Heidi BucoloWe’ve just returned from a sailing with MSC Cruises and are back to share all the dining details with you in our complete guide to the MSC Seashore restaurants with menus. Check out all the complimentary and specialty dining options available on the ship, so you can plan where you want to eat during your cruise.
Complimentary MSC Seashore Restaurants
When it comes to complimentary dining, MSC Seashore has only a few options that are included in your cruise fare. These include the main dining rooms and the Marketplace Buffet. Unlike many competitor cruise lines, there are no alternative casual and complimentary dining spots available on this ship. This means no pizza parlor, no poolside burger joint or Mexican fare, and no café.
- Central Park Restaurant (Deck 5)
- Tribeca Restaurant (Deck 6)
- 5th Avenue Restaurant (Deck 7)*
- Manhattan Restaurant (Deck 7)
- Marketplace Buffet (Deck 16)
Main Dining Rooms (Decks 5, 6, 7)
When it comes to the main dining room on MSC Seashore, there are four different venues (Central Park, Tribeca, 5th Avenue, and Manhattan) and several different dining times. Guests booked in the Bella and Fantastica Experiences will be assigned a dining time and dining room, with Fantastica getting priority for requested dining times.
Aurea Experience guests get My Choice Dining in a separate dining room. My Choice Dining allows you to choose a different dining time each night of your cruise. Aurea guests can dine in the 5th Avenue Restaurant between 5:30 and 9 PM.
The three remaining restaurants: Central Park, Tribeca, and Manhattan are reserved for Assigned Dining guests. These restaurants offer Early Seating and Late Seating with times as follows:
Early Seating: Central Park 5:15 PM, Tribeca 5:30 PM, Manhattan 6 PM
Late Seating: Central Park 7:15 PM, Tribeca 7:30 PM, Manhattan 8 PM, Central Park 9:15 PM
The Central Park Restaurant is also open for breakfast daily from around 7:30 to 9 AM, lunch on select days including embarkation day, and brunch on sea days from around 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM.
Regardless of whether you have Assigned Dining or My Choice Dining, all four restaurants offer the same rotational menu for dinner. These menus do change nightly with a list of classics that stay the same throughout the cruise. Each night, the menu includes a rotational selection of starters, entrees, and desserts.
Second entrees will cost an additional $5 per dish.
Breakfast | Lunch Day 1 | Sea Day Brunch | Dinner 1 | Dinner 2 | Dinner 3 | Dinner 4 | Dinner 5 | Dinner 6 | Dinner 7 | Kids Menus
Marketplace Buffet & Restaurant (Deck 16)
The Marketplace Buffet & Restaurant is the only casual, complimentary dining option available on MSC Seashore.
This venue is open for breakfast from around 6:30 to 11 AM daily.
At breakfast, the Marketplace Buffet features your typical offerings. There is a custom egg and omelet station all the way aft in the venue. Additional menu items include options like scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, pancakes and waffles, and breakfast pastries. Cereal, fruit, and other continental items are available as well.
Lunch is served from around 12 to 4 PM. Dinner is available 6 to 9 PM with late night snacks from 10 to 1 AM.
Lunch and dinner features a number of different stands with various food offerings. These include a pizza station, a pasta station, a salad bar, international hot entrees, charcuterie with meats and cheeses, and hamburgers and hot dogs.
These selections are scattered across two separate dining areas with the midship elevators separating the venue into two restaurants.
MSC Yacht Club Restaurant (Deck 18)
The Yacht Club is MSC Cruises’ “ship within a ship” concept. Not only does the MSC Yacht Club feature the most luxurious accommodations on the ship, it includes an exclusive sundeck, restaurant, lounge, and bar. These facilities require keycard access and are limited to only those staying within the Yacht Club.
The MSC Yacht Club Restaurant is located on Deck 18 of MSC Seashore. This venue serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner featuring a menu with more upscale selections than the main dining rooms. The lunch and dinner menus do change daily. Breakfast is available 7/7:30 to 9/9:30 AM daily, lunch on most days from 12 to 1:30 PM, and dinner from 5:30 to 9 PM nightly.
Additionally, there’s the One Pool Buffet and Grill on the Deck 20 sundeck that serves buffet style selections for those lounging poolside. Breakfast items are available 7/7:30 to 10/10:30 AM, lunch items 12 to 3 PM, and afternoon snacks 3:30 to 4:30 PM. Once again, these items are more upscale including seafood selections, steak, a carving station, custom-made burgers, and more.
Breakfast | Lunch 1 | Lunch 4 | Lunch 5 | Lunch 6 | Lunch 7 | Dinner 1 | Dinner 2 | Dinner 3 | Dinner 4 | Dinner 5 | Dinner 6 | Dinner 7
Specialty MSC Seashore Restaurants
While you don’t have to spend money on food while cruising on MSC Seashore, there are quite a few up-charge restaurants that might be worth the splurge. If you choose to dine at the available specialty restaurants, you can either pay a la carte, pay a set fee for the limited Dining Experience menu, or purchase a specialty dining package.
If you are considering dining at a few of these venues, you might want to purchase a dining package. Dining Package prices for our sailing were:
- 4 Specialty Dining Experience $155
- 3 Specialty Dining Experience $110
- 2 Specialty Dining Experience $95
- Butcher’s Cut Chef’s Table $99
- Dinner and Bubbles $135
It is important to note that the specialty dining packages on MSC Cruises are slightly different than you find on most other cruise lines. Each package includes specific specialty restaurants. Thus, you are not able to customize your restaurant picks. Further, if you are on a dining package, you must order items off the limited Dining Experience menu and can purchase additional items off the full menu at a la carte prices.
