Buffet for evening meal query - celebrity v MSC

[Rascal1]

Hi, We’ve never sailed with MSC before but have cruised a few times with Celebrity and Princess. I know it’s not for everyone but in the evenings we like to dine in the buffet as it’s quicker than a main dining room, we don’t eat much but love to have salads with variety of meats or fish and find that the buffet has always given us more choices and it’s informal. But celebrity have confirmed that they are severely limiting the evening choices at the buffet to encourage more diners into the main dining room and the reviews of recent diners hasn’t impressed us,  we are thinking of cancelling the cruise and trying a different cruise line so that we get a different cruising experience overall. We’ve found a cruise we like the look of on the Virtuosa but are worried that the buffet will have similar cut backs, have experienced MSC cruisers who use the buffet in the evenings found the same or is it still a good option with lots of choices? Thanks for any insight. 

[nikoo.s]

On elegant night the buffet was very reduced (still had pizza and salad and a few other bits though like cheeses, some meats, fries etc), but every other evening it was pretty good as normal with plenty of choice 🙂

[nikoo.s]

To follow up my previous point, we actually got to the buffet very late on elegant night (around 10pm) so it may have also been reduced because of the time. We still found enough to eat though 🙂

[Itchy&Scratchy]

I would not cancel Celebrity in favor of MSC because of food. It isn't MSC's forte.

 

[NMsunset]

Hi Rascal-

MSC is not comparable to "other lines" nor should it be.

 

McD's, Taco Bell, Five Guys, Chilis, fast and or fast casual chain this and that in the USA...many like it...we do not ever eat at these types of places.

Food is sooooo subjective...

For us:

Example on Seascape the buffet had wonderful selection during "normal" MDR times. Indian dishes to include butter chicken and various curry dishes.

Lamb chops two different ways two different days

Multiple fish options

Shrimp

Pre-made salads

Caesar salads with chicken or shrimp

Build your own salads

great Italian pizza...

If you like food at non-USA chains in Europe, you will probably be happy

 

On the other hand, if you only like USA chain/comfort food/typical home cooking...you will probably be not so happy.

 

If you want the same/similar experience as the "other lines", then book those.

 

Another example for us on 5 different MSC ships in the last 12 months.

Breakfast on MSC, biscuits and gravy is Horrible!

But MSC has:

Crusty bread, some heavy with seeds

Great European cheeses and salamis/cold cuts

Smoked salmon 

Poached eggs

Roasted tomatoes

 

So choose what you want in your cruise experience.

 

Cheers and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

 

 

[nikoo.s]

3 minutes ago, NMsunset said:

Hi Rascal-

MSC is not comparable to "other lines" nor should it be.

 

McD's, Taco Bell, Five Guys, Chilis, fast and or fast casual chain this and that in the USA...many like it...we do not ever eat at these types of places.

Food is sooooo subjective...

For us:

Example on Seascape the buffet had wonderful selection during "normal" MDR times. Indian dishes to include butter chicken and various curry dishes.

Lamb chops two different ways two different days

Multiple fish options

Shrimp

Pre-made salads

Caesar salads with chicken or shrimp

Build your own salads

great Italian pizza...

If you like food at non-USA chains in Europe, you will probably be happy

 

On the other hand, if you only like USA chain/comfort food/typical home cooking...you will probably be not so happy.

 

If you want the same/similar experience as the "other lines", then book those.

 

Another example for us on 5 different MSC ships in the last 12 months.

Breakfast on MSC, biscuits and gravy is Horrible!

But MSC has:

Crusty bread, some heavy with seeds

Great European cheeses and salamis/cold cuts

Smoked salmon 

Poached eggs

Roasted tomatoes

 

So choose what you want in your cruise experience.

 

Cheers and enjoy your cruise!

