RESPECTFULLY posted about MSC

[Europeantraveler1]

I’ve read so much about how MSC is attempting to capture the American segment of the cruising industry. It’s understandable because that is a HUGE population that is eager to cruise....all over the world!

 

I’ve also been reading about the different MSC ships, especially the newer ones that have just been introduced and the newest one about to debut....Seaview. All the posts have been positive about their beauty and new technology aboard! Bravo, MSC!!!

 

However, one thing that has been mentioned so very often is,......the food. :0( There have been comments concerning the quality of the food lacking. It seems to be a familiar thread. Passengers comment favorably about the ship and then....the disappointment with how the food is prepared (not hot enough; not cold enough; tasteless; bland; repetitive; not enough of variety, etc...) causes some of them to end their posts with the fact they’d never cruise again on MSC.

 

We are hooked on cruising (having taken a number of cruises on Princess; HAL; Oceania and years ago, NCL) and have been fortunate to be able to book cruises about twice a year. Our interest in MSC is most recent and we would really like to try MSC. But, I am a little hesitant to spend the thousands of dollars just to ‘try it out’. Any ship can be the loveliest of them all, but if the food is so inferior and lacking, as so many of you have posted, then perhaps I need to continue to look at other options out there.

 

I’m hoping that cruiseship companies really do read these wonderful posts (both positive and negative) and glean from them suggestions and comments that help them correct the negatives and keep the positives. I’m hopeful that MSC will improve in the ‘food’ department! We really would like to give them a try!! In the meantime, I’ll continue to scan these very helpful posts from all of you!

 

Thanks for listening! ;0)

[spidybabe]

We sailed as Bella experience on the Divina in Sept and enjoyed the food, we went on our 23 NCL cruise in Oct and didn't enjoy the food as much as we did on the Divina (the best pizza we ever had), and the food on the Seaside in January was the same. In fact I had the best eggplant parm there- unfortunately it was just served as an appetizer, and my dinner was delicious so I never had more. Our food was always hot, plentiful and good. We are very excited to be sailing on MSC Seaside again in April.

Breakfast and lunch menus in MDR are same everyday, but also that way on NCL.

Safe sailing

[Europeantraveler1]

Thanks! I appreciate your comments!!

[Europeantraveler1]

Spicy babe.....do you have a preference (Divina or Seaside)?

[1fifthavenue]

On the contrary, I found the food on NCL Epic terrible with tough, over cooked meat, the menu in the complimentary restaurants was the same 3 days of the week, MDR not open for lunch etc.

 

What I will say is the food is different. If you expect steaks and lobster you will be disappointed unless you're willing to pay extra or go for Yacht Club.

 

To me it's different in a good way - I couldn't make octopus carpaccio at home but I can cook a steak

[cruzeluver]

Food quality is what drove us away from NCL. We found specialty dining was the only way to get decent quality.

 

We are not ones who need a huge variety, but rather are more concerned with good options prepared well. After 20 plus cruises on Celebrity, Royal, Carnival and NCL we found the food on MSC Seaside to be just as good and in some instances better. All pasta and seafood especially rivaled anything we have had on Celebrity whom we usually give the nod to when it comes to food. Poultry and beef were on par. We did not eat in any specialty venues (main dining room only for dinner, and breakfasts were sometimes dining room sometimes buffet). Anything that was expected to be served hot was, and anything expected to be served cold was. In fact, my lasagna at dinner was too hot to eat immediately (but boy was it worth the wait, excellent!).

[sandpiper35]

I’ve read so much about how MSC is attempting to capture the American segment of the cruising industry. It’s understandable because that is a HUGE population that is eager to cruise....all over the world!

 

I’ve also been reading about the different MSC ships, especially the newer ones that have just been introduced and the newest one about to debut....Seaview. All the posts have been positive about their beauty and new technology aboard! Bravo, MSC!!!

 

However, one thing that has been mentioned so very often is,......the food. :0( There have been comments concerning the quality of the food lacking. It seems to be a familiar thread. Passengers comment favorably about the ship and then....the disappointment with how the food is prepared (not hot enough; not cold enough; tasteless; bland; repetitive; not enough of variety, etc...) causes some of them to end their posts with the fact they’d never cruise again on MSC.

 

We are hooked on cruising (having taken a number of cruises on Princess; HAL; Oceania and years ago, NCL) and have been fortunate to be able to book cruises about twice a year. Our interest in MSC is most recent and we would really like to try MSC. But, I am a little hesitant to spend the thousands of dollars just to ‘try it out’. Any ship can be the loveliest of them all, but if the food is so inferior and lacking, as so many of you have posted, then perhaps I need to continue to look at other options out there.

 

I’m hoping that cruiseship companies really do read these wonderful posts (both positive and negative) and glean from them suggestions and comments that help them correct the negatives and keep the positives. I’m hopeful that MSC will improve in the ‘food’ department! We really would like to give them a try!! In the meantime, I’ll continue to scan these very helpful posts from all of you!

