MSC Divina Food How does it compare?

[Mattingly23]

Oh, one more thing:

 

Memo to the Irish music guy: How dare you post such blatant untruths such as raw bacon and Tang. You should be ashamed of yourself trying to dash others hopes with false postings. Tang indeed.

 

NOW my tirade is over.

[GOLDENBONNY]

Yes, they do have a separate area one level above buffet deck serving very small portions of oyster in a strange sauce & crevice , but believe me not worth eating. My last cruise on Carnival last Oct. was absolutely the worst ever, had to laugh at past guests receiving $1 off a drink coupon. My grey goose was $12 & not looking at receipt until later, was charged regular price. They do allow 22 bottles of water to be taken on board but you have the gestapo check each bottle. Won`t bore you with the rest.

 

Yes, I know ,on CCL board people talk so much about this area and how they love it ) We tried it once ..could not understand why would peopole line up there) Don't remember oysters :confused: but probably because we did not dare to eat it there? Our cruise was just ok on Valor but too loud and too many drunks for our taste :rolleyes: plus ship was not clean at all :eek:

[Out to sea!]

They (carnival) even offer FRIED oysters, ever tried them?

 

While I have eaten fried oysters in the past, I have not tried them on Carnival (just didn't care for the grittiness of them). I did try the Ceviche on Carnival (the Liberty I think) and found it to be tasteless (to me). The fried fish upstairs (on the Conquest class ships) is absolutely wonderful though. Good tartar sauce as well. Always have some form of shrimp every night in the MDR.....delicious.

Edited April 25, 2014 by Out to sea!

[Out to sea!]

I was going to write something up after my divina cruise last week, but life is getting in the way, so here's my take on the food:

 

MDR: We got very lucky and were assigned a table for 4 for the 4 of us. It was on the first level of the Black Crab, starboard side, around the corner from the entrance. Very roomy and good service. Our last cruise was a year ago on Sillouhette, so that's my benchmark. It's banquet food just like Sillouhette. Always warm or hot, deserts average, pastas excellent. Every bit as good as Sillouhette with the exception of the beef (we had fillet & strip on different nights) which was very below average. We had breakfast there a couple mornings not at our table and found the areas we say to be very crowded to the point where the waiters couldn't walk around the table, so it's hit or miss. We're not seafood eaters, but I have a feeling that the seafood might be good. I heard a few compliments.

 

BUFFETT: Breakfast was underwhelming. I usually find one item that stands out but not here. Breads are excellent, croissant just ok, scrambled eggs MUCH better than Sillouhette. VERY crowded as was all of deck 14. Think mall on Christmas Eve type crowded and I found the entire deck uncomfortable except on port days when it was a pleasure. Lunch buffet was better with better selection than Sillouhette.

 

PIZZA: I'm a pizza snob. I've had the best the USA has to offer: Patsy's in Harlem, New Haven, Trenton tomato pie... I rate the buffet pizza as excellent just below this. The seperate pizzeria downstairs makes a more crafted pie that is every bit the equal of those mentioned above. My only compliant is not enough char, but I expect if they chared it they'd get complaints from the uneducated people that think that Ragu & cheese on wonder bread is pizza.

 

PASTA: I'm a carbaholic. I eat pasta 4 nights a week at home and never order it out because it always sucks. This pasta, both in the buffet & MDR is superb. Every one of them. Red sauces with that wonderful olive oil sheen that coats the sides of the plate...cream sauces that aren't heavy goop, nothing overloaded with stinky Romano cheese. Every one of them made with love.

 

Pasta & pizza are both crafted cuisine (yes, cuisine) that, unfortunately, most Americans pass off as junk food, and scoff at their presence as cheap or unimaginative. I pity them because they're sticking their nose in the air at the best part of this ship.

 

Tirade over. All told, food was no better or worse than celebrity.

