I love the buffet at Holland America because they have employees serving the food. Thousands of people handling utensils is the main problem of most cruise buffets. So I focus on the items that are prepared to order in the buffets like the omelettes. And room service is a good option that combines the convenience of the buffet with the more sanitary MDR, particularly for breakfast that tends to be included in most cruiselines
@@nataliajimenez1870 That’s a great solution! On our first post-Covid cruise, employees served food in the buffet on Royal Caribbean, and I was hoping this would be the new way. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long…
Going on our first cruise next month. LOVE your tips! One idea I've heard from another TH-camr is bring a plastic tray when you want to take something back to your cabin from the buffet or dining room (like a dessert from the dining room to eat on your balcony, etc...) you have your own tray as they don't want you taking the trays out of the buffet area. My melamine tray is packed in the bottom of my suitcase.
@@clairebarneycastle4608 How exciting! First cruise 🚢😁. Frankly, I’ve never heard about bringing a tray. I guess, if it’s not big and heavy, you could. For us personally, it would be an unnecessary item. We usually just grab a plate in one hand and drink in another and bring it to our room at any time. I have had to ask for a tray before when I was bringing a couple plates back for me and my husband and they didn’t have any issues with letting me take a tray back to the room. As it is, you’re taking dishes, silverware, and cups up there so they have to clean it up anyway. But that’s just my opinion. I try to avoid bringing extra things I may not need. Enjoy your cruise!
Hi there, I went cruising with my disabled mum who is elderly and can walk a little with 2 sticks (one on each hand) thus can not carry her own plate. I also must take my 2 year old daughter so to enable us to eat easier we have to do breakfast at the buffet by leaving my disabled mum watching baby girl who will still be asleep in bed while I go up and get 2 plates of food for us all to share. The extra awsome top tip here is that the night before we choose what breakfast jucies and smoothies we want to be delivered to our room (for free depending on cruise ship and level of booking). Which gives me free hands to carry plates, having silver service training I usually 2 plates in my left hand and can carry mums porridge and prunes in my right. As for meals in the afternoon and evening I usually have baby girl in a carrier on my back while I am pushing mum in the wheel chair, this way we can go to either buffet or dinner, usually child mood dependent as not to disturb other passengers. Naturally if baby girl and my mum are tierd it's a trip to the buffet and back to the room which is not so easy if we are in a restaurant. Thanks x
@@hammi1982 Thank you for adding the extra tip! It’s wonderful that you found helpful things to to accommodate your family so everybody can enjoy cruising. 😊
Team main dining room. But I do love my specialty dining restaurants. And from time to time buffet courts can be fun when I’m hanging out by the pool… Please cover appropriately thank you 🙏🏼 Or if I just don’t feel like dressing up buffet or even room service. So there you go I just graze the entire ship. After all for the most part I paid for it 😊😊
You produced a well thought out, uniquely entertaining way to provide cruise information. I’m never bored with your videos. They are not predictable and your viewers are sure to get a good dose of humor in your content. It’s exciting to watch your subscriber numbers continue to rise. 😃
Yes, I’m a MDR girl, but on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise we preferred the buffet for breakfast where you can get an omelette with 7 or 8 ingredients but we’re limited in the MDR to only 4.
I agree! Those omelets are good in MDR. I'm the bagel and lox girl for breakfast. I think I get my money's worth for the cruise fare in smoked salmon alone. 🤣
First-time viewer, and I really like your channel! We've been on 89 cruises, mostly Royal Caribbean. Like many, we like the larger selection of items at breakfast in the buffet. Sometimes, we even create our own breakfast item like a bacon, egg and cheese bagel! We rarely eat lunch as we are older, but the few times that we do, we'll get fruit from the buffet and bring it to the lounger by the pool. Or, have soup and a panini near Central Park on Oasis class ships. We mix up dinner with the MDR (Depends on what is on the menu), specialty restaurants like Chops (We get BOGO because we're Diamond Plus) or grab a huge salad in the buffet. Variety is the spice of life!🥗
@@michelleridgway7452 I’m really glad you enjoy the videos. Our tastes are very similar to yours so we do pretty much the same thing! I think I get my moneys worth with the bagel and smoked salmon combo for breakfast every morning. 😁 We’re a couple cruises away from diamond plus so that BOGO on specialty dining will come in handy!
First choice for me is MDR (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) Problem I have found was either I wake up to late for MDR breakfast then end up in the Buffett then I over eat and not hungry at lunch. Then I get hungry mid day start eating pizza, hotdog something from the cafe and so on and yup once again not hungry at dinner time.
Obviously, this is very subjective. As an older adult with no children, this is a ni trainer to me. I certainly can see the advantages of the buffet for those with picky eating children. They can simply load up on burgers and fries. But for me, I love to be pampered in the MDR. Wonderful service, tasty dishes in a beautiful relaxing atmosphere.
