Cucinna del Capitano---not so good

[tonit964]

Is this place on the splendor

 

No, only on the Breeze.

[GlendaleCruiser]

Exactly - lunch is more like the pasta bar on ships that do not have the Italian restaurant.

 

There is a COMPLETLEY different menu - and vibe - to the restaurant at night for dinner. We have always found it to be good - on the Breeze and the Magic.

 

TOTALLY DIFFERENT AT NIGHT in pay venue.

 

Daytime = Macaroni Grill

Nighttime = Totally different menu.

 

I agree about Italy. Whole shrimp with their eyes looking at me. Too many dishes with mussels or fishy smelly whatever in them but what I really wanted was a simple pasta dish with some butter, garlic and fresh parmesan. Had to come home and make it myself.

[MickCruiser]

I have to agree with the original poster. Tho we never tried lunch there, we were not impressed with the food or the service. It wasn't horrendous, but just not sure we'd pay a 2nd time. Perhaps if we enjoy the lunch we'll give it a 2nd shot.

 

I do have to say the chefs went out of their way to interact with my kids. One didn't get exactly what they wanted when the food came and it was fixed promptly followed up by a visit by one of the chefs. It's the nice things like that matter at the end if the day. Maybe I just talked myself to for back and give it a 2nd try. :-)

[happy cruzin]

No, only on the Breeze.

 

...also on the Magic!

[riclop]

Is this restaurant fleet wide. Ill be on the splendor

No not on the Splendor.

[oncruisecontrol]

The food served at lunch is not the same as what's served for dinner. When I was on the Breeze, I found the lunch to be on par with Olive Garden. I'm not a huge fan of OG, but it will suffice in a pinch. So, for free, it's fine.

 

Dinner, as SPKEMO said, is much like Buca di Beppo. I love Buca, and to me the dinner offerings were great. 100% authentic Italian food? Probably not. But it was tasty.

On par with Olive Garden? That's not saying much about the food.

[michigancruiser0715]

On par with Olive Garden? That's not saying much about the food.

 

That was my point...

[oncruisecontrol]

That was my point...

I realized that that was your point. I was just agreeing wholeheartedly with you.

[dabear99211]

Anyone else think the new Italian restaurant was not so great? I've been there onece on each of my last 2 cruises on the Breeze and I won't go again. It was less than average food. Both times I ate there for lunch. I would have been really mad if I had paid extra for those meals at dinner. The 4 of us ordered different dishes and tasted each others. Nothing was what I'd call "good Italian food". The lasagne was very strange. It had shredded beef that tasted like it was leftovers from another part of the ship. Maybe from the MDR. I love Italian food but was soooooo dissapointed there. I didn't have a complaint about any of the other dining venues on board. It's a shame. Everything tasted like cans of sauce opened up and mixed with pasta. Probably was.

I have never had lunch in there but have had 6 or 7 dinners there, each on the Magic, Breeze and Sunshine, I was never disappointed, everyone has their own taste, sorry you don't have one.

[lovesublime]

We never tried Cucina for lunch. On our Breeze cruise, we did have dinner there twice and loved it both times. I cannot remember what everyone in our family had, but I had the bistecca the first night and although I know it's wasn't prime beef it was tender and very tasty. Second time I had the carbonara and it was very good. Our waiter told that each serving is a full 16 ounces of pasta. None us could even finish even half of it. We all shared caprese salad and the calamari..it was all very good. DS said the minestrone was great and he ate all of it. The lemon sorbet dessert is fantastic! We enjoyed excellent service both times.

 

 

We had trouble getting reservations for the times we wanted and therefore had to be flexible with that. Thanks to those who posted the email for making advanced reservations. We are definitely doing this on our upcoming Magic cruise. Along with the steakhouse of course :)

[Blueboss]

DH and I had lunch there twice on Magic. We are by no means "foodies" but we liked the meals we had. The only thing we found a bit unnerving was the basketball court right above us with a hot and heavy game going on. At times, DH was ducking his head, thinking the ceiling was falling in. It got comical after a while, but I hoped they would close the court during the dinner hour when passengers have to pay for the meal.

[jimbo5544]

DH and I had lunch there twice on Magic. We are by no means "foodies" but we liked the meals we had. The only thing we found a bit unnerving was the basketball court right above us with a hot and heavy game going on. At times, DH was ducking his head, thinking the ceiling was falling in. It got comical after a while, but I hoped they would close the court during the dinner hour when passengers have to pay for the meal.

 

We have done lunch and dinner there on two ships. Dinner is better than lunch, that is true. We enjoyed both. It is a good option to try for dinner, good food and good value.

