MSC Seascape Dining Packages & Specialty Restaurants: Don’t Buy Into It. Spending More Doesn’t Always Improve Your Experience

We recently had the opportunity to try several specialty restaurants as part of the MSC Seascape dining packages. These restaurants are not included in your cruise fare and come at an extra cost. One question we always ask ourselves when paying for an upgraded experience is, was it worth it?

One way cruise lines attempt to increase earnings is by offering specialty restaurants for an upgrade fee. Certainly if you eat in the main “free” dining room, you won’t go hungry. Frequently cruise packages will include a free specialty dining experience but cruise ships with multiple up charge restaurants usually will offer a variety of dining package with a set number of restaurants at a reduced rate.

THE MSC SEASCAPE DINING PACKAGES

When booking the MSC Seascape I was offered the dining Trilogy at a discount for purchasing in advance. It was $100 pp vs $110 pp onboard and includes 3 specific restaurants: Ocean Cay, Hola! Tacos & Cantina, and Butcher’s Cut. However different packages can be purchased while on board including The Duo with Butcher’s Cut and Kaito Teppanyaki for $99 pp and The Finest Four which includes all up charge restaurants minus the sushi restaurant for $155 pp. They are also offering an “island sunset dinner for 2” at Butcher’s Cut for $99 including a bottle of wine and fixed meal with shareable appetizers.

OTHER SPECIALS

During the cruise there will be many specials. For instance on the first sea day the sushi bar (charged per roll based on plate color) offered all you can eat for $33 pp. And if you’re willing to give up dinner in the main dining on formal night (Filet Mignon and lobster tail), you can get get 20% off hibachi with a free bottle of wine. This deal came up again later in the cruise.

These offers will likely vary and evolve over time. If you don’t want to purchase a package and would prefer to do only one dining experience, you will find plenty of specials once you’re on the ship. They don’t do a great job of advertising these but there is a hostess available for the specialty restaurants who can give you an idea what will be available and when.

FREE TASTING

An even more interesting option if your on a budget is the tasting. Also not well advertised, we actually stumbled into it as it was being introduced at our favorite bar. It is typically done on the first sea day. They hand out champagne and tell you about the dining packages. You then migrate to the restaurants and have samples at each stop. This is all absolutely free but approach it like a timeshare sale. You’re getting something for free in exchange for them to hard core pitch packages to you.

Interestingly they get incentives for selling packages and one of our waitresses told us she was able to eat in the steakhouse one night recently as reward for selling the most packages the week before.

MAKING RESERVATIONS

You currently can’t make advanced reservations for the specialty restaurants. Hopefully MSC will change that in the future. There is a hostess stand in the specialty restaurant area between Kaito Sushi Bar and Kaito Teppanyaki. I don’t know their exact hours but I always saw someone there when we walked through. We had no problem making our reservations the day we boarded and then changing them a few days later. The hostess will also be able to give your more info regarding main dining theme nights and when discounts or deals may be offered in order to help you plan better.

SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS

Ocean Cay

Ocean Cay is a seafood restaurant. If you don’t eat seafood, you won’t find many options on the menu. Guests using the dining package have a Prix Fixe menu to choose from. Without a dining package, you can still do the Prix Fixe meal for $60 pp which allows you to choose one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert.

For appetizers we ordered the crab cake and fennel salad. Both were good. The fennel salad was different and very fresh tasting. I want to try making it at home at some point.

For entrees we ordered the tuna and black cod. The tuna was cooked correctly and the beet puree was a pretty interesting addition. Unfortunately the cod was not cooked correctly. The skin was not crispy and the fat layer wasn’t rendered down. We brought it to management’s attention but they stood by their cooking methods. She did offer to replace it but I was starting to get full at this point and we still had dessert coming.

Dessert was good but nothing special or unique. We had the cheesecake and creme brulee.

Hola! Tacos & Cantina

This is a casual restaurant offering Mexican street food. The menu is unlimited and you can order as much or little as you want. There are several margaritas on the menu, all priced over the Easy Plus drink package price cap. However, when I expressed my disappointment, our waiter was able to bring us a fantastic “classic” margarita at no charge. There are a variety of salsas, burritos, and tacos to choose from as well as several traditional Mexican desserts. We enjoyed our meal but honestly we would have a hard time paying extra to eat here given our cruise stops in Mexico.

Kaito Teppanyaki and Sushi Bar

The sushi and hibachi areas are separate. While we didn’t eat at Kaito Teppanyaki on our trip, we did sample them during the free tasting. It’s very typical hibachi. I wouldn’t waste valuable vacation dollars here unless you live somewhere where hibachi isn’t available. Conveyor belt sushi is a little less common and if you like sushi and have never done it before, it is a fun experience. Where they seat you can be important however as the people seated closest to where the chefs are working get first dibs on what they put out.

Butcher’s Cut

Butcher’s Cut is a steakhouse. We enjoyed our meal here from start to finish. We opted for outside dining so we could enjoy the sunset over the water. It was pretty romantic. It does get windy outside so if you’re planning to do the same, consider hair and clothing carefully. My dress was plenty long enough not to be an issue but my hair kept flying in my face. Again you can purchase a Prix Fixe menu for $59 or order a la cart.

We really struggled to pick out appetizers here because there are so many great options. We were both tempted by the smoked tomato soup as we sampled it during the free tasting and found it to be delicious. It has a lovely smoky undertone that complements tomatoes well without being overpowering. Ultimately we ordered the bone marrow and deviled eggs. The bone marrow takes a little while so be patient if you order it. But it is totally worth it. It’s rich and indulgent and worth every calorie. The deviled eggs were good too but the bone marrow stole the show.

For entrees we ordered the Filet Mignon and New York Sirloin. Both were cooked perfectly and I loved the board of sauces on the side. We both ordered the banana date cake for dessert. It was easily the best dessert I had all week.

BUT IS IT WORTH IT?

Let’s get back to the value question. Is it worth it? At $100 pp we ate at 3 restaurants, 2 of which were 3 course fine dining. Is it 5 star food? Not all of it but Butcher’s cut meets the mark. If we purchased the Prix Fixe meal from Ocean Cay ($60) and Butcher’s Cut ($59) we would already be over the per person price of the package without even including the more casual restaurant, Hola!.

We find they can be well worth it if the price is fixed. Meals can get quite expensive when you’re paying a la cart. We are of the opinion prices should be lower or subsidized, given cruise fare is food inclusive. However pricing on cruise ships are generally consistent with land based pricing. The biggest issue with these packages is it implies you won’t get a good meal in the main dining room which is absolutely not the case. On the rare occasions we received something we didn’t care for, it was always quickly replaced.

So to answer the question, in our opinion, its only worth it if the meal is better than something you can get back home. Otherwise, save your money. While we didn’t have a bad meal on the dining plan, one experience in particular really stood out. Our meal at Butcher’s Cut was very high quality with creative well done offerings and we will definitely eat there again. The other restaurants, we will pass on i the future.

Have you eaten at any of these specialty restaurants? Did you find the up charge worth it? Comment below.

Be sure to check out my post explaining the drink package as well. Also are you considering staying in Yacht Club? Did you know their dining room menu is different? Check it out here.