I agree. I had read many negative reviews about MSC food, but I liked it! The buffet area on our ship was a little chaotic sometimes, with plenty of children underfoot, but I liked the food and thought choice was very good.
We were on MSC Seashore Oct, Nov 2023 26 day repositioning from Rome to Port Lauderdale. We ate in MDR for dinner. The food was fine. We did not starve. Our favorite was the ice cream. The menu repeated itself weekly during our cruise. One of my main concern was the lack of vegetables with the main course. On the 2nd page of menu, we could order steamed vegetables, but there were days I would forget to order. I loved the minestrone soup and ordered almost daily (full of veggies!). We ate breakfast almost daily in Central Park. I liked the partial buffet and being served.
Good comments. Didn't know the food repeated weekly but that makes sense and wouldn't be an issue for me. I agree the food was fine, and on a 26 day trip I'm sure there weren't many kids making the buffet so chaotic. How full was the ship?
@@mytravelwindow3061 The first week, Rome to Genoa, Seashore was at almost full capacity! And it was apparent from the chaotic environment. After Genoa, many families with children disembarked, and passenger count was about 3500, less chaotic, more adults.
3500 would be very comfortable for that ship. I'm curious; did the number of languages for announcements change? In the Med they did everything in 6 languages, and I understand they do fewer languages in other locales based on the client mix.
Always enjoy your reviews and videos! Thank you! Sounds like, overall, you all enjoyed your MSC experience. As for the food options, I’m not very picky, so I think I’ll be just fine on my Norwegian fjords cruise on the Poesia next summer. I can’t wait!
Yes, we are glad we experienced MSC. As you can see from other comments, it is a very polarizing cruise line. It is on our list as "willing to go again." But we generally start with the itinerary first, then choose the cruise line and dates. Our next cruise will be Holland America, also in the Mediterranean. Anxious to do a side-by-side comparison of these.
Thank you! I have been on two other MSC ships (Divina and Meragvailia) and the food was mostly subpar (except in the MDR, which was delicious). I'm going on the Seashore in Feb, so this review definitely made me feel more at ease with the decision to try them again (their cruise prices are more affordable than other lines).
Glad it was helpful! MSC certainly does have the best prices, and their Caribbean sailings also include more standard drinks than the ones in the Mediterranean.
Have fun! I assume you will be in the Caribbean that time of year, which means you will not have all announcements done in multiple languages, and there will not be an abundance of kids. Both of these would be positives from our perspective.
Haha. Someone on Facebook said the same thing. I guess it is an honor to look like a TV star. But since his most famous role was on Archie Bunker, my wife can always put me in my place by saying, "Whatever you say, Meatball!"
It is a great value in the Mediterranean as well. We had a balcony for the price of inside cabins on other cruise lines. And their pricing is excellent for non-covered amenities (gratuities, specialty dining, drinks, excursions, etc.)
I've yet to sail with MSC, but from your photos the food looks perfectly fine. The test is of course in the tasting. I wonder if MSC get a bad wrap from all the picky eaters and people who don't want to be adventurous and try the more local food from the Med that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) provides.
Yes, we thought the food was quite tasty. I expected the food to be a level below the other 5 cruise lines we have sailed, but it was every bit as good. Because this is a megaship, with lots of children, their menus might not be as varied as some ships. And we didn't try any specialty dining. Your picky eaters comment is right on. Because there were so many nationalities represented (in big numbers), I think it becomes much more difficult to please everyone. When the bulk of a cruise is one nationality (i.e., US), it is a little easier to create a menu that will please a bigger percentage of the group. What is your favorite cruise line for food? I'm looking forward to our upcoming Holland America cruise to be able to compare.
We are cruising for the first time ever this February. We will be on the Seashore. Maybe this is a dumb question but if the food is "not salty enough" couldn't you just ask for a salt shaker and add some salt to your food?
You are absolutely right. And from my perspective it is better to have too little salt than too much. I never had a bad meal. We sat with the same group of 6 almost every night (fixed seating) and none of us had complaints about the food.
Yes. That is also why they don't have to worry about doing things like everyone else. They can do it THEIR way because they don't have to turn to the same financing sources other companies do.
I think it is great for kids. The Disney-like jungle-themed pool is just for kids, there is an impressive video arcade, the buffet has a lot of kid-friendly options, and the shows are all family-friendly.
