Bella-did you have to eat dinner at the buffet?

[LMaxwell]

Someone on FB is on board this week and posted the dining schedule. They're not using the Marketplace for MDR overflow but it's STILL closed after 3pm and dinner is at the Biscayne Bay on deck 16. Apparently only 4000 passengers this week as opposed to 5000 last week. Still 3 seatings in one of the MDR's. Hopefully the picture is readable and I apologize for having rotated it. I had to get it within CC's archaic minimal size limits for uploads.

 

Waiting for the MSC apologists to explain this. And for anyone questioning whether the posted schedule is for this week, note that the Marketplace is not listing for MDR seating in this one as it was the last 2 weeks.

 

PS the good news is that Bella passengers are now allowed in the MDRs.

 

Where's the 20 hours of buffet at either location?

[TravelinGert]

I have no problem with a 9:45 seating so long as they don't assign me to it. I suspect it's popular with the Europeans onboard. I do, however, feel for the wait staff that's going to have to work 3 dinner services per night. Maybe the extra tips will be worth it. Or maybe MSC will give them less tables so they can get the earlier seatings out faster. Just kidding on that last one [emoji3].

 

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I've got no problem with the 9:45 PM dinner seating and actually rather hope we get assigned to it. If we do, I'll be enjoying a nice siesta every afternoon before going to see whatever show is on that evening. I really enjoyed the fact later dining times were viewed as perfectly acceptable most places when we've visited Europe. I have to agree it does sound like it will be hard on the waitstaff, though.

 

The use of the main buffet as a full service dining area has happened at least on one of Seaside's cruises. I've seen pictures and video of a section of the seating set out with place settings like the MDR tables and pictures of people eating at them, some of them in formalwear. Maybe all the uproar online and the probable difficulties actually running the waitstaff around to do that have put MSC off the idea?

[MisterBill99]

Where's the 20 hours of buffet at either location?

Maybe if you add the two of them together [emoji21].

 

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[nautica34]

Someone on FB is on board this week and posted the dining schedule. They're not using the Marketplace for MDR overflow but it's STILL closed after 3pm and dinner is at the Biscayne Bay on deck 16. Apparently only 4000 passengers this week as opposed to 5000 last week. Still 3 seatings in one of the MDR's. Hopefully the picture is readable and I apologize for having rotated it. I had to get it within CC's archaic minimal size limits for uploads.

 

Waiting for the MSC apologists to explain this. And for anyone questioning whether the posted schedule is for this week, note that the Marketplace is not listing for MDR seating in this one as it was the last 2 weeks.

 

PS the good news is that Bella passengers are now allowed in the MDRs.

Was this the case for entire sailing? Also, curios what time the dinner would've of been. I have Bella, concerned about buffet so this makes me feel better but also concerned with getting 9:45 dining.

 

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[Fredric22]

I really don't understand what the big deal is here. If they don't have the demand to justify using the large buffet why should they? If the buffet on 16 accommodates 450 guests and that is sufficient I see no reason why anyone would expect the other venue to be open. Other cruise lines don't have 2 buffet venues so it's not really fair to compare them. Also, cruise lines such as Carnival and Celebrity only have the dining room and buffet as included dinner venues. I do not understand why it is a surprise to anyone that MSC charges a fee to dine in those venues.

[asctony]

Also, cruise lines such as Carnival and Celebrity only have the dining room and buffet as included dinner venues. I do not understand why it is a surprise to anyone that MSC charges a fee to dine in those venues.

Totally confused when you state: 'I do not understand why it is a surprise to anyone that MSC charges a fee to dine in those venues.'

What venues are you talking about where MSC charges a fee to dine? Specialty Restaurants? If you mean that, yes, other cruises lines charge for them, too.

[MisterBill99]

Was this the case for entire sailing? Also, curios what time the dinner would've of been. I have Bella, concerned about buffet so this makes me feel better but also concerned with getting 9:45 dining.

 

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Well, the good news is that the 9:45 seating is in one of the MDRs so you wouldn't get it if they're putting you in Marketplace.

 

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[MisterBill99]

I really don't understand what the big deal is here. If they don't have the demand to justify using the large buffet why should they? If the buffet on 16 accommodates 450 guests and that is sufficient I see no reason why anyone would expect the other venue to be open. Other cruise lines don't have 2 buffet venues so it's not really fair to compare them. Also, cruise lines such as Carnival and Celebrity only have the dining room and buffet as included dinner venues. I do not understand why it is a surprise to anyone that MSC charges a fee to dine in those venues.

They have over 4000 passengers on the ship. They surely have the demand to use the full buffet which has room for a much larger selection than the family buffet upstairs. They could open just half of it as I've seen on other lines. Now, if they put out such a limited selection there that people don't eat there, them I guess they can justify using the smaller buffet since they don't need the space. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Also, it seemed like having the buffet on deck 8 along the much hyped outside promenade would be the perfect place for people to have dinner, while staying near the evening activities on the ship. Not forcing them to go up to deck 16 when everything else up there is closed.

