What Crew Can Eat At Buffet?

[MBP&O2/O]

55 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

HAL have started putting a "crew dish of the day" on their MDR menu. Often Indonesian, which is usually tasty.

 

When in port, the dining room was usually out of bounds ... dress code issues 🤭 so we frequently snaffled a meal from the Indian cook, and ate it in a 'dirty mess'. Dirty as in clothes🙂 as we were in working gear.

This cook was cooking for the Indian crew so it was 100% authentic 😁.

Far better than the Goanese cooks who cooked what they thought the Europeans would like🙄

Edited March 1 by MBP&O2/O
Operator malfunction

[hallux]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

and some guest entertainers are granted "passenger status" and live in passenger cabins.

I definitely saw that on my recent 15-day cruise.  I saw one of the comedians around the ship several times.

 

I also noticed quite a bit more than usual that the show performers were out and about the ship, sometimes even stepping in and doing a song or two with the bands during their performances.  That also included seeing them dining in the same areas as guests.  I guess some of that had to do with it being a 15-day cruise and they still were only responsible for performances on 2 of those days (for the theater shows).

 

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

and on a limited number of times per month

On my cruise last year the solo coordinator joined the solo group for dinner once during the week.  He did indicate that it was rare that he could, and his other duties (running activities) needed to be scheduled around it, but it was great to have the chance to 'break bread' with him as part of the group.

[sfaaa]

14 hours ago, clo said:

Why wouldn't all the staff be welcome?

Common practice in hospitality industry, not just cruise ships. Management and admin staff can dine in some restaurants for guests.  Line staff eats in their own luncheon room. 

Edited March 1 by sfaaa

[MacMadame]

7 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

I am also going to say - and this might draw some fodder - that many guests would not want to see the crew (other than officers) in the public dining areas.

I wanted to say this in my original post but couldn't figure out how to say it diplomatically. 😄 

 

6 hours ago, MBP&O2/O said:

My last cruise I saw several stripes in the buffet, and also saw some pax who interrupted their meal.

Impolite at worst?

When I've seen these people in passenger areas, it seems like they are actually "on duty" in the sense that they are there to interact with passengers to enhance our cruising experience. But this would involve them going from table to table to chat with guests or sitting at a table with guests, not eating in their own area.

 

6 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Entertainers are generally given more freedom, and some guest entertainers are granted "passenger status" and live in passenger cabins.

That may explain my experience on my first cruise where, without going into too much detail, I did go into the crew area. A piano player in the jazz band was involved and he didn't act like he was going to get into trouble. 😊 🤣

[MacMadame]

I forgot to say: why would crew want to eat in the buffet in the first place? It's generally not the best food on the ship and they risk being accosted by pax when they are trying to eat. Maybe there's a day when the buffet has something you particularly want to eat that the crew mess doesn't have. But on a regular basis, it's not something I would want to do if I were crew.

[clo]

5 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

I forgot to say: why would crew want to eat in the buffet in the first place? It's generally not the best food on the ship and they risk being accosted by pax when they are trying to eat. Maybe there's a day when the buffet has something you particularly want to eat that the crew mess doesn't have. But on a regular basis, it's not something I would want to do if I were crew.

I keep forgetting that this isn't the Marina board. Plenty of us eat ALL our meals there. Here's one my husband had: lobster, shrimp, lamb all cooked to order and a little salad.

 

[Hlitner]

38 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

I forgot to say: why would crew want to eat in the buffet in the first place? It's generally not the best food on the ship and they risk being accosted by pax when they are trying to eat. Maybe there's a day when the buffet has something you particularly want to eat that the crew mess doesn't have. But on a regular basis, it's not something I would want to do if I were crew.

That really depends on the ship/line. Lido buffets on premium/luxury lines can be quite fantastic. 

[chengkp75]

58 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

But on a regular basis, it's not something I would want to do if I were crew.

Probably the most common officers I've seen eating in the buffet are the bridge officers.  Due to their watch schedules, they don't generally mesh with the dining hours in the officer's mess.

[MacMadame]

23 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

That really depends on the ship/line. Lido buffets on premium/luxury lines can be quite fantastic. 

Better than what they feed the crew though?

[chengkp75]

11 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Better than what they feed the crew though?

Yep.

[SelectSys]

1 hour ago, clo said:

I keep forgetting that this isn't the Marina board. Plenty of us eat ALL our meals there. Here's one my husband had: lobster, shrimp, lamb all cooked to order and a little salad.

