15 Things We Refuse to Do at a Cruise Buffet (And You Should Avoid Too)
Cruise buffet etiquette matters more than most cruisers think 🍽️ After 100+ cruises, these are the buffet habits you'll never catch us doing, from the embarkation day rush to the small moves that spread germs, waste food, and quietly annoy everyone in line. 💲Save BIG with MEI-Travel cruise deals: https://bookmeicruise.com/?apid=escy 🌎Save Up to 40% On Shore Excursions: https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?id=1603014 UP NEXT - 15 Things We Stopped Doing on Cruises: https://youtu.be/GtkBjn5GvJA Subscribe to the Eat Sleep Cruise YouTube Channel if you love to travel and cruise the world! https://www.youtube.com/@Eatsleepcruise1 We love a good cruise buffet. Endless variety, no menus, and you can go back as many times as you like. But a few common habits turn it into a crowded, messy, germ-filled experience for everyone onboard. These are the cruise buffet tips we follow on every sailing. 🚢 BEFORE YOU EVEN GRAB A PLATE Where you go first and when you show up shapes the whole meal. We share why we skip the buffet the moment we board on embarkation day, what we do before we ever get in line, and the simple timing shift that helps us avoid the breakfast and lunch rush on sea days. 🕗 🧼 THE HYGIENE HABITS THAT KEEP YOU HEALTHY Most cruise ship illness spreads through hands and shared surfaces, and the buffet is full of both. We walk through the hygiene and serving habits that help you avoid getting sick on a cruise, including a few that seem harmless but put other guests at real risk. One of them is especially important for anyone traveling with a serious food allergy. 🤧 🍤 FOOD ALLERGIES AND THE BUFFET Buffet signs don't always list every ingredient, and some dishes aren't labeled at all. We explain how we handle cruise food allergies and dietary restrictions at the buffet, and why this is the one place we never take a chance. 🥗 PORTIONS, FOOD WASTE, AND MOVING THROUGH THE LINE Cruise ships throw away a staggering amount of food, and much of it starts at the buffet. We talk about how we approach portions now, plus the line habits that keep stations moving and keep everyone from colliding in the middle of the room. ⏩ 👙 WHAT YOU WEAR TO THE BUFFET This section might divide the comments. We share our take on walking in straight from the pool and showing up to breakfast in what you slept in, and why both affect the guests who come after you. 🪑 TABLES, CHAIRS, AND CLEANING UP Chair hogging isn't limited to the pool deck. We cover the line between saving a seat and claiming a table long before you eat, what we do when we're finished, and a few small courtesies that make life easier for the crew who keep the buffet running. 🙌 👨👩👧 CRUISING WITH KIDS We don't have kids, but we've seen plenty of them at cruise buffets. We share one piece of advice for parents that keeps the experience smooth for families and everyone around them. ⚓ WORKS ON EVERY MAJOR CRUISE LINE This cruise etiquette applies whether you sail Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Holland America, or Disney, and whether you're a buffet regular or getting ready for your first cruise. 0:15 15 Things You Should Never Do at Cruise Ship Buffet 0:30 The Wrong Way to Approach the Cruise Buffet 3:06 Cruise Food No-Nos in the Cruise Buffet 5:41 The Grossest Cruise Buffet Behaviors 7:06 Cutting the Cruise Buffet Line for One Item 7:51 What Not to Wear at the Cruise Ship Buffet 9:06 Leaving Children Unsupervised at the Buffet 10:15 Eating at Peak Buffet Times 11:07 The Deadliest Cruise Ship Buffet Mistake 12:06 Cruise Ship Buffet Manners #CruiseTips #CruiseBuffet #CruiseEtiquette #CruiseMistakes #CruiseFood #CruiseShipFood #CruiseHacks #CruiseLife #EatSleepCruise #Cruise2026 ---TRENDING VIDEOS FROM EAT SLEEP CRUISE------ 6 Cruise Lines EVERYONE is Switching to in 2026: https://youtu.be/M-4eM2avmPU 40 Cruise Hacks We Swear by After 100 Cruises: https://youtu.be/ivvzrns5QOI 5 Cruise Lines Everyone Switching To in 2025: Best Cruises for Couples: https://youtu.be/fenNj5GmLdM Join us on Social Media as we “Sea the World, One Port at a Time.” Instagram: https://instagram.com/EatSleepCruise Facebook: https://facebook.com/EatSleepCruise Twitter: https://twitter.com/EatSleepCruise TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@eatsleepcruise Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/EatSleepCruise 📌 ABOUT EAT SLEEP CRUISE We're Don and Heidi from Eat Sleep Cruise. After more than 100 cruises across dozens of cruise lines, we share honest cruise ship reviews, cruise tips, and planning advice to help you book the right cruise. 📢 DISCLOSURE This video is not sponsored, and all opinions are our own. Some links in this description are affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Eat Sleep Cruise!