many things are ship dependent as the Captain and the hotel director do have quite a bit of autonomy .  On my most recent cruise, September, Zuiderdam, we could get breads, sandwiches and appetizers as I recall. Of course there is always the dessert and beverage stations which are now fully self serve, they were service only for a short while.  The taco bar was back on the Zuiderdam also, love that for the salsas

Edited November 22, 2022 by Mary229

[prescottbob]

13 hours ago, iflyrc5 said:

As of a couple days ago on the Nieuw Amsterdam in the Lido they have changed the serving process and now have tongs out (which some people don't use) and are allowing guests to get their own cookies, sandwiches, rolls, shrimp cocktail,  etc..  Not really a fan of this.  We have lots of kids on this week and have personally witnessed hands and not tongs being use and things being taken and put back.  Not a good practice.

Hey Ted,

Tongs and Spoons in the Zaandam Lido since boarding 1 October for baked goods, meat platters, cut up fruit, etc.

My only ‘beef’ is the lack of long tongs for items that require ‘a reach’ under the sneeze guards (the old arm scrape with exfoliating dermal cells landing on the forward platters).

That’s been an issue for me for years (lots of comment cards over the years with Public Health/ Sanitation concerns) for HAL and other cruise lines with little changes noted.

And so it goes…

Be well and enjoy the cruise.

Bob and Judy

[12cruise2]

With regard to trays in hallways, we have had to use room service for the last few days.  Clearly short-handed on NA re picking up trays from cabins.  We repeatedly have waited more than an hour for tray pickup after calling, and they STILL wouldn't come.  We wanted to nap or sleep and had no desire to keep waiting up after an hour.  Services aren't answering phones (d.r. reservations, guest services, etc.)  This week on NA they were very full with passengers and clearly don't have the staff to do the job in a timely manner.  Plus more than 70 staff went home last Sunday and 70 new staff came on board; very green group, not experienced.  Yes, tongs; we ALWAYS go to Lido breakfast and lunch even before it opens and get in and out quickly (or room service, which was delicious).

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, 12cruise2 said:

With regard to trays in hallways, we have had to use room service for the last few days.  Clearly short-handed on NA re picking up trays from cabins.  We repeatedly have waited more than an hour for tray pickup after calling, and they STILL wouldn't come.  We wanted to nap or sleep and had no desire to keep waiting up after an hour.  Services aren't answering phones (d.r. reservations, guest services, etc.)  This week on NA they were very full with passengers and clearly don't have the staff to do the job in a timely manner.  Plus more than 70 staff went home last Sunday and 70 new staff came on board; very green group, not experienced.  Yes, tongs; we ALWAYS go to Lido breakfast and lunch even before it opens and get in and out quickly (or room service, which was delicious).

Are you in Covid isolation?  If so I thought you were supposed to leave your tray outside.  Try using the app for service, it seems to work better 

[Mary229]

27 minutes ago, prescottbob said:

My only ‘beef’ is the lack of long tongs for items that require ‘a reach’ under the sneeze guard

Agree.  Long tongs are preferable for many reasons.   Maybe they should get copper grasp tongs as copper supposedly had anti germicidal properties.  https://www.copper.org/applications/antimicrobial/

[0106]

Small items were self serve on the Oosterdam last week.  I would prefer to be served everything.  I am not comfortable using tongs that have been handled by people who may not have clean hands.  I use a napkin to pick up communal tongs.

[Florida_gal_50]

8 hours ago, REOVA said:

I was always using able to use tongs to get cookies, sandwiches, meats, fruit, etc pre pandemic. The main entree section was served by crew but the Lido sections by the cookies/deserts and far end sandwiches, chips, fruit, bread were self serve. Even back then people picked off food and put back partially eaten plates. Unless Nvirus or flu outbreak happened and HAL pulled in the reins. 

You are 100 percent correct.  That the way it was on every ship I was on before Covid.

[LMaxwell]

Who HASN'T seen someone grab food off a buffet tray, shove it in their mouth, lick fingers, and grab more?  It's repulsive. People are total slobs.  Many *never* wash hands before entering or at best use a little sanitizer. 

 

Why, why, why must we cave in to the slobs?

[lizinindy]

The key is to sanitize your hands just before you eat. Wash on the way into the dining rooms for others but, for yourself, keep wipes or a small bottle with you and, after getting your food and finding a table

, sanitize your hands. And, keep in mind, covid is an airborne virus but noro isn't!

