Changes in buffet hours - when did this happen?

[disneylover89]

I just came off the Escape last week and found that even though the daily said breakfast was until 9:30, they had one side open longer for breakfast.  NCL is really trying to push room service to make a little extra money with their limited buffet hours but who wants to order room service and then have dirty smelly dishes stacked in your room for hours and hours because they also cut room cleaning down to once a day, so your dishes just sit.  The lines and wait are ridiculous at O'Sheehans plus the staff is cranky because they are dealing with a bunch of drunks that normally would have grabbed a slice of pizza or hot dog and fries at the buffet but are now forced to sit down and wait a long time for food to be served. 

Another big problem we found is there were no bars open after midnight.  It was ridiculous.  Yes, the drink package was not limited to the number of drinks you could have but you were basically cut off at midnight.  Maybe a little longer if you were at a show but as soon as the show was over, the bar closed.  I have to say, the cruising experience has really changed with NCL and I'm not liking it much anymore. 

[Jerseygich]

We were on the Sky beginning of June and breakfast was until 10:00

[JeanKC]

I've been looking at the dailies posted on the various "live from....." threads recently and there does seem to be a lot of variation in breakfast time. 

 

Like the OP though, I think what I will miss more is the option of a late night snack. There's nothing like a bag of chips (fries) on the way home from the pub. My last cruise was a very different experience as it was on the Royal Clipper so no all day buffet anyway but even they provided a small snack at midnight if someone wanted something on the way to bed after a load of G&Ts!! O'Sheehans is all very well and good, but sometimes what you want is something quick and easy rather than a full sit down dining experience. 

[MsTabbyKats]

Everyone has their own schedules...and my DH's breakfast schedule is "as late as possible".  I usually get my "early breakfast" (I'm the only one in O'Sheehan's), go to the casino, and pick him up at 10 for the buffet.

This will not go over big with him, (It's about 10:15 am now; he's still in bed.)

On top of this, with lack of what we call entertainment.......our next NCL cruise will probably be our last one.

Edited July 7, 2023 by MsTabbyKats

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, disneylover89 said:

NCL is really trying to push room service to make a little extra money with their limited buffet hours but who wants to order room service and then have dirty smelly dishes stacked in your room for hours and hours because they also cut room cleaning down to once a day, so your dishes just sit.

If I ever cruise in a non-suite, there's a super easy solution to this. Put the dishes in the hall. I don't care what others say. That is absolutely the solution and what I would do. Judge me. Hate me. Love me! I'll still do it. But, I'll put the dishes next to your door (not you @disneylover89, but whomever hates it). 

Edited July 7, 2023 by cruiseny4life

[MsTabbyKats]

22 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Exactly. If you can't get up by 9:30, then... well never mind, whatever I'm about to say will get me either flamed or flagged so 'nuff said. LOL 🤣

Not gonna flame you...lol.  But retired people (and many cruisers are retired) get up later than working people.  And since we've been cruising about 20 years...and the breakfast buffet was always open later...well, you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks..........

[MsTabbyKats]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

If I ever cruise in a non-suite, there's a super easy solution to this. Put the dishes in the hall. I don't care what others say. That is absolutely the solution and what I would do. Judge me. Hate me. Love me! I'll still do it. But, I'll put the dishes next to your door (not you @disneylover89, but whomever hates it). 

I'd agree with you....but....if you have room service, the whole concept of the buffet is gone!

[cruiseny4life]

1 minute ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I'd agree with you....but....if you have room service, the whole concept of the buffet is gone!

That's very true. NCL is requiring guests to modify their behavior, habits, whatever you want to call it with the buffet being open only two hours (I'm going way back to the OP on that one). Two hours for a couple thousand people...first of all, that's ridiculous. Secondly, every person paid to cruise and should expect to eat within normal vacation breakfast hours. That's not 6 AM. To be fair, my husband and I generally eat breakfast around 7 AM on a cruise.

