Sorry but it’s aweful

[Stockjock]

I was on Bellissima about a month ago.  Generally, I found the food in the restaurants to be average.  Never ever great.  Can't remember anything terrible.  Sometimes above average and other times below average.

I thought the food in the buffet was generally above average.

[sfaaa]

If you didn't lose any weight after your cruise, the food can't be that awful.

[#1TravelMom]

Everyone has their own opinions.  We just returned from the Seaside.  Our group of 18 had a fabulous time and found the food to be very good - especially the pizza.

[little britain]

Phil; I recently wrote a review about Divina... it was like Marmite...you may want to take a read. I thought that the food in the MDR was awful ( inedible) but admittedly the pizza was good. Have you found the mozzarella in the buffet yet? Delicious. 

I also lost 2lbs after my cruise. 

Edited July 5, 2019 by little britain

[sverigecruiser]

17 hours ago, sxphil said:

 

it looked like canteen food

 

I can't say anything about the taste of the food on your cruise since I'm not on it but lots of really great genuin Italien food looks like canteen food!

[Frode]

Have cruised many times onboard MSC, the latest one was a repositioning 17 nights in April from South America to Europe. The food in the main dining restaurant was very repetitive and dull; and the main dishes looked and tasted very much the same whatever you ordered. After half the cruise, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (6 days as open sea), we were longing home for decent food 😱

The buffet we found more or less like a school canteen.

(When it comes to the pizza onboard MSC - which so many seems to be so found of 🙄 - I don’t understand the fuzz. Pizza we possibly eat (if we like) at home, we don’t care about that onboard a cruise ship. 

Sorry MSC, after now having cruised many times onboard 5 different cruise line companies, we will not return to you.

[citizenfrank]

26 minutes ago, Frode said:

Have cruised many times onboard MSC, the latest one was a repositioning 17 nights in April from South America to Europe. The food in the main dining restaurant was very repetitive and dull; and the main dishes looked and tasted very much the same whatever you ordered. After half the cruise, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (6 days as open sea), we were longing home for decent food 😱

The buffet we found more or less like a school canteen.

(When it comes to the pizza onboard MSC - which so many seems to be so found of 🙄 - I don’t understand the fuzz. Pizza we possibly eat (if we like) at home, we don’t care about that onboard a cruise ship. 

Sorry MSC, after now having cruised many times onboard 5 different cruise line companies, we will not return to you.

Think we were on the same cruise! Though further confirmation that this is all so very subjective.

The food I found was normal cruise standard for MSC no better, no worse. The speciality dining was excellent.

I do agree with you regarding pizza though ...I have never got the vibe over this overrated item!

If you were on the same sailing, I know there were two that followed each other (Fantasia & Seaview) ...how did you find the outrageous bias to the Latin customers? The music for example and their OTT rudeness  

[sxphil]

Your last sentence sums it up well

[sailco]

We were on the Seaview in the Med in mid May and absolutely loved our first MSC cruise. The food in the MDR was a bit so-so except for pasta and other Mediterranean inspired dishes which we thoroughly enjoyed. Neither of us liked the buffet pizza but the variety and quality of fresh produce in the two buffets was outstanding.  Overall, the food quality compared favourably with other cruise lines we've sailed - Princess, Celebrity and RCCL.

[Fred&Lily]

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

[sidari]

58 minutes ago, Fred&Lily said:

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

And you have photo evidence of your claim ?

[Beamafar]

1 hour ago, Fred&Lily said:

... the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

 

You obviously haven't done a 'Behind the Scenes' tour where you're brought to several of the galleys where the baked goods, breads as well as the pasta, are made from scratch (on MSC ships, anyway).

[Fred&Lily]

Have you really watched the end-to-end process of meal preparation on cruise ships?

Here is just one of many chandlery businesses in South Florida....  http://www.theapollogroup.com/

 

[Zephyr173]

1 hour ago, Fred&Lily said:

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

Hi Fred&Lily,

 

The assertion that the food is «boil in the bag.» or pre-made is inaccurate.  Should you enjoy another MSC cruise, I suggest that the «Behind the scenes» excursion will alter your perception with respect to food preparation on some ships.

 

We enjoyed such a visit on MSC Divina and saw, for example, that bread is made from scratch.  That some cuts of meat are cut by hand, as are some veggies, and most fruit.  Soups are made fresh.  The food-prep method suggested in your post relates more readily to airlines.

 

***

 

When it comes to food on such large ships, I don't think it is reasonable to expect personalized cooking.  As another CC colleague on this thread wrote, we are essentially in an institutional restaurant.  On a ship such as MSC Divina, when full, the galleys must cater to more than 18000 meals a day (yes, the crew eat).

 

For my part, my favourite sport is eating.  While we have had a couple of fantastic meals on MSC, I can concede that the food is generally on the good to acceptable level.  I'm troubled to read that some find it inedible, but I respect OP's (not very detailed) opinion.