 

If you don't mind me asking, what were the options for the buffet pizza? Also, what kind of crust did they have? And for the pizzeria pizza, multiple options for toppings that you can choose from or only certain types of pizza made?

Edited April 25, 2014 by Out to sea!

[American Bear]

Whether you like oysters and ceviche or not, carnival has a seafood bar in the rear above the buffet, and serves smoked salmon at the deli window on the buffet level.

 

MSC has smoked salmon in the MDR! Some ships put it out in the buffet also!

Agreed on the Carnival fish and chips above the buffet, its good, but only open a couple hours a day!

Edited April 25, 2014 by American Bear

[American Bear]

If you don't mind me asking, what were the options for the buffet pizza? Also, what kind of crust did they have? And for the pizzeria pizza, multiple options for toppings that you can choose from or only certain types of pizza made?

 

Youtube the Divina pizza, it looks good!:D

[logan25]

If you don't mind me asking, what were the options for the buffet pizza? Also, what kind of crust did they have? And for the pizzeria pizza, multiple options for toppings that you can choose from or only certain types of pizza made?

 

I tried the buffet pizza a couple of times. It was so-so to me. I like what I cook better, but it was OK.

 

I saw them make perhaps four types of pizza each day for display and serving. I do believe the toppings might have varied a little each day. I never saw anyone special order the toppings.

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

I returned from a recent charter of the Divina, so I know what we experienced will be different than most.

 

Buffet:

We tended to gravitate toward the Mediterranean Corner, pastas, antipasti, and vegetables. Dined at the buffet for lunch all but one day, and took the advice of other CCers-we sat all the way in the back.

 

The Mediterranean offerings were all enjoyed, although the pork souvlaki had almost no seasoning whatsoever. The Tzitziki was chunky, husband didn't care for it that way, but it had good flavor. One day had a chicken and rice Samoan dish that was very spicy, probably my favorite of all the offerings.

 

The antipasti had a different assortment of cheeses every day, as well as prosciuttos and salamis. We were fans of the prosciutto crudo and would get some of that each time it was available.

 

Salad bar typically had an iceberg blend, a romaine or spinach, shredded carrots, cucumber, wedged tomatoes, sliced peppers, onions, radishes and a small assortment of mayonnaise based salads (which I didn't note, as I don't eat them). Then, there would be toppings: ham, bacon bits, croutons, sunflower seeds and four or five dressings.

 

My suggestion, based on my experience: grab fruit off the bar at the entrance if you like to snack between meals. The activities on our charter often ended after 2am and we'd be hanging out until 4 and hungry-should have done this.

 

There would be one soup per day, and as a huge soup fan, none on the buffet appealed to me all week. I'm just going to avoid bean soups when I know I'm attending a lot of activities with fellow passengers. ;)

 

Many times, I found many grilled vegetables along with the days entrees, and I loved the choices: eggplant, zucchini, peppers. Not sure how it would be for a strict vegan, but it appeared that there was enough variety for vegetarians (most of my plate would be meat or dairy free, for instance-just because those options looked good).

 

The carving station ranged from roast beef, to turkey, then veal, then pork (and didn't see the last day's option, we went to Villa Rosa that day). The pork was served with applesauce on top. However, that night, we didn't decide to go get dinner until about 7:15, found the menu at Villa Rosa unappealing(really didn't think about the alternative options, unfortunately), and the Black Crab was closed and only available to the artists and their crews.

 

As a result, we got up to the buffet at 8pm and found about 80% of it closed. The only meat option was the same pork I'd had at lunch, served in brown gravy. I was kind of bummed at having the exact same pork for two meals. Husband was shocked that he had to resort to burgers and pizza for dinner, as the choices were minimal (the vegetable options were things he does not like, I made due, but ate lightly).

 

I did have a couple of bites of the margherita pizza from the buffet. It was decent, but this NY metro girl is a little picky. Never got down to Deck 7 to have the made to order pizza. It is on the list for next year's CTTE charter, as others told me they lived on this pizza all week. To me, the crust was a little too thick compared to a NY Neapolitan pie, but that density. It had crunch. The cheese and sauce were perfect, IMO.

