Balcony breakfast vs. buffet rush, my big cruise dining flip
For my first five cruises, I was that person up at 6am to hit the breakfast buffet the second it opened, fighting the crowds for a table and piling up plates of eggs and bacon before the shore excursions started. But on a 7-day Caribbean trip out of Fort Lauderdale last March, I woke up to a rough sea day and just ordered room service coffee and a croissant to my balcony, no schedule, no line. That one morning sold me on the whole slow breakfast thing, even if I had to pay a small delivery fee of maybe $5 with tip. Now I plan my port days around a quick buffet grab only if I really need a big meal, but otherwise I request a delivery time the night before and just sit out there watching the water. It feels wasteful to pay for the buffet in my fare and skip it, but the calm is worth way more than another plate of scrambled eggs. Has anyone else made this switch, or do you still hit the buffet no matter what for the variety? I'm curious if the extra cost or the habit keeps people loyal to the old way.