 

Yes, food is an opinion.  If we can afford to sail, we can probably afford a local eatery that is better than a big ship's MDR.  Then again, we choose the sea for whatever reason, and there are trade-offs to accept.

 

Happy sailings and bon appétit.

 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've never quite understood the excitement over MSC's pizza.  We got some in the buffet and I thought it was quite dreadful.  Will give it another try in the fall by sending the butler to get a fresh one before I write it off completely.  I thought the risotto in the Yacht Club was excellent, best I've ever had.  The rest of the food was OK, but nothing to write home about.  Service was certainly not at the level I would have expected in a suite restaurant.  Again, will give it another try in the fall.  I think it was the waiter where we were assigned.  One night we were placed in a different waiter's section and it was as if we had gone to an entirely different restaurant!  He was excellent.

[thetaro]

19 hours ago, Frode said:

Have cruised many times onboard MSC, the latest one was a repositioning 17 nights in April from South America to Europe. The food in the main dining restaurant was very repetitive and dull; and the main dishes looked and tasted very much the same whatever you ordered. After half the cruise, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (6 days as open sea), we were longing home for decent food 😱

The buffet we found more or less like a school canteen.

(When it comes to the pizza onboard MSC - which so many seems to be so found of 🙄 - I don’t understand the fuzz. Pizza we possibly eat (if we like) at home, we don’t care about that onboard a cruise ship. 

Sorry MSC, after now having cruised many times onboard 5 different cruise line companies, we will not return to you.

 

 

ya, Food is the main reason I won't do any repositioning with MSC. They don't have enough Speciality dining and the buffet/MDR food is just way too repetitive. 

[thetaro]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:33 PM, sfaaa said:

If you didn't lose any weight after your cruise, the food can't be that awful.

 

Do you want me to lock you up for 7 days and feed you melted ice-cream? j/k.

 

The actor Colin Farrell gained 40 lbs in 8 weeks with melted ice-cream, cheeseburger, fries and coke.

[thetaro]

7 hours ago, Fred&Lily said:

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

 

I saw them making pastries and bread at the buffet pizza station. So they are definitely not pre-made. I am also quite sure the meat, veg are all made from scratch. Almost all the food in MDR are not made to order though. It's just like buffet food, but you get someone to plate and serve. 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

23 hours ago, Fred&Lily said:

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

Where did you get this information?  The baked goods on MSC are usually very good...and baked onboard...certainly not as you describe above.  Granted the quality of the meat on Euro cruises can be disappointing but certainly not boiled in a bag.

[Fogfog]

On 7/3/2019 at 6:29 PM, Até said:

I wonder if it has anything to do with the new VP of Food & Beverages from Celebrity?

Haven't the menus been corporate?

Were there that many changes in menus/food purchases/planning this quickly to make the food "awful"?

 

I realize food is "subjective" yet many are happy and just as many complain.

 

Posts like the OP with no real info are suspect at best...just like the one thread recently complaining about the "menus"--without posting the menus---and  when we saw it--it had red meat/poultry/seafood and vegetarian options. And whether they were "new menus" was also suspect

 

Here is another food thread... see post 49 

 

see post 49

 

 

 

 

Edited July 6, 2019 by Fogfog

[Fogfog]

On 7/5/2019 at 3:45 PM, Fred&Lily said:

We were very happy with the food on MSC Divina, but that being said you must understand there is a huge business behind the scenes called "chandlery" which are vast supply and logistics enterprises with names like Costco and Metro and Sysco. Almost everything you see in the MDR or the buffet has been washed, prepared and bagged in their warehouses. The meat dishes are predominantly "boil-in-a-bag" and the baked goods are always pre-made and half baked, then flash frozen on trays which are then heated to a finish on-board when needed.

 

Untrue on sooo many levels

The meats are not boil in bag

BTW there is no SV on these ships

 

YOu need to take a tour or two of the kitchens

 

[April42749]

22 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I've never quite understood the excitement over MSC's pizza.  We got some in the buffet and I thought it was quite dreadful.  Will give it another try in the fall by sending the butler to get a fresh one before I write it off completely.  I thought the risotto in the Yacht Club was excellent, best I've ever had.  The rest of the food was OK, but nothing to write home about.  Service was certainly not at the level I would have expected in a suite restaurant.  Again, will give it another try in the fall.  I think it was the waiter where we were assigned.  One night we were placed in a different waiter's section and it was as if we had gone to an entirely different restaurant!  He was excellent.

Forget "the butler".  Go over to the buffet and pick the one YOU want. 

[sfaaa]

23 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I've never quite understood the excitement over MSC's pizza.  We got some in the buffet and I thought it was quite dreadful. 

Don't say that unless you are Italian.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

2 hours ago, April42749 said:

Forget "the butler".  Go over to the buffet and pick the one YOU want. 

Been there, done that.  No thanks.  It was cold and tasteless.

[nikkiw60]

We loved the pizza on MSC and the new grey one in the buffet was stunning! Not your regular pizza but lovely chewy dough!