 

The main dining room situation for us was VERY different than a normal sailing of the Divina, in that we had anytime dining between 6 and 10pm. We ate at the Black Crab the first night and were seated with another couple using a wheelchair (they consistently sat us at the first table inside the dining room because I use a scooter).

 

I'm not a huge eater, so the ability to skip courses and only get the ones I really wanted was appealing. First night's soup (Black Crab)was a tomato with cheese in it-these were like having mini mozzarella balls throughout, we both liked. Another night, the appetizers included a portobello mushroom polenta. This was very creamy.

 

My husband opted for the pasta course every night and raved about them. My luck, too many of them had gorgonzola and I had to pass (allergic). Entrees are not sized as we find them in the US. For me, this was perfect. If you tend to finish an entire restaurant meal with a salad-choose all four courses or double up on one.

 

We dined in Villa Rosa once for dinner and the last day for lunch and both meals and service were good. I had beef tenderloin for the dinner and would have eaten more. The lunch was a stuffed turkey roulade and it was a bit dry, but very flavorful.

 

I'd heard they were skimpy with breads and rolls, but this was not the case in the MDRs. The rolls were very similar to NY style hard rolls. It's funny, I'd take one, then a second later in the meal when offered again. One of the other nights, a table mate took several slices of bread when first offered, because she said they never offered again, so I guess it depends on the serving team.

 

Our last night, we dined in Restaurante Italiano, the dining experience section of Eataly. My husband and I discussed doing this long before we'd boarded the ship, as we've wanted to visit Eataly when in NYC. This experience is worlds apart from that one, but the white tablecloth service was impeccable.

 

For someone who isn't big on seafood (but loves shellfish), the two courses of fish could have left me walking out seeking the pizza place, but the first course smoked salmon was divine. The entree was described as fish lightly coated in cornmeal, then fried. Instead, it was between a tempura and cornmeal, and the dish contained fingers of trout, prawns, calamari and julienned vegetables, all were expertly fried.

 

Desserts were solid all week long, and the gelato is something I urge everyone not to skip.

 

Unfortunately, the only time we had breakfast was when we snuck into the buffet at 5am and had some cereal and danishes. Our late nights meant we typically woke up around 10am.

 

I took a lot of pictures of the food, as I normally do food reviews on my blog. I can go back through and give specific feedback to those MDR meals, but I skipped pictures of buffet plates, because there is no way to make them look appetizing.

 

Oh, and I also got the appetizer sampler plate from the Sports Bar. They nailed bar food perfectly. They had boneless buffalo chicken, but the chicken wings were coated in cornmeal and fried-I loved them. Onion rings were my other favorite, but there really wasn't a dud on the platter.

 

This was our first cruise, so we can't really compare this experience to other cruise lines. I'll be able to compare to DCL after we sail with them in late June.

 

I didn't come across anything that was completely inedible, but there was a soup at Villa Rosa that disappointed. They offer a cold watermelon soup, but it had a ball of honeydew and cantaloupe in it. The cantaloupe flavor overwhelmed it to the point that I didn't taste watermelon. Others might like that, but I really wanted it for watermelon. That said, we aren't overly picky people and enjoyed most of what we had. No, it wasn't Michelin star food in the MDRs or buffet, but it wasn't hospital/dormitory food, either.

[d.michaelwagner@yahoo.com]

Do they charge for the made to order pizza?

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

I'm not sure, maybe someone else can answer for you.

 

From what I remember, extra charges for food were incurred at the Galaxy, Eataly, and the Sports Bar. Room service for breakfast is complimentary, but is charged at other times. Once I find my Navigators, I'll double check whether the pizza was listed as having an additional fee.

[Out to sea!]

Do they charge for the made to order pizza?

 

Yes. The made to order pizza starts at I think $8.50.

