Does anyone avoid Buffets?

[PrincessMe]

I have the hand sanatizer on my belt loop, so we always use it right before we eat, and if you want to go really crazy, just use a sani wipe when holding the buffet spoons. Not only are you saving yourself, but your helping the next person as well.

Unless you would lick the sani wipe, please reconsider using it on the buffet spoons! The idea of those extra chemicals making it into my dinner is just icky!

We generally avoid buffets since I'm not a huge eater, but we love dinner at Boma! I don't worry that much about the germs. They are already everywhere. I don't think a few serving utensils will make that much of a difference.

 

[LilyWDW]

We don't do buffets at home, but when in Disney, for us, they are a must. Lots of the character meals are buffet, and with kids, ya gotta do character meals!
I have the hand sanatizer on my belt loop, so we always use it right before we eat, and if you want to go really crazy, just use a sani wipe when holding the buffet spoons. Not only are you saving yourself, but your helping the next person as well.

Please do NOT do this. I don't want those chemicals right there in the food. You also do not know if the person after you may be allergic to. It is just not cool to use chemicals like that on items that are not yours and will be used by others.

 

[Patrickprincess]

Please do NOT do this. I don't want those chemicals right there in the food. You also do not know if the person after you may be allergic to. It is just not cool to use chemicals like that on items that are not yours and will be used by others.

I can take em or leave em. My parents took me to a lot of buffets some good some bad. That beening said i take my wipes and before i eat i wipe my hands with them. Any one who has been on a disney cruise they give you a wipe before you enter any resturant.

 

[wdw&sonny]

All you can eat buffets don't make you sick, they just make you fat.

We avoid them, but not because of the germs, more because the idea of "all you can eat' doesn't appeal to us. We like Boma because of the "all you care to experience" idea.

In fact, we are more of a probiotic family than antibiotic...too many people are quick to avoid all instances of being exposed to natural bacteria and quick to grab the sani wipes, antibacterial soaps and bleach all of which has lead us to the highly resistant strains of bacteria. Eat more yougurt and dirt and read Patient Heal Thyself by Jordan Rubin...but I digress.

 

[mana'olana]

Well said wdw & sonny! We eat the buffets and TS. Being in a public place all day, it is hard to say what makes a person sick. Trust me, I get food poisoning very easy, thanks to a very bad experience where I ended up in the hospital, I am now extremely susceptible. I have never gotten it at Disney in all the times I have went. Many buffets, TS, carts....hopefully I am not jinxing myself ;-)

 

[MinniesYooHoo]

Nope. Not at all. We certainly don't eat exclusively buffet (maybe two per trip), but after 30+ trips nobody in our parties have ever gotten sick in any way. I agree with PP, a bug could've been picked up anywhere in the park. There's no way to tell. However, I'm so sorry your daughter got sick at The Happiest Place on Earth. Hopefully it didn't last long.

 

[budafam]

We love buffets. Been there 4 times now and only had 1 kid get sick on one trip. It wasn't awful sick either... just a fever that came and went a few times. I wouldn't avoid buffets forever because of it. There's much too goodness offered at them!

 

[disnut8]

Germs are everywhere. I refuse to let it control my life.

Same here. And guess what? I haven't had a cold or the flu or any other virus or bacteria illness in well over 20 years.

The human body needs to build up immunities and if a person doesn't allow that then the first "bug" that comes along will just knock that person over.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm not a big fan of buffets in my normal life and avoid them. I don't eat alot and don't feel like I eat enough to cover the costs.

In Disney I do like Boma and Crystal Palace. But I don't eat at them every trip. I have the same issue with the amount of food I eat vs. cost of buffet at Disney.

I also prefer to have my food brought to me. I hate having to get up and serve myself at the prices Disney charges. LOL

 

[bcrook]

We are officially finished with buffets. Mainly because of cost! $200.00+ for a family of four for dinner, that is simply too much. But we are grossed out by cleanliness too.

The only one I would go back to now would be boma for breakfast only. Go early, everything would still be clean. It is peaceful. Great coffee. Plus we stay at AKV a lot. That being said, in our last ten trips, I have only been there once.

Last year at the Wave, some of our party ordered off the menu to avoid the buffet, but the server got the food from buffet anyway!!! That was disturbing.

