On my last cruise on the Dawn Princess, the hand sanitizer hung discretely on the wall off to the side of the buffet and its use was OPTIONAL. I like this because I prefer to wash my hands the old-fashioned way, with soap and water, and always do so before eating. It is the most effective way to kill both bacterial and viral germs (especially norovirus, which hand sanitizers are ineffective against).
I have been on other ships where the sanitizers are placed front and center at the entrance to the buffet and you had to endure the glares of other passengers if you didn't use it. Or worse, a staff member is positioned at the head of the line to "remind" people to sanitize. On these ships, I have become an expert at "faking" the machine by putting my hands underneath and then pulling them away a split second before the liquid squirts outs.
As a society, I think we have become too obsessed with trying to eliminate all germs in our environment through the use of sanitizers and disinfectants. I think this is harming us in the long-term, both because of the potential for the creation of supergerms and because it cripples our bodies own natural ability to fight disease. I prefer to limit my use of these products and I hate to have them shoved down my throat by the cruiselines!