Long Lines at Cape May Dinner

[Liltx]

How do you avoid the lines at Cape May. We love the food but last time the lines were longer than for the park attractions! Right now we have a 5:30 ADR. Thinking that might help?

Monica

 

[DanaAustinChelsea]

We had the same issues with our 5:50 ADR in Sept. I think the earlier you can get in, the better. Good luck!

 

[n2mm]

Sorry, there's no way to avoid them. You have the 5:30 seating which is offered to many, many others. I always get that seating because it is the first one, so you and about 100 others will all be trying to eat at the same cycle. Line jumping is a real problem here. Last time we were there I waited in a huge line to get one piece of fish. While I saw others squeezing between folks in line to get one item, I just knew it was wrong, so waited. In the land line I wish that was more defined because often the line comes in both directions. If folks could just start where the plates are, that would tell them where it begins. I'm often a little vocal when it comes to line jumpers, but that's just something that has come with age.

 

[Tbelle1976]

I don't understand how you can "line jump" at a buffet? Sorry, but I'm not going to stand in a huge line just to get one thing from the buffet. As a matter of fact, last time we were at Boma the line got really long because we had the first seating. Our server specifically told us that they did not expect you to stand at the back of the line if you knew what you wanted, just grab your plate and walk over to what you wanted to get. If I were filling my whole plate I could see waiting behind everyone else, but when all I wanted was another bowl of soup which is smack dab in the middle of the buffet, I'm going to just walk right up there and get my soup and not walk the whole length of the buffet just because someone thinks I'm "line jumping".

 

[n2mm]

I don't understand how you can "line jump" at a buffet? Sorry, but I'm not going to stand in a huge line just to get one thing from the buffet. As a matter of fact, last time we were at Boma the line got really long because we had the first seating. Our server specifically told us that they did not expect you to stand at the back of the line if you knew what you wanted, just grab your plate and walk over to what you wanted to get. If I were filling my whole plate I could see waiting behind everyone else, but when all I wanted was another bowl of soup which is smack dab in the middle of the buffet, I'm going to just walk right up there and get my soup and not walk the whole length of the buffet just because someone thinks I'm "line jumping".

Sorry, I guess this is a problem. If you break the line to get a bowl of soup, the entire line has to stop and wait for you to get what you want and no one can move forward. It's rude and while you don't think it is, others do. I guess it's all about buffet dos and don'ts. With CM, the choices are few so most people in line are generally there to get one or two things. We should not have to wait for someone who thinks they are too good to stand in line like the rest. I've only been to Boma's once when they first openned and remember them having separate pods of choices which made for no buffet lines. Not sure if they still do it that way, but it was much better than how CM is set up in a square. JFYI, if you walk in front of me in the line at CM, be prepared to get an ear full.

 

[Tbelle1976]

I hate to start a debate or to let this get out of hand, but absoutely NO ONE had to wait while I got my measly bowl of soup. Like I said, if all I wanted to do was to grab one thing off the buffet why in the world would you think everyone else would have to wait for me? As it is I'm sure about 9 out of 10 people in that line anyway are indecisive about what they want to eat and they are the ones holding up the line, not my bowl of soup or the one piece of fish you may want to get.
Yes, you are correct about Boma...it was pretty much little "pods" I guess you could call it. But everything became one big line when the entire restaurant gets up to eat. There is absoutely no sign that states "line starts here". The desserts are at the end of the buffet as are the salads at Boma, so are you saying that if I wanted to get dessert first or start with a salad I am required to wait in the entire line to put a salad or zebra dome on my plate?

 

[MickeyNicki]

We have only run into long lines once and that was because they did not have the section dividers up so people did not know which way to go.

We were there in Oct, ressies around 6:45 and there wasnt a line to be seen...I was able to get up and take a ton of buffet shots without people looking at me like I was nuts

 

[n2mm]

Well it sounds like the set up at Boma's is still the same and much better than the set up at Cape May. I guess it's safe to say that we disagree when it comes to buffet rules. I don't want to take the OPs thread off topic, so I'll end it now.

 

[Tbelle1976]

Back on topic...I've been told before that if you have the first seating at a buffet meal the lines will be longer, which makes sense because you basically have the whole restaurant getting up at once to make their way to the buffet, which was the case at Boma.
However, on the same trip in Feb we had an ADR at Chef Mickey's which was long after the first seating for dinner and has absoutely no problem with any lines at the buffet.
If the first seating at Cape May is at 5:30, I would possible try to make your ADR for around 6:30 if that's possible?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I hate to start a debate or to let this get out of hand, but absoutely NO ONE had to wait while I got my measly bowl of soup.

Well, you don't know that for sure You might (or might not) have held up the one person - if there was one - out of that long line who also wanted soup... but the other eighteen people could easily have gone around you