Dining Question: MSC/Orchestra

[AllAboard]

Hi all. Perhaps a silly question, but where can I find information regarding the restaurants, particularly "specialty" restaurants and associated costs. MSC's website seems unusually void of specific information...perhaps I'm missing it somewhere?

 

I'd also like to hear any specific information regarding food availability on the Orchestra. From what I've read, it seems that food has a limited schedule on the ship???? For example, I've read in several places that the restaurants and buffet seem to have shorter hours than most cruise lines. Is there a buffet option for dinner, or just the formal dining room(s). Thanks for any help...I simply can't find much information.

[AllAboard]

bump

[babygirl722]

try http://www.theorchestraiscomingtotown.com

[Bradenton]

For the first two evenings after leaving Genoa for the 17 day passage, (I cannot call it a cruise) there was NO buffet on the 13th floor in the evening. My partner sat down with the Maitre 'D and persuaded him to open one side of the buffet the following evening. The first night there were about 30 people there. By the end of the 17 days the queues were going out of the door and the Maitre 'D was on the phone saying it was a disaster. The food was the same old same old each evening with perhaps one change of hot meat. Very little salad and don't even try to ask for a sugar free dessert. These are kept under lock and key and you have to use sign language to make your needs known. The lines for the hot french fries were very long but well worth it as it was the only hot food we experienced in 17 long days.

 

We suggested that they opened the Pizza side of the buffet in the evenings and refunded the people who had paid about $9 per slice for a very poor pizza. They did not do this the entire time and highest number of people we saw there in an evening was about 12. Remember there were 3000 of us crammed onboard and I would imagine that about 500 + used the buffet in the evenings.

 

The Four Seasons restaurant which is part of the buffet charges $25 for the meal but you will have to pay for bread and coffee and any drinks that you order.

 

I, and that is me, never saw anyone in the Chinese restaurant either at lunchtime or in the evening.

 

The buffet hours are very short. 6.30 to 8.00. Nothing is available after that time. The Pizza part of the buffet is open longer but as you can get the same pizza on the main buffet why would you pay for it! Once the buffet is closed there is nowhere to get any food. Room service do not serve dinner in the cabins. They only serve breakfast and various items during the day.

 

I now I am being negative but I am used to hot food and good salad. The fresh fruit was good and until it ran out we had pears, melons, apples, banana and kiwi fruit. By the end of the cruise only melon was left plus a few apples. The only fairly good food we consistently found on the ship was the cold food. On several occasions food that was served in the main restaurant at lunchtime was re-served in the evenings at the buffet.

 

We ate at lunchtimes in the main restaurant. It took one and a half hours to have one cold starter or one soup, one entree (only warm not hot) and a cold dessert. As we did this for 15 days I can assure you that one and a half hours is not untrue.

 

The Maitre 'D was always coming up to us asking us what we thought. He didn't listen though. He said he had been on the MSC for 15 years and had brought along a lucky keyring to get him through the next six months. You can imagine our raised eyebrows.

 

We are experienced cruisers, not travel agents, and spent $4000 of our hard earned money for this cruise. I have volunteered to drive to Fort Lauderdale to see Sasso in person. We shall see if he phones me next week as they have promised he will.

[gracecarmo]

Bradenton: I hope you get your meeting with Rick Sasso as promised. I don't doubt what you are saying is correct, and I hope Sasso responds.

 

Now, I wonder if any of your reported issues with food have been corrected for the Caribbean sailings? I am waiting for reports from those departing the Jan 10th sailing, and hope those on the 17th sailing (today) will report.