MSC Seashore Just Added Two New Free Dining Spots

MSC Seashore guests now have two more places to grab a meal without paying extra, and both additions are aimed at casual, outdoor dining rather than formal cruise ship meals.

MSC Cruises has added The Chicken Man on Deck 18 and Red Cactus BBQ & Ribs on Deck 8. Both are complimentary grab-and-go venues that were installed during MSC Seashore’s recent dry dock before the ship returned to service from Port Canaveral.

For guests, the big point is simple: these aren’t specialty restaurants with an extra cover charge. They’re included dining options, giving passengers more choice when they want something quick near the pool or outdoor areas.

The Chicken Man sits on the main pool deck, while Red Cactus BBQ & Ribs is near the aft infinity pool, with shaded seating available nearby for both. On warm-weather sailings, that kind of setup can make lunch feel much easier, especially when nobody wants to leave the sunshine for a full sit-down meal.

The Chicken Man Brings Poolside Chicken to Deck 18

The Chicken Man is likely to be the easier of the two new venues to understand at a glance. It’s chicken, it’s casual, and it’s right by the main pool deck.

The walk-up counter serves chicken tenders and chicken sandwiches, with fries and dipping sauces rounding out the menu. With shaded seating nearby, it should be a simple option for families, pool-day snackers, and anyone who wants something familiar without taking much time away from the sun.

The location is the real win here. Deck 18 is one of the ship’s busiest outdoor areas, so putting a casual chicken spot there gives guests a convenient option when they’re already spending time nearby.

Anyone who has ever tried to leave a pool lounger “just for a quick bite” knows how quickly that can turn into a ship-wide mission. You grab shoes, find your cover-up, locate the buffet, circle for a table, and before you know it, your quick bite has turned into a full detour.

The Chicken Man should help avoid at least some of that. It’s not trying to be fancy, and that’s probably the point.

Red Cactus BBQ & Ribs Adds Breakfast and Lunch Options

Red Cactus BBQ & Ribs brings a broader menu to MSC Seashore, and it may end up being the more interesting of the two new additions.

The venue is located on Deck 8 near the aft infinity pool, giving guests another outdoor dining choice away from the main pool deck. It serves breakfast and lunch, with shaded seating nearby for guests who want to keep things casual.

At breakfast, guests can expect items such as barbecue burritos, pulled pork hash, eggs, country grits, and biscuits. That’s a more filling start to the day than a quick pastry and coffee, especially for anyone heading into a port day.

At lunch, the menu shifts into classic barbecue territory. Options include pulled pork, barbecue chicken, beef brisket, pork ribs, and sausage. Sides include burnt end mac and cheese, baked beans, and buttermilk coleslaw.

Guests can also finish with banana pudding or cookie pecan butter pie, which feels like a nice touch after a heavier barbecue lunch.

Because it serves both breakfast and lunch, it feels more like a full casual dining option than a simple snack counter. Guests can still keep things quick, but the menu gives them another proper meal choice without needing to book specialty dining or wait for a longer sit-down service.

The venue also has two service lines, which should help move guests through more quickly during busy meal times. On a cruise ship, anything that helps reduce the lunch rush is worth noting.

MSC Says Guests Want More Dining Choice

MSC Cruises framed the new venues as part of a wider focus on giving guests more variety and convenience onboard.

Bernhard Stacher, Senior Vice President Shipboard Hospitality Operations at MSC Cruises, said, “Our guests consistently tell us they value having a wide choice of dining available.”

That short quote gets to the heart of the update. Cruise passengers don’t just want one big dining room, one buffet, and a handful of extra-fee restaurants anymore. On modern ships, many guests expect dining to be spread around the vessel, with easy options that fit different parts of the day.

For MSC Seashore, these additions also feel well-matched to its Florida sailings. Guests cruising from Port Canaveral often compare MSC with other major lines sailing from the same region, where casual included dining has become a major part of the onboard experience.

More free food choices won’t make or break a cruise on their own, but they can make daily life onboard feel easier. That’s especially true on sea days, when everyone seems to get hungry at the exact same time.

What Else Is Available on MSC Seashore

The new venues join MSC Seashore’s existing dining lineup, which already includes several specialty restaurants.

Guests can dine at Butcher’s Cut, MSC Cruises’ steakhouse, or head to Hola! Tacos and Cantina for Mexican-inspired dishes. The ship also has Kaito Sushi Bar, Kaito Teppanyaki, and Ocean Cay Restaurant, which focuses on seafood.

Those specialty venues are separate from the new complimentary grab-and-go options, but they help show how broad MSC Seashore’s dining setup has become.

MSC Seashore also has 18 bars and lounges, giving guests plenty of places to get a drink before dinner, after a show, or while pretending they’re “just passing through” and definitely not planning to stop for another cocktail.

The new food spots don’t replace the ship’s existing dining. They simply add more flexibility, especially for guests who prefer quick, casual meals during the day.

Where MSC Seashore Is Sailing

MSC Seashore is currently sailing from Port Canaveral, one of the busiest cruise ports in the United States.

The ship is offering 3- and 4-night Bahamas cruises, including calls at Nassau and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the cruise line’s private island destination. Some 4-night sailings also include an overnight call at Ocean Cay.

MSC Seashore is also sailing 7-night Western Caribbean itineraries visiting ports such as Cozumel, Costa Maya, Nassau, and Ocean Cay.

That mix of short and weeklong cruises makes the new dining venues useful for different types of guests. On a shorter sailing, passengers often try to fit in as much as possible, so quick dining can be especially helpful. On a longer cruise, extra variety becomes more noticeable as the days go on.

Either way, the update gives MSC Seashore guests two more included dining choices in places they’re likely to spend time anyway.

For cruisers sailing from Port Canaveral this summer, that means more chicken, barbecue, shade, and fewer reasons to make lunch harder than it needs to be.

Related read: The 5 Reasons Behind MSC Cruises’ Low Prices

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