 

Thanks for listening! ;0)

 

 

That is unfortunate. We also have tried many different cruise lines. We rank them not only on the food, but in price, itinerary, and vacation experience delivered. In our limited experience with MSC, only three cruises in one ship, we find that MSC delivers a good low to medium price alternative to cruising. We find them to be just right in their mid price level offerings, but fall short when they try to deliver luxury on a budget, their so lauded "Yacht Club". If you expect to derive most of your vacation pleasure from good dinning experiences, then you would do well to bypass MSC. We find them to be at the bottom of the ratings when compared to other cruise lines. However they do shine in the other categories and we would recommend them as a must cruise alternative. We ourselves do not cruise in any cruise line for their kitchens, we focus heavily in the other dimensions, price, ports, service, and over all good atmosphere and ambiance. If you still insist on the good food issue, we found their specialty added costs restaurants to be very good and a way to solve the food issue. Keep cruising.

 

Cheers.

[BermudaBound2014]

. If you expect to derive most of your vacation pleasure from good dinning experiences, then you would do well to bypass MSC. We find them to be at the bottom of the ratings when compared to other cruise lines.

 

I would add to this that while food is subjective, you can gain legitimate statistical evidence by examining multiple reviews (the more the better). I encourage anyone sailing MSC to read all the reviews both here and other review sites. I totally agree with sandpiper in that MSC is the bottom of the ratings in terms of food quality when compared to other lines.

 

Does it mean I'm negative? I don't believe so. Does it mean I hate MSC? Heck no! Does it mean I didn't enjoy my MSC cruise? Of course not. But it does mean that anytime I might be traveling with someone who does enjoy quality food, MSC would not be my first choice.

[lcpagejr]

All good points....Since Carnival has been the majority of our 20 past cruises....I'm sure I will not be disappointed in the food!! I will point out we are not "foodies"..... and to be honest we have always had very good meals and variety on Carnival. Therefore if you see a review from me after our cruise later this month, stating we were disappointed in the food....Something IS wrong on board with food offerings and preparation...LOL

[mom2tcdx2]

I have to say I don't allow the posts to sway me in terms of choosing cruise lines. Personally I haven't found food to be super fantastic on any cruise line. I have found dishes I have liked and then others not so much. I don't allow my personal taste preferences to sway my reviews I give to people.

 

Breakfast, I have found all lines pretty much the same in their offerings. Though I will say the waffles on MCS do remind me of Eggo Waffles. Though I don't like waffles anyway so doesn't sway my opinion. Honestly Royal Caribbean had my least favorite breakfast/lunch buffet. While Disney gets my favorite.

 

My husband said the lasagna was great on the Divina, while my sister really disliked it. Burgers I really wish were made to order as most often they have something on them I don't like. I am a rather plain person when it comes to my food. Carnival wins hands down on the burgers. NCL I think gets the nod in specialty dining, while their main dining rooms are rather blah.

 

Only cruise I have had memorable dishes that I actually remember have been on Disney. I am no foodie by any means, and have always put on a couple pounds. Sure some nights have more items I would like to try while other nights I found myself struggling with the menu options. Mostly the appetizers get me, as most of them just don't appeal to me.

 

I don't cruise for food - but I do cruise for booze LOL. I would much rather sail a line that I know has really great drink options and bartenders.

[themedside]

Food in MSC is not that bad. I've sailed two times with them and enjoyed it both times.

 

Being european, and having lived in Italy, I enjoyed the quality of food overall and specially italian delights such as real pasta, pizza, rissottos, and other mediterranean dishes. I guess that for some people, their idea of pasta is Mac'n'cheese or some other perversion such as fluffly americanized not thin&crusty pizza. MSC is italian, they will just give you the real deal. Plus Italian food is just betther for your health, you can cruise withouth having to put on weight and pushing your cholesterol levels to the limits while enjoying the food.

 

Also, the cocktails / milkshakes / virgin cocktails / gelattos / non free coffee... are very good, and freshly made. You never have to wait too much for the drinks in the bars. Gelattos (again, expect to pay a little) are so much better than the crappy icecream other cruiselines offer

 

Desserts were very good as well. Many European dessert recipes, I just love them.

 

So, to me, the main problem with MSC food situation would be

 

- Free coffee is very bad, as in many cruiselines. They offered free Nescafe though. It's worth it to pay and go for excellent coffee.

 

- Meat options were better in Royal Caribbean. Didn't find it to be bad, just nothing to write home about. In our next Seaview cruise we'll go to the meat speciality restaurant for this reason

 

- The buffet was way too crowded in MSC Fantasia and MSC Orchestra many times for breakfast and lunch, food quality was good enough though. This does not seem to be an issue in the newer ships, I guess there is more buffet seating capacity.

