American Cruiser in the Mediterranean MSC Sinfonia

[KyloRen]

I don’t want to look like the fat and greedy American here.. but I’ll be sailing MSC for the first time (7 day Mediterranean Aug 22- Sept 02) and I am quite curious about a few things food wise that I’ve seen or done on other cruises.

 

1. Does  MSC do half portions of main entrees? I really get FOMO from not getting a little bit of everything. 
 

2. Do main entree items show up at the buffet? 
 

3. Do the buffet stay open late? 
 

4. Does MSC have chefs table?

 

 Thank you so much all!
 

 

 

Edited July 16, 2023 by KyloRen

[Kevin79]

1 - no, but doesn't stop you ordering multiple. I'd often order a salad from the starters with my main. Also had two mains on one occasion,

2 - I have seen this, but not always and not all dishes

3 - Yes, buffet open circa 21 hours per day.

4 - Yes within the specialty restaurant section on some ships. If you've already placed your booking, log in and take a look at the specialty restaurants to see if it's available on your ship.

[4sallypat]

@Kylo Ren

We just returned from sailing the MSC Sinfonia last month and loved it.

Which port are you embarking at ?

 

MDR portions are small and just right - makes it easy to order additional appetizers, salads, entrees and my favorite risottos at dinner.

 

We dined in the MDR most of all our meals onboard.  Avoid the buffet - they are a zoo!

 

MDR entrees may show up similar in the buffet but not the same as the portions in the trays are huge. Usually the breakfast and lunch items are more commonly seen in the buffet.

 

Buffet does not stay open 24 hours - they have closing times (2am-6am and in-between lunch & dinner). 

For night owls, they have midnight bites that opens at midnight for a few hours.

 

I loved the afternoon tea at 4pm just before buffet dinner started.

Reminded me of the English style of high tea but on an Italian ship.

 

No chef's table - no speciality restaurants on MSC Sinfonia (Lirica class = smallest, oldest ships in the fleet).

 

Pizza bar is open lunch thru midnight.  I loved it that when I asked for a cheeseless pizza they made it !

 

On the Mares outdoor bar, on the side, they would host special menu item made in front of you:

Limoncello bar

Pastry cake bar

Pasta bar

 

My review posted here:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=373

Edited July 16, 2023 by 4sallypat
OP

[Nunagoras]

9 hours ago, KyloRen said:

I don’t want to look like the fat and greedy American here.. but I’ll be sailing MSC for the first time (7 day Mediterranean Aug 22- Sept 02) and I am quite curious about a few things food wise that I’ve seen or done on other cruises. - Wonderful, you'll come to the right place. The Sinfomia is one of the oldest and smallest ships in fleet, but that could be great once it becomes somewhat more intimate.

 

1. Does  MSC do half portions of main entrees? I really get FOMO from not getting a little bit of everything. - As on anything MSC related, they may do in different ways ship by ship, region by region, to not say sailing by sailing. Yes, generally they're able to give you starter portions of anything else or make a main course to be a starter or such. Bear in mind though that by the norm, MSC portions are generally smaller than on the more American lines ones, so you'll be great asking for something more if you so wish.
 

2. Do main entree items show up at the buffet? - Generally no. The buffet has its own scheduled dishes. Sometimes you'll see some leftover MDR desserts later at buffet though, but that is not guaranteed. Bear also in mind that us Europeans like to make dinner at holidays to be such a social sharing experience with the wonderful conversation alongside the nice food sharing. By default, at least here in the Med, the buffet will though be seen as sort of your last opportunity to eat if you haven't followed your MDR allotment time, so generally poorer than the ones on their US competitors.
 

3. Do the buffet stay open late? - Pizza always available from mid day to 1AM. Buffet will have some closures. They used to have a late night snack time, but I never went to see what it consisted of.
 

4. Does MSC have chefs table? - No.

 

 Thank you so much all!
 

 

 

 

[KyloRen]

10 hours ago, 4sallypat said:

@Kylo Ren

We just returned from sailing the MSC Sinfonia last month and loved it.

Which port are you embarking at ?

