A cruise ship buffet is usually one of the most popular restaurants onboard as it’s included in the majority of packages.
While buffets vary across different cruise lines, guests will usually find a mix of cuisines and a few special themed nights.
On Reddit, a few seasoned cruise guests have shared their top tips for the buffet and one warned passengers which stations to avoid.
‘Netherium’ claimed: “Leave the barely cooked bacon on the line, ask for the crispy cooked bacon and they usually have a bucket of it behind the counter.
“If the scrambled eggs look disgusting on the line because they’re too wet or you don’t like powdered eggs, ask the omelette station to make dry scrambled eggs.”
While the buffet staff might not always have more bacon behind the counter, it’s worth asking if guests aren’t drawn to the bacon on display.
Cruise ship buffets with an omelette station may be able to serve guests scrambled eggs cooked the way they want.
One guest also advised to get scrambled eggs made at the omelette station rather than taking them from the buffet.
They said: “They can add cheese/tomato/ham etc. in your scrambled eggs, plus the eggs are fresh and not powdered.”
Another Reddit user ‘DarnHeather’ said: “If you don’t see something you want, ask for it. My eldest eats plain yoghurt every day for breakfast.
“She asked and the head server made sure a bowl was waiting each morning for the rest of the cruise.”
Cruise ship crew usually go out of their way to help guests have a good time so it’s worth asking if there’s an extra dish you’d like to see on the buffet.
One guest even shared their own cheeky dessert recipe that they make using the unlimited soft serve ice-cream at some cruise buffets.
‘Looper1010’ said: “Put soft serve in your coffee – I call it the American Affogato.”
An affogato is traditionally made with ice-cream served in an espresso so guests can try to construct their own version using the ship’s soft-serve.