 

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[Fredric22]

They have over 4000 passengers on the ship. They surely have the demand to use the full buffet which has room for a much larger selection than the family buffet upstairs. They could open just half of it as I've seen on other lines. Now, if they put out such a limited selection there that people don't eat there, them I guess they can justify using the smaller buffet since they don't need the space. Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Also, it seemed like having the buffet on deck 8 along the much hyped outside promenade would be the perfect place for people to have dinner, while staying near the evening activities on the ship. Not forcing them to go up to deck 16 when everything else up there is closed.

 

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I wouldn't be so sure that they "surely have the demand" for the larger buffet venue. By now, MSC has a lot of data from the Divina and their other ships that I'm sure gives them a good idea of the demand the dinner buffet has. If MSC has deemed that a 450 person buffet venue can meet that demand, then I do not think it is unreasonable for them to hold the dinner buffet there. If anyone has visited during dinner time over the last several cruises, it would be interesting to know if it was crowded with limited seating available. If not, then I think MSC has made the right decision. If it was overly crowded, then they should probably use the deck 8 venue instead. Also, most ships have their buffets on one of the top decks. So, I don't think MSC is doing anything strange by "forcing people to go to deck 16". Now, whether or not the quality and selection of food is acceptable there is another story. But, from the videos and pictures I have seen, that buffet venue looks like it can accommodate a dinner buffet with varied selections.

[MisterBill99]

I wouldn't be so sure that they "surely have the demand" for the larger buffet venue. By now, MSC has a lot of data from the Divina and their other ships that I'm sure gives them a good idea of the demand the dinner buffet has. If MSC has deemed that a 450 person buffet venue can meet that demand, then I do not think it is unreasonable for them to hold the dinner buffet there. If anyone has visited during dinner time over the last several cruises, it would be interesting to know if it was crowded with limited seating available. If not, then I think MSC has made the right decision. If it was overly crowded, then they should probably use the deck 8 venue instead. Also, most ships have their buffets on one of the top decks. So, I don't think MSC is doing anything strange by "forcing people to go to deck 16". Now, whether or not the quality and selection of food is acceptable there is another story. But, from the videos and pictures I have seen, that buffet venue looks like it can accommodate a dinner buffet with varied selections.

They could close off half of the normal buffet and accomplish the same thing. If moving the dinner buffet to deck 16 (which remember, was what people were told was the family buffet and many did not expect to be using) impacts their ability to serve a reasonable selection of dishes for dinner, then they need to move it back to deck 8.

 

 

It just makes no sense to me that they publicize this great buffet on deck 8, tell people it's open 20 hours a day, and then close it at 3pm and send people to the family buffet.

[toinoi]

I wouldn't be so sure that they "surely have the demand" for the larger buffet venue. By now, MSC has a lot of data from the Divina and their other ships that I'm sure gives them a good idea of the demand the dinner buffet has. If MSC has deemed that a 450 person buffet venue can meet that demand, then I do not think it is unreasonable for them to hold the dinner buffet there.

 

Don't forget Fredric22, MSC had always advertised the Biscayne Buffet on deck 16 as Breakfast and Lunch only (even the MSC for me App still says as much) - so it has been a total turnaround from them to then close deck 8 buffet. So I'm not quite sure they have had any data - rather making it up on the fly.

 

If anyone has visited during dinner time over the last several cruises, it would be interesting to know if it was crowded with limited seating available. If not, then I think MSC has made the right decision.

 

If people aren't happy with the selection available, they may simply not go to it, and end up "forced" to go to MDRs instead :( A self-fulfilling prophecy as someone else has mentioned before.

 

Now, whether or not the quality and selection of food is acceptable there is another story. But, from the videos and pictures I have seen, that buffet venue looks like it can accommodate a dinner buffet with varied selections.

 

As the Market Place holds far more people (1,000 vs 450) my expectation is that it would have a larger servery, which equals bigger selection - even if there is some duplication on the two sides of the buffet.

 

I'm still reserving judgement - but so far I'm not very confident that there will be nearly the variety I've seen/expected from other cruise lines (or by the sounds, the Divina!)

[EssG]

Someone on FB is on board this week and posted the dining schedule. They're not using the Marketplace for MDR overflow but it's STILL closed after 3pm and dinner is at the Biscayne Bay on deck 16. Apparently only 4000 passengers this week as opposed to 5000 last week. Still 3 seatings in one of the MDR's. Hopefully the picture is readable and I apologize for having rotated it. I had to get it within CC's archaic minimal size limits for uploads.

 

Waiting for the MSC apologists to explain this. And for anyone questioning whether the posted schedule is for this week, note that the Marketplace is not listing for MDR seating in this one as it was the last 2 weeks.

 

PS the good news is that Bella passengers are now allowed in the MDRs.

 

The picture seems to be options for YC only MisterBill

[MisterBill99]

The picture seems to be options for YC only MisterBill

Yes, you're likely correct.

 

I responded to a post from Captain Scala on Instagram and brought up the buffet issue. He said they needed it for dining room seating. I wrote back and said that I'd heard that the upstairs buffet was poor and that they should do what they had on Divina and split the large buffet. He hasn't responded :).