Embarkation for Getaway from NY

[Smitheroo]

On 1/21/2024 at 4:12 PM, mjkacmom said:

Yes, at noon, they will encourage you to go to the buffet with the masses but we prefer a nice sit down lunch.

Definitely doing that next time!   I didnt think they would be open until dinner.

[poohdreaming]

@Smitheroo - If you are cruising alone, it is best for you to go to the MDR on the first day of the cruise. There are some ways around of not having a tray if you want to go to the buffet. First, you go get your drink to pour into your bottle (water bottle) and then put it at a table and then go for food. No one will touch your water bottle. Some NCL staffs might walk around with a tray of juices to offer to cruisers in the buffet area.

[sebas030]

On 1/23/2024 at 11:00 AM, Smitheroo said:

well, not all of us are agile enough to carry a plate of food and a cup of hot beverage. And when you are traveling alone you really cant leave your table and go back for something else because if you do, most likely your food will be gone (not criticzing, just stating the facts) I suppose I could write up a sign, "do not remove, coming right back"  That might work.  I know I almost dumped a cup of hot tea on the head of a child who was below my elbow. Not doing anything rambunctious but there due to the crowds.   So there are several problems here  1) holding the plate and cup without dumping it  2) risk of injuring someone you bump into or more likely who bumps into you  3) losing your food if you leave it unattended to go back for a cup of beverage.   A tray would be so much easier. I could still carry my food all over the ship  without a tray, so the lack of a tray isnt helping with that all that much.  We are forced to carry plates and cups to the outer deck when its impossible to get a seat inside the Garden Cafe.  The only thing I can think of is that it is one more thing for them to clean and that might be valid. Another solution would be to avoid the Garden Cafe, which I try to do. Traveling alone has its negatives and this is one of them.  

The use of a tray in the buffet would result in what do you think ?

 

People getting 2 plates of food, a bowl of soup, a plate of salad, a dessert and 2 drinks. 

 

Only to realise they are full after the first huge plate of food they got and the rest in in the garbage 🤷‍♂️

 

At least here where I live, if you go at a buffet restaurant you will never find a tray. Restaurant would loose so much on wasted food.

 

I am not debating the use of one for someone with disabilities or arthritis or something like that. I am just saying why buffet style restaurant will not provide a tray.

[Smitheroo]

43 minutes ago, sebas030 said:

The use of a tray in the buffet would result in what do you think ?

 

People getting 2 plates of food, a bowl of soup, a plate of salad, a dessert and 2 drinks. 

 

Only to realise they are full after the first huge plate of food they got and the rest in in the garbage 🤷‍♂️

 

At least here where I live, if you go at a buffet restaurant you will never find a tray. Restaurant would loose so much on wasted food.

 

I am not debating the use of one for someone with disabilities or arthritis or something like that. I am just saying why buffet style restaurant will not provide a tray.

I was just going to come back to this thread.  A tray brought in from the outside would not be something that NCL would promote but for a completely different reason - infection control.  It would not be a good idea to bring a tray into a food area that possibly has been everywhere else on the ship including the bathrooms and then rest it on surfaces in the Garden Cafe. I wouldnt even try it now  But  on to what you said- the risk of passengers wasting too much food because their eyes were bigger than their bellies.  That  is not nearly as great as the potential safety risk of dumping a cup of hot tea on a child's head. Because that is what almost happened, through no one's fault other than me trying to carry one plate and one cup and a small child being close to me.  All it would have taken is one person in the crowd to jostle my arm. The child wasnt doing anything other than being short.  I'm sure there is a lot of food wasted anyway.  And the tray wouldnt be big enough to carry all the plates,bowls and cups you imagined.   There must be a tremendous amount of food wasted. For one thing, in the MDR they serve a basket of rolls regularly to me, one person. The most I would ever take would be 1 and definitely not 4. Surely that basket of rolls is tossed after they've served me.   I could kick myself. I just filled out a survey on the cruise I just took and forgot to mention the chaos in the Garden Cafe, especially on embarkation day, and the potential accidents waiting to happen.   

