MSC Divina Review- All About Food

MSC is known for their amazing pizza and we are now major fans of it! Above is a delicious breakfast pizza with egg and spinach. Freshly made pizza was offered 20 out of 24 hours daily, with a few new varieties daily, along with standards like plain cheese pizza. A cheeseless pie was also offered daily which was a multi-grain healthier version of traditional pizza. As you can imagine we ate a lot of pizza- with vegetable, pepperoni and white pizza with spinach being favorites of ours. The breakfast pizza was my all time favorite though! However, pizza is certainly not the only food available on the MSC Divina. There is a huge buffet at the aft of the ship on deck 14 with many sections. I had read prior to the cruise that we should be sure to check out every area and all sides of the buffet-which was great advice. The only downside to such a vast buffet is that if you start at one end and circle the entire dining area and then find a seat your food may be a bit cold! We picked a spot to sit and took turns, trying to visit certain areas of the buffet at a time. Now, if you are in a hurry or don't have the patience for this you could just choose an area for your family members to meet up at to sit- like the very back by the children's buffet which tends to be the least crowded. This was a short cruise so we only got to dine in the buffet for a few lunches and one breakfast, but everything we had was really tasty! Here is a rundown of some of what we encountered at the buffet:
Lunch- An ethnic section was in the back area of the buffet and featured a different theme of ethnic cuisine daily. My husband and son enjoyed the Indian foods one day and another day they featured Mexican cuisine. There are several areas of the buffet dedicated to fruit-both whole fruits and fruit cut up, as well as a mixed fresh fruit salad. A salad bar area was offered and included Mediterranean style toppings. One thing I noticed was the only dressing out that I saw was oil and vinegar. I like blue cheese dressing but since I couldn't find it I went with the traditional oil and vinegar-which was good too. There was a section with many types of cheeses and meats of Italy, as well as olives. An American style area of the buffet in the front part of the venue included a few types of hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries (steak fries and a thinner cut), mini sandwiches and sliders. A carving station with salmon or roast beef was offered, as well as many types of pasta dishes. I liked many of their baked ziti type dishes and my husband and son enjoyed the various meats and cheeses. The children's buffet in the very back of the ship had a pasta each day-like shells with ham and peas as well as fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, carrots and a few other kid friendly foods. The fried shrimp was yummy! There was a sizable station with various breads and rolls, ranging from focaccia to brioche, as well as a dessert area with different pastries and mini brownies, etc. Drink stations for coffee and tea were on each side of the buffet, as well as a self serve area for water, ice tea, lemonade and low calorie fruit water. There was also a bar where you could get wine, beer, water (bottled) and soda, which was for a charge. Since we had the "104" All Inclusive package we got bottles of water and sodas easily. There are servers walking around too and they are happy to take your order for a drink from the bar. Just look for an employee carrying a tray and wave them over. The buffet can get really busy so if you are a person who does not like crowds you should plan to go earlier to ensure a hassle free meal. 

Breakfast-Omelettes made to order, eggs made to order, scrambled eggs, various breakfast meats and yummy breakfast pizza could be found at the buffet. The ethnic area had miso soup and sticky rice. Lots of breakfast pastries and bread were offered, as well as cereals, oatmeal, casserole, quiche, juice and breakfast potatoes. One thing we found was that while we loved the hasbrowns from the dining room, for breakfast at the buffet they were not as good and seemed oily and less crispy. 
We did not experience the dinner buffet but other folks told me it was similar to the lunch offerings and was quite tasty. Late night snacks were available also, with pizza being the star of the buffet. Cookies, desserts, salads, burgers and fries rounded out the late evening goodies at the buffet.
We dined in the main dining room for breakfast a few times and lunch as well. Here is what we found and liked in the main dining room:
The Black Crab was the dining venue for breakfast and lunch daily, although hours were limited. Breakfast was about 2-2/12 hours (6:30-8:30 for example) and lunch was typically from noon to 1:30. The breakfast service was good and different servers brought trays of juice to choose from and dedicated servers brought around coffee and tea. I never once found a server who was unwilling to help with a smile and good attitude! :) We tried the waffles, which look like they are not really cooked but they are actually hot, soft and delicious. The omelettes were customizable and they got our order correct each time. My son enjoyed herring and kippers, which are unique breakfast items for sure. The hashbrowns in the main dining room for breakfast are fabulous-they were super crispy and really delicious. 

Lunch in the main dining room was nice- although I wish a larger menu was offered. There were some different appetizers, soups and salads available, as well as pasta dishes and desserts. We did ask servers to get us soda and bottled water from the bar and they pleasantly helped-even if they were not our actual waiter. The staff seemed to work together really well and I appreciate how they worked as a team to help the guests, and one another out. 
Dinner was a good experience in the dining room, although it was not what we expected. We had asked for the first seating as Fantastica guests, and to be seated on our own. We did get the 5:30 seating in Villa De Rosa, but we were seated at a table for 8. We asked about getting a smaller table for just us, as this is what we have been used to on Norwegian the past two years, but the Maitre d' expressed firmly that the ship was full and he could not help us. So, we decided to go with the flow and eat at our assigned table. Our waiters were really great though- and we did end up meeting some lovely people-even a young man who is around my son's age and lives in central Florida like us! It's a small world for sure! :) The menu each night featured really flavorful Italian classics- if you want to love your meal choose one of their pasta dishes! The Hoki fish I had one night was really good, and my husband and son thought the calamari was outstanding. The pad thai my guys ordered one evening was really more of a pasta primavera, so they were a bit disappointed there. Some things on the menu were odd-such as the cold pumpkin soup with ginger crumbles I had as an appetizer one night-the Fourth of July to be exact. It was really a seasonal Fall favorite but as weird as it was I did like it. A few classic choices were entrees offered nightly, like chicken breast with baked potato. The standout dessert for us one night was the cannoli- the best cannoli we have ever had to be sure. My husband enjoyed the nightly sorbet offered-with lemon and peach being the flavors he tried. There was also a few flavors of their famous gelato offered in the main dining room each evening. 

Gelato, ice cream and pastries were available to purchase at the pool deck gelato bar and at one of their specialty pastry areas on the ship. I also noticed many of the bars, which served espresso and coffee, as well as soda, water and alcoholic/non alcoholic beverages had small pastries out on trays in the morning and cookies in the afternoon. So, if you wanted a light breakfast of espresso and a croissant or danish you could visit the Divina bar in the morning to get it. We did not get to try any of the specialty venues, although we have another cruise on the Divina booked for December so we are hoping to try one then. 
Signs regarding gluten free options in the buffet and on the menu were prevalent-so if you are looking to dine on gluten free foods this cruiseline is very helpful. I do wish they had signs in the buffet indicating what meat was in their dishes-especially pasta. I did ask an employee one day at lunch what meat was in the "Meat and Pasta" dish and he told me politely he would find out. He went to the kitchen and got back to me in less than a minute telling me it was ground beef. I appreciated his swift and friendly service. Perhaps MSC could label their signs with what meat was in dishes, as not everyone who eats beef also eats pork. Kosher items were also labeled in the buffet.
Do you have any questions about the food? If so please post your question and I will be happy to answer it if I can. :)