[Kato27]

Absolutely true. Authentic Italian cooking does not include minced meat - unless we're talking about meatballs.

 

It's hard to imagine how Italian cooking gets so messed up. For the most part, most recipes are simple with fresh ingredients.

Sorry that's incorrect. My parents are from tuscany, my mom always uses minced meat in her sauce. My grandparents have a home there and we go every other year or so, all of northern Italy uses minced meat when making bolognese sauce. That's were it originated bologna

[randyj266]

Please don't start me on Italy. I ordered a shrimp dish, and I had eyes looking at me. It was the WHOLE shrimp.

 

I quickly buried them in my pasta.

 

 

The first time I ordered cheese stuffed Calamari when I lived in Sicily, I was pleasantly surprised to have a whole squid served on a platter. I learned in my years there that the norm varies from region to region. The island is an entirely different world, just as the agricultural South and the affluent,modernized North are entirely different. A lot of the Italian food Americans are accustomed to is nothing like the food they would receive at most local restaurants in Italy.

[Kato27]

The first time I ordered cheese stuffed Calamari when I lived in Sicily, I was pleasantly surprised to have a whole squid served on a platter. I learned in my years there that the norm varies from region to region. The island is an entirely different world, just as the agricultural South and the affluent,modernized North are entirely different. A lot of the Italian food Americans are accustomed to is nothing like the food they would receive at most local restaurants in Italy.

 

Lol....been there with the calamari! The furthest south I have been is in Naples, and I have to agree with you 100%:)

[prattmom]

DH and I had lunch there twice on Magic. We are by no means "foodies" but we liked the meals we had. The only thing we found a bit unnerving was the basketball court right above us with a hot and heavy game going on. At times, DH was ducking his head, thinking the ceiling was falling in. It got comical after a while, but I hoped they would close the court during the dinner hour when passengers have to pay for the meal.

 

Freaked us out our first time on the ship, too... But yes, they close the court at dinner...

 

 

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[bassmaster150]

Totally different for lunch than it is for dinner. I was there for dinner on the Sunshine last week. Great food and great experience. For lunch it is not really cucina. IT is the pasta bar and it is meh.

[Tithonus]

Absolutely true. Authentic Italian cooking does not include minced meat - unless we're talking about meatballs.

 

.

 

Um, have you been to Italy? I don't agree at all!

 

One thing I did love over there was their pizza and all their varieties. I knew not to expect our version, and we ate it as often as we found a true pizzeria, including Venice. Followed by a tasty gelato.

[jimbo5544]

The capitol of Pizza is in CT not Italy....

[EnTnSA]

Anyone else think the new Italian restaurant was not so great? I've been there onece on each of my last 2 cruises on the Breeze and I won't go again. It was less than average food. Both times I ate there for lunch. I would have been really mad if I had paid extra for those meals at dinner. The 4 of us ordered different dishes and tasted each others. Nothing was what I'd call "good Italian food". The lasagne was very strange. It had shredded beef that tasted like it was leftovers from another part of the ship. Maybe from the MDR. I love Italian food but was soooooo dissapointed there. I didn't have a complaint about any of the other dining venues on board. It's a shame. Everything tasted like cans of sauce opened up and mixed with pasta. Probably was.

 

 

I didnt read the whole thread, so this may have been said already, but the meals at dinner are completely different than lunch. I believe at lunch they just do a pasta bar type thing, which is so/so...dinner is quite good actually.

 

We went there for dinner on the first night of our last cruise, all 12 of us, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it.

[LHP]

I have eaten at every one (except the Sunshine...hitting it in Nov)....

 

and while I do not like the shredded roast beef in the Lasagna....otherwise it was good.

 

I just ate around the beef (but then I am not a big meat eater anyway)....

 

I spent 2 weeks in Italy on my honeymoon almost 25 years ago and it was barely edible....

 

yuck!!

[lovesublime]

I have eaten at every one (except the Sunshine...hitting it in Nov)....

 

and while I do not like the shredded roast beef in the Lasagna....otherwise it was good.

 

I just ate around the beef (but then I am not a big meat eater anyway)....

 

I spent 2 weeks in Italy on my honeymoon almost 25 years ago and it was barely edible....

 

yuck!!

 

 

 

 

In laws recently returned from Italy and can't stop talking about Dad's (FIL) "fossil" pizza. They're still trying to figure out what it was. DH travels to Italy quite a bit for business and he really doesn't enjoy the food there either.

[pauleydm]

We ate there for dinner on the Breeze and really enjoyed it:)