FOOD SETUP INEFFICIENT AND FRUSTRATING

SHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENT ON THIS CRUISE WERE EXCELLENT.  THE BIGGEST REASON FOR THE DOWNGRADE TO "GOOD" IS THE WAY THE BUFFET WAS SET UP IN 3 SECTIONS. ONLY ONLY ONE SIDE AT A TIME WAS OPEN AND  YOU HAD TO GO THRU ALL THREE SECTIONS TO GET ALL YOUR FOOD.  SALAD FIXINGS WERE AT THE START SO THE LINE BACKED UP RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING AND CREATED A LINE TO EVEN GET STARTED. THE LETTUCE WAS AT THE END OF THE SALAD MAKINGS SO YOU HAD TO GET THAT FIRST THEN BACK UP TO GET WHATEVER ELSE YOU WANTED ON YOUR SALAD BEFORE YOU COULD  MOVE FORWARD. IF SOMEONE SKIPPED AHEAD BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T WANT A SALAD IT CREATED BAD FEELINGS AND GRUMBLING  WITH SOME OF THOSE IN LINE WHO OBJECTED TO THEIR "CUTTING IN" BECAUSE THEY HAD HAD TO WAIT IN LINE THEMSELVES AND NOW THEY WERE AHEAD OF THEM.  A SIMILAR WAITING SITUATION WAS ALSO CREATED WITH MEAT THAT NEEDED CARVING OR EGGS THAT WERE COOKED ON THE SPOT. THESE WERE ALWAYS LOCATED IN THE CENTER OF A LINE CAUSING THOSE BEHIND THEM TO WAIT FOR SOMETHING THEY MAY NOT WANT BEFORE MOVING AHEAD TO SOMETHING THEY DO WANT.  A BETTER SOLUTION WOULD BE TO LOCATE THEM AT THE END OF THE LINE SO THOSE WHO WANTED TO COULD MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SECTION. ALSO, SIMILAR FOODS WERE IN EACH OF THE THREE LINES SO YOU JUST ABOUT HAD TO GO THRU ALL THREE.  OFTEN AFTER I HAD CHOSEN A VEGGIE OR MEAT FROM MY CHOICES  IN ONE SECTION, I FOUND ANOTHER  CHOICE I WOULD RATHER HAVE HAD IN ANOTHER SECTION I BUT MY PLATE WAS FULL.  I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HAD ALL MY CHOICES FOR ONE TYPE OF FOOD IN THE SAME SECTION.  I HAVE BEEN ON OTHER MANY OTHER CRUISES, NCL INCLUDED, AND HAVE NEVER FELT THIS FRUSTRATION BEFORE.  I THINK ON OTHER SHIPS BOTH SIDES WERE OPEN DURING THE BUSIEST MEAL TIMES, OR AT LEAST USED AS SEPARATE STATIONS FOR THINGS THAT TOOK TIME TO SERVE. I DON'T REMEMBER  THE LINES EVER BEING AS LONG AND SLOW AS THEY WERE ON THIS TRIP WITH ONLY ONE SIDE OPEN AT A TIME. ON THIS CRUISE THERE WERE NO GAPS IN THE LINES WHERE YOU COULD STEP IN AND GRAB ONE THING WITHOUT PHYSICALLY REACHING BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE.  I COULD TELL BY THE ATTITUDE OF THOSE IN LINE WAITING TO MOVE FORWARD THAT I WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO NOTICED HOW INEFFICIENT AND FRUSTRATING THIS SET US WAS.

AS I SAID, THE REST OF THE CRUISE WAS RATED EXCELLENT.  HAVING 3 DAYS IN THE SAME PORT IN BERMUDA WAS NEW FOR ME AND A GREAT EXPERIENCE.  WITH NO FEAR OF HAVING TO RETURN TO THE SHIP BEFORE IT SAILED AWAY, I WAS ABLE TO USE THE ISLAND BUSES AND FERRIES AS MUCH AS I WANTED.  THEY WERE CONVENIENT, INEXPENSIVE, INFORMATIVE,  AND I FELT THAT I TRULY GOT TO SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE ISLAND IN THE ISLAND WAY.  AND YES, I WOULD DO THIS CRUISE AGAIN BECAUSE EVEN IF THE BUFFET FOOD SERVICE WAS LACKING, THE VARIETY AND QUALITY OF IT WAS VERY GOOD.