Are passengers finally allowed to get their own soft serve ice cream again?

[CuseJeff44]

I remember cruising in the early 2000s and the self serve machines were available for passengers to use themselves, basically like the buffet, coffee machines, soda machines, etc. However, for some reason, in recent years, they changed the model and now have a poor RCL staffer whose whole job is to fill ice cream cones for people. Maybe COVID related although like I said, so many other things that people can still do themselves I dont know if thats it. 

Anyway, can we actually self serve the soft serve again?

[DennysDad]

No.

[CuseJeff44]

9 minutes ago, DennysDad said:

No.

 

😞

 

Any idea the rationale?

[brevardcruiser]

Idk and it should be self serve.

[DennysDad]

1 minute ago, brevardcruiser said:

Idk and it should be self serve.

Kids would just make a mess. Also it's a sanitary issue and a waste of food issue for Royal.

[CuseJeff44]

2 minutes ago, DennysDad said:

Kids would just make a mess. Also it's a sanitary issue and a waste of food issue for Royal.

 

But isn't that also the case at every single station in the windjammer, soda machines, etc? I just think it's weird how the ice cream has been singled out.

[klfrodo]

No. Kids trying to put a half gallon of ice cream into a pint size cone

[DennysDad]

Just now, CuseJeff44 said:

 

But isn't that also the case at every single station in the windjammer, soda machines, etc? I just think it's weird how the ice cream has been singled out.

There is no place to wash hands before touching the cones. It keeps things cleaner. And someone would have to stand by to wipe up all the spills anyway, so I think they just find it more efficient.

[Tree_skier]

I like staff taking care of it.  It's cleaner and when there is a line it moves faster.  

[smokeybandit]

It really depends both on the ship and the time of day.

[Cruise a holic]

I prefer that it is served.  Some people do not was their hands after using bathroom.  Don't want them touching the machine.  Yuk.  Feel the same about buffet utensils- 

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

I prefer that it is served.  Some people do not was their hands after using bathroom.  Don't want them touching the machine.  Yuk.  Feel the same about buffet utensils- 

I couldn’t agree more with your comment. I drink a lot of water when cruising and subsequently use public bathrooms around the ship frequently every day. I would estimate only 50% of the male passengers using the bathroom wash their hands. 

[cruiseguy1016]

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

It really depends both on the ship and the time of day.

 

True. We just got off Jewel a week ago. It was probably 50/50 when there was someone there vs. when it was self-serve.

[Kellie in Texas]

We were on a cruise pre-Covid and my husband saw a kid who was 7-8 years old putting the ice cream directly into his hand. Husband said "Hey, don't do that." Of course, the parents were nowhere to be seen. 

[neverbeenhere]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I couldn’t agree more with your comment. I drink a lot of water when cruising and subsequently use public bathrooms around the ship frequently every day. I would estimate only 50% of the male passengers using the bathroom wash their hands. 

 58%

[time4u2go]

If only it were actually soft serve ice cream instead of frozen dessert product.

 

Edited March 31 by time4u2go

[smokeybandit]

2 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

If only it were actually soft serve ice cream instead of frozen dessert product.

 

Soft serve: the hot dog of the ice cream world.

[Mum2Mercury]

Put me in the group who prefers an employee serve the ice cream.  They serve a reasonable amount in a cone, so much less is spilled on the floor.  I like the idea of only that employee's hands touching the machine.  

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We just got off the Anthem today.  We had an employee anytime it was open.

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, Kellie in Texas said:

We were on a cruise pre-Covid and my husband saw a kid who was 7-8 years old putting the ice cream directly into his hand. Husband said "Hey, don't do that." Of course, the parents were nowhere to be seen. 

Just off the icon of the seas and some kids looked under ten, were running around in packs. Parents not in sight.  

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

 58%

58.347% to be more precise. 🙂 

[Ashland]

I'm fine with staff serving the soft serve. However they need to do it correctly. The round & round method isn't correct and why you see many times it falls off the cone cause it's just sitting on top.. They need to do the up/down method which fills the inside of the cone first...no spillage this way and it makes a nice serving.

 

Whatever the product that Celebrity uses tastes much better than the one RCI uses.

We were just on both cruiselines and could tell the difference in taste.

[SRF]

One issue was when it was self serve, there was a LOT of waste in cones.  People would pull and get 3 or 4 cones and drop them into the tray, where they would sit until tossed, as no one wanted a cone that some random kid may have licked. 🙂

 

[LeeW]

Crew lately tries for perfect cone and seem to love doing it

[SRF]

Heck, they make more that a hard job back home to stand and fill cones.  A win win for them