 

But, I would never tell someone they must mimic my behavior to be accepted on a cruise ship (like certain other posters have done). Heck, I've even slept in and missed breakfast on a cruise. I've also woken up at my normal pre-7 AM time, not felt like eating and missed breakfast, because...well the times didn't align. 

 

A buffet should be open from at least 7 AM - 11 AM with one side shut down earlier, to prep for lunch. Again, don't really care what others think. That's what I believe and you're not going to change my mind. This allows everyone to eat, when they're ready. If they miss 11 AM, well they get to eat lunch! Food for all. 

Alas, NCL must make money to pay off their staggering debts they incurred...many of them before the pandemic, by the way. And, of course, their executives need a few million a year to continue running the experience into the sea.

[bkrickles1]

I'm a little confused with the thread.

My daughter just sailed Escape at the end of May and she said the buffet, for breakfast, never closed before 10:30am and was open until 11am on a couple of days.

I already posted here that there are Joy dailies posted somewhere on another site from a couple of weeks ago that shows those same hours.

The 9:30am closing of the breakfast buffet is definitely not fleet wide, so it's odd that some are seeing that. I think a 10:30 or 11am closing is not outrageous, with a lunch reopening at noon.

I'm sailing Joy in 16 days and, believe me, I'll be paying attention to this.

I do understand that people would like them to stay open later for snacks. I would too.

But, I also remember going later to the buffet and there were never a lot of people there.

Again, I'm sailing soon on Joy and will have all these things fresh in my mind to pay attention to. And, yes, I will still thoroughly enjoy my cruise!!! Lmao!!

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, disneylover89 said:

NCL is really trying to push room service to make a little extra money with their limited buffet hours

I would venture to say that Room Service is not a money-maker for NCL.  They levied a deliver charge for continental breakfast to discourage guests from requesting it…and for those who do, NCL will happily collect a Delivery fee.

 

Reduced buffet hours is a tactic to save $$ on both labor and food costs.  By reducing staffing hours they can hire fewer crew and spread their hours throughout the breakfast, lunch, dinner service.  NCL would prefer we go hungry (haha) than offer service to meet its guests desires.

 

 

[mking8288]

Somewhat off-topic but related.  Talk about food waste ??   Not a chance, "leftovers" can be easily taken down below deck to feed the crew on breaks or between shifts, and, the roasted meat or whatever can be easily & creatively turned into something else by the next day on the planned menu, i.e. end up as ingredients in the soup stock.  Hardly anything wasted and last but not least, the fishes & marine life in the ocean will feed on whatever, as released & discharged from the ships at sea.  In the "old" days, you learn far more doing the longer version of the complimentary behind-the-scene ship tour & get to talk to the executive chef and ask questions when offered.  

 

Once upon a time ... well, actually from what I gathered, the other backup option for a late night quickie "snack" besides the buffet or O'Sheehan's/The Local's - was the onboard casino.   Usually at a discrete corner, near the table games with plates, utensils & paper napkins, etc. and a few "munchies" - nothing fancy or upscale, but for the hardcore players too busy to be donating and hoping for that big win - not bad in getting a quick bite.  Many avoid and/or do not go near the casino with all the smoking going on, as this is just another semi "secret" - free for all, any adults can come by & help themselves to little plates of finger food.  Check it out b/c our friends showed us recently - shocking surprised.  Not going to say or disclosed anymore, OMG unbelievable, is all I will say.  

 

There was little to no doubts that was a clear cost saving measure - might as well eliminate that "comp" snack entirely and cut out that option for their players and high rollers ... 

[GORDONCHICK]

34 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I'm a little confused with the thread.

My daughter just sailed Escape at the end of May and she said the buffet, for breakfast, never closed before 10:30am and was open until 11am on a couple of days.

I already posted here that there are Joy dailies posted somewhere on another site from a couple of weeks ago that shows those same hours.

My guess is that this isn't a fleet or ship thing - more of an itinerary thing.  I'll be on the Joy in September for 9 nights.  There is only one "sea" day (we'll be on a river) but the port times all vary at lot.  My guess is that the buffet hours may as well.

