Formal night in the Bella buffet?

Clearly the ship was designed with MDR not capable of accommodating all guests. Overflow indicates to me something that would be used when the ship is at 108%, 110%, 112% capacity, such as you would find during peak sailings (summer, holidays) when many 3rd and 4th berths are filled. Most, if not all, ships sail routinely at 105%+ capacity week in, week out, and do not turn anyone away from the MDR.

 

So there is a major difference between needing to use an overflow on rare occasion due to exceptionally crowded weeks, and using an "overflow" daily on every single cruise because the MDR design is inadequate for the size of the ship. Nothing can actually fix that and it is completely disingenuous for MSC to pretend like Bella may actually have MDR dinner on the Seaside.

 

Also, MSC has advertised 20 hour buffets and I think people feel mislead that that has proven to NOT be the case, and furthermore if they do want casual buffet for dinner the only choice is glaringly subpar to the industry standards at NCL, RCI, Princess.

This is standard practice on MSC Ships. The other two I was on did the same. It seems to be standard practice across their fleet.

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

This is standard practice on MSC Ships. The other two I was on did the same. It seems to be standard practice across their fleet.

 

Sent from my VTR-L09 using Forums mobile app

It's standard practice to use the buffet as overflow in cases of very high occupancy. The main buffet is never closed.

On Seaside the ship was designed that they could never accommodate all the guests in the dining room, high occupancy or not. Them saying Bella might go to buffet is total BS; they know they will send Bella guests there by design not by circumstance; they should be completely upfront about it and are not. They are presenting the situation as something that could possibly happen, when in reality it is their standard procedure for this ship.

I don't see anyone trying to switch from the dining room to the Marketplace.

I don't see anyone trying to switch from the dining room to the Marketplace.

Maybe not on CC but on one of the FB groups someone did and was quite happy to have done so because they ensured they had a table for 2 every night.

This discussion is as a result of the (larger) buffet on Seaside being converted into an MDR for dinner (there are 2 buffets on Seaside, only). This does not happen on other ships, though an area of the buffet may be sectioned off for Bella guests IF the ship is at capacity and the MDRs are full - the overflow will then have table service and the MDR menu in the buffet. It very rarely happens, though.

 

There are no tables for 2 in the buffet on Magnifica.

Thank you, I am looking forward for this cruise and my 4 days in London!