Castaway Cay buffet difference?

[tnkrbell]

what is the difference between the buffet selection on castaway cay on the family side opposed to the adult side?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

what is the difference between the buffet selection on castaway cay on the family side opposed to the adult side?

The biggest difference, besides not having kids around, is the Serenity Bay buffet serves ribeye steaks. But before you get too excited, I found the steaks to be very thin and rather disappointing. But that's just my opinion. I know other people think they're great.

 

[xiphoid76]

Another big difference is the queue...the adult one has one queue which tends to be quite long, plus limited seating. The other buffets on the island have multiple queues which makes getting your food much easier and quicker, plus plenty of seating. Did adult one twice, rest of cruises have done Cookies I or II. Would never go back to the adult one to eat. Enjoy the beach, but go to the family one to eat (and then get a steak if you want on the cruise ship

 

[Marc D]

You can also sometimes find lobster tails at the Serenity Bay buffet, but it seems availability is based on the popularity of the lobster the night of the Captain's gala menu in the MDR.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

You can also sometimes find lobster tails at the Serenity Bay buffet, but it seems availability is based on the popularity of the lobster the night of the Captain's gala menu in the MDR.

And this is only a possibility on the 7 night cruises. Don't go looking for lobster if you are on a 3 or 4 night cruise.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Serenity Bay BBQ


With a line:


Seating area:


Menu:


Buffet:

 

[kid-at-heart]

Have tried both, I prefer the family side. I was not impressed with the steak, nor the crowds.

 

[Dug720]

And just as a counterpoint, I have been on 4 DCL cruises (July Dream, Presidents' Week Dream, Presidents' Week Fantasy, and Presidents' Week Magic - all busy times, all sold-out cruises) and never had or seen anything resembling that long of a line at Serenity Bay.

Biggest plus for me is no kids running around to make you fall because they are not in your line of vision - or they just decide to dart.

 

[Partyof4LA]

We decided to try serenity beach's buffet for our last cruise. Before we headed there, we went through the family buffet to get lunch for our kids, then checked them into scuttles cove and took the tram to serenity beach.
The line was shorter and much faster on the family side and there was plenty of seating. Serenity had a pretty long line and not many spots left to sit when we had our food. We had to sit awkwardly close to another group at a table. The steak was decent, but I can get much better elsewhere. Next cruise I won't waste my time and will just eat on the family side.

 

[Trera]

I hate that they got rid of the pineapple cake at Cookies!!

 

[mevelandry]

I have tried both. We never experienced long lines at Serenity BBQ and always had seats. Maybe we were lucky? Maybe we did not eat at the same time as others? Who knows.

We liked the Serenity Bay BBQ better. We love the grilled chicken and the fruit selections.

 

[kiford]

We always eat at Serenity Bay and have never had to wait more than about 5 minutes in line and have never had a problem getting a seat. We do go in early December typically which isn't their high season so maybe it makes a difference. I like that it's quiet and there's no kids running around.

 

[lucas]

We have never experienced a line at Serenity Bay. But, we do eat early, when the buffet first opens.

 

[CamColt]

I hate that they got rid of the pineapple cake at Cookies!!

They did? That was the best food there!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have never experienced a line at Serenity Bay. But, we do eat early, when the buffet first opens.

I was about to reply to those who said they've never had such a line, that I took that picture when they opened the buffet on that cruise. So the line was longer than "normal", but we've experienced long and short lines there.

 

[sharonabe]

We also did not experience a line at Serenity Bay, and even went back up for seconds with no wait. We did eat later in the day, though. Maybe 1:00 or so.

Question: one of my favorite things about Serenity was the salads, veggies, and fruit. Are those available over on the family side?

 

[Trera]

They did? That was the best food there!

Yes. It was our favorite. They replaced it with a cinnamon cake I think.

 

[BrdWalker]

We have had long and short lines, it seems to move slower. Also seems if you are there when they first open or later the line is short, 30 minutes after they open was longest and over 10 minutes to get to food. We eat there if we are spending the day at the adult beach but will do Cookies if we have been on family beach.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I have tried both. We never experienced long lines at Serenity BBQ and always had seats. Maybe we were lucky? Maybe we did not eat at the same time as others? Who knows.

We liked the Serenity Bay BBQ better. We love the grilled chicken and the fruit selections.

Same here. Never had an issue with lines, and our rib-eyes were tender.

 

[debc1212]

Yes. It was our favorite. They replaced it with a cinnamon cake I think.

No worries!! I was on Castaway last week on the family beach and had the little pineapple cake. It was yummy!