Top 10 Tips For Surviving The Cruise Buffet

Closely following those however will be the though of all of the scrumptious food you will get to eat once onboard the ship.
For me and my wife, our adventure always starts with a quick look around the ship before heading straight up to the buffet and sit down to our first meal onboard.
A good buffet really does add to our cruise experience and a poor buffet can really take away from our trip.
Whilst I will tend to eat in the buffet for the majority of our meals, for many cruisers the buffet is a place to avoid.
There can be numerous reasons for that, but common ones include how crowded they can be, the poor quality of food and the unhygienic tendences of some fellow cruisers.
For most issues, there is little that you can do as it comes down to line you are sailing with, the ship you are cruising on and the people you are travelling alongside.
Thankfully, there are some things that you can do that not only make the experience better for you but also for others sailing with you.
So here are our top 10 tips for surviving the cruise buffet, from somebody who loves buffets onboard cruise ships.
Our Top 10 Tips For Surviving The Cruise Buffet
Look For Local Specials
Far too few cruise lines do this in their buffets but thankfully our favourite line does and that is to offer some dishes that relate to the port you are visiting.
One thing me and my wife love to do is to try local food and drinks when in port but if you are away for the full day on excursion, it’s not always possible.
Having the back up of some local dishes or drinks onboard your ship really does add to your getaway and gives you a reason to head to the buffet if you usually avoid it.
Something that went down really well on our cruise in India, especially with my wife, was freshly made self-serve Chai Masala tea in the buffet.
Stick To Made To Order Stations
One gripe that a lot of people have is that the food can be overcooked and left out under heaters in the buffet, which can make something quite dry, especially meat, or can otherwise make your meal less than perfect.
One easy way to get around that is to only visit made to order stations, where your food will not only be freshly made but you can also get things done just the way you want them.
Our favourite buffets allow you to get steak cooked the way you like it, eggs done freshly in the morning and things such as pasta and noodle dishes made up freshly with just your favourite ingredients.
Try A Theme Night/Day
This isn’t offered by every line, but the better buffets have plenty of different themed servings. Sometimes they are at lunch times, sometimes they are on an evening and sometimes they may only happen once for a special gala night, but no matter what is offered next time, if you don’t like buffets, try it in a themed opening.
From country specific themes including the likes of English day or Indian night to regional themes such as Caribbean food and from seafood days to gala nights, ships tend to offer plenty of variety in the buffet so if you have a favourite type of meal, head to the buffet on that theme night.
Try Something New
One of the things that I personally love about a buffet is the chance to try dishes that I have never tried before.
Not only can you do that with dishes from across the globe on most lines but with it been a buffet, you can try a small amount of a few different dishes and then go back for a full portion of any you like.
That saves the waste of ordering a few dishes in the main dining room, something we have seen far too often where people order a dish, take a bite and then leave it.
Check Your Surrounds
Another issue that people don’t like about buffets is that you often end up bumping in to people or you find people in your way as you walk around or try to head to get some food.
It doesn’t even need to be too busy for this to happen as people get distracted and concentrate at looking at the food on offer rather than where they are walking or if they are stood in the way.
Try not to only set a good example by checking your surrounding and making sure you are not blocking others or walking in the way of others but help from bumping into others by keeping a eye on your surrounds whilst in the buffet.
A potential pet peeve of mind is people who walk along a station with a queue but the opposite way to which people are queueing- have a look before going for food and if there is a queue, join the back of it.
Stick To Meal Types
If you come away from the buffet and feel too full, sluggish or unwell for the rest of the night, many will put it down to simply eating to much or having one desert too many.
That can easily be the case of course, we’ve all been there, but it can also be because you have simply tried to put too many different types of food on the same plate, and it is now fighting it out in your stomach.
This is something that my wife tends to struggle with as you head to a station, choose your food and then as you walk back to your seat, you spot something else that looks nice and what started out as a well-balanced meal, turns into a plate full of pizza, curry, steak and potato salad- let the fight begin.
We would recommend just sticking to a certain type of meal, so if you are wanting a curry, just add some rice and roti, if you are heading to the carvery, just add veg and potatoes.
Do A Full Walkaround Before Choosing
This is something that I personally often forget to do but it is something that can really make the experience of a buffet better.
So many people, especially when it is busy, just go to the first food station they come to or just go to the same station day in day out.
To make sure you get the best experience and spot any dishes that only appear once, make sure you do a full walkaround of the buffet first.
Avoid Peak Times
This is one that many will know but it is also one of the most important things when it comes to the buffet.
There is always an ebb and flow to when they are busy and when they are quiet and if the thought of searching for a table and then jockeying for position at every station puts you off, it doesn’t need to be that way.
At breakfast time, the buffet will always be the busiest around an hour before arriving at a port or around 9am on sea days.
On an evening, the buffet tends to be busy around an hour before show times whilst lunch times on a sea day can be the toughest to avoid the rush, so we recommend getting there early, picking a seat and having a cup of tea first.
It’s Not Just Burgers and Chips
As with most points on this list, it does really depend on the ship and line that you are sailing with but even the worse buffets we experience have a range of food.
When we speak to those who have either neither cruised or who never use the buffet seem to have the impression that it is just fast food or at least unhealthy food that is on offer.
The best buffet will have plenty of cook to order stations including meat, pasta and stir fry’s and will have large salad and fruit offerings amongst plenty of over options.
They will also have plenty of vegetarians and vegan dishes and allergy information next to all dishes.My own personnel favourite station is the carvery station and whilst burgers, hotdogs, pizza and more will be on offer, you can normally choose to eat whatever your favourite type of meal is.
Wash Your Hands On Entry
This one is not only good for those you are sailing with as it helps to end the spreading of germs but something we have witnessed on more than one occasion is the copycat phenomenon.
If somebody walks into the buffet without washing their hands, its amazing how those behind will do the same but if somebody heads over to the wash basins in the entrance, people will follow.
Become a leader and try to get more and more people washing their hands before heading into buffet and whilst it still won’t it perfectly clean and germ free, it will make a huge difference.