[Florida_gal_50]

3 hours ago, 12cruise2 said:

With regard to trays in hallways, we have had to use room service for the last few days.  Clearly short-handed on NA re picking up trays from cabins.  We repeatedly have waited more than an hour for tray pickup after calling, and they STILL wouldn't come.  We wanted to nap or sleep and had no desire to keep waiting up after an hour.  Services aren't answering phones (d.r. reservations, guest services, etc.)  This week on NA they were very full with passengers and clearly don't have the staff to do the job in a timely manner.  Plus more than 70 staff went home last Sunday and 70 new staff came on board; very green group, not experienced.  Yes, tongs; we ALWAYS go to Lido breakfast and lunch even before it opens and get in and out quickly (or room service, which was delicious).

There is no excuse to put trays in the hallway.  If you need to nap so bad maybe get food from the Lido or elsewhere.  There is a room on the koningsdam on my floor that constantly has food outside their door.  They are not quarantined because there was a bunch of people standing in the hallway this morning. It causes issues with people with mobility issues.  I've had trays in my room for hours but I don't take baby naps. 

[Mary229]

11 minutes ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

There is no excuse to put trays in the hallway.  If you need to nap so bad maybe get food from the Lido or elsewhere.  There is a room on the koningsdam on my floor that constantly has food outside their door.  They are not quarantined because there was a bunch of people standing in the hallway this morning. It causes issues with people with mobility issues.  I've had trays in my room for hours but I don't take baby naps. 

They were requesting those who were officially in Covid isolation to leave the trays outside.  When I saw it they were provided with a stool to place the trays. 

[Mary229]

57 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Who HASN'T seen someone grab food off a buffet tray, shove it in their mouth, lick fingers, and grab more?  It's repulsive. People are total slobs.  Many *never* wash hands before entering or at best use a little sanitizer. 

 

Why, why, why must we cave in to the slobs?

I have not seen that.  

[LMaxwell]

17 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I have not seen that.  

I have seen it on Disney, Celebrity, RCI, Carnival, MSC, Norwegian, Bahamas Paradise...i watched a lady just eat cake with her hands standing AT the cake display on Celebrity Equinox, then grab cookies.  No tongs or utensils.  Just basically shoving food in her face right off the serving tray. 

 

Gross. 

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

They were requesting those who were officially in Covid isolation to leave the trays outside.  When I saw it they were provided with a stool to place the trays. 

Yes if it's covid isolation that is different.  I saw nothing spelling that out in the post I quoted but I guess I missed that.  The people on the koningsdam I'm talking about are not in isolation.  Speaking of that I'm pretty sure there is a person in the cabanas that has covid.  He's coughing and sniffing constantly.  I just casually mentioned it to the steward and he's said there have been complaints and one person requested a cabana change.  I don't blame them.  People are so selfish to expose others ti whatever he has.  

 

 

Edited to say if the person I quoted has covid why would they be allowed to enter the room?

Edited November 22, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[iflyrc5]

I just talked to the dining room manager about my concerns of guests serving themselves.  He said that because of staffing, the ships returning to near full capacity and far fewer cases of Covid that the move to more self service was a HAL corporate decision.  I guess we will continue to wash our hands frequently and hope for the best.

[oakridger]

It will be interesting to see what the Norovirus case load looks like over the next few months/year.  Data!

 

~Nancy

 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Yes if it's covid isolation that is different.  I saw nothing spelling that out in the post I quoted but I guess I missed that.  The people on the koningsdam I'm talking about are not in isolation.  Speaking of that I'm pretty sure there is a person in the cabanas that has covid.  He's coughing and sniffing constantly.  I just casually mentioned it to the steward and he's said there have been complaints and one person requested a cabana change.  I don't blame them.  People are so selfish to expose others ti whatever he has.  

 

 

Edited to say if the person I quoted has covid why would they be allowed to enter the room?

I had asked them the Covid question and never had a response.  Sounded like a hollow complaint if they were not in official isolation 

[coffeefix]

I am currently on Stadendam. Just my experience. This morning as I was standing directly behind a grown lady, I literally saw her take a bite of her sticky bun, lick her fingers and then pick up the tongs to get another item. I think I stood there for a second because I was so dumbfounded. Needless to say, I left the line. I’ve never seen an adult do that… I think I’m still shocked. 