 

- No flexibility or my time dining unless you pay a fortune. Don't see the point in paying so much more just to eat alone when you want to... This is really the worst thing MSC does, in my opinion. Be prepared to share tables unless you are a big enough group. I got a table for two on the last two cruises, but there was a waiting list... and the first night had to share. I will try this next time, and insist a bit with Metre d'or.

 

So, just be open minded. And remember that worst case scenario you can use the specialty dining packages, which are good value.

 

All this was subjective and based on my previous experiences :-)

[CGTNORMANDIE]

That is unfortunate. We also have tried many different cruise lines. We rank them not only on the food, but in price, itinerary, and vacation experience delivered. In our limited experience with MSC, only three cruises in one ship, we find that MSC delivers a good low to medium price alternative to cruising. We find them to be just right in their mid price level offerings, but fall short when they try to deliver luxury on a budget, their so lauded "Yacht Club". If you expect to derive most of your vacation pleasure from good dinning experiences, then you would do well to bypass MSC. We find them to be at the bottom of the ratings when compared to other cruise lines. However they do shine in the other categories and we would recommend them as a must cruise alternative. We ourselves do not cruise in any cruise line for their kitchens, we focus heavily in the other dimensions, price, ports, service, and over all good atmosphere and ambiance. If you still insist on the good food issue, we found their specialty added costs restaurants to be very good and a way to solve the food issue. Keep cruising.

Cheers.

 

I agree with most of your positions but totally disagree with regards to Yacht Club. I think the Yacht Club is one of the best values for the money and a huge leap forward in alternative cruising.

[windlicht]

 

- Free coffee is very bad, as in many cruiselines. They offered free Nescafe though. It's worth it to pay and go for excellent coffee

 

Ha! J

That made me think of my most recent cruise. I have only been on three cruises so far - so I am a newbie ;).

Anyway, my first cruise was on the Norwegian Sun - I agree tha the MRD food was meh - but it was an Alaskan cruise so I couldn't have cared less about the food - we ate the buffet mostly but also the very good specialty dining restaurants.

 

My second cruise was the Divina last summer. I liked the food in the MDR.

 

So, I just went on a rather spontaneous cruise on the Empress of the Seas, my first RC cruise... and while I thought the MDR was mediocre, the sea day brunch a great disappointment, the buffet pretty good, I was pleasantly surprised that the coffee offered in the buffet was excellent! Strong, fresh, and not bitter at all. On a side note... I very much liked the design of this old ship - lots of private nooks and lots of windows on every deck.

 

So... kudos to RC for the good coffee at the buffet!

 

I am definitely looking forward to some authentic Latte Macchiato or espresso on the Seaside! Yum!

[riclop]

I’ve read so much about how MSC is attempting to capture the American segment of the cruising industry. It’s understandable because that is a HUGE population that is eager to cruise....all over the world!

 

I’ve also been reading about the different MSC ships, especially the newer ones that have just been introduced and the newest one about to debut....Seaview. All the posts have been positive about their beauty and new technology aboard! Bravo, MSC!!!

 

However, one thing that has been mentioned so very often is,......the food. :0( There have been comments concerning the quality of the food lacking. It seems to be a familiar thread. Passengers comment favorably about the ship and then....the disappointment with how the food is prepared (not hot enough; not cold enough; tasteless; bland; repetitive; not enough of variety, etc...) causes some of them to end their posts with the fact they’d never cruise again on MSC.

 

We are hooked on cruising (having taken a number of cruises on Princess; HAL; Oceania and years ago, NCL) and have been fortunate to be able to book cruises about twice a year. Our interest in MSC is most recent and we would really like to try MSC. But, I am a little hesitant to spend the thousands of dollars just to ‘try it out’. Any ship can be the loveliest of them all, but if the food is so inferior and lacking, as so many of you have posted, then perhaps I need to continue to look at other options out there.

 

I’m hoping that cruiseship companies really do read these wonderful posts (both positive and negative) and glean from them suggestions and comments that help them correct the negatives and keep the positives. I’m hopeful that MSC will improve in the ‘food’ department! We really would like to give them a try!! In the meantime, I’ll continue to scan these very helpful posts from all of you!

 

Thanks for listening! ;0)

Food is subjective but we find the food on MSC to be better than Carnival and RCCL. Someone complained that the food lack salt well hello you can add as much salt as you like.

[LMaxwell]

MSC (Divina) was significantly and noticeably better in food than Royal Caribbean throughout entire ship.

 

I thought Divina buffet was better than Carnival, but I thought Carnival MDR was better than MSC.

[travelberlin]

I find the food at MSC good if you like Italian cooking. I like it. Good pasta, pizza, acceptable risotto, good ice creams. Smaller portions than what US Citizents like to have. But Italians eat several dishes: antipasto, pasta or risotto, fish, meat, dessert. Of course you can decide how much you eat.

Ivi

[Europeantraveler1]

I appreciate all of your honest points-of-view!!! All very helpful! THANKS!!