[mjkacmom]

10 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

I was just going to come back to this thread.  A tray brought in from the outside would not be something that NCL would promote but for a completely different reason - infection control.  It would not be a good idea to bring a tray into a food area that possibly has been everywhere else on the ship including the bathrooms and then rest it on surfaces in the Garden Cafe. I wouldnt even try it now  But  on to what you said- the risk of passengers wasting too much food because their eyes were bigger than their bellies.  That  is not nearly as great as the potential safety risk of dumping a cup of hot tea on a child's head. Because that is what almost happened, through no one's fault other than me trying to carry one plate and one cup and a small child being close to me.  All it would have taken is one person in the crowd to jostle my arm. The child wasnt doing anything other than being short.  I'm sure there is a lot of food wasted anyway.  And the tray wouldnt be big enough to carry all the plates,bowls and cups you imagined.   There must be a tremendous amount of food wasted. For one thing, in the MDR they serve a basket of rolls regularly to me, one person. The most I would ever take would be 1 and definitely not 4. Surely that basket of rolls is tossed after they've served me.   I could kick myself. I just filled out a survey on the cruise I just took and forgot to mention the chaos in the Garden Cafe, especially on embarkation day, and the potential accidents waiting to happen.   

Back in the day, buffets had trays (cruises, buffet restaurants, dining halls) and they’ve been gone for years. I doubt they will ever come back.

[Smitheroo]

12 hours ago, poohdreaming said:

@Smitheroo - If you are cruising alone, it is best for you to go to the MDR on the first day of the cruise. There are some ways around of not having a tray if you want to go to the buffet. First, you go get your drink to pour into your bottle (water bottle) and then put it at a table and then go for food. No one will touch your water bottle. Some NCL staffs might walk around with a tray of juices to offer to cruisers in the buffet area.

Yes, except I only learned that from experience.  Definitely it will be the MDR.  Using my water bottle to put my tea water in doesnt appeal to me and then I'd have to get a cup anyway. (it would be safer though) Its just not convenient for one person to dine alone in the Garden Cafe unless you eat in stages. Eat your plate of food, go back for your hot beverage. Although heading back into the lines doesnt appeal after doing it once lol but I will just have to do that because the risk of a disaster is too great (even just accidentally dumping your plate, which I have never seen happen)  That would just be a mess for them to clean up, a cup of hot water on a child's head would be more than that.  I have actually seen that happen in a crowd trying to get refreshments at a baseball game. And the man had a tray!  It had about 6 big cups of soda and as he turned with his sodas on a tray he lifted it above the others to make it easier for him to get through the crowd.  Someone jostled him and the 6 tall cups on the tray went over, right on the heads of two children standing close by. One was my cousin who was about 4 at the time. He just looked shocked, the girl next to him started screaming.  I'm sure it was icky feeling but at least it wasnt scalding

[Smitheroo]

5 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Back in the day, buffets had trays (cruises, buffet restaurants, dining halls) and they’ve been gone for years. I doubt they will ever come back.

I'm sure cafeterias must still have trays but you're right about buffets.  I've never seen trays.Most buffets arent the chaos that the Garden Cafe can be, especially on Embarkation day though. 

[Smitheroo]

On 1/21/2024 at 4:35 PM, poohdreaming said:

 

Usually around 11 am and the time of cabins to be ready vary from one cruise to the next one. If you carried your luggage on with you, there is usually a place to leave your luggage.

*Another* thing I was not aware of- there is a place to leave your luggage!!!  I didnt know this until I heard the announcement half way through lunch that guests could leave their carry-on bags in the casino until cabins are ready.    Experience is a very effective teacher!  I only had a tote bag and that was another part of the chaotic process. I wasnt going to leave that at an unattended table with my money and important papers in it.  

