Cruise ship buffets are well known for offering a wide variety of food, but it's so easy to grab the first thing you see instead of the best items.
Part of the appeal of a buffet is arguably to load up on just about everything you care for, whether or not the food goes together is secondary.
After all, indulging on a cruise is part of what makes vacation fun.
I've found Royal Caribbean's Windjammer buffet to be a great choice for any meal. While I might not want to eat there for every meal, it always satisfies in a pinch.
Without a doubt, the hidden secret to the Windjammer is to look past the buffet lines and head to the cooking stations towards the back.
Freshly prepared food
It's hard to go wrong with the sheer variety of food around the buffet, but it's all food that was made in a batch. It's not bad by any means, just not as fresh or customized as you'd like it.
Within the Windjammer are one or two cooking stations on every ship, and this is where I go first.
The cooking stations offer a specialty that a chef will make on the spot, and just the way you want it.
In the morning, this will be an omelet station where you can have your eggs prepared just as you want them.
Moreover, there's a selection of vegetables and meats you can include in your eggs so you have them just the way like it.
Usually you can place your order and are given a pager to be notified when it's ready. Most of the time, it's about a 5-10 minute wait.
Not only are the eggs made as you like them, but the taste is so much better than the mass-produced eggs you'll get elsewhere.
For lunch and dinner, the cooking stations shift to a specific food type and it varies each day and meal.
I've seen all sorts of cooking stations across different ships including:
- Asian stir fry
- Pasta
- Fried rice
- Soup
My two favorites are the Asian stir fry and pasta.
On my recent cruise on Anthem of the Seas, they had stir fry on just about every evening for dinner, and I kept going back again and again. Sure, the rest of the buffet changed things up, but nothing ever quite compared.
Without a doubt, the appeal of these cooking stations is you can customize it exactly the way you want and it's all prepared on the spot. This is especially helpful for vegans or vegetarians.
And best of all, it's included in your cruise cost! It's surprising you can go to the cooking stations as many times as you want for no additional cost.
In my experience, a lot of cruisers head straight to the buffet lines and load up before they even see the cooking stations. That's partly not their fault because the cooking stations are always in the back.
It's fairly common to hear from a cruiser they were unaware that was even an option. They assumed the stations were meal prep areas for the rest of the buffet.
Cooking stations address the biggest problem with a buffet
Eating at a buffet is controversial for some people because it feels cheap and there's food quality concerns.
Because the cooking stations are all made when you order it, you don't deal with food that may have been sitting under a heat lamp for a bit.
Plus, the serving size is usually big enough to be considered an entree in and of itself.
I especially like it when my kids want to go and have chicken fingers, hot dogs, or a burger and I don't have to feel like I'm compromising on my meal.
More Windjammer tips
Ready for a few more Windjammer secrets? Here's my best advice to take full advantage of Royal Caribbean's buffet.
Go there early
The Windjammer is open most hours of the day, but there are definitely peak times where it can feel very crowded.
- Embarkation day lunch
- 8am to 10am every morning
Ideally, you'll go on embarkation day before noon. Get an early check-in time for your cruise, and then head up in the 11am hour before it gets really crowded.
As for breakfast, you should either try to wake up early and go, or sleep in and make brunch happen instead.
On ships that don't have Coastal Kitchen, there is usually a reserved area for suite guests or Pinnacle Club members for breakfast nearby, so ask a crew member where it's located.
Don't stop at the first station
When you walk in, everyone seems to stop at the first station to get food.
A lot of the food around the Windjammer repeats itself, with the same dish available in the back. Moreover, there's more options in the back and you don't need to go to each station in a linear fashion.
In fact, I think the food in the back is a better selection and far less crowded.
Get your drinks after your food
There's self-service drink stations where you can get water, coffee, and flavored waters, but get them after you have your food.
If you get your drinks first, you're going to have to try to balance the cup, your plate, and the serving tongs.
Take advantage of seating all the way in the back
If you're struggling to find a table, keep heading back.
Most people plop down at the first table they find, so look towards the rear to find more options.
On Royal Caribbean's Radiance and Quantum Class ships, there are outdoor seating areas at the very back that offer fresh air and great views with your meal.
