Top 10+ cruise buffet mistakes to avoid
Immediately heading to the buffet when you embark
When you board your cruise ship, most of the staterooms won't be ready yet. Since you won't immediately have a place to settle in, most people choose to head straight to the buffet. This is one of the worst mistakes that you can make. The buffet will be filled to the brim with tons of guests lugging their carry-ons, backpacks, and children in strollers. What makes it even more overwhelming is that nobody knows the layout of the ship yet, so people will be wandering aimlessly around as they try to get their bearings. This will make it difficult to find a table and even more difficult to make it through the buffet line to get the food that you want.
If you have the time, I highly recommend eating a proper meal before you board your cruise ship. If that's not possible, there are some other options besides the buffet that you can opt for instead. Since everyone will be heading toward the buffet, you'll want to use this time to check out one of the other dining options onboard. Do your research beforehand to become familiar with those options. Many cruise lines have other free dining spots that are sports bar-type venues and bars located around the pool deck to offer quick bites. These spots are less likely to be crowded because many guests don't know they exist yet.
Not being aware of peak times
Now that you know the buffet will usually be very crowded during guest embarkation, you're probably wondering about the crowds during the rest of the cruise. To start — a great time to check out the buffet for the very first time is about an hour after the ship sails away. Many guests retreat to their rooms during this time to freshen up and get organized, so it's less likely to be crowded.
For general peak times during your sailing, it changes from ship to ship. Do yourself a big favor and talk to one of the crew members greeting the guests entering the buffet on the first day to be set for the rest of the cruise. These crew members are experts on guests' habits and know the ebbs and flows of the buffet, and they'll know what times are likely to be less crowded. Whether the guests are made up of older folks, families with children, or a younger crowd with more of a party atmosphere will affect what times the buffets tend to be the busiest. So, if your week-long cruise to Alaska had a busy buffet at 7 a.m. every day, that doesn't mean your weekend cruise through the Bahamas will be the same.
Not taking a walk around the whole buffet before you grab a plate
Most cruise ship buffets offer a few of the same options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, like scrambled eggs, pizza, pasta, burgers, fries, and other classics. However, for every meal of the day at the buffet, there tend to also be different varieties of foods available. Many cruise lines will feature a specific cuisine or theme for a certain meal. I've seen options pop up like a fajita station, a spread of Indian curries, a specialized seafood spread, and more.
Because there are so many options that change every day onboard, I recommend that you walk through the whole buffet before even picking up a plate instead of filling it as you go. Scout out what options are available, and then you can decide what you really want to eat. If you fill your plate up as you go, you might end up wasting a lot of food. I've made the mistake of selecting the first foods I saw right away, only to realize that there was a whole other section that I'd actually prefer to eat instead. There is already so much food waste onboard a cruise ship, so in order to not contribute, it's better to take the extra few minutes to scope out the entirety of the food offerings before filling your plate.
Not paying attention to the flow of the lines
Most cruise ship buffets have multiple sections scattered throughout the entire area — each with its own line of people waiting to get food, and many have a designated place at the start to hold plates and silverware. This can get a little bit confusing because sometimes the plates aren't stationed on the same side of the buffet section, so the way that the lines flow can change. It gets even more confusing if you're hopping from section to section with a plate already secured.
The best thing you can do in this situation is to pay attention to the flow of these lines. It is not good cruise etiquette to hop in the middle of the buffet line. Guests can sometimes be a little slow when filling their plates, but this is the time to practice patience. Remember: You're on vacation; there's no need to rush. If you want to quickly grab something that's right in the middle of the buffet section, it's still proper etiquette to start at the beginning of that section and follow the flow of people until you get to the food that you want. I've actually witnessed multiple fights among passengers when someone cuts the buffet line. Don't be that person — keep the peace with your fellow cruisers by waiting in line.
Missing out on the made-to-order options
Sometimes, the options at the buffet might not scratch that itch for what you're in the mood for. What you see laid out in each buffet section isn't all that's there to eat, however. One thing that many guests may not know about the buffet is that there are also made-to-order options available. If you pay attention to each section of the buffet, you might notice small signs containing a menu of other options that you can ask for. There are always chefs and other buffet staff stationed at every section of the buffet, and they are there to help you get the food you want.
These options can include simple things such as a veggie or turkey burger, a special type of steak, omelets, freshly made pasta, special desserts, and more. Many people tend to overlook the signs because they aren't extremely obvious. However, you could be missing out on some great buffet options if you don't look. You can also directly ask the crew members behind the buffet if they have any other made-to-order options on offer.
Overloading your plate
The idea of having endless free food can be incredibly overwhelming. Some people want to take full advantage — getting their full money's worth and eating everything that they possibly can. In practice, however, it's not as glamorous as it seems. One of the biggest mistakes that I personally made when I first began working on cruise ships was overfilling my plate with way too much food. I would eat nearly everything off of my plate — but then I'd end up feeling overstuffed, sluggish, and too tired to enjoy any of the entertainment onboard. I noticed my fellow crew members doing the same thing, and some of them would end up throwing away half of the food.
With so much to do on your cruise vacation, the last thing you want is to feel uncomfortably full. There's no reason to overstuff yourself with the goal of getting your money's worth. The real way to get your money's worth is if you have an appropriately filling meal that satisfies you. It will also prevent more food waste that comes with overfilling your plate but getting too full to finish it. The best way to go about it is to put a smaller serving of each dish on your plate, and then you can always go back up for seconds if you want more.
