Midnight Buffett?????

[Lahogrider]

No word anywhere about a midnight buffett. :confused: We are traveling HAL for the first time on the Oosterdam, and have some first time cruisers in our group. Some lines we have been on put on quite a show at midnight.

[hammybee]

HAL does not do a Midnight Buffet. Instead, there are late night snacks, usually with a theme. I think it concludes by Mignight.

[Lahogrider]

HAL does not do a Midnight Buffet. Instead, there are late night snacks, usually with a theme. I think it concludes by Mignight.

Does that mean most things shut down by midnight? What about the casino?

[rcriley]

I have played in the casino until around 2 AM. I usually give out by then. I think as long as there is sufficent interest and your not in port, it will stay open late.

 

RCR

[tomc]

There's a buffet, but it's not a big deal. You are given a tray and implements of eating, go down the line and pick up things, then hit the Big Time where cooks hand out the main dishes for the evening (as hammybee says, with the night's theme). It's not the big splash you might find on other lines, or as I remember it on Rotterdam V, but it's also more lightly attended these years than it was before.

 

I forget when it starts; 11:30? Ends sometime after midnight. Someone said it's the main meal for the entertainers. There's plenty available, although I content myself with two salads. Don't want to look like that character in the old "Smilin' Jack" comic strip who was so fat his shirt buttons kept popping off and the chickens would stand there grabbing at them as they came down.

[tulum]

I can't imagine ever eating at midnight!! wow, that's alot of food in one day

to each his own i guess :)

[mike35]

Gorging, binging, stuffing - these are universally used by on-board comics, who love to talk about the tons of options to stuff one's face while on board. We've found that midnight buffets are more common on the mass market lines, who attract many first-time cruisers who expect to be fed around the clock. The lines that attract the more mature cruisers have generally dropped the midnight buffet concept, as attendance is quite low.

 

Mike

[tomc]

On HAL, it's a much lighter spread than I hear on other lines. I do notice that the entertainers and other staff who work evenings tend to eat a little more than the pax. One of the kitchen staff up there mentioned to me that it was his opinion it might be cut back even more, if not eliminated in its present form, as it was not the draw it used to be.

[happy cruzer]

Yes, the late night snacks do have themes like French night, German, American, South Western, Dutch, and Asian. they are in the Lido from 11:15 to 12:15.

 

The night they do the Dessert Extravganza is the closest to the midnight buffets of legend. This is held in the Lido from 10:30 to 12mn. They have a chocolate fountain at the entrance. Where a server will help you with chocolate covered fruit. then there are several lines to get desserts. there are ice carvings and vegetable carvings but they are a little hard to see because of the was the lines work. Everything is served to you which keeps the presentation neat and sanitary. Not as quick as self service but the food does stay nicer.

[kryos]

I can't imagine ever eating at midnight!! wow, that's alot of food in one day

to each his own i guess :)

Same here. I'm in bed by midnight ...

 

I think that's the experience of most people and that's probably why HAL discontinued the midnight buffets, option instead to have these late night "theme" buffets on a smaller scale instead. We had them every night during my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January, and I happened to find myself up in the Lido during the buffets a couple of times. I would generally stop up there at the end of my day to have my final before bed cup of java. When the buffets were going on, I never saw that many people taking advantage of them ... maybe a dozen or so at the most.

 

But, I guess it's always good to have something ... even if it's on a small scale ... for those people who wish to indulge.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[constructiondude]

With the exception of the dessert extravaganza I opted for late evening room service. The food for the late night snack looked delicious but the atmosphere was a downer. There was no music or happy conversations, just quiet murmurings as people moved catatonic toward the food as if their life depended on it; attendance was very low.

 

The dessert spread was fantastic, but seating space was at a premium. I had to fill a plate and go back to my stateroom. Get there early folks!! The same people that park themselves in the front rows an hour before the show in the Vista Lounge seemed to have migrated to the Lido on this night.

[legalslave]

I've always enjoyed the late night snack buffet on HAL. Always find something I like to eat before heading to the cabin for the night. The food has been very good every time I have been there.

 

Diane

[hammybee]

With the exception of the dessert extravaganza I opted for late evening room service. The food for the late night snack looked delicious but the atmosphere was a downer. There was no music or happy conversations, just quiet murmurings as people moved catatonic toward the food as if their life depended on it; attendance was very low.

