Please stop licking your fingers at Cabanas

[stout]

I was in Cabanas in 01/2020, for lunch on the Castaway Cay day, waiting for our allergy friendly meal to come out. Some white uniformed staff walked in, grabbed plates. One of the staff sneezed in his hand and then used that same hand to dish up his food. I was appalled…and glad ours was coming directly from the kitchen (where I hope the precautions are better).

 

[Cheburashka]

Gross. Happy to report I've never seen that at Cabanas.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I was in Cabanas in 01/2020, for lunch on the Castaway Cay day, waiting for our allergy friendly meal to come out. Some white uniformed staff walked in, grabbed plates. One of the staff sneezed in his hand and then used that same hand to dish up his food. I was appalled…and glad ours was coming directly from the kitchen (where I hope the precautions are better).

So if the behavior is bad where it’s completely visible in no way is it better behind scenes.

 

[n2mm]

Don’t stop at the spoon handles, add the ice cream handles too. As I sat at a table last cruise eating my soft serve cone, I marveled at how many people touch the handles per hour, per day, etc. cast no longer wipe these handles. There is sanitizer but seldom used. Grab a napkin before filling that cone. Actually 2 so you can wrap one around the cone too. At cabanas there are some washing their hands, no one at Ice Scream (the name has a different meaning now).

 

[princesscinderella]

The people licking their fingers are probably the same ones who skip washing their hands before entering Cabana's too

We sailed two weeks ago and I was just walking through cabana’s to get to the aft elevators (still washed my hands) and I heard a kid whine to his mom he didn’t want to wash his hands, she said he didn’t have to and they just kept going right to the buffet

 

[goofy4prez]

I said it on another thread and I’ll say it again here…
Hand sanitizer does not kill norovirus (stomach bug) Which is the virus you have to be most worried about before eating. Wash your hands after handling communal utensils and before eating or use a napkin to handle the serving utensils.

I'm not a germaphobe, but my wife and I now wear disposable latex gloves when we are up at a buffet table. But with that we rarely do buffets. Another topic for another thread, I'm just not a big fan of buffets.

 

[soniam]

Unfortunately I can be an OCD germaphobe. It runs in my family. I either have to ignore it but still do common senses basic hygiene, ie wash hands. However, if I start thinking about using napkins to touch anything and washing my hands between touching anything, it really becomes a snowball. I wouldn’t be able to get on a cruise or probably leave my home. Luckily, my family and I don’t have health issues, so it’s less of a concern for us. My main goal is to not spread my germs to others. Ugh! I’m going to have to stop reading this thread or go take a shower with a stiff scrub brush and bleach.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Almost like that on the WISH... Didn't see any "hairnets"...

Not being self serve drove me insane, pretty much avoided it because of that fact.

 

[vakamalua]

We solved the problem: we avoid all buffets, Disney or otherwise. Never saw the appeal of waiting in a line for food that’s been sitting there for who knows how long while people jostle or linger & the safety issues of people touching, sneezing, wiping noses, etc. not to mention then having to hunt for a table carrying your tray.

 

[Mango7100]

We soled the problem: we avoid all buffets, Disney or otherwise. Never saw the appeal of waiting in a line for food that’s been sitting there for who knows how long while people jostle or linger & the safety issues of people touching, sneezing, wiping noses, etc. not to mention then having to hunt for a table carrying your tray.

Same. Add to the fact that it seemed like we never were all seated at the table together, somebody was always getting up to get food. Not relaxing at all. Buffets just creep me out.

 

[brentm77]

We solved the problem: we avoid all buffets, Disney or otherwise. Never saw the appeal of waiting in a line for food that’s been sitting there for who knows how long while people jostle or linger & the safety issues of people touching, sneezing, wiping noses, etc. not to mention then having to hunt for a table carrying your tray.

I completely get it, but I make an exception for certain Disney buffets, since they seem to do a good job of keeping food fresh and I enjoy trying small portions of different foods. But I am also aware of the extra risk of eating there. Ironically, we ate at a buffet at WDW in December and my wife chose at the last minute to not eat the food there and to pick up quick service instead, since illness was as thick as mud at the parks. She came home with COVID and I didn't. I felt terrible since she had been so careful, but there is a certain amount of luck or bad luck involved with so many airborne things going around. The truth is that I really like Cabanas and look forward to it. Cross my fingers, but I haven't caught anything on DCL yet, even eating at Cabanas daily on each one.

 

[bcwife76]

We sailed two weeks ago and I was just walking through cabana’s to get to the aft elevators (still washed my hands) and I heard a kid whine to his mom he didn’t want to wash his hands, she said he didn’t have to and they just kept going right to the buffet

Honestly if there was anything good to come from the pandemic (for us anyway) it's that my kids are now the best handwashers ever Not that they were not before but you should see my youngest when we are at Cabanas...on our December cruise I often had to get her to hurry up at the handwash station because she is so darn thorough! Not a bad thing, but just slightly when there are several people behind you waiting....

 

[mocodis]

If you see someone touching the food at the buffet, is it ok to tell them Please do not touch the food!!!

 

[Dug720]

disposable latex gloves

Due to many people having an allergy to latex, I'd recommend you get the non-latex kind like they use in hospitals and doctors' offices. I know I'd never want to be responsible for causing someone to have a major allergic reaction on a cruise just because I used something that could have easily been replaces with something else.

 

[Dug720]

If you see someone touching the food at the buffet, is it ok to tell them Please do not touch the food!!!

Better to alert the CMs behind the counter for them to change out the tray than be confrontational with a guest - unless you want to possibly end up in a videoed fight on DCL. I'd hope that the CMs would be responsive to it and THEY could loudly remind people to use the serving utensils.

I know when I was on a Royal Caribbean ship, they had a gluten-free island in their buffet area and some kids had gone over there because I think they thought the bacon looked better there or something. They dropped their clearly gluten-filled biscuits on said bacon. They did use the tongs to get them, but that contaminated the bacon from being gluten-free. I immediately alerted the crew member behind the counters and he immediately removed the tray and took it to the back to get a clean tray of bacon to put out. I'd hope DCL would be as responsive if something was pointed out to them.

 

[CapnCrunch]

If you see someone touching the food at the buffet, is it ok to tell them Please do not touch the food!!!

Saw this on my recent Dream sailing. My daughter and I were in line at Cabanas for breakfast and a lady just cuts in front of us with her kid and snatches a croissant with her fingers.

 

[vakamalua]

Better to alert the CMs behind the counter for them to change out the tray than be confrontational with a guest - unless you want to possibly end up in a videoed fight on DCL. I'd hope that the CMs would be responsive to it and THEY could loudly remind people to use the serving utensils.

I was told by the Cruise Director on the Fantasy a few years ago that the crew is instructed to never correct or confront a passenger about their behavior. He was in the Lounge, this was his response when we suggested that he do something about a couple of loud falling down drunks at the bar in the Skyline Lounge (at least tell the bartender to cut them off). When we said it was a safety issue, that these people were so intoxicated they could fall overboard, he just turned & walked away from us.

 

[Dug720]

I was told by the Cruise Director on the Fantasy a few years ago that the crew is instructed to never correct or confront a passenger about their behavior. He was in the Lounge, this was his response when we suggested that he do something about a couple of loud falling down drunks at the bar in the Skyline Lounge (at least tell the bartender to cut them off). When we said it was a safety issue, that these people were so intoxicated they could fall overboard, he just turned & walked away from us.

Management should certainly be able to address an issue.

At the very least the CM should be able to pull a contaminated tray of food off the line and replace it with a clean one.