After I sent my reply I realized you were asking specifically about food. Pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese are available every day and are all good. I think every kid will be able to find something they like. Depending on the kids, the main dining room might be a little boring, because service is not as speedy and menus are more limited for kids.
There was a huge variety. There were all the components of a normal American breakfast (bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, a rotating variation of French toast varieties, etc. There were also the components of the "full English" breakfast: bangers, beans, stewed tomatoes, toast, sunnyside eggs, etc. There were varieties of hot and cold cereal, including a nice muesli. They had fish (not my favorite) of some type each day, plus croissants and breakfast breads. I love breakfast and found it great. For a nominal price, you could also get a cappuccino, which I did daily.
Just got off the MSC Preziosa, other then the cream cakes the food overall was horrible. We were on 12 days in the British Isles and lived off of fruit, salad and bread. The combination of dishes and flavors and presentation is the worst we have experienced on any cruise line. Americans will find the entire MSC experience extremely sub par.
Thanks for the feedback. I have seen dozens of similar comments in MSC ship reviews. I would never recommend MSC as a first-ever cruise for Americans. I think it would be better to pick "safer" alternatives like Princess, Holland, Royal, etc. Then after you understand what is important to you, and with eyes wide open as to how different it is, you might try it. For us, MSC is now on the list of "willing to do it again." We are glad we experienced it, but it has not supplanted Princess and Holland America as our favorite lines, and probably never will.
![MSC Cruise Review [9 Unique Differences, and Some are Big!]](/img/n.gif)
We went on MSC. The food was great. !
I agree. I had read many negative reviews about MSC food, but I liked it! The buffet area on our ship was a little chaotic sometimes, with plenty of children underfoot, but I liked the food and thought choice was very good.
I was on the Seashore in November. Not a bad meal, and the buffet food was super. AWESOME pizza!!
Yes it was! I had the pizza twice. They had trouble keeping up with the demand or I might have had it more often.
We were on MSC Seashore Oct, Nov 2023 26 day repositioning from Rome to Port Lauderdale. We ate in MDR for dinner. The food was fine. We did not starve. Our favorite was the ice cream. The menu repeated itself weekly during our cruise. One of my main concern was the lack of vegetables with the main course. On the 2nd page of menu, we could order steamed vegetables, but there were days I would forget to order. I loved the minestrone soup and ordered almost daily (full of veggies!). We ate breakfast almost daily in Central Park. I liked the partial buffet and being served.
Good comments. Didn't know the food repeated weekly but that makes sense and wouldn't be an issue for me. I agree the food was fine, and on a 26 day trip I'm sure there weren't many kids making the buffet so chaotic. How full was the ship?
@@mytravelwindow3061 The first week, Rome to Genoa, Seashore was at almost full capacity! And it was apparent from the chaotic environment. After Genoa, many families with children disembarked, and passenger count was about 3500, less chaotic, more adults.
3500 would be very comfortable for that ship. I'm curious; did the number of languages for announcements change? In the Med they did everything in 6 languages, and I understand they do fewer languages in other locales based on the client mix.
@@mytravelwindow3061 Good morning. Yes, there were fewer announced languages. The various languages never bothered me as much as my husband.
Always enjoy your reviews and videos! Thank you! Sounds like, overall, you all enjoyed your MSC experience. As for the food options, I’m not very picky, so I think I’ll be just fine on my Norwegian fjords cruise on the Poesia next summer. I can’t wait!
Yes, we are glad we experienced MSC. As you can see from other comments, it is a very polarizing cruise line. It is on our list as "willing to go again." But we generally start with the itinerary first, then choose the cruise line and dates. Our next cruise will be Holland America, also in the Mediterranean. Anxious to do a side-by-side comparison of these.
Thank you! I have been on two other MSC ships (Divina and Meragvailia) and the food was mostly subpar (except in the MDR, which was delicious). I'm going on the Seashore in Feb, so this review definitely made me feel more at ease with the decision to try them again (their cruise prices are more affordable than other lines).
Glad it was helpful! MSC certainly does have the best prices, and their Caribbean sailings also include more standard drinks than the ones in the Mediterranean.
Thank you for sharing information. Would you happen to remember what buffet hours are?
The only hours that I remember were the dinner hours, because I took a picture of the sign. Buffet dinner hours were 18:30 to 21:30.
@@kenbryan857 thank you
In all, the buffet is open 20 hours a day. It basically closes for an hour or so during changeover, like breakfast to lunch.
