If you are taking a cruise with MSC, you may be wondering what the food will be like. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are all included at no extra cost on an MSC cruise.
I’ve just disembarked a cruise on the MSC Seaview and in this post we will look at everything I ate in the main dining room, buffet and room service. Menus are also provided.
I took my first MSC cruise in 2012 and the quality has increased dramatically in my opinion.
Buffet – Included
The buffet on the MSC Seaview was open from early in the morning until late at night. During our cruise, only half of the buffet was open due to the reduced capacity of the ship but we still had lots of choices.
The buffet at dinner time consisted of:
- Freshly Cooked Pizza
- A Grill Section (Burgers, Hot Dogs, Steaks etc.)
- Wellness Section
- Rotisserie
- Pasta
- Family Dining
- Ethnic Corner (Usually Indian)
- Bread
- Salads
The sections would be different for breakfast and lunch.
The above photo is of one lunch I had in the buffet. The great thing about the buffet is that you can combine anything that you think looks interesting.
The above photo is of my breakfast, they did have cooked breakfasts available as well as cold options but I always prefer a cold breakfast.
Most of the breakfast doughnuts we had were good and they also had waffles and pancakes.
In the grill section, they had example food which I liked. All of these burgers/steaks were cooked freshly so this made it easy to see what you were ordering.
There wasn’t a vegetable burger on show here but I asked the crew and they happily cooked me one from fresh. It was tasty.
We would often pick up a slice of pizza or a little box of chips.
There were multiple types of pizza available and they were constantly being replenished.
They also had things like bruschetta and garlic bread.
There was a big outdoor seating area outside the buffet where we would usually eat.
There was waiter service here too and we never had to wait in order to order a drink.
The above shows one of my dinner combinations. They also had sandwiches and other items for dinner.
MSC bake all of their own bread and they usually have lots of choices.
There were lots of little desserts available throughout the day. I did wish that they served the breakfast doughnuts later in the day but we would usually just have a little cake or cookie.
The below is a kind of sugared pineapple dessert pizza, it was SO TASTY.
I could have eaten a full-sized pizza of this.
The cookies were small but good, they were more like shortbread biscuits than cookies, but I think it still counts.
Main Dining Room – Golden Sands – Included
There are multiple main dining rooms on board the MSC Seaview. Our cruise was sailing at 23% capacity so only one main restaurant was open.
We were assigned late dining (9 pm) but we were able to change this to early dining (6.30 pm). We went to the dining room during the lunch opening hours and they were able to change our table for us.
There are no fixed dining times for breakfast or lunch. Guests are able to eat in the main dining room whenever it is open for breakfast or lunch.
Menus can be viewed in advance on the MSC app.
| Starter #1 | Quesadillas |
| Main #1 | Roast Beef Sandwich |
| Main #2 | Oriental-style Rice Noodles |
The food was all very good and we never had any problems with anything.
The great thing about a cruise is that you can order as many things from the menu as you’d like for no extra charge.
Dinner #1
| Starter | Duo of Hummus and Baba Ghanoush Dips |
| Main | Linguine Pasta in Cherry Tomato Sauce |
| Main #2 | English-style Beef Sirloin Roast |
| Dessert | Caramel Bavarian Cake |
MSC make all of their own pasta onboard and it’s probably the thing that MSC do best. If you are in doubt about what to get, I’d always recommend the pasta.
The potatoes were also always nice!
Dinner #2
Our second dinner was the ‘elegant’ dinner. On this night guests are invited to dress to impress if they would like to.
The dress codes are suggested.
To learn more about the dress codes on MSC cruises, check out this post: MSC Dress Code Photo Guide – 96% Agree The Dress Codes are Relaxed
| Starter (Vegetarian) | Aubergine Rolls Mediterranean Style (With Tomato, Mozzarella Cheese and Basil) |
| Main (Vegetarian) | Lasagna Portofino (Au Gratin with Genoese Pesto Sauce) |
| Dessert | After Eight Sensation (Chocolate and Mint Mousse Cake) |
The Lasagna Portofino may not look like much but it may be my favourite meal that I had on board.
