Royal Caribbean has confirmed that the self-service buffet will be returning to all of its ships beginning on April 2, according to a company announcement on its official blog.
In a blog post, Royal Caribbean International states that “for voyages leaving on or after April 2, 2022, Royal Caribbean International will bring back self-service eating in guest-favorite locations on board, including the Windjammer Marketplace, Solarium Bistro, and at exclusive destinations.”
Single-serve meals, which do not need the use of any serving utensils, will continue to be available aboard the cruise line’s ships. “Grab-and-go meals and single-serving portions will remain on the menu indefinitely since they have proven to be popular alternatives, and keeping them on the menu has been one of our visitors’ most frequent requests.”
Following the removal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCcruise )’s ship risk recommendation on March 27, the news came only three days later on March 28.
As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Dave Daigle explained in an email, “While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, travelers will make their own risk assessment when choosing to travel on a cruise ship, much like they do in all other travel settings.” According to CDC spokesperson David Daigle in an email.
According to a spokesperson of the business, it “demonstrates the sector’s shift back to pre-pandemic operating procedures.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “food and beverage stations may be operated as self-service at the discretion of the cruise operator.”
It is recommended that cruise companies foster social distance by employing physical guides to govern passenger movement, posting signs indicating social distance, and employing enough workers to monitor social distance.
Apart from that, cruise lines must “provide an appropriate supply of high-touch materials (serving spoons, tongs, and so on) to avoid the sharing of utensils by numerous passengers, restrict seating capacity at buffets,” according to the regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).