Cucina Review

[A&Jfamily]

We were recently on the Sunshine and tried Cucina for the second time; we had it last October, were not impressed, but thought we would give it another try. I am sad to say it was again disappointing. This time, I tried the caprese salad instead of the risotto balls which were dry and bland. With the salad, the tomatoes weren't fully ripe and my second bite had part of the top core that was so hard I had to discard it. The Caesar was brought as a replacement and it is basically the same salad as the MDR. For a main course, I tried the Carbonara rather than the chef specialty from last time as that was lacking in the seafood flavor it should have had; the carbonara was so salty from too much meat that I had to pick around. And the deserts are just weak.

 

As a general rule we enjoy the food on Carnival and adore the steakhouse, JiJis and Bonsai - but we will not be doing Cucina again. We can get much better Italian locally. JHMO

[easyboy]

Thanks for the feedback. After 2 tries, Cucina not really for you.

 

 

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[chrismch]

Sorry, you didn't like Cucina. Your closing comment about being able to find better options locally makes me wonder if you live in an area that is populated by good Italian restaurants. I grew up in NJ where we had great pizzas and subs no matter where you ate. I can't say that in the many other places I've lived.

 

I could say the same for Mexican food after living in California where there are great mom & pop options everywhere. I still go out for Mexican and Italian food where I currently live, just expect it to be different.

[riclop]

We were recently on the Sunshine and tried Cucina for the second time; we had it last October, were not impressed, but thought we would give it another try. I am sad to say it was again disappointing. This time, I tried the caprese salad instead of the risotto balls which were dry and bland. With the salad, the tomatoes weren't fully ripe and my second bite had part of the top core that was so hard I had to discard it. The Caesar was brought as a replacement and it is basically the same salad as the MDR. For a main course, I tried the Carbonara rather than the chef specialty from last time as that was lacking in the seafood flavor it should have had; the carbonara was so salty from too much meat that I had to pick around. And the deserts are just weak.

 

As a general rule we enjoy the food on Carnival and adore the steakhouse, JiJis and Bonsai - but we will not be doing Cucina again. We can get much better Italian locally. JHMO

That is why food is so subjective, we love it and eat there at least 4 times per cruise.

[belle2]

I agree with you OP. I was disappointed in it too. It was ok for lunch, but not dinner.

 

 

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[idraconis]

I tried Cucina on the Vista and The Breeze. Both times I was pleasantly surprised.

[evandbob]

As a Bronx Italian whose Grandmother made meals from scratch, I grew up very particular about the gravy served on my home made pasta. About the only thing I enjoyed during 2 meals at the Cucina on 2 different ships was the antipasto.

 

I found the sauce (not gravy!) was overly sweet, my chicken parm was overcooked and the lasagna fell flat. The Cucina could never survive in an Italian neighborhood like Arthur Ave.

 

If you enjoy Olive Garden, then Cucina will probably be fine.

[Drazil65]

We never go "out" to eat Italian food (basically pasta dishes) and cannot imagine spending extra on a cruise ship to eat it....so your review doesn't surprise me, spending extra for a better steak is one thing but pasta? I think not....:eek:

[Butterbean1000]

Italian is not my favorite by far. It is my husband's fave so I know we'll be eating there at least once. [emoji12]

 

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[CARNIVALCRUISE3]

We eat at Cucina 3-4 nights when we sail aboard the Breeze and Vista. We love it!

[The4Cruisers]

We eat at Cucina at least 3 -4 times per cruise per lunch. Haven't tried dinner yet.

[winddawn]

We were recently on the Sunshine and tried Cucina for the second time; we had it last October, were not impressed, but thought we would give it another try. I am sad to say it was again disappointing. This time, I tried the caprese salad instead of the risotto balls which were dry and bland. With the salad, the tomatoes weren't fully ripe and my second bite had part of the top core that was so hard I had to discard it. The Caesar was brought as a replacement and it is basically the same salad as the MDR. For a main course, I tried the Carbonara rather than the chef specialty from last time as that was lacking in the seafood flavor it should have had; the carbonara was so salty from too much meat that I had to pick around. And the deserts are just weak.

 

As a general rule we enjoy the food on Carnival and adore the steakhouse, JiJis and Bonsai - but we will not be doing Cucina again. We can get much better Italian locally. JHMO

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I agree with you. Cucina is my least favorite of Carnival's for-a-fee restaurants. I enjoy Cucina's lasagna at lunch which has no fee, but did not think their other lunch offerings were anything to brag about, and I tried Cucina for supper for-a-fee and wasn't at all impressed.

[BoDidly]

Never has been something I look forward to. Most of the time I tried it it was found to be sub par to what is considered Italian food.

[horsegal]

We love it for lunch but have never tried dinner. We really like the MDR food so don't see the need to pay for dinner at any of the upcharge places.

 

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[jimbo5544]

I liked the steak which I ordered on our second visit. Not a fan of any of the "Italian" selections. I did enjoy the risotto balls, proving food is subjective.

 

 

 

I don't think they offer the steak anymore in Cucina.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

Never has been something I look forward to. Most of the time I tried it it was found to be sub par to what is considered Italian food.

 

 

 

We found it OK, to be honest, thoughts the apps were better than the meals. That said, we sometimes do it and sometimes not. I have never really understood the comparison to land based Italian restaurants. Ship food rarely beats really good land based foods, especially specialty food.

 

 

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[BoDidly]

We found it OK, to be honest, thoughts the apps were better than the meals. That said, we sometimes do it and sometimes not. I have never really understood the comparison to land based Italian restaurants. Ship food rarely beats really good land based foods, especially specialty food.

 

 

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I do agree here, it's an acquired taste for sure. I guess some people look "Myself included " for a better taste in ship food . I'm definitely partial for sure to land based restaurants . There's room for improvement on ships.

[funkidd]

Thanks for the comments on cucina. I haven’t ever eaten at the pay for restaurants on the ship except for red frog pub snacks it was ok. I’m pretty satisfied with the mdr. In august we were on a 4 day so no lobster[emoji25]. We decided to buy the surf and turf for extra 20 bucks a plate. I was very disappointed in the size and quality of steak and lobster. I know they are rock lobsters but dang that thing was tiny. I just can’t see paying extra on the ship when the mdr is pretty good to excellent most of the time.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

I do agree here, it's an acquired taste for sure. I guess some people look "Myself included " for a better taste in ship food . I'm definitely partial for sure to land based restaurants . There's room for improvement on ships.

 

 

 

Slightly off topic, we were staying in Anguilla on a land trip and had an Italian restaurant recommended to us. I was very hesitant to try SN Italian restaurant in the Caribbean but we did and it was pretty darn good. When the owner swung by I told him we were from the Northeast where there is petty good Italian food and he said in we from Brooklyn.....

 

 

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