And now you know one of the key reasons why most of the crew isn't generally permitted to dine in the passenger venues regardless of line - money.

 

Potential crowding of passenger spaces is another reason too.

[Hlitner]

14 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Better than what they feed the crew though?

No, of course they are feeding the crew lobster (cooked to order), prime filets, cut to order prime rib, fresh oysters,

etc. ROFL

[SelectSys]

15 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Better than what they feed the crew though?

According to the link below, the amount spent per day feeding the crew is only 1/3 that of the passengers.  

 

https://crew-center.com/economics-food-aboard-cruise-ships#:~:text=While passengers may receive a,affordable%2C food to crew members.

"Daily Cost of Food (DCF)

To appreciate the disparity in food quality, it is crucial to understand the concept of the Daily Cost of Food. Both passengers and crew members receive a daily allowance for food and beverages. For example, on an all-inclusive cruise I worked on, each passenger was allocated a daily allowance of $1.34 for alcoholic beverages. This means that, on average, each passenger should consume alcoholic beverages worth approximately $1.34 per day.

As one might imagine, some passengers exceed this limit, while others consume less or none at all. When averaged across all passengers, the allowance hovers around $1.34.

This principle applies not only to passenger food but also to crew food. However, the significant difference lies in the daily cost of food for crew, which is notably lower. While passengers may receive a daily allowance of $12-$15, crew members are typically granted only $5 per day."

 

[clo]

5 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

No, of course they are feeding the crew lobster (cooked to order), prime filets, cut to order prime rib, fresh oysters,

etc. ROFL

If it were based on merit, they'd be first.

[mom says]

54 minutes ago, clo said:

If it were based on merit, they'd be first.

And in your world, on what would you base this "mert"

[clo]

Just now, mom says said:

And in your world, on what would you base this "mert"

how hard and well and amenably they work.

 

[MacMadame]

I've seen videos of crew and they do get steak and even lobster in the crew dining room. Not every day but I'm not sure I'd want to have steak and lobster *every* day.

 

On Princess Cruises, pax say the quality of the buffet is below that of the MDR. So the crew food doesn't have to match that of a specialty restaurant. Just be better than the buffet. But Princess isn't a luxury cruise line.

[d9704011]

10 minutes ago, clo said:

how hard and well and amenably they work.

 

Maybe I've lost the thread on this.... who, exactly, is paying for everything?  I'd say that's the deciding factor.

[clo]

Just now, d9704011 said:

Maybe I've lost the thread on this.... who, exactly, is paying for everything?  I'd say that's the deciding factor.

One way or another, we the passenger pays for everything. Well, I'm sure there are government thingies....

 

And when I have salad for dinner and someone else has two 48oz steaks then I'm helping pay for that also 🙂

[DarrenM]

18 hours ago, clo said:

Why wouldn't all the staff be welcome?

This.

 

Are officers more worthy in the eyes of the corporations?

[clo]

1 minute ago, DarrenM said:

in the eyes of the corporations?

 

[DarrenM]

16 hours ago, clo said:

I understand that. But are they not welcome in the buffet?

I am starting to think I don't belong in the cruise world.

 

If its OK for the bosses surely its OK for the workers.

 

 

[SelectSys]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

And when I have salad for dinner and someone else has two 48oz steaks then I'm helping pay for that also 🙂

Everything in life involving some form of commerce tends to have one group subsidizing another.  The most basic example, albeit dying, of this is a postal stamp.  It doesn't matter how far the underlying letter goes, the price of the stamp is the same even the costs too deliver the letter change on where it is going.

 

Personally, I am happy to know that people who gamble and drink help keep my base cruise fare low.  Is it fair that drinkers and gamblers subsidize me?  I think so as everyone onboard is there by choice and is free to do as they please - passengers and crew alike.  

 

BTW - Maybe on luxury lines people can eat 2 48oz steaks at no additional charge.  I can attest this is not the case on a mass market line

[SelectSys]

8 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Are officers more worthy in the eyes of the corporations?

Worthy?  What do you mean?  As a human or as an employee?  Do you see any difference?

 

Does it bother you that the ship's officers are compensated more and have better living conditions than most of the crew?

 

8 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

I am starting to think I don't belong in the cruise world.

You certainly can exercise free will and not book any more cruises if you like.

[sfaaa]

1 hour ago, clo said:

how hard and well and amenably they work.

 

Then they will eventually get a promotion and work in management with access to guest  restaurants . Many ship officers and department heads started at the bottom and worked their way up. The merit system always exists.