[Smitheroo]

On 1/23/2024 at 12:05 PM, goldmom said:

Not in the Garden Cafe, but on the Joy I would pop out to the Lounge in the morning to get coffee, muffins and fruit for DH and myself.  I used the tray from the room under the ice bucket.  It's small but was enough to carry a few items back to the room.

good idea. I dont think my studio cabin had an ice bucket and tray unless it was hidden somewhere.  Dont think it would work in the Garden Cafe but was ideal for what you wanted.   

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I'm sure cafeterias must still have trays but you're right about buffets.  I've never seen trays.Most buffets arent the chaos that the Garden Cafe can be, especially on Embarkation day though. 

I’ve had kids at 6 universities, no trays.

[cruiseny4life]

50 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I’ve had kids at 6 universities, no trays.

Interesting. I completed my MBA in 2018 (I know, that's a long time ago) and my university did have trays.

[mjkacmom]

39 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Interesting. I completed my MBA in 2018 (I know, that's a long time ago) and my university did have trays.

Here’s an article https://reasonstobecheerful.world/trayless-dining-university-food-waste-solution/

[Smitheroo]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

I’ve had kids at 6 universities, no trays.

I have experience with universities as well. They had trays. But.... that was 20 years ago so things have changed  I guess.   dont know why dining halls would have a problem with trays. A dining hall rarely, if ever, resembles the Garden Cafe on an NCL ship on embarkation day.  All I can think of for the ships is extra clutter?  I really doubt they worry about the occasional person who might take advantage and take too much food because they have a tray and then waste it. It would be interesting to know why these institutions have eliminated trays.  

[sebas030]

24 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Here’s an article https://reasonstobecheerful.world/trayless-dining-university-food-waste-solution/

My point exactly, food waste as per the article in question :

 

" 25 to 30 percent reduction in food waste per person "

 

 

[UKstages]

4 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Back in the day, buffets had trays...

 

back in the day, most cafeteria-style or buffet dining featured a ledge composed of several metal bars, which ran the entire length of the cafeteria. diners dutifully slid their trays as they moved down "the line." with the trend towards trayless dining, that ledge has disappeared in newly built buffets. (there's still something there for you to rest your plate on, but it's not quite the same thing.)

 

there is another design element at play that is equally responsible for the disappearance of trays.  at a modern buffet, customers dart in and out at several different "action stations" to get what they want. an old-school buffet requires people to stay in line and move one by one through all the things they don't want to get to the things they do. you see conflicts at buffets now because there are still people who cling to this old-school buffet notion... that there is a line that you must follow as you slowly inch through the entire buffet. modern buffets are not set up like that! (please note: i am not suggesting that you ignore all the people waiting for pizza or chicken curry ahead of you. once you get to the food item you want, you still have to wait in line behind all those who want the same item. i am merely saying that you don't have to slowly walk through the entire buffet to get to the food items you want. that's the way buffets used to work... but no longer.)

 

there are two other factors controlling people's behavior at a buffet... the first is the size of the plate. larger plates mean more wasted food or over eating. i typically first go to the dessert section, not because i want dessert, but because i pick up a couple of small plates and i put entree items on those. not only does it limit your intake (although you can always go back for more), but it tricks the brain into thinking you are eating more food because it looks like your plate is overflowing, which has a psychological effect on how full you feel. the other thing about the brain is that it takes a good twenty minutes for the stomach to signal to the brain that you're full. so, smaller plates means more time to feel full before you get back up for another helping of whatever that delicious thing was.

 

and the other factor affecting food consumption is whether or not the buffet is an all inclusive restaurant... one flat fee or, in our case, "free" with your cruise fare. there would be no need to eliminate trays at college campuses if students were charged for each item they consumed.