 

MDR portions are small and just right - makes it easy to order additional appetizers, salads, entrees and my favorite risottos at dinner.

 

We dined in the MDR most of all our meals onboard.  Avoid the buffet - they are a zoo!

 

MDR entrees may show up similar in the buffet but not the same as the portions in the trays are huge. Usually the breakfast and lunch items are more commonly seen in the buffet.

 

Buffet does not stay open 24 hours - they have closing times (2am-6am and in-between lunch & dinner). 

For night owls, they have midnight bites that opens at midnight for a few hours.

 

I loved the afternoon tea at 4pm just before buffet dinner started.

Reminded me of the English style of high tea but on an Italian ship.

 

No chef's table - no speciality restaurants on MSC Sinfonia (Lirica class = smallest, oldest ships in the fleet).

 

Pizza bar is open lunch thru midnight.  I loved it that when I asked for a cheeseless pizza they made it !

 

On the Mares outdoor bar, on the side, they would host special menu item made in front of you:

Limoncello bar

Pastry cake bar

Pasta bar

 

My review posted here:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=373

 

I LOVEEEEE THIS! I cant wait to read your review! I am sailing out of Split, Croatia, We are headed to two stops in Italy and two in Greece.

 

I'm the least picky person ever. (but also LOVE high end food) and these pictures look GREAT!

 

I'm a Carnival cruiser mostly so my expectations are not high..( I like the food on Carnival) I always think the MDR food on Carnival is to large so that's GREAT to hear about the portions. I just dont wanna look like the fat Americana ordering half the menu. But hell, when in Rome!?

 

I've heard the pizza is prenominal. Cant wait to dig into numerous slices. 

 

I'm going to be upgrading my drink package from Plus to the premium version I realized on the last Princess Cruise I was on just how much better the "good" cocktails were.

 

OH MY GOSH THEY HAVE AFTERNOON TEA?! Yesss!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2023 by KyloRen

[rikitikitavii]

19 hours ago, KyloRen said:

I don’t want to look like the fat and greedy American here.. but I’ll be sailing MSC for the first time (7 day Mediterranean Aug 22- Sept 02) and I am quite curious about a few things food wise that I’ve seen or done on other cruises.

 

1. Does  MSC do half portions of main entrees? I really get FOMO from not getting a little bit of everything. 
 

2. Do main entree items show up at the buffet? 
 

3. Do the buffet stay open late? 
 

4. Does MSC have chefs table?

 

 Thank you so much all!
 

 

 

We sailed Sinfonia, April 2019 on a 12 night cruise. The Irish Pub served a limited menu selection, best of my memory, it was sandwiches and such.

[Nunagoras]

8 hours ago, KyloRen said:

I'm a Carnival cruiser mostly so my expectations are not high..

If you enjoy Carnival, you'll likely to enjoy MSC more, unless a party ship is really your cup of tea. It's sort of a more refined environment and slightly higher hotel standards at solid 4* while Carnival would be solid 3.5*. No party line!... I'd describe MSC as being such an X/Princess lite, while Carnival with due respect would be Ibis at sea, if you have traveled with one of those companies you'll understand . Classic style cruise ships with an Italian flavor at an affordable price point.

 

Their afternoon tea is not that fancy about. They'll have some tea, some scones and some assorted pastries to go with in the buffet. Nothing like a classic Afternoon Tea you'd find on specialty places on the newer ships.

[4sallypat]

13 hours ago, KyloRen said:

 

I LOVEEEEE THIS! I cant wait to read your review! I am sailing out of Split, Croatia, We are headed to two stops in Italy and two in Greece.

 

I'm the least picky person ever. (but also LOVE high end food) and these pictures look GREAT!

 

I'm a Carnival cruiser mostly so my expectations are not high..( I like the food on Carnival) I always think the MDR food on Carnival is to large so that's GREAT to hear about the portions. I just dont wanna look like the fat Americana ordering half the menu. But hell, when in Rome!?

 

I've heard the pizza is prenominal. Cant wait to dig into numerous slices. 

 

I'm going to be upgrading my drink package from Plus to the premium version I realized on the last Princess Cruise I was on just how much better the "good" cocktails were.