I hadn’t ever had a Lasagne Portofino before the cruise and that’s what’s great about cruising, you can try new things and might find something you love (like I did here).
The After Eight Dessert is always good, if you see it and like chocolate and mint, definitely order it.
Dinner #3
| Starter (Vegetarian) | Black Bean Chowder (Fried Tortilla Chips and Chopped Legs) |
| Starter #2 | Crispy Fried Calamari (Black Pepper Lime Dressing) |
| Main (Vegetarian) | Fusilli Pasta a La Norma (With Fried Aubergines, Salted Ricotta Cheese and Basic Tomato Soup) |
| Main #2 | Grilled Ribeye Steak (With Corn on The Cob, Grilled Courgettes and Baked Potato with Sour Cream) |
| Dessert | White Chocolate Mousse Cake (Dark Chocolate Sauce) |
The Black Bean Chowder isn’t very photogenic but it was tasty, as were the calamari rings.
I thought it was a little odd that the baked potato arrived still in its foil but it was well cooked and the steak was nice too.
I had pasta which was very good again and I also enjoyed the dessert.
Dinner #4
| Starter (Vegetarian) | Soft Oriental Roll (Crepe Filled with Crispy Vegetables, Ginger Soy Sauce) |
| Main (Vegetarian) | Middle Eastern Falafel (Vegetable Fritters, Hummus, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Tahini Sauce, Pita Bread) |
| Main #2 | Roasted Cornish Hen With Jamaican Flavours (Jerk Spices, Garlic Lime-Roasted Roast Potatoes, Sweet Grilled Peppers) |
| Dessert | Sachertorte (Australian Chocolate Cake with Apricot Filling) |
The oriental roll was probably my favourite starter from the cruise.
It was something I’d never usually have at home and I enjoyed it.
My only criticism of the dessert was that it could have done with some more cream, but I’m sure they would have given me some had I asked.
Speciality Restaurant – Asian Fusion (Cost €0 But Normally €39)
I have diamond loyalty status with MSC which means that I get a free meal in a speciality restaurant.
I achieved the diamond loyalty status by matching my NCL loyalty status to MSC.
MSC are the only cruise line that will match loyalty statuses from other cruise lines. It’s pretty easy to do and it is well worth taking advantage of the freebies.
If you are cruising with MSC are do have a loyalty status with another cruise line, or some hotel brands, make sure you match your status. My guide as to how to do it is here: MSC Status Match – Step by Step Application Guide and Chart.
We went to the Asian Fusion restaurant and the loyalty status perk entitled us to a free dining experience, worth €39 each.
| Starter #1 (Vegetarian) | Avocado Poke |
| Starter #2 | Hawaii Kai-Style Crab Cakes |
| Main #1 (Vegetarian) | Pan-Fried Vegetarian Spicy Noodles |
| Main #2 | Filet Mignon |
| Dessert (Vegetarian) | Molten Chocolate Souffle |
| Dessert #2 (Vegetarian) | Pineapple Upside-Down Cake |
We dined quite early (6 pm) and for a while, we were the only guests in the restaurant!
We loved our meal in the speciality restaurant, everything was tasty and because there were only a few guests in the restaurant it was like having our own waiters and private chefs!
Room Service – Cost: €11
We embarked the MSC Seaview late at night so decided to order room service.
There is a charge for each room service item and also a delivery fee.
In total this pizza came to just under €11.
After 17 hours of travelling it was worth every Euro.
This is the same pizza that you can get in the buffet, we paid basically to have a whole pizza to ourselves and to have it delivered. I wouldn’t usually do this, I’d normally go to the buffet to get the pizza myself, but in this situation, it was well worth it.
To learn more about everything that is included in an MSC cruise, check out this post next: Do MSC Cruises Include Meals? (Firsthand Experience) – Your Guide To What is Included
MSC do differ to the American and British cruise lines but I like them, to find out why they’re so different, check out this video:
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