 

 

 

 

100% agree with this. Most if not all of the negativity I see around the food on MSC is usually from Americans who aren't used to a more European selection (and thats totally fine, but go with a US cruise line in that case rather than complain after booking an Italian cruise line 🤣). We enjoyed all the food we had on MSC. Was it Michelin Star? No. But was it good? Yes, especially the pizza, pasta, and breads! 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

 

 

15 minutes ago, NMsunset said:

On the other hand, if you only like USA chain/comfort food/typical home cooking...you will probably be not so happy.

 

Breakfast on MSC, biscuits and gravy is Horrible!

seeing how they said they don't eat much and love salads, I am going to assume that they probably don't eat fast food or biscuits and gravy.

3 hours ago, Rascal1 said:

we don’t eat much but love to have salads with variety of meats or fish

[NMsunset]

Hi itchy-

How many MSC cruises have you been on?

Based on your signature list of past cruises and post history...it appears 

that You have NEVER cruised MSC, yet are commenting on the food 🙄🤔🤔...

 

FYI: The OP mentions meat, fish, and salads...

 

Lots of noise/opinions/rumors on this site with little factual/helpful info...

Thanks to Jagr and others who regularly post factual unbiased info!

 

Sorry to the OP for having to sift through...

 

MSC is a good experience for some folks and terrible for others. Not a hater nor cheerleader...it works for us...many it does not.

 

We specifically want a cruise experience that the typical USA lines do not offer...we do not want MSC to be more like the other lines nor  walmart/mcD/disney...etc

 

Cheers, enjoy the cruise line/experience of your choice! 

 

 

 

 

[Rascal1]

Thanks to everyone who replied so far, we are from the UK and hadn’t thought (perhaps naively) about it would mean swapping from an American line to a more European line. But we do like European food and flavours so gives us something else to consider and other aspects to research. 

[sammee]

We didn't try the buffet for dinner, since it was our first MSC cruise.  But we always seemed to walk through there for my husband to top off the belly. They had a nice variety for breakfast and lunch. And their hours are much better too. I've only been on Royal and Carnival and I can say I like MSC buffet much better.  Those 2 lines used to be great, but seems a lot of cutbacks. The newer Mardi Gras, some say the buffet was great, I thought it was just a feeding trough. I was not impressed.

[showingdiva]

5 minutes ago, Rascal1 said:

Thanks to everyone who replied so far, we are from the UK and hadn’t thought (perhaps naively) about it would mean swapping from an American line to a more European line. But we do like European food and flavours so gives us something else to consider and other aspects to research. 

 

As one would expect on an Italian ship (albeit one with a head office in Geneva), bread, pasta, continental meat, cheese, gelato and pizza are very good on MSC  (I am a fussy, pescatarian Scot).  And a special mention to every flavour of panna cotta, which is available at all times in the buffet.   Salads, both ready made and ones you select yourself are good.   Nice flavours and combinations.

MDR portion sizes aren't huge (not that I would want to be faced with a huge bowl of pasta), but the waiters don't mind at all if you order a third starter, main or dessert to share.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, NMsunset said:

Hi itchy-

How many MSC cruises have you been on?

Based on your signature list of past cruises and post history...it appears 

that You have NEVER cruised MSC, yet are commenting on the food 🙄🤔🤔...

I did a lot of research on MSC and actually booked 3 cruises with them, two of which were cancelled due to the pandemic. So, yes, I am commenting on food on MSC because I am prepared - it's not going to be razzle-dazzle, but I am ok with that. But I wouldn't count on MSC food being better than Celebrity's.

 

3 hours ago, NMsunset said:

But MSC has:

Crusty bread, some heavy with seeds

Great European cheeses and salamis/cold cuts

Smoked salmon 

Poached eggs

Roasted tomatoes

I am sure that so does Celebrity.

[JAGR]

4 hours ago, NMsunset said:

Breakfast on MSC, biscuits and gravy is Horrible!

But MSC has:

Crusty bread, some heavy with seeds

Great European cheeses and salamis/cold cuts

Smoked salmon 

Poached eggs

Roasted tomatoes

 

 

 

Had to emphasize the horrid biscuits and gravy!  The made to order eggs and omelets are good, though.