Stelkp Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 Most restaurants these days don’t have buffet anymore, and if they do a person is serving it for you. Any ideas what contactless dining is on a cruise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 15, 2021 Report Share Posted March 15, 2021 No details have been announced, just people like us speculating. DD474 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjac Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 Open your mouth, hope the server has damn good aim and hang on! DD474, Ian T, ChrisK2793 and 7 others 2 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LogicallyLazy Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 Based on the Singapore sailings, the buffet will be served by the staff, no self service. Also one thing I noticed was that plates were only in one location with a staff handing it out at the entrance to the buffet. No plates in the individual lines. For restaurants, it’s as per normal. You wear your mask till there is food on the table. The first thing they will ask you is what kind of water you’d like. Once water is on your table, masks can come off. The try to leave tables empty between groups as much as possible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DD474 Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 11 hours ago, rjac said: Open your mouth, hope the server has damn good aim and hang on! Linda R, Neesa and DublinFC 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DD474 Posted March 16, 2021 Report Share Posted March 16, 2021 20 hours ago, twangster said: No details have been announced, just people like us speculating. WAAAYTOOO, Neesa, Linda R and 4 others 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWDW1204 Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 16 hours ago, DD474 said: Exactly what I had one breakfast on our very first cruise. Because I could. WAAAYTOOO and DD474 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 I wonder if the MDR will set up as many multi-couple tables. There will always be a need to accommodate families or groups with the large tables, but the couple grouped tables will probably see some additional space between them. Also resulting in an overall reduction in seating capacity at the start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimnKathy Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 On 3/15/2021 at 10:01 PM, LogicallyLazy said: Also one thing I noticed was that plates were only in one location with a staff handing it out at the entrance to the buffet. No plates in the individual lines. This a small yet important detail...glad to see they implemented this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 2 hours ago, cruisellama said: I wonder if the MDR will set up as many multi-couple tables. There will always be a need to accommodate families or groups with the large tables, but the couple grouped tables will probably see some additional space between them. Also resulting in an overall reduction in seating capacity at the start. You mean the "private" tables for two might no longer put you even closer to other couples than sharing a large table with them does? Neesa, Momof4crazytocruise, Scoular and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisellama Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 55 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said: You mean the "private" tables for two might no longer put you even closer to other couples than sharing a large table with them does? Yes - when the "Couple" tables are pushed together to create a "4" guest or "6" guest seating arrangement. Stewards would either keep together or move slightly apart if a couple wanted to be seated alone. Will probably have to increase spacing - resulting in reduced floor space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 I remember our first cruise, 2002, Windjammer was table service at dinner along the lines of My Time Dining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 The odds of getting covid from a buffet is amazingly low (unless everyone in line licks the tongs). If people thought lines were long before, it's going to be real bad now. ChrisK2793 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 Not sure why lines would be longer. I think having food served would be faster. Stick out your plate, get a serving. Move on. RWDW1204 and WAAAYTOOO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted March 17, 2021 Report Share Posted March 17, 2021 1 hour ago, Pooch said: Not sure why lines would be longer. I think having food served would be faster. Stick out your plate, get a serving. Move on. You have upwards of 10 people actively adding to their plates at a time at a given station. There will be no room to have enough staff to be filling that many plates at a time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 True, but I think staff would dish out faster and more efficiently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 1 hour ago, Pooch said: True, but I think staff would dish out faster and more efficiently. And there might be less instances of rudely pushing in front of you with motorized scooters. Nah, those rude people will still find a way to be rude. Neesa and RWDW1204 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 2 hours ago, Pooch said: True, but I think staff would dish out faster and more efficiently. Doubtful... You'll still have people that will hold up the process wanting to analyze what is being served. Just now that person won't use the serving utensils making sure the item in question won't fight back. Plus I'm sure you'll still have those that want a certain piece. I can only imagine the great bacon debate that servers will have to deal with. RWDW1204, sammy79, WAAAYTOOO and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 1 hour ago, CGTLH said: Doubtful... You'll still have people that will hold up the process wanting to analyze what is being served. Just now that person won't use the serving utensils making sure the item in question won't fight back. Plus I'm sure you'll still have those that want a certain piece. I can only imagine the great bacon debate that servers will have to deal with. He's backkkkkk!!!! Where you been? AshleyDillo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 12 minutes ago, twangster said: He's backkkkkk!!!! Where you been? Lurking in the shadows Lovetocruise2002, twangster and WAAAYTOOO 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovetocruise2002 Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 30 minutes ago, CGTLH said: Lurking in the shadows Well we have missed you! CGTLH and twangster 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 39 minutes ago, CGTLH said: Lurking in the shadows You know cruising is about to restart when @CGTLH appears. cruisellama, Neesa, WAAAYTOOO and 2 others 1 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmondFarmer Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 4 hours ago, CGTLH said: Plus I'm sure you'll still have those that want a certain piece. And kids who will change their mind right before chosen piece is platted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWDW1204 Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 7 hours ago, CGTLH said: I can only imagine the great bacon debate that servers will have to deal with. GET READY TO RUMBLE!! CGTLH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooch Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 Maybe somewhere in between. I am very picky about my bacon!