@ 9:31 That is not from the main dining room. That is the Coastal Kitchen restaurant (located on deck 17) on the Utopia OTS. You have to be a suite guest, pinnacle member or Club Royal Master tier to get to eat dinner there. The guy in the black suit is Mihai, from Romania.
@@hochutiem2678 Haha! Good eye! You caught me. 😂😂. That was, in fact, Coastal Kitchen, but the waiter is Gabriel from Brazil. He was incredible. We stayed in a suite for one of our back-to-back legs on Utopia a couple weeks ago and he made our dinners extra special. I realized I didn’t have any good footage of servers in the main dining room from the other half of the week so I used this clip 😀. Thank you for watching!
For dinner, the dining room wins hands down! For breakfast, gotta love the buffet! For lunch, well, I don't really care. I usually end up eating at one of the casual eateries on board.
99% of all meals are eaten in the MDR. The only meal I eat in the buffet room is on embarkation day (have no other choice). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in MDR every day. Yes, it takes longer to have a meal but that is what makes it special. And I don't really have any pressing engagements, so I have all the time in the world.
@@HighLordDave I like that idea! We are usually not that hungry after a large dining room meal when the buffet closes, but Sorrento pizza 🍕 at midnight… Here we come! 😂
@@holycow3355 I don’t like having to get to the port… the planes, cabs, hotels… but once I’m on a cruise, I feel at home! No other place I’d rather be 😁
Do you prefer buffet or the dining room? Are there other reasons that I didn't mention in the video?
Dinning room 😊
Dinning room
MDR
Team dining room. Seeing how even some adults engage in unsanitary buffet behavior has made us want to run screaming for alternative dining options.
I have seen people use their hands to put cut fruit on their plates after moving the tongs out the way!
@@julieb7882 Yes! It’s crazy how many people lack common sense when it comes to buffets!
I love the buffet at Holland America because they have employees serving the food. Thousands of people handling utensils is the main problem of most cruise buffets. So I focus on the items that are prepared to order in the buffets like the omelettes. And room service is a good option that combines the convenience of the buffet with the more sanitary MDR, particularly for breakfast that tends to be included in most cruiselines
@@nataliajimenez1870 That’s a great solution! On our first post-Covid cruise, employees served food in the buffet on Royal Caribbean, and I was hoping this would be the new way. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long…
Going on our first cruise next month. LOVE your tips! One idea I've heard from another TH-camr is bring a plastic tray when you want to take something back to your cabin from the buffet or dining room (like a dessert from the dining room to eat on your balcony, etc...) you have your own tray as they don't want you taking the trays out of the buffet area. My melamine tray is packed in the bottom of my suitcase.
@@clairebarneycastle4608 How exciting! First cruise 🚢😁. Frankly, I’ve never heard about bringing a tray. I guess, if it’s not big and heavy, you could. For us personally, it would be an unnecessary item. We usually just grab a plate in one hand and drink in another and bring it to our room at any time. I have had to ask for a tray before when I was bringing a couple plates back for me and my husband and they didn’t have any issues with letting me take a tray back to the room. As it is, you’re taking dishes, silverware, and cups up there so they have to clean it up anyway. But that’s just my opinion. I try to avoid bringing extra things I may not need. Enjoy your cruise!
Hi there, I went cruising with my disabled mum who is elderly and can walk a little with 2 sticks (one on each hand) thus can not carry her own plate. I also must take my 2 year old daughter so to enable us to eat easier we have to do breakfast at the buffet by leaving my disabled mum watching baby girl who will still be asleep in bed while I go up and get 2 plates of food for us all to share. The extra awsome top tip here is that the night before we choose what breakfast jucies and smoothies we want to be delivered to our room (for free depending on cruise ship and level of booking). Which gives me free hands to carry plates, having silver service training I usually 2 plates in my left hand and can carry mums porridge and prunes in my right.
As for meals in the afternoon and evening I usually have baby girl in a carrier on my back while I am pushing mum in the wheel chair, this way we can go to either buffet or dinner, usually child mood dependent as not to disturb other passengers.
Naturally if baby girl and my mum are tierd it's a trip to the buffet and back to the room which is not so easy if we are in a restaurant.