 

The dessert spread was fantastic, but seating space was at a premium. I had to fill a plate and go back to my stateroom. Get there early folks!! The same people that park themselves in the front rows an hour before the show in the Vista Lounge seemed to have migrated to the Lido on this night.

 

You know, I never put it into words, but you are absolutely right. The whole enviornment is somewhat of a downer and not the best way to end a day.

[hammybee]

Many, mnay years ago on our first cruise on Carnival, we stationed ourselves in the Piano Bar on most evenings. It was adjacent to the main dining room. On the evening of the Grand Buffet, people lined up more than an hour in advance hauling all their camera gear in a twitter with anticipation of the big event. This was no more than an hour since many had left their dining tables.

 

Maybe it was too many cocktails but we found it enorrmously entertaining to watch people waiting to enter the Grand Buffet and the thought that people were going to take pictures was too funny. The gala show girls made it all the more outrageous. After the lines cleared, we decided to take a peak and see what all the fuss was about.

 

It looked like a massive herd of wild and hungry beasts had been let loose in the dining room or maybe a scene out of the food fight in Aniaml House. It was apparent that people used their hands to scoop food. I'll never forget the huge bowl of mousse floating in what once was ice. We could clearly see the impression of the last hand that had been in it. That was my first and last visit to a Midnight Buffet.

[Desdemona01]

we don't visit the late buffet often but found a variety of items when we did--it didn't appear to just be snacks, and there are servers helping so there is no need to scoop with your hands

[kryos]

I'll never forget the huge bowl of mousse floating in what once was ice. We could clearly see the impression of the last hand that had been in it. That was my first and last visit to a Midnight Buffet.

How absolutely gross!

 

And we wonder why there are so many outbreaks of Noro onboard today's cruise ships. :(

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Love Cruises]

We enjoy the late night snack. We usually have early dinner at 5:45 pm. The late night snack is from 11:00 to midnight. We like to check out each nights treats - the Asian and Mexican nights are the ones we like best. Can't beat those spring rolls and the jalapena cornbread! Most of the entertainers, musicians are there eating their main meal for the day. We get friendly with many of them.

[agabbymama]

I don't remember a midnight buffet on Noordam in 1999. But I just returned from a Celebrity Constellation New England/Canada cruise. They put on a Midnight Buffet. It was the on the Farewell Formal night, and as a matter of fact, they announce that at 11:45 the Buffet will be open for looking and photo taking. They introduce the bakers, and announce that it takes approximately three days for the preparation of what you are about to see. People start to line up about 11:30 and it takes approximately 30 minutes to walk through. Then they open the buffet for the eaters. I was so tired by the time we waited and took photos, then walked through, I went back to the cabin and went straight to bed. My friend wanted to stay and at least sample a couple of things, but when I said I wasn't, she didn't either. Then when we got our photo of our table from the Farewell Formal night, they had incorporated a photo of the Grand Buffet, so we wouldn't have had to stay up to see it at all.

 

I wasn't that interested in the Grand Buffet as I was still full from dinner. The one thing I really missed on Celebrity was no photo with the Captain. ON all my other cruises, they usually took a photo of you with the Captain on the first Formal night. We had a formal photo done, but they don't do the Captain thing.

 

I'll be back on Hal next August for a cruisetour to Alaska, so I'll get to see what kind of buffet the Zuiderdam puts on if it's in the first three nights. After that, we leave the ship and start overland.:p

[dippy]

Let's me see....

 

Breakfast in bed

breakfast in the dining room

Breakfast on the Lido

Lunch on the lido

Lunch in the dining room

Lunch in your cabin

Afternoon snacks/tea on the lido

Dinner in your cabin

Dinner in the dining room

Dinner on the lido

Late evening buffet on the lido

24 hour room service

Specialty restaurant

Cooking lessons

 

What's next, they have a helio landing on the deck with take out from the main land?

 

Interesting how we never ask what time the gym opens? or if there is a midnight moonlit walk:confused:

 

Forget about the quantity and/or frequency of food offerings, how about quality?

[legalslave]

Dippy, maybe I've just been lucky. The food on the late night snack buffet on my 3 HAL cruises was very good. I am not a junk food lover and am fairly picky about food quality. I sailed on Celebrity and experienced the food at the Gala Midnight Buffet. There was a lot of food and it had a very nice presentation. However, it did not taste very good in my opinion.

 

Diane