If you plan to dine at any of these MSC Seashore restaurants, you should make reservations as soon as possible, as popular restaurants and dining times do fill up quickly. You can make reservations either pre-cruise or once onboard the ship at the desk located near the specialty restaurants on Deck 8.
During our sailing, we decided to dine at Butcher’s Cut, Kaito Teppanyaki, and Hola! Tacos and Cantina. All meals were great, and we think MSC shines when it comes to specialty dining.
Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar (Deck 6)
The Venchi 1878 Chocolate Bar is a chocolate lover’s paradise. This venue serves a variety of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages made with the brand’s signature chocolate including some delicious espresso-based drinks. The bar also serves a variety of other chocolates and gelato that are crafted on board in an open-air kitchen.
Venchi is generally open every day from 8 AM to 12 AM. Unfortunately though, none of the drinks (or other items) at Venchi are included in any of the MSC drink packages.
Sports Bar (Deck 8)
Adorned with various sports memorabilia, this classic American sports bar offers a variety of beers, a fully stocked bar for other beverages, an oversized television for sports broadcasts, and individual TV booths to watch the action.
This venue also serves up classic game time food options at a la carte prices. It’s the perfect spot to grab some friends, brews, and chicken wings to watch your favorite team play.
The Sports Bar opens anywhere between 10 AM and 3 PM depending on the ship’s call into port and remains open until 1 AM.
Hola! Tacos and Cantina (Deck 8)
Hola! Tacos and Cantina serves up Mexican-style street food in a vibrant open setting restaurant, with a nearby bar also serving up some tasty drinks.
At Hola!, guests can choose an all you can eat option for a set fee of $17.99 per person or pay a la carte for each menu item. The menu features a variety of Mexican favorites like guacamole, tacos, enchiladas, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and more.
This is a great option for a casual lunch or dinner on MSC Seashore. Hola! is open daily from 12 to 10 PM.
Butcher’s Cut (Deck 8)
The Butcher’s Cut is the signature steakhouse on MSC Seashore. This upscale restaurant is one of the best at sea in our opinion, featuring premium cuts of beef alongside various starters, sides, and desserts. There’s also a signature cocktail menu and wine list that pairs perfectly with your dinner.
The venue features an open kitchen, a large dining room, and additional al fresco seating on the waterfront.
The Butcher’s Cut is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM and on select days for brunch from 10 AM to 2 PM.
Butcher’s Cut Brunch Menu | Butcher’s Cut Dinner Menu
Kaito Teppanyaki (Deck 8)
Like many cruise lines, MSC Seashore offers a Japanese hibachi-style restaurant. Kaito Teppanyaki is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 PM with set seatings and on select days for lunch from 12 to 1:30 PM.
This teppanyaki restaurant’s menu features set tasting combinations at varying prices. Each begins with a sushi and sashimi plate, miso soup, teppan salad, and fried rice. There is then a fish portion and a meat portion which varies based on which experience you select. The meal then concludes with a pineapple and matcha ice cream dessert. There is an additional vegetarian and kids menu available.
Once you make your selections, it’s time to sit back and enjoy this interactive dinner show. Watch your chef cook up the meal right in front of you with a little singing and fun along the way.
Kaito Sushi Bar (Deck 8)
Unique to MSC Cruises is the Kaito Sushi Bar complete with its own sushi conveyor belt. This venue is priced completely a la carte and is not part of any of the dining packages.
Kaito Sushi is open 5:30 to 9:30 PM nightly for dinner and 12 to 2 PM on select days for lunch.
At Kaito Sushi, cruisers can pull up a seat at the bar top and select items from the conveyor belt in front of them. Plates are color-coded based on pricing. There are also additional items on the menu like tempura, teriyaki, soup, noodles, and desserts.
Ocean Cay Restaurant (Deck 8)
Ocean Cay Restaurant is the intimate seafood specialty restaurant on MSC Seashore. There are various hot and cold appetizers, main courses such as lobster tail, and desserts. However, if someone in your travel party does not like seafood, there are very limited non-seafood items available at this venue.
Ocean Cay Restaurant is open nightly for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 PM and select days for lunch from 12 to 2 PM.
Venchi 1878 Gelato (Deck 8)
MSC Seashore has several nods to the cruise line’s Italian heritage including signature Venchi gelato. A Venchi 1878 Gelato shop can be found aft on Deck 8 near the Infinity Pool. This counter serves a variety of gelato flavors as well as gelato bars, candies, and more at up-charge prices.
There are also additional spots to grab some gelato around the ship including near the Jungle Pool Beach Bar on Deck 16 and the Long Island Bar on Deck 18. Of course, you can score this sweet treat at the Chocolate Bar on Deck 6 as well.
You might be wondering- Is ice cream free on MSC Cruises? Sadly, the gelato is not included in any of the MSC drink packages or dining packages. But, soft serve ice cream is now free and served in the buffet.
Room Service
Room Service delivery is included with Fantastica and Aurea experiences on breakfast and 24 hour room service orders. Bella Experience guests will be charged $3.50 for delivery. However, you do still need to pay for the menu items ordered regardless of your Experience level.
Continental breakfast items are complimentary, but other items range in price from $3 for a sandwich to $7.95 for dinner items like pasta, salmon, a burger, or a NY strip steak. A pizza menu is also available with prices from $6 to $9.50.
Room service is included for Yacht Club guests.
Comments
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