[bkrickles1]

30 minutes ago, GORDONCHICK said:

My guess is that this isn't a fleet or ship thing - more of an itinerary thing.  I'll be on the Joy in September for 9 nights.  There is only one "sea" day (we'll be on a river) but the port times all vary at lot.  My guess is that the buffet hours may as well.

Agreed!

I just checked the Joy dailies (again) from a couple of weeks ago and port days for breakfast were 6:30 - 10:30am and sea days were 7:00 - 11am. Totally reasonable!!

 

[Cruising Lynne]

Seems to vary a lot by ship.

 

[GORDONCHICK]

2 minutes ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Seems to vary a lot by ship.

 

Yikes!  I'd never make it to breakfast!

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

6 minutes ago, Cruising Lynne said:

Seems to vary a lot by ship.

 

This is day one in Seattle. Wouldn't that be the schedule for the people getting off the boat, not those getting on, which is after breakfast anyway? 

[cruiseny4life]

10 minutes ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

This is day one in Seattle. Wouldn't that be the schedule for the people getting off the boat, not those getting on, which is after breakfast anyway? 

Great catch!

[bkrickles1]

10 minutes ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

This is day one in Seattle. Wouldn't that be the schedule for the people getting off the boat, not those getting on, which is after breakfast anyway? 

Exactly!!!!!

That's not a great representation.

[GORDONCHICK]

12 minutes ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

This is day one in Seattle. Wouldn't that be the schedule for the people getting off the boat, not those getting on, which is after breakfast anyway? 

That makes much more sense!

[Dorhead1230]

2 hours ago, mking8288 said:

was the onboard casino.   Usually at a discrete corner, near the table games with plates, utensils & paper napkins, etc. and a few "munchies" - nothing fancy or upscale, but for the hardcore players too busy to be donating and hoping for that big win - not bad in getting a quick bite.  Many avoid and/or do not go near the casino with all the smoking going on, as this is just another semi "secret" - free for all, any adults can come by & help themselves to little plates of finger food.  Check it out b/c our friends showed us recently - shocking surprised.  Not going to say or disclosed anymore, OMG unbelievable, is all I will say.  

As some on here may have picked up on, I am a, shall we say, frequent casino visitor 🤪 and sorry to say on Getaway in February the little casino spread had also gone the way of the wind. Maybe it varies by ship like so many other things, but all they’d put out in the casino on that sailing was a few plates of cookies. Which, honestly, they might as well not bother with anything at all, then. I’ll be sure to check it out on Joy this coming week.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

NCL is requiring guests to modify their behavior, habits, whatever you want to call it with the buffet being open only two hours (I'm going way back to the OP on that one). Two hours for a couple thousand people...first of all, that's ridiculous.

Who posted that the buffet was only open two hours for breakfast?

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Who posted that the buffet was only open two hours for breakfast?

Awww you caught it! Nice job! Meh, I meant to go back and edit that after reviewing the OP's post...alas, I didn't. So, good on ya! 👏

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

14 hours ago, omahabob said:

 

You do NOT want to see me in a Speedo! For that matter, neither do I.

Well definitely not if you haven't had a hot shower in 3 months! 😁

[scooter6139]

4 hours ago, disneylover89 said:

I just came off the Escape last week and found that even though the daily said breakfast was until 9:30, they had one side open longer for breakfast.  NCL is really trying to push room service to make a little extra money with their limited buffet hours but who wants to order room service and then have dirty smelly dishes stacked in your room for hours and hours because they also cut room cleaning down to once a day, so your dishes just sit. 

Just off the Bliss, the room steward just calls the same number you are supposed to call to get a dish pickup.  

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Maybe it varies by ship like so many other things, but all they’d put out in the casino on that sailing was a few plates of cookies.

 

on the prima in may and june, they had breakfast pastries and cookies in the casino, but only in the VIP room, which most people don't even know exists, tucked away as it is behind the penrose bar without a proper sign. also, they weren't replenished. so, i'm pretty sure if there was anything left at 10 or 11 pm, it was placed there twelve or fourteen hours earlier. i looked at if a few times and passed.