My dd just reminded me of our awful experience at the garden grove seafood buffet last year. That was probably the tipping point. We are done with them all.

 

[Peter Fan]

We are officially finished with buffets. Mainly because of cost! $200.00+ for a family of four for dinner, that is simply too much. But we are grossed out by cleanliness too.

The only one I would go back to now would be boma for breakfast only. Go early, everything would still be clean. It is peaceful. Great coffee. Plus we stay at AKV a lot. That being said, in our last ten trips, I have only been there once.

Last year at the Wave, some of our party ordered off the menu to avoid the buffet, but the server got the food from buffet anyway!!! That was disturbing.

My dd just reminded me of our awful experience at the garden grove seafood buffet last year. That was probably the tipping point. We are done with them all.

If it wasn't for the free dining we wouldn't do them either.

 

[Peter Fan]

While we are talking about germs I' m surprised that they use unwrapped plastic utensils at CS places. All those hands touching them!

 

[Peter Fan]

While we are talking about germs I am surprised they use unwrapped plastic utensils at CS places. All those hands touching them!

 

[Peter Fan]

Oops!

 

[DanInMN]

As stated previously, germs are everywhere. Regarding heat lamps... table service gets your food from the same setup, it's just hidden from your view. In high school I worked in a sit down restaurant, enough said.

We enjoy the buffets... see the food before selecting it, get whatever you want, as much (or little) as you want, go for seconds on the good stuff. We have reservations at Germany and Crystal Palace in January!

 

[figment814]

I am not a big fan of buffets, but it has nothing to do with the germ factor.

I don't think anything at a buffet is any germier than the door handle/plate on the bathroom door or a lap bar on a ride.

 

[Peter Fan]

As stated previously, germs are everywhere. Regarding heat lamps... table service gets your food from the same setup, it's just hidden from your view. In high school I worked in a sit down restaurant, enough said.

We enjoy the buffets... see the food before selecting it, get whatever you want, as much (or little) as you want, go for seconds on the good stuff. We have reservations at Germany and Crystal Palace in January!

I agree. There is more going on behind the scenes that you don't want to know about!

 

[eliza61]

like the plague. LOL. but there are many reasons not just the sanitary issues.

1) for some reason the food is always "lukewarm" at best. Unless it's one of those made to order stations, like for omlets or waffles. I hate lukewarm food.

2) I just hate the "out of control" atmosphere. We went to crystal palace one time and children were literally running around following the characters and yelling at the top of their lungs. Now yes I know it's disney and I expect children but I also expect parents to be well, parents. Unless it's chuckie cheese I just don't think running from station to station is the way to go. Buffets always seem overly loud and crazy.

3) food is "meh" at best. I do want to try Tusker house though, I've heard great things about that.
4) lastly, the price. really disney 50+ bucks for buffet food. I went to Ruth Chris's steakhouse and had a prefixe excellent meal for around that price. 45 bucks for crystal Palace? never gonna happen again.

We did like trails end buffet but it's been many years since we ate there. Has anyone been there lately?

 

[Chuck S]

In general I don't care for buffets. I'd rather sit down and have a server. The exception was Restaurant Akershus. I used to enjoy the variety of Norwegian foods, but I no longer dine there now that it is always a Character meal.

I avoid Character meals, too, when possible. I know soon I'll have to go to one with my best friends little girl on her first Disney trip...she's 5. At 5, you have to do at least one Character meal. I'm hoping to do Akershus.

 

[Herfnerd]

I agree. There is more going on behind the scenes that you don't want to know about!

Ditto. And heat lamps are not the only method of keeping food warm - hot water baths are popular, too

I am not a big fan of buffets, but it has nothing to do with the germ factor.

I don't think anything at a buffet is any germier than the door handle/plate on the bathroom door or a lap bar on a ride.

THIS!!

And......the germiest items found anywhere on vacation are the TV remotes and telephones. You are more likely to get sick from touching them and then rubbing your eyes or touching your face than from a buffet.

We bring Clorox/Lysol wipes when we go on vacation and wipe them down - lots of cruise vacations and Noro tought us that. I always use a paper towel to open the rest room door on the way out - doesn't make sense to wash your hands after doing your duty when the people before you don't....