[Bosjoe]

Youtube the Divina pizza, it looks good!:D

 

I'm doing a transatlantic next week on royal. I'm going to miss Divinas pizza.

[Bosjoe]

I'm not sure, maybe someone else can answer for you.

 

From what I remember, extra charges for food were incurred at the Galaxy, Eataly, and the Sports Bar. Room service for breakfast is complimentary, but is charged at other times. Once I find my Navigators, I'll double check whether the pizza was listed as having an additional fee.

 

Room service is free to 11 or midnight. Yes there is a charge for made to order pizza at the one place, I can't think of the name. Free pizza is pre chosen on toppings at the buffet.

[thraak]

.....the pizza in the buffet is quite good. My wife, that normally doesn't care for pizza, loved loved loved it!!!

Edited April 26, 2014 by thraak

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

thraak, no complaints here. A bit thicker crust than I'm used to, but the sauce and cheese were good. I'd eat it again.

 

Next cruise, if the Divina is chartered again (and I hope it is), I'll probably go try at least one made to order, and get more of the gelato. ;)

[d.michaelwagner@yahoo.com]

What is the benefit if it's chartered? How do you fund out if your sailing is chartered? Who charters?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[thraak]

thraak, no complaints here. A bit thicker crust than I'm used to, but the sauce and cheese were good. I'd eat it again.

 

Next cruise, if the Divina is chartered again (and I hope it is), I'll probably go try at least one made to order, and get more of the gelato. ;)

 

Yes, but at least you cruised to the edge!!! I've been wanting to do that so bad the past 2 yrs. I would have loved to see UK, Tangerine Dream and Steve Hackett!!! I did see Steve Hackett April 3, 4 and 5 in Clearwater, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale, all within the first 5 rows!!! I boarded the Divina the day that you disembarked. I kept imagining what it would have been like. This progger will one day cruise to the edge!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/102766395@N07/sets/72157643566577493/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/102766395@N07/sets/72157644237146025/

Edited April 27, 2014 by thraak

[thraak]

What is the benefit if it's chartered? How do you fund out if your sailing is chartered? Who charters?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

On the MSC website there is a link to themed cruises under the "Specials" tab.

Being an old Yes Fan, I knew from their newsletter 2 years ago about the yearly event.

 

MSC had a "Monsters of Rock" and a "Moody Blues Cruise" prior to the "Cruise to the Edge" charter. I understand that that on Nov. 8th they will have a "Celtic Thunder" charter.

Edited April 27, 2014 by thraak

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

Yes, I Cruised to the Edge-and they just announced that 2015's will happen, but the date hasn't been given. There are rumors that it will be in November instead of April, to better accommodate Yes and Marillion returning. Yes has a tour, Marillion has their weekends in March.

 

I suggest saving for it now, Thraak. The experience was incredible, mingling with musical legends we'd been hearing our whole lives. I'm in the process of blogging about our trip, but school and work have kept me from writing all of it.

 

http://www.suzannesez.blogspot.com/2014/04/2014-cruise-to-edge.html

http://www.suzannesez.blogspot.com/2014/04/cruising-on-msc-divina.html

http://www.suzannesez.blogspot.com/2014/04/2014-cruise-to-edge-performers.html

 

Michael, the company that charters (On the Blue) offers up the staterooms and sets the rates for us. For instance, we did a category 3 inside stateroom and for double occupancy, it was $999 per person. If we had that room with two other people, it would have been $699 each. Not really possible, because we had a handicapped room, but we know others who did book with 3 other people, finding roommates on a FB group for the cruise.

 

As we left Miami and were watching it fade away from near the Infinity pool, I said to my husband 'you know, if you do a cost analysis for the shows...' and he laughed. It really worked out to $83 per show for us, but that included a room and nearly all our food.

 

When we attend a show at home, we have to drive at least 30 miles, pay for parking, tickets, and possibly a hotel room and meals. Not to mention that some of these bands don't play the US (PFM and Lifesigns coming to mind), so it'd be more expensive to see one. For us, it was a bargain.

