Say the word “cruise”, and I don’t think of the islands, I immediately think of what I ate!
Food always brings back memories for me – the taste, the smell, the styling of the plate, the company with whom I dined. This obsession with food probably explains why I always take so many photos of my meals (yes I’m one of THOSE people).
I thought I’d share just what hubby and I ate as we sailed through the Caribbean on a 7-day sailing aboard the MSC Divina cruise ship. Just a note but I didn’t photograph everything I ate! These are just the highlights.
NOTE: This post is from 2014. I sailed on MSC Divina again on Dec 19, 2015, and have written an updated MSC Divina food review. But as a word of caution things have changed dramatically in my opinion.
Read: MSC Divina Cruise Ship Dining Review – An Update
MSC Divina Day 1
- Angus Beef Steak (Black Angus top sirloin grilled to order, with Béarnaise or green peppercorn sauce, baked potato and grilled tomato)
- Herbed Rack of Lamb (served with oven-roasted red bliss potato wedges, tomatoes, bell peppers and zucchini sautéed with olive oil)
MSC Divina Day 2
- Ravioli di Zucca (stuffed with pumpkin, candied fruit and amaretti sautéed in brown butter, sage and Parmesan) I’m not going to lie, everyone at the table had 2 servings)
- Risotto ai Porcini (Arborio rice creamed with Parmesan cheese and flavoured with truffle oil)
- Herbed Rack of Lamb (with potatoes and broiled asparagus)
- Broiled Atlantic Salmon Filet (with boiled potato and zucchini)
MSC Divina Day 3
Eataly Steakhouse Specialty Restaurant
There are a few speciality dining areas on the ship. One of the popular MSC Divina restaurants is Eataly, created by the famous chefs Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich. Eataly is an Italian speciality supermarket and restaurant all in one. Similar in concept to the restaurant on land of the same name with locations in Italy, Japan, Dubai, Istanbul, Chicago and New York.
The atmosphere was relaxed and quite nice, with wood table tops covered in paper and clear acrylic chairs (which I found to be stylish but rickety and uncomfortable). The service was attentive yet relaxed, and not rushed, and we quite enjoyed our time dining and chatting with new friends, fellow blogger Holly of The Culture Tripper and her husband, Brian.
As expected the food is presented beautifully, I especially liked how the bread was served in little paper bags, but I was a bit surprised that the restaurant was à la carte as usually speciality restaurants on cruise ships are prix fix.
We dined on the following:
- Caesar Salad ($8)
- Rack of Lamb ($15)
- 8.5 ounce Sirloin Steak ($25)
- Vegetable Side dishes ($3 each)
- Bombolone (similar to a donut but filled with pastry cream)
Tip: As side dishes are separate don’t do as we did and both order potatoes. The portion is large and you’d be better off ordering different items.
The food was excellent; the Caesar was crisp, fresh and perfectly dressed, the steak and lamb were both perfectly cooked as requested and the Bombolone….well, let me just say that I could have eaten a few of these babies – they were that good! Light, fluffy, not overly sweet – quite heavenly.
MSC Divina Day 4
- Piccatine di Pollo al Marsala (chicken escalopes flavoured with Marsala wine, served with buttered angel hair pasta and grilled vegetables)
- Ossobuco alla Milanese in Gremolata (braised veal shank with saffron risotto and buttered carrots and peas)
- Tiramisù (ladyfingers soaked in coffee, layered with Mascarpone cream and sprinkled with bitter cocoa powder)
MSC Divina Day 5
- Tagliatelle al Ragù di Porcini (in Porcini mushroom and veal sauce flavoured with Chianti wine)
- Costata di Manzo alla Mediterranea (oven-roasted prime rib marinated in thyme, with baked potato, broccoli and confit cherry tomato)
- (sorry I didn’t get the name of these 2 desserts)
MSC Divina Day 6
- Shrimp and Avocado Salad (with American Sauce)
- Porcini Mushroom sautéed with Garlic and Parsley (served with crispy puff pastry)
- Filet of Beef (served with truffled Port wine sauce, sautéed string beans and roasted red bliss potatoes
- Broiled Atlantic Lobster Tail (with Duchesse potatoes, grilled asparagus, melted butter and lemon)
MSC Divina Day 7
- Penne alla Carbonara (in a creamy egg sauce with parsley and crispy bacon)
- Grilled Beef Striploin Steak (with oven-roasted herb potatoes, fried onion rings and coleslaw)
- Torta Caprese (Italian-style chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream)
Hope you enjoyed this MSC Divina food review and photo essay as much as I enjoyed eating and photographing the dishes…
For other cruise food reviews check out these articles:
– Cruise Ship Specialty Dining – Caribbean Princess Crown Grill
– 5 Days 5 Dinners — Caribbean Princess Dining Review
Beautiful pictures! I’m only seeing this now for the first time (January 2017). I’ll be heading back onboard the Divina in March (second time) and your post makes me even more excited. If I may make one correction: Batali/Bastianich didn’t start Eataly. They merely partnered with Oscar Farinetti to bring it to the States, just like the Westons will be partnering to bring it to Canada.
So. I’m on the Divina as I write this. I have to agree that the food has taken a decided turn for the worse. There was absolutely no gremolata on my Osso buco last night (just a half litre of brown gravy). As for the tiramisu, it reminded me of a cake that you’d get in the freezer section at Loblaws!
The food looks absolutely delicious! One question – was Eataly the only speciality restaurant covered here? Is it mainly food from the ship’s main dining room?
Thorougly enjoyed your review and food essay – looking forward to our cruise in May 2015, western Mediterranean from Rome. Thank you for sharing your cullinary experience!
Thanks so much for dropping by Muriel! Yes, all the photos are from the main dining room with the exception of Eataly. There are other specialty restaurants but we didn’t have the opportunity to dine at them. Make sure you try out the many pizzas, pastas and desserts in the buffet area also. Food was great. Enjoy the Med. and the Divina!
Well, it looks like you ate well! We like cruising (especially smaller luxury or adventure-focussed ships). The only problem is we really have to stay active to counteract the food :-). So did you take the stairs (and forget the elevator)? That’s one popular cruising trick to negating some of the extra calories consumed.
Abssolutely, skipping the elevator and doing the stairs is the key to not gaining a lot of weight during a cruise.
You had me at Eataly! I love good cruise food… I still haven’t worked mine off from our Celebrity cruise in April!
The pasta looks incredible!! And at least you got to eat some vegetables – looks like there’s a lot of grilled asparagus – that surely counteracted all the dessert!
Wow! Who knew cruises served such delicious food?! Certainly not on the ones I’ve been on! Looks like the MSC is the one to beat :)
Yes, I have to say the food was quite good. I didn’t detail the buffet at all but let me tell you that there were about 5 different types of pasta AND pizza daily. So definitely lots to choose from. Thanks Phoebe for stopping by.
I loved sharing the Eataly dinner with you. It was divine and your post helped me relive the meal!
This looks soooo good! We have spent some time on cruises as well and the food is always spectacular! I don’t know how they do it :-)
I totally agree with you Dan, I always wonder how they successfully feed thousands of people for each meal! Especially when I have a stressful time cooking for a dinner party! As they say – “like a well-run ship”!
That food looks amazing. Now I’m starving for either an Angus steak or rack of lamb… and it’s only 8:15 in the morning.
Thanks for sharing Mary. I’ve always imagined what the food would be like on a cruise, and now I have an idea.
I keep telling you Martin – you’ve got to try one sooner or later and once you do – you’ll be hooked!