10 Cruise Buffet Mistakes To Avoid

There are many reasons to choose a cruise ship vacation for your next travel, from the compelling itineraries, endless activities and entertainment, and overall convenience. One of the most exciting things about boarding a cruise ship, however, is the lure of endless free food that awaits. For some, this is the sole reason for even choosing a cruise vacation in the first place.

Most cruise lines offer specialty restaurants, free dining rooms, sports-like bars, and other spots to grab a bite. The true star of the show, however, is the buffet, where you will find limitless amounts of food amongst a large spread of cuisines. You can fill up your plate as many times as you please, and most buffets are open consistently throughout the day and well into the evening.

As someone who has worked and lived on cruise ships for nearly seven years, I've eaten at the buffet more times than I can possibly count and obtained a unique perspective about the dos and don'ts since I was a crew member with guest area access. From buffet crew members' feedback to my own experiences — I've seen it all. In this article, I'll go over all of the mistakes that you want to avoid. So, hop aboard, and let's set sail into the buffet line!

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.

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.

Many cruise lines have dedicated crew members who will remind you to "washy washy" your hands before getting into the buffet. This is because norovirus is common on cruise ships, and it can easily spread when hundreds of people touch the same spoon to dish out their food. Norovirus is basically a stomach bug that is extremely contagious — and trust me, you don't want to get it.

Something that guests don't see are the measures that are taken in crew areas to prevent this virus. There are hand wash stations at the beginning of every single food area, and if a crew member fails to wash their hands before touching anything in the crew cafeteria, they could receive a behavioral warning. Also, if any crew member has even a single symptom of norovirus, they must report it to the ship doctor immediately. Now, there's no way to hold guests to this standard, so a lot of the pressure to keep norovirus at bay falls on the crew. However, knowing this information is incredibly helpful for a guest because you can see just how serious it is.

As you head to the buffet, make sure you wash your hands properly for at least several seconds at the hand-washing stations. Once you are done filling up your plate, I also recommend washing your hands again before eating to reduce the chances of getting sick while onboard.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Another huge mistake that people make at the cruise ship buffet is eating the same things every single day. Some people tend to gravitate toward easy comfort foods — like pizza and chicken tenders. While they are definitely delicious, especially at poolside while having a beer or a cocktail, they shouldn't be the only things you're eating every day after day. Your cruise ticket includes the entire buffet, and you should let yourself enjoy every aspect.

For many people, the buffet can be a great place to try new foods. Cruise ships have crew members from all over the world — with an average of 75 different nationalities represented on a ship. Because of this diversity, the ships tend to put in a lot of effort to have the food represent this diversity as well. In a cruise ship buffet, you may find cuisines that range from Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and many more cuisines offered depending on the day. This could be your chance to try a new dish, and the good news is if you don't like it, you can go ahead and choose something else, free of charge. This will help make your cruise vacation even more immersive because you'll eat things you normally don't cook or eat at home.

For people who have specific dietary preferences or restrictions, eating at a buffet can be incredibly challenging. Because of that, many people avoid the buffet altogether. You could be missing out on something you could be enjoying, however, so don't completely count yourself out! Instead, you can ask the crew members behind the buffet about the ingredients in each dish. Depending on the cruise line, some have a printed sheet that lists all the ingredients for each dish. Some lines don't have that, but the crew members can get the chef from the kitchen very swiftly, and they can get that information to you easily.

One thing to note here is that in any buffet, cross-contamination is expected. So, if you do have a severe food allergy, it's better to order something to be made for you by the chef. Most cruise lines are very accommodating with allergies, and they actually allow guests to place food orders 24 hours in advance and get allergen-free meals for each day. If you don't have any severe restrictions, you can enjoy the buffet with ease by just asking what is included in each dish. Crew members are often very happy to assist guests with these needs so don't be afraid to speak up and ask.

Although the buffet can be a great place to get your meals onboard the cruise ship, as it has diverse options and is very convenient, it's not the only place to eat onboard. Most cruise lines offer other free dining options, and I definitely recommend getting familiar with all of these options before you board your ship. I've actually spoken to guests who didn't even know about half of the dining options available onboard by the seventh day of their cruise.

Every cruise line generally has a main dining room that is also completely free, and that's a great place to get a delicious sit-down meal. The dining rooms tend to have a standard menu that is available every day and a rotating menu that adds variety to the mix as well. For larger cruise ships, you can expect a lot more dining options beyond the buffet and dining room. You will most likely find bars with pub food, Starbucks, snack bars, and more. Depending on your cruise line, some of these may be free offerings, while others may cost extra. Beyond that, there are usually always some specialty dining options available on the cruise as well, but these can cost extra. It's always worth visiting at least one of the specialty dining spots because the experience of being served in these restaurants is always top-tier, and the food can end up being some of the best you'll have on the entire ship.