@@mytravelwindow3061 thanks
Thank you I'am going to be sailing on her in February.
Have fun! I assume you will be in the Caribbean that time of year, which means you will not have all announcements done in multiple languages, and there will not be an abundance of kids. Both of these would be positives from our perspective.
@@mytravelwindow3061 Florida to ocean key then ocean key to Nassau.
I had to pause and stare for several moments at 1:41, you look exactly like Rob Reiner
Haha. Someone on Facebook said the same thing. I guess it is an honor to look like a TV star. But since his most famous role was on Archie Bunker, my wife can always put me in my place by saying, "Whatever you say, Meatball!"
We aren’t going to eat in the dining room at all for our cruise in February. Just the buffet.
We were sailing in May, while school was in session. So kids were mostly pre-schoolers. I think 90-95% of those kids ate meals in the buffet.
MSC continues to be the best cruise value, at least in the USA
It is a great value in the Mediterranean as well. We had a balcony for the price of inside cabins on other cruise lines. And their pricing is excellent for non-covered amenities (gratuities, specialty dining, drinks, excursions, etc.)
I've yet to sail with MSC, but from your photos the food looks perfectly fine. The test is of course in the tasting. I wonder if MSC get a bad wrap from all the picky eaters and people who don't want to be adventurous and try the more local food from the Med that the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) provides.
Yes, we thought the food was quite tasty. I expected the food to be a level below the other 5 cruise lines we have sailed, but it was every bit as good. Because this is a megaship, with lots of children, their menus might not be as varied as some ships. And we didn't try any specialty dining.
Your picky eaters comment is right on. Because there were so many nationalities represented (in big numbers), I think it becomes much more difficult to please everyone. When the bulk of a cruise is one nationality (i.e., US), it is a little easier to create a menu that will please a bigger percentage of the group.
What is your favorite cruise line for food? I'm looking forward to our upcoming Holland America cruise to be able to compare.
We are cruising for the first time ever this February. We will be on the Seashore. Maybe this is a dumb question but if the food is "not salty enough" couldn't you just ask for a salt shaker and add some salt to your food?
You are absolutely right. And from my perspective it is better to have too little salt than too much. I never had a bad meal. We sat with the same group of 6 almost every night (fixed seating) and none of us had complaints about the food.
The reason they can charge less is because they are one of the biggest shipping companies worth billions and billions.
Yes. That is also why they don't have to worry about doing things like everyone else. They can do it THEIR way because they don't have to turn to the same financing sources other companies do.
How do you think it would be for kids?
I think it is great for kids. The Disney-like jungle-themed pool is just for kids, there is an impressive video arcade, the buffet has a lot of kid-friendly options, and the shows are all family-friendly.
After I sent my reply I realized you were asking specifically about food. Pizza, hot dogs, mac and cheese are available every day and are all good. I think every kid will be able to find something they like. Depending on the kids, the main dining room might be a little boring, because service is not as speedy and menus are more limited for kids.
What was served in the buffet breakfast?
There was a huge variety. There were all the components of a normal American breakfast (bacon, eggs, sausage, potatoes, pancakes, a rotating variation of French toast varieties, etc. There were also the components of the "full English" breakfast: bangers, beans, stewed tomatoes, toast, sunnyside eggs, etc. There were varieties of hot and cold cereal, including a nice muesli. They had fish (not my favorite) of some type each day, plus croissants and breakfast breads. I love breakfast and found it great. For a nominal price, you could also get a cappuccino, which I did daily.
@@mytravelwindow3061 thank you so much for your reply.
Just got off the MSC Preziosa, other then the cream cakes the food overall was horrible. We were on 12 days in the British Isles and lived off of fruit, salad and bread. The combination of dishes and flavors and presentation is the worst we have experienced on any cruise line. Americans will find the entire MSC experience extremely sub par.
Thanks for the feedback. I have seen dozens of similar comments in MSC ship reviews. I would never recommend MSC as a first-ever cruise for Americans. I think it would be better to pick "safer" alternatives like Princess, Holland, Royal, etc. Then after you understand what is important to you, and with eyes wide open as to how different it is, you might try it. For us, MSC is now on the list of "willing to do it again." We are glad we experienced it, but it has not supplanted Princess and Holland America as our favorite lines, and probably never will.
Can you be more specific. What is wrong with the food? I've never been with MSC.