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelslovestocruise Posted March 18, 2021 Report Share Posted March 18, 2021 crispy all the way, but will say that is too crispy for me. I have a nice butcher who has the most amazing bacon which when cooked is magically chewy and crispy at the same time!! Linda R 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 Chewy, but not greasy - THAT's the challenge. For my wife - solid, but not crispy. Those who don't want bacon (heathens) will breeze through the rest of the buffet while we explain again and again which pieces of bacon we want. Pooch, WAAAYTOOO, teddy and 1 other 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 23 hours ago, twangster said: You know cruising is about to restart when @CGTLH appears. Swear! I'm not a groundhog and will not confirm or deny seeing my shadow. WAAAYTOOO and twangster 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGTLH Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 (edited) Will confirm I can double post... Edited March 19, 2021 by CGTLH Double post/reply SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted March 19, 2021 Report Share Posted March 19, 2021 @CGTLH reappears and within 24 hours cruising restart is announced. emmef, RWDW1204, SpeedNoodles and 2 others 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoular Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 On 3/17/2021 at 3:16 PM, HeWhoWaits said: You mean the "private" tables for two might no longer put you even closer to other couples than sharing a large table with them does? This is our biggest issue on a cruise. We always get a “private” table but we may as well not have asked for one. The last cruise we changed table and waiter as he treated 4 private tables as one big group which we hated. We also hated random people joining our conversation. If we wanted either we’d have signed up for a group table. We were literally 2 inches apart from the next private table. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 I have a lot of stories to tell about dining in main dining rooms. Most of them good. It's great way to socialize and meet new people but, if your looking for a quiet intimate dinner, that's a legitimately hard one. I suspect quieter more intimate dinning will be a lot easier when cruising resumes with table spacing both in the main and specialty dining spots. We used to book the biggest table we could book. Met some really fun people who, after a glass of wine or so got more fun. That was great when most people dined in the main dining rooms but as specialty dining expanded and folks took that up, we had a couple of experiences where we were seated at 10-tops and we were it! No problem getting reseated with other guests but our first night at that 10-top for 2 we had a good time with our waiters sitting at opposite ends of this very long table as if we were the king and queen. They got a good laugh out of that. We now take our chances with 4 and 6 tops. Most cruisers we've found are pretty gregarious but there's always the duds or complainers. We're loath to move around so, we smile and make the best of it. Had one guy pull out some floss and do his teeth after the meal - and not surreptitiously! Otherwise a nice guy who was partnered with a complainer. A double whammy of bad! Those are the exception though. We still favor the mains just to meet new people and talk over a good meal. Nothing better. 4ensic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ensic Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 1 hour ago, JeffB said: We now take our chances with 4 and 6 tops. Most cruisers we've found are pretty gregarious but there's always the duds or complainers. We're loath to move around so, we smile and make the best of it. Had one guy pull out some floss and do his teeth after the meal - and not surreptitiously! Otherwise a nice guy who was partnered with a complainer. A double whammy of bad! Those are the exception though. We still favor the mains just to meet new people and talk over a good meal. Nothing better. I agree, a great place to meet new people is at dinner. People who share almost nothing in common at first, but turn out to be really interesting. I've eaten with: a professional landscape photographer, a blind photographer, a couple who owns a sheep station in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, a guy who'd owned a sporting goods store in Maine (and whose uncle ran United Artists and Orion Pictures), and a kindergarten teacher from Canada whom I'd marry if I was 30 years younger. Everybody has at least one or two good stories to tell or hobbies shared by someone at the table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 On 3/17/2021 at 6:54 AM, cruisellama said: I wonder if the MDR will set up as many multi-couple tables. There will always be a need to accommodate families or groups with the large tables, but the couple grouped tables will probably see some additional space between them. Also resulting in an overall reduction in seating capacity at the start. Reduced seating but also reduced number of passengers. I think it will all work out fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 7 hours ago, JeffB said: I have a lot of stories to tell about dining in main dining rooms. Most of them good. It's great way to socialize and meet new people but, if your looking for a quiet intimate dinner, that's a legitimately hard one. I suspect quieter more intimate dinning will be a lot easier when cruising resumes with table spacing both in the main and specialty dining spots. We used to book the biggest table we could book. Met some really fun people who, after a glass of wine or so got more fun. That was great when most people dined in the main dining rooms but as specialty dining expanded and folks took that up, we had a couple of experiences where we were seated at 10-tops and we were it! No problem getting reseated with other guests but our first night at that 10-top for 2 we had a good time with our waiters sitting at opposite ends of this very long table as if we were the king and queen. They got a good laugh out of that. We now take our chances with 4 and 6 tops. Most cruisers we've found are pretty gregarious but there's always the duds or complainers. We're loath to move around so, we smile and make the best of it. Had one guy pull out some floss and do his teeth after the meal - and not surreptitiously! Otherwise a nice guy who was partnered with a complainer. A double whammy of bad! Those are the exception though. We still favor the mains just to meet new people and talk over a good meal. Nothing better. We usually ask for larger tables also. But last few years seems we are the only ones at the table. Last cruise there was another table near us with 1 person, plus an additional table near with 1 person. We all got together to make 4 of us at 1 table. It worked out. But seems less and less people go to main dining room anymore. Years ago the MDR was always packed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda R Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 On 3/17/2021 at 12:09 PM, Pooch said: I remember our first cruise, 2002, Windjammer was table service at dinner along the lines of My Time Dining. Gosh, I remember table service at dinner in Windjammer, plus white tablecloths. Had forgotten about that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 On 3/16/2021 at 6:32 AM, DD474 said: Looks like the breakfast plate at WJ of most pre-teen boys I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWhoWaits Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 2 hours ago, FManke said: Looks like the breakfast plate at WJ of most pre-teen boys I've seen. @FMankethinks I'm a pre-teen boy! Truth be told, though, that's just ONE of my breakfast plates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuzanneM Posted April 8, 2021 Report Share Posted April 8, 2021 On 3/17/2021 at 10:51 PM, Pooch said: Not sure why lines would be longer. I think having food served would be faster. Stick out your plate, get a serving. Move on. Agreed; probably it'll be quicker because some people will shame themselves into staying away from the buffet to request that third (or sixth) cookie from the same person who is so good at customer service they greet you by name each time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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