This Cruise Line Will Now Fine You for Walking Out of the Buffet with Food

It might be free to eat at a cruise ship’s buffet, but if you try sneaking that food back to your cabin with one cruise line, it will cost you the price of a steak dinner (or about $70).

It’s fairly common to see cruisers loading up their plates with lido deck treats to take back to their staterooms or eat in other parts of the ship.

It’s kind of a “free” room service hack that involves careful balance, and a lot of walking. It also ends with a hallway that looks a lot like kitchen counters back on land.

And now, at least one cruise line is trying to clean up those hallways and limit where passengers can take all of that delicious food.

Costa Cruises’ New Buffet Rule

Costa Cruises is cracking down on passengers taking food away from designated eating areas on their ships. 

In a notice sent to guests, the Carnival Corporation owned cruise line said the following:

“All food must be consumed exclusively in designated dining areas.”

But staterooms are not the only place where food is not to be taken. The letter went on to say that it is now prohibited to take food into pool areas, public lounges, or other indoor spaces.

Sanitation in Focus

The reason? Health and hygiene. The cruise line stated that they are trying to prevent food contamination and promote a better standard of cleanliness on board. It also reduces the risk of pests and parasites.

What about room service? The notice said that the cruise line’s crew are trained in hygiene and sanitation and are the only ones authorized to bring food to staterooms.

The result of breaking this new rule will be a €60 cleaning fee (about $70 USD) charged to that stateroom’s account.

Cruiser Reactions

It remains to be seen how this rule will be enforced and what that will look like, but it’s a topic that is fairly polarizing.

Personally, I’m guilty of bringing plates of food back to my cabin for some later afternoon snacks on the balcony.  But I’ve also been grossed out by dirty dishes piling up in the hallway.

The new Costa rule has sparked a lot of frustration, with many people calling it inconvenient and over-the-top. But others are tired of unsightly plates in those long hallways too.

Here’s what some cruisers are saying in reaction to this news:

• “Yes it would bother me, as a diabetic insulin dependent a sandwich, a bit of fruit is a must for me and for others who need that…”
• “It’s a catch 22, but there are times when there is no place to sit and eat at the buffet so you need to leave.”
• “What is the difference between room service delivering food to your cabin and you taking a donut to your cabin. Why would the …”
• “Yeah no… no one has EVER said we cannot remove food from ANY of the dining areas in a ship.”
• “Sometimes on cruises, while I am showering, my husband will go to the buffet and bring me back coffee and a croissant or muffin.”

Is the Buffet Rule Due for a Change?

So far, Costa Cruises is the only cruise line I know of that has this specific rule, and time will tell if other cruise lines follow suit. I do think the policy of putting plates in the hallway is due for change though.

To me, it makes more sense to leave them in the cabin and maybe let the stateroom attendant know about them or put the indicator light on for that room. This is still a hassle for the crew to manage all the extra dishes, but dirty plates in the hallways is just a bad look.

Still, taking food back to the cabin is one of those timeless traditions on sea days that I can’t see stopping any time soon.

If room service were completely free, this might not be as big an issue. Most cruise lines offered free room service (excluding the tip) until recently.

While 24-hour room service is available on Costa Cruises ships, it is not complimentary unless you’re in a suite or premium/deluxe cabin. Standard cabins get charged a €5 per person delivery fee for breakfast brought to the cabin. This is charged per person, regardless of how much food you order.