Are the Buffets worth it? And, who has gotten sick at Buffets?

[summerlady]

The lunch buffet at the Biergarten was certainly worth the $! And we didn't get sick.

 

[ancestry]

We love the buffets and have never gotten sick at any of them. We all like very different types of foods and the buffets give us a nice variety to choose from, thus meeting the needs and desires of everyone in the group. Plus you can eat as much or as little as you like.

I agree with others who said that Norovirus is going strong in central Florida right now, including WDW. The symptom of the Norovirus could easily be thought to be due to bad food. The chances that you had the Norovirus are much greater than the chance of getting food poisoning.

 

[Tiger926]

Everyone assumes if they get sick to their stomach, it must have been the last food that they ate. Norovirus is rampant at WDW right now, and that's likely what you had. You could have picked it up from any surface, anywhere. A railing, a doorknob, an elevator button.

Where did you get this information from? I just did a bunch of research last night, and discovered that there are a few norovirus outbreaks in Palm Coast and Flagler County (schools and rest homes), which are about 1.5 hours away from Orlando (I think?). I couldn't see any "running rampant" at Disney right now info - of course it is possible as people are coming from all over the world and infecting others. Disney more than likely wouldn't reveal this info, but I'm sure the Orlando Sentinel would!

Just looking for more official info about your statement, Tiger

 

[bangzoom6877]

Where did you get this information from? I just did a bunch of research last night, and discovered that there are a few norovirus outbreaks in Palm Coast and Flagler County (schools and rest homes), which are about 1.5 hours away from Orlando (I think?). I couldn't see any "running rampant" at Disney right now info - of course it is possible as people are coming from all over the world and infecting others. Disney more than likely wouldn't reveal this info, but I'm sure the Orlando Sentinel would!

Just looking for more official info about your statement, Tiger

Norovirus is everywhere right now. You won't always see it reported in the media. A lot of people, when on vacation, think they got sick from some food they ate because it is not something they eat normally at home.

Hand sanitizer does NOT kill norovirus, according to what I read on the CDC website a while ago (not sure if it is still on their website). Neither does Lysol. The only thing you can do for your own body is wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. You will basically be washing the germs away and rinsing them down the sink, not killing them. In order to kill norovirus on hard surfaces, you must use a bleach solution. Bleach is the only thing that kills this virus. And it can linger on hard surfaces for several days. That's why it spreads so easily in schools (door handles, students' desks, chairs, etc.). I have a phobia of vomiting, known officially as emetophobia, so I have done some research on norovirus. I'm also a teacher so I get nervous during the winter months, since lots of kids get this virus. I got a stomach virus back in early December and was petrified but survived of course. It happens. Yes, it would stink to have it happen on vacation. I once got bronchitis while on vacation in Niagara Falls and it was not fun. One time my husband got very bad bug bites while we were on vacation in Maine. We spent an afternoon in the Emergency Room because he had such a bad rash and we didn't know what it was. Again, not fun.

To answer your question about buffets, we ate at 6 of them in July 2008 and none of us got sick. We have a few booked on this trip too. My kids love the characters and most character meals are buffets. We also love Biergarten and will be going back there. The food at Biergarten is excellent!

 

[Tiger926]

Norovirus is everywhere right now. You won't always see it reported in the media. A lot of people, when on vacation, think they got sick from some food they ate because it is not something they eat normally at home.

Hand sanitizer does NOT kill norovirus, according to what I read on the CDC website a while ago (not sure if it is still on their website). Neither does Lysol. The only thing you can do for your own body is wash your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. You will basically be washing the germs away and rinsing them down the sink, not killing them. In order to kill norovirus on hard surfaces, you must use a bleach solution. Bleach is the only thing that kills this virus. And it can linger on hard surfaces for several days. That's why it spreads so easily in schools (door handles, students' desks, chairs, etc.). I have a phobia of vomiting, known officially as emetophobia, so I have done some research on norovirus. I'm also a teacher so I get nervous during the winter months, since lots of kids get this virus. I got a stomach virus back in early December and was petrified but survived of course. It happens. Yes, it would stink to have it happen on vacation. I once got bronchitis while on vacation in Niagara Falls and it was not fun. One time my husband got very bad bug bites while we were on vacation in Maine. We spent an afternoon in the Emergency Room because he had such a bad rash and we didn't know what it was. Again, not fun.

To answer your question about buffets, we ate at 6 of them in July 2008 and none of us got sick. We have a few booked on this trip too. My kids love the characters and most character meals are buffets. We also love Biergarten and will be going back there. The food at Biergarten is excellent!

Thanks - from one teacher to another! I know all of this info, so I was looking for more official info. Saying it's 'rampant', pretty much means most people have it, and I honestly don't believe this to be true.

Thanks, Tiger

 

[2manypets]

Back to the buffets...I once saw a child sneeze into the buffet food at WDW. The CM's were on top of it though. They immediately removed the surrounding food. Even though, it grossed me out so much that I haven't eaten at a buffet anywhere since.