Thanks x
@@hammi1982 Thank you for adding the extra tip! It’s wonderful that you found helpful things to to accommodate your family so everybody can enjoy cruising. 😊
Team main dining room. But I do love my specialty dining restaurants. And from time to time buffet courts can be fun when I’m hanging out by the pool… Please cover appropriately thank you 🙏🏼 Or if I just don’t feel like dressing up buffet or even room service. So there you go I just graze the entire ship. After all for the most part I paid for it 😊😊
Exactly how I feel! 😁
You produced a well thought out, uniquely entertaining way to provide cruise information. I’m never bored with your videos. They are not predictable and your viewers are sure to get a good dose of humor in your content. It’s exciting to watch your subscriber numbers continue to rise. 😃
@@pw-sz6ds Thank you so much! As a new channel, it’s so nice to hear encouraging feedback like this 😁
Yes, I’m a MDR girl, but on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise we preferred the buffet for breakfast where you can get an omelette with 7 or 8 ingredients but we’re limited in the MDR to only 4.
I agree! Those omelets are good in MDR. I'm the bagel and lox girl for breakfast. I think I get my money's worth for the cruise fare in smoked salmon alone. 🤣
First-time viewer, and I really like your channel! We've been on 89 cruises, mostly Royal Caribbean. Like many, we like the larger selection of items at breakfast in the buffet. Sometimes, we even create our own breakfast item like a bacon, egg and cheese bagel! We rarely eat lunch as we are older, but the few times that we do, we'll get fruit from the buffet and bring it to the lounger by the pool. Or, have soup and a panini near Central Park on Oasis class ships. We mix up dinner with the MDR (Depends on what is on the menu), specialty restaurants like Chops (We get BOGO because we're Diamond Plus) or grab a huge salad in the buffet. Variety is the spice of life!🥗
@@michelleridgway7452 I’m really glad you enjoy the videos. Our tastes are very similar to yours so we do pretty much the same thing! I think I get my moneys worth with the bagel and smoked salmon combo for breakfast every morning. 😁 We’re a couple cruises away from diamond plus so that BOGO on specialty dining will come in handy!
First choice for me is MDR (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) Problem I have found was either I wake up to late for MDR breakfast then end up in the Buffett then I over eat and not hungry at lunch. Then I get hungry mid day start eating pizza, hotdog something from the cafe and so on and yup once again not hungry at dinner time.
@@jamiecrisp3406 I can relate to that! 😂 I love breakfast in MDR but don’t like to wake up really on vacation. Sleep usually wins!
Obviously, this is very subjective. As an older adult with no children, this is a ni trainer to me. I certainly can see the advantages of the buffet for those with picky eating children. They can simply load up on burgers and fries. But for me, I love to be pampered in the MDR. Wonderful service, tasty dishes in a beautiful relaxing atmosphere.
I agree.
I love the main dinning room for even for lunch
@@stephenmekker538 I wish they had lunch in the dining room on port days too. We often stay on the ship since we’ve been to many ports multiple times.
I Love Main dining room ❤I Love good service and good quality 😂
Great video Thanks so much😃
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it ☺️
I love the mdr when we have the time. Love the buffet for the make my own salad. Hate the buffet for the tiny cups for beverages.
I agree on all points! ☺️
Excellent video!
Thank you so much! 😊
Great video as always Kat!
@@AndrewB.. thank you! 😊
@ 9:31 That is not from the main dining room. That is the Coastal Kitchen restaurant (located on deck 17) on the Utopia OTS. You have to be a suite guest, pinnacle member or Club Royal Master tier to get to eat dinner there. The guy in the black suit is Mihai, from Romania.
@@hochutiem2678 Haha! Good eye! You caught me. 😂😂. That was, in fact, Coastal Kitchen, but the waiter is Gabriel from Brazil. He was incredible. We stayed in a suite for one of our back-to-back legs on Utopia a couple weeks ago and he made our dinners extra special. I realized I didn’t have any good footage of servers in the main dining room from the other half of the week so I used this clip 😀. Thank you for watching!
For dinner, the dining room wins hands down! For breakfast, gotta love the buffet! For lunch, well, I don't really care. I usually end up eating at one of the casual eateries on board.
I totally agree!
dining room
❤️
99% of all meals are eaten in the MDR. The only meal I eat in the buffet room is on embarkation day (have no other choice). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner in MDR every day. Yes, it takes longer to have a meal but that is what makes it special. And I don't really have any pressing engagements, so I have all the time in the world.
@@gregmcdonald1241 One of my favorite aspects of cruising is not having pressing engagements and slowing down to enjoy life 😊
I am team dining room. With an autoimmune disease I don’t want to take chances.
@@marycawley4491 Absolutely! It’s a much safer option.
How about having dinner in the main dining room and then going to see what's on the buffet that night? Just me?
@@HighLordDave I like that idea! We are usually not that hungry after a large dining room meal when the buffet closes, but Sorrento pizza 🍕 at midnight… Here we come! 😂
I like cruising, but just once, as with everything else I will try once. So I can watch YT & know how it feels like. Traveling is too much hassle !!
@@holycow3355 I don’t like having to get to the port… the planes, cabs, hotels… but once I’m on a cruise, I feel at home! No other place I’d rather be 😁