Royal Caribbean announced they’re eliminating traditional buffets on new ships starting in 2025. Instead of the free-for-all Windjammer experience, you’ll order from stations with actual menus.
This is either brilliant or catastrophic depending on your cruise style. The chaos of buffet diving is gone. No more wondering if that sneeze guard actually works. No more watching someone use their hands to grab rolls.
But here’s what they’re not telling you. Wait times just got real. That quick grab-and-go breakfast before your excursion? Now it’s a restaurant experience with ordering and waiting.
The cruise lines say it’s about food quality and safety. They’re probably right on both counts. Made-to-order generally beats heat lamps and mystery meat timing.
However, parents with picky kids just lost their safety net. The buffet was where little Timmy could find plain pasta while everyone else ate actual food. Now you’re negotiating with a server about whether the kitchen can make buttered noodles.
This change will either revolutionize cruise dining or create the longest lines since the Titanic lifeboats. Time will tell which one we get.
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