 

OH MY GOSH THEY HAVE AFTERNOON TEA?! Yesss!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Split is a great port to embark - no boat tenders and not a busy port to start from. 

You will have the ship to yourselves almost all day as everyone else is off the ship exploring the town.

 

Beware that your next stop in Venice, you will need to take your passports (never needed it at other ports) and the boat tender times are longest plus you will need to buy water taxi tickets ahead of time. Ship docks off Marghera island (commercial shipping port) and takes 20 minutes by boat to get to Venice city center. Returning though it may take over an hour as you have to take one water taxi to the MSC embarkation island and join tons of cruisers starting their cruise.  Be prepared to be checked by Italian immigration, passport controls, TSA scanning of your belongings, metal detectors, and re-board another water taxi to your ship.  Then the huge line of water taxis waiting to line up with the single water dock took a long time.

 

IMPORTANT: Make sure you arrive in Split at least 1 day prior to your cruise date.

Reason: some flights are delayed / cancelled this summer due to crew shortages, airplane issues, weather, and technical issues. 

We got delayed a whole day due to a lack of crew on our 2nd leg being cancelled. Luckily, I planned 2 days prior arrival for such an event and it paid off as we arrived at our embarkation port in Athens, Greece 1 day prior.  

I am still waiting for a large compensation check from British Airways under UK261 for the cancelled flight.

We did however enjoy an unplanned day touring London...

 

As for the drink package, make sure you understand to break even, you must order at least 5-6 drinks per day even on port days where you will be off the ship most of the day.

 

I ended up not getting the drinks package because I am a light drinker and only one in our group that consumes alcohol.  Even paying per drink on board, the entire week I paid €190 for alcohol plus whatever I paid at port cities.  Saved me €700 ($800 USD) by not having to buy 2 drink packages.

 

Venice port city:

 

Wife bought $3000 handbag from LV in Venice for $2000 (costs less in Europe and you get the 18% VAT tax refunded):

 

Short video on the water taxi from the island to Venice city port:

Edited July 17, 2023 by 4sallypat
photo posts

[patrice1]

I just went on a 4 day Med cruise on Orchestra, the same class as Sinfonia. I have lived in Lisbon for 5 years now, so I am more used to "European" ways. I loved the smaller portions on the ship, the pizza was great, the specialty restaurant was a sushi restaurant and it was amazing. We were also a Carnival cruisers when we lived in the states and am definitely not into to partying and I found the ship to be a lovely size and vibe.What I really loved was that every bar had a very popular giant espresso machine for cappuccinos and other coffees which were included in the premium drink package. If you're a coffee drinker, you could easily spend your drink package getting drinks AND coffee - good coffee! (My particular vice was a cappuccino and Amaretto!) It was my first solo cruise (lost hubby a few years ago), my first Med cruise and my first MSC cruise and I will be doing it all again in 2024. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[sealynx]

11 hours ago, patrice1 said:

I just went on a 4 day Med cruise on Orchestra, the same class as Sinfonia.

 

Nope, different class. Sinfonia shares class with Opera, Lirica and Armonia. Orchestra is actually part of the class with Musica, Poesi and Magnifica. The latter a approximately 1/3 larger than the former.

[4sallypat]

5 hours ago, sealynx said:

Nope, different class. Sinfonia shares class with Opera, Lirica and Armonia. Orchestra is actually part of the class with Musica, Poesi and Magnifica. The latter a approximately 1/3 larger than the former.

What is the MSC Bellissima category fall into ?

 

I am looking at a fall or next spring cruise in Japan / Korea / Taiwan.

[patrice1]

10 hours ago, sealynx said:

Nope, different class. Sinfonia shares class with Opera, Lirica and Armonia. Orchestra is actually part of the class with Musica, Poesi and Magnifica. The latter a approximately 1/3 larger than the former.

Oops, my bad. Everything else is true, tho! 😁

[CruisingFox27]

8 hours ago, 4sallypat said:

What is the MSC Bellissima category fall into ?

 

I am looking at a fall or next spring cruise in Japan / Korea / Taiwan.

Bellissima is a Meraviglia class ship.