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, coffeefix said:

I am currently on Stadendam. Just my experience. This morning as I was standing directly behind a grown lady, I literally saw her take a bite of her sticky bun, lick her fingers and then pick up the tongs to get another item. I think I stood there for a second because I was so dumbfounded. Needless to say, I left the line. I’ve never seen an adult do that… I think I’m still shocked. 

Maybe they need to put up a sign saying “no eating in line”.  Not only is that rude and unhygienic, it is a bit gluttonous.  I asked DH and he says he has never seen it either.  I have seen people try to grab a bun without benefit of the tongs, they did not as I have a truly evil stare.  

Edited November 22, 2022 by Mary229

[LMaxwell]

7 hours ago, coffeefix said:

I am currently on Stadendam. Just my experience. This morning as I was standing directly behind a grown lady, I literally saw her take a bite of her sticky bun, lick her fingers and then pick up the tongs to get another item. I think I stood there for a second because I was so dumbfounded. Needless to say, I left the line. I’ve never seen an adult do that… I think I’m still shocked. 

I see that exact behavior on every single cruise with self-service.  

 

People graze the line. Lick their fingers.  probably scratch their butt somewhere in that mix. Filthy and gross. 

[SweetsugarNL]

On Rotterdam in august you can help yourself with cookies, fruit, bread.

Tried to avoid the help your self food.

 

(caught covid anyway and wore masks all the time).

 

I am not a fan from help you're self.

I have seen to much selfish people in buffets around the world.

Even in covid time in a hotel, a women pick up something with her hands, removed! her face mask, put it in her mouth, licks here fingers...., mask on and pick up another thing with their hands...

 

So I dont trust people to pick up stuff themselves...

[brovol]

There are going to be a few poor mannered, piggy slobs on every cruise, regardless of the rules and protocols in place on the ship.  This was true before covid, and will continue to be true after.  Respectfully though, it surprises me how many folks we have on this cruise forum (where presumably most posters cruise quite frequently) who seemingly bend the germaphobe meter.  Not trying to make enemies, but if someone is concerned enough about catching a bug that it offends the sense of health safety to eat food from an otherwise clean buffet, because individuals are permitted to grab a plated piece of cake, cookie or salad, perhaps he/she might reconsider jumping on a ship with thousands of passengers and crew living in close confines for a week or more. 

 

if you live a normal life, and present yourself in public (stores, gas stations, entertainment venues, family functions, or anything else) you get exposed to germs, bugs, viruses, etc.  God gave us immune systems, and they work miraculously, but need to be challenged now and then to stay strong.  That's why living in a bubble is actually not a good thing for most people. 

 

Pig gunna be pigs!  We will experience that wherever we go.  I have found that in large part folks who cruise (and particularly folks who cruise on HAL) are more well mannered than most.  There certainly will be exceptions, but I see no reason why a cruise ship buffet has to have a crew member serving every cookie or salad.  Time to move forward.

[Andi Land]

I grew up in the land of self serve buffets…Las Vegas. I’ve seen so much disgusting behavior from those experiences that I NEVER eat in buffets that have self service. Just sit back and observe for a bit and I’m sure it’ll turn most people off. 

[Bouff]

I am disappointed to read this thread.

We last cruised with HAL in September 2018. On that cruise and on our cruise the year before most food in the buffet was served by the crew. This was, of course, pre covid and even then we thought it was a great innovation. It is disappointing if HAL are changing back to the old ways.

That said, we cruised on another line in September this year and the buffet was fully self serve. I am glad to say that we were not aware of any health issues on that cruise.

[Mary229]

53 minutes ago, Bouff said:

I am disappointed to read this thread.

We last cruised with HAL in September 2018. On that cruise and on our cruise the year before most food in the buffet was served by the crew. This was, of course, pre covid and even then we thought it was a great innovation. It is disappointing if HAL are changing back to the old ways.

That said, we cruised on another line in September this year and the buffet was fully self serve. I am glad to say that we were not aware of any health issues on that cruise.

As stated previously, numerous times in this thread, there have always been stations that were self serve.  The crew serves entrees, sides and assembles salads.   Guests have always been able to take bread, beverages, cookies, desserts, sandwiches and a few other pre assembled foods.