From buffets to a la carte: how cruises are revolutionising dining

A few years ago, an American cruise line boss told me a disgusting story about the onboard buffet. They had observed passengers piling food directly onto the plastic tray, not bothering with a plate, and eating off it. Ugh. The simple solution was to remove trays from the buffet.

Other cruise companies have removed the entire buffet. Especially on big ships, the food waste and hygiene issues became too much to handle. People sneezing and coughing, dropping tongs on the floor, using their hands instead of utensils - it can get pretty gross out there in the self-service wilderness.

Virgin Voyages introduced food courts, where the crew do the serving in a more sanitised way. Each section has a fun name like Bento Baby and Let's Taco Bout It. Everything is free (included in fares) and you can go back for seconds or thirds, but it restrains the all-you-can-eat frenzy.

Havila Voyages, a new operator of Norwegian cruises, has ditched the dining hall. Instead, all restaurants have a la carte menus of small dishes made to order. The goal was to reduce food waste to 75 grams per person per day, but the company got it down to 60 grams in 2023.

Most ships continue to offer a buffet for its convenience, although that's not always the case. Last week I sailed on Royal Caribbean's 4000-passenger Ovation of the Seas, which has a huge venue called Windjammer Marketplace. It starts well, with everyone ushered through a hand-washing station at the entrance, but then it gets too crowded and tough to find a table. I recommend going to the main dining room with waiter service. The vegetable bowl, topped with goat cheese and eggs, is one of my favourite breakfasts at sea.

This week I'm aboard the luxurious Seabourn Quest, which is a whole different kettle of caviar. The indoor/outdoor buffet, called the Colonnade, is lovely for most of the day. This morning I had a truffle omelette, and tonight's dinner is French cuisine.

It's only busy at 1pm, when 200 of the 400 passengers head straight from trivia to lunch. That's when I go to the poolside grill, where I can help myself to seafood and salad.

As much as I like the quieter atmosphere, I have to admit the main attraction is the handsome waiters, who put the "buff" into buffet.

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Prefer to cruise in peace and quiet? Havila Voyages has unveiled the world's first noise forecast to promote "calmcations" in the Norwegian fjords.

The system uses sound measurement stations at several coastal locations, with a live feed reporting the current decibels and estimates for the next two days. It also compares the stressful noise levels in bustling cities such as London and New York.

Havila's battery-powered ships sail silently through the fjords, which are naturally sheltered from urban and industrial noise. Norway also has strict noise pollution regulations in many rural sites and protected landscapes. Shhhore sounds relaxing!