 

Others reported that the food was better than last year on the Poesia, but people still complained about the food. Either my husband and I aren't that picky, or we had better luck with the buffet, we only had the one night where most of the buffet was closed down. My lesson from that is that we must go to eat before 7:30pm or we remind ourselves that if the menu options at a MDR don't appeal, there are the alternative menu options, which we do like. Supposedly, the food is different on the charters, but I have no evidence of that.

 

One friend got off CTTE and immediately got on a Celebrity cruise and raved that their food was much better. Though each time I saw him on the cruise at meal time, he was in the buffet at lunch. Not sure if he did any MDR dinners through the cruise.

[thraak]

As a big fan of old prog music, (Yes,ELP, Genesis, Crimson) I intend to check out a CTTE charter.

 

Just got off the Divina on April 19th and want to go back on Sept. 27th.

 

Also a fan of old Marillion. I saw them, with Fish, on their Misplaced Childhood tour in a cafetaria at a community college in Upstate New York,

My ticket stub:

Edited April 27, 2014 by thraak

[WhiteWineInTheSun]

Very cool, Thraak. I saw Jonny Lydon and Public Image in my college ballroom on LI. Good old SUNY schools. ;)

 

Sign up on the CTTE mailing list, you will want to keep posted. Rumblings are the same big names this time around. On FB, there are groups for CTTE and for finding roommates. DH and I are debating upping to VIP and getting two to share with us, but we have enough friends who didn't go last year who might be swayed this year after hearing about our experience.

 

Marillion took this from 'oh, that would be really nice' to 'we ARE going' for me. Saw 11 of the acts, 13 performances. Totally wiped me out, but was worth it. Both Marillion shows were fantastic.

 

I saw them perform Kayleigh during the Misplaced Childhood tour, they opened for Rush's Power Windows tour for selected dates. (Didn't get into the arena early enough because my ex husband locked his keys in the car).

 

Saw them in '95 for the Afraid of Sunlight tour and we were supposed to see them in 2012-this was sort of the payback for missing that one. We would have spent as much for that one show as we did for one of us to go on the cruise. (Spent $250 on 4 tickets, hotel, airfare for four-son had summer school at the last minute and we had to skip it)

[American Bear]

As a big fan of old prog music, (Yes,ELP, Genesis, Crimson) I intend to check out a CTTE charter.

 

Just got off the Divina on April 19th and want to go back on Sept. 27th.

 

Also a fan of old Marillion. I saw them, with Fish, on their Misplaced Childhood tour in a cafetaria at a community college in Upstate New York,

My ticket stub:

[ATTACH]310824[/ATTACH]

 

 

I got an old progressive rock band for ya, from upstate NY, toured mostly around New England, called '805', put on a great show, and had a killer sound system!:D

You old/young enough to remember them?:eek:

[thraak]

Are you kidding me? Frank Briggs, Ron Cunningham and I forget the other lead singer's name, and the boys were awesome. Used to follow 'em around!!! The Loft in Middleville. Palmer House and Rustic Inn in Herkimer, Casabogie and J.J.'s in Rome. Even had their album!!! Good times. Great talent!!!

 

I started following them in 1979 when I was 16! I looked old for my age...back then!

Edited April 27, 2014 by thraak

[thraak]

Just came to me... Lead singer Dave Porter. Can't remember the bass or keyboardist name but they were also great!

[thraak]

Surprisingly, some 805 on Youtube. There's a good version of their "Los Endos" cover, (beware of the 5 minute drum intro).Frank Briggs is so awesome, though.

 

But, here's a great version of "Back in N.Y.C.".

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lERmMqI4_GA

 

I spent my first 27 yrs. in Upstate N.Y and have lived in Central Florida for the past 24 yrs. All I can say is that us "Yankees" truly loved our prog music.