deep1 Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 In years gone by they used to have Midnight Gala in the MDR on various ships. I remember a 4 nightery they did an amazing one with a walk through tour of "sculptures" using aspic , butter, cheese, etc. On our Alaskan 7 night they had desert ones a few times. Last year on Majesty we didn't get one and looking at a recent Compass for Independence I didn't see one listed either? Have they stopped? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGSLC5 Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 20 minutes ago, deep1 said: In years gone by they used to have Midnight Gala in the MDR on various ships. I remember a 4 nightery they did an amazing one with a walk through tour of "sculptures" using aspic , butter, cheese, etc. On our Alaskan 7 night they had desert ones a few times. Last year on Majesty we didn't get one and looking at a recent Compass for Independence I didn't see one listed either? Have they stopped? Yeah sorry, They prob stopped about 10-15 years ago. They were great though. When I first cruised at age 10 (I am now 32) they were my favorite but like I said I haven't seen them in like 10-15 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1 Posted April 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 I lost track of when I saw them last... Didn't notice for years as my daughter had grown and wife and I weren't much for them. Since then got divorced and been with new gal last year who has teens. Told them about the galas last year before cruising just a three night run that didn't have one. I thought it might have been because trip was so short. Oh well. They made for nice memories and really were a wonderful addition to make it a true cruise feel. Thanks for the heads up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 The last time I saw one of those was Brilliance in 2005. I loved those midnight galas! Sad they are gone... SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pima1988 Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 I agree the last time I saw one was 10-15 yrs ago. I remember our very 1st cruise (the med) and those midnight buffets were more like a show than anything else. My assumption is that they ended this due to the fact passengers came to take pics of ice sculptures, amazing desserts, carved fruit, etc., but ate very little and it was a waste of not only food, but staff time, and storage room in the galleys. Personally, I would love to see a mini-version of this in the WJ. Open up the WJ from 11-1. They could theme it just like they do for dinner/desserts service in the WJ. IE do BBQ, and have a suckling pig as the showcase with multiple sauces. Anyone that enjoys BBQ sauces knows Texas, Kansas, Memphis and NC are not the same. However, the pig or brisket starts the same way. They can also do a Fish and Chips night. Beautiful fish for display. I know they do themed nights in the WJ, but many people go to the MDR for dinner, thus they don't see that ever. I do see it, because we always do late night seating (8 pm). We go to the WJ @5 to hold us over until dinner. Think happy hour. Love their desserts in a cup night. Also love their seafood in a cup. We than grab a plate and make our late night snack instead of their pre-made food or pizza at their select spots. IE, grab deli meats. cheeses, breads, veggies, dip, fried chicken, dessert, etc. Anything that grabs our eye and does not need to be re-heated. We take it back to our room and place it in the mini-fridge in our room. Get back to our room at midnight, go into the fridge make a snack while we sit on our balcony and watch the waves go by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 You're lucky to even see an ice sculpture or a sculptured watermelon anymore. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 12 hours ago, deep1 said: In years gone by they used to have Midnight Gala in the MDR on various ships. I remember a 4 nightery they did an amazing one with a walk through tour of "sculptures" using aspic , butter, cheese, etc. On our Alaskan 7 night they had desert ones a few times. Last year on Majesty we didn't get one and looking at a recent Compass for Independence I didn't see one listed either? Have they stopped? I think those days are gone. They are only left in old re-runs of "The Love Boat" JennyB, deep1 and Mljstr 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThyriC Posted April 6, 2019 Report Share Posted April 6, 2019 I admittedly miss the midnight gala or the midnight buffets from the "old days" But I also remember during the "old days" the regular buffet wasnt nearly so expansive as they are today. I seem to recall the usual fresh fruit and salad, but the entree selections were incredibly limited while now the entree selections are so vast I couldnt possibly dream of anything else. Not to mention, if I'm really feeling noshy at midnight, I can call up room service and make my own midnight buffet! It just wont have carved fruit or ice sculptures. Maybe the lack of midnight buffet can be chalked up to food waste. Buffets can really waste a LOT of food. And having not just your standard breakfast lunch and dinner buffets, but also a separate midnight buffet? Yah that's a lot of wasted food. Though something at midnight would be nice. Even if it takes one of the premium lines doing it, that might bring back midnight food. There's also the staffing needed for a midnight food offering even if its just for setup and takedown. Not to mention, most ships today dwarf the ships of yesteryear. While midnight buffets used to be able to serve a ship full of 2500 passengers on larger ships, can you imagine a fully loaded Oasis having a midnight buffet? Sounds great on paper but trying to coordinate 6k people blasting into one area at midnight is bound to disappoint people in terms of lines. deep1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtread Posted April 7, 2019 Report Share Posted April 7, 2019 Our only other cruise was on Rhapsody back in 2004 and they did the ice sculptures. I was amazed at the sculptures themselves, but even more amazed at how the crew was able to do that on top of their normal duties! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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