 

[MissionMouse]

...In the past six years, WDW has surely increased the price of these meals. In addition, I think that they were also reducing the number of choices - replacing foods with cheaper foods.

I just wonder if anyone else noticed this increase. ...

Well it could be Disney's move from quality table service to Disney is affordable. Transition the parks to run like their cruise line food operations. I have been referencing this trend for years now. The DD plans were the start and the way you motivate others to align to using one of their dining plans is to continue to increases prices faster than inflation and food cost.

One quick example, OOP now pay the periodic surcharges at select buffets but DDP participants do not. This is just one of the tools to motivate others to select DDP and cover misc expenses deriving from other marketing campaigns. Add in free dining campaigns and there is a price...nothing in business is free, since we observe room increases, drop in quality, downgrading menus, streamlining operations and mainstreaming food.

Buffets do have their normal health challenges, but at Disney you add in the international guest dimension where people converge on one buffet line with different views on sanitation and healthy behaviors.

 

[Pirate's Princess]

The only time I've gotten sick from a buffet was from eating too much!!!

I've never been concerned about sanitary issues, because the CMs are on top things and there are so many germs everywhere, not just at buffets.

And I'm completely against hand sanitizer! I don't understand this big giant push towards hand sanitizers BUT everyone is all about probiotics in their food...hello that's bacteria. There's good bacteria in your stomach AND good bacteria on your skin. When you kill it, you're killing good bacteria as well! And you're only leaving behind the stronger bacteria...which is now going to be immune and harder to fight off. Bacteria can be good or bad, it's not always bad!

Ok I'm off my soapbox.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I would suspect that most people who do buffets at WDW do NOT get sick---

 

[skimommy]

I don't think it is worth the price for my family but it is worth the variety for the kids. We're eating at Crystal Palace for Easter and dd's birthday and Chef Mickey one night. Otherwise we are doing regular TS or CS.

 

[uicbear]

We usually plan one or two character buffets for each trip. They are expensive, but we plan for that and it's an easy way for the kids to get some photos with the characters.

We have never gotten sick from the food at the buffets. I think with the change to the smaller dishes, the food is actually better and fresher generally speaking.

I actualy was sick at Disney once. I caught my niece's virus on the trip down and spent a good day and a half in bed. No fun at all.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that a lot of people pick up germs in attraction lines. You're hemmed in together pretty tight and someone near you could cough or sneeze at any time.

We like buffets but don't like the prices! We will likely only do one or two from now on if any. We like Boma and the Crystal Palace best.

 

[bangzoom6877]

Well it could be Disney's move from quality table service to Disney is affordable. Transition the parks to run like their cruise line food operations. I have been referencing this trend for years now. The DD plans were the start and the way you motivate others to align to using one of their dining plans is to continue to increases prices faster than inflation and food cost.

One quick example, OOP now pay the periodic surcharges at select buffets but DDP participants do not. This is just one of the tools to motivate others to select DDP and cover misc expenses deriving from other marketing campaigns. Add in free dining campaigns and there is a price...nothing in business is free, since we observe room increases, drop in quality, downgrading menus, streamlining operations and mainstreaming food.

Buffets do have their normal health challenges, but at Disney you add in the international guest dimension where people converge on one buffet line with different views on sanitation and healthy behaviors.

During peak seasons, Disney started charging more for the basic DDP per night starting in 2010. It is $4 more per adult per night and I believe $1 more per child. You get one TS per day on the basic plan...the all-you-can-eat meals have a $4 per adult surcharge during peak seasons, same as the increase in the DDP per night. However, I'm sure those who do a la carte TS have the biggest problem with this increase in the DDP, since those menus have no surcharges to begin with. The deluxe plan is the same price...this encourages more people to go for the deluxe plan since it is "now only $25 more per night instead of $29 more per night per adult". As for the QSDP, no TS meals are included so no surcharge (no surcharge is on CS menus during peak seasons). I think Disney makes a LOT of money on the dining plans because of all the unused credits. People here on the DIS may be strategic planners, but we are in the minority and plenty of others out there have several credits remaining on their dining plan at the end of their trip.

The only time I've gotten sick from a buffet was from eating too much!!!

I've never been concerned about sanitary issues, because the CMs are on top things and there are so many germs everywhere, not just at buffets.

And I'm completely against hand sanitizer! I don't understand this big giant push towards hand sanitizers BUT everyone is all about probiotics in their food...hello that's bacteria. There's good bacteria in your stomach AND good bacteria on your skin. When you kill it, you're killing good bacteria as well! And you're only leaving behind the stronger bacteria...which is now going to be immune and harder to fight off. Bacteria can be good or bad, it's not always bad!

Ok I'm off my soapbox.

You are so right! We're way too much of a "germaphobic" society! However, I am one of the guilty ones who occasionally uses hand sanitizer (in the form of a wipe). I do take a probiotic daily though and I think they are very important!

 

[Pumbaa_]

This thread has veered off into I don't even know what land

Norovirus is rampant on a celebrity cruise right now - 400 passengers and crew - can you imagine?

hopefully that is the right use of the word rampant