Edited January 25 by UKstages

[Fogfog]

On 1/25/2024 at 12:03 PM, mjkacmom said:

Here’s an article https://reasonstobecheerful.world/trayless-dining-university-food-waste-solution/

 

Reminds me of when one of our kids was in 6th grade--the 6th grade trip was a 3 day, 2 night team-builder before the kids went on to middle-highschool

The dining at the retreat WEIGHED all of the food waste after each meal and the kids learned to Take what you will eat/Eat what you take--- and to not waste.

Great lesson in stewardship. The kids were so excited to throw out less.

 

One needs to be mindful that cruise ship crews  see waste of food on one plate  that would have fed several people back "at home".  And they see that over and over...

 

 

 

[Smitheroo]

On 1/25/2024 at 1:09 PM, UKstages said:

 

back in the day, most cafeteria-style or buffet dining featured a ledge composed of several metal bars, which ran the entire length of the cafeteria. diners dutifully slid their trays as they moved down "the line." with the trend towards trayless dining, that ledge has disappeared in newly built buffets. (there's still something there for you to rest your plate on, but it's not quite the same thing.)

 

there is another design element at play that is equally responsible for the disappearance of trays.  at a modern buffet, customers dart in and out at several different "action stations" to get what they want. an old-school buffet requires people to stay in line and move one by one through all the things they don't want to get to the things they do. you see conflicts at buffets now because there are still people who cling to this old-school buffet notion... that there is a line that you must follow as you slowly inch through the entire buffet. modern buffets are not set up like that! (please note: i am not suggesting that you ignore all the people waiting for pizza or chicken curry ahead of you. once you get to the food item you want, you still have to wait in line behind all those who want the same item. i am merely saying that you don't have to slowly walk through the entire buffet to get to the food items you want. that's the way buffets used to work... but no longer.)

 

there are two other factors controlling people's behavior at a buffet... the first is the size of the plate. larger plates mean more wasted food or over eating. i typically first go to the dessert section, not because i want dessert, but because i pick up a couple of small plates and i put entree items on those. not only does it limit your intake (although you can always go back for more), but it tricks the brain into thinking you are eating more food because it looks like your plate is overflowing, which has a psychological effect on how full you feel. the other thing about the brain is that it takes a good twenty minutes for the stomach to signal to the brain that you're full. so, smaller plates means more time to feel full before you get back up for another helping of whatever that delicious thing was.

 

and the other factor affecting food consumption is whether or not the buffet is an all inclusive restaurant... one flat fee or, in our case, "free" with your cruise fare. there would be no need to eliminate trays at college campuses if students were charged for each item they consumed.

Sorry, I didnt see much darting in and out on embarkation day.  Instead people tried to carry too many plates/cups so they didnt have to go back into that feeding frenzy.   I dont care about all the statistics concerning food waste etc.  It is hard for a person to carry a plate and a cup of hot beverage.  Two trips? are you kidding, one is enough.

[DuckTollerFans]

On 1/25/2024 at 10:33 AM, mjkacmom said:

I’ve had kids at 6 universities, no trays.

How did they go sledding? 

 

OK, so maybe that was a 70s thing to use the dining hall trays as sleds...

[mjkacmom]

5 minutes ago, DuckTollerFans said:

How did they go sledding? 

 

OK, so maybe that was a 70s thing to use the dining hall trays as sleds...

 

5 minutes ago, DuckTollerFans said:

How did they go sledding? 

 

OK, so maybe that was a 70s thing to use the dining hall trays as sleds...

In my case it was the 80’s and definitely a thing to look forward to in winter.

[Smitheroo]

On 1/25/2024 at 12:29 PM, sebas030 said:

My point exactly, food waste as per the article in question :

 

" 25 to 30 percent reduction in food waste per person "

 

 

 Now I will be watching people and their trays to see how many waste food. I rarely do. What about in the MDR?  I am a solo traveler and they put baskets of rolls on my table. I usually one. They must dump the others.  

Edited February 16 by Smitheroo