Marella Discovery Cruise Ship Review – Food and Dining Options

Where can I eat on the Marella Discovery Cruise Ship?

We love our food and this post shows you what types of food and dining options are available on board, and what is actually included in the all inclusive price. After spending two weeks on the Marella Discovery cruise ship cruising around Norway Seeking the Northern Lights we certainly ate a lot!

When you have read this post, you should check out our post all about Speciality Dining on the Marella Discovery and also our posts and videos all about Marella’s newest ship the Marella Voyager!

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Main Dining Room 47° Deck 4

On deck 4 you will find the main dining room 47, a stunning area with floor to ceiling windows enabling fabulous views.

Open from 07:30-09:30 for breakfast, 1200-1400 for lunch and dinner from 18:00-21:00, Marella cruises offer anytime dining. Passengers are seated on a first come first served basis, or given a pager if you want a specific table or not wanting to share with others passengers. We did this on many occasions and only had to wait for approximately 20 minutes, this system worked really well.

The menu was different every night and there was always something for everyone in our party. Here are some examples of the menus –

Table number 145 was our table of choice because there was plenty of room around it and easy access for Paul’s Dad John on his mobility scooter. During our two week cruise we enjoyed some excellent meals in 47 restaurant.

The service we received through out this restaurant from booking in to fun banter with the Maitre’d was excellent and our waiters Christian and Dara were great fun too.

Gallery 47° Italian Restaurant on Deck 5

On deck 5 is the upper tier of the 47 restaurant and this restaurant specialises in Italian cuisine. Open from 18:30-21:30 this restaurant is included in the price and works on the same principles as 47 restaurant on the deck below.

There are two different menus here that alternate throughout the cruise so make sure you pick your nights so you can sample both menu’s.

We ate here and the food was excellent too, fabulous menu with some classic Italian Dishes, would thoroughly recommend!

Islands Buffet Restaurant on Deck 9

There really is something for every taste in the Islands buffet. Open for breakfast from 06:30 for continental then full breakfast from 07:00-11:00 choices with proper British bacon which we love, sausages, egg and omelette station, waffles, pancakes and cereals, plus tea and coffee and juice stations.

For lunch between 11:30-15:00 and dinner 18:00-21:30 you really are spoiled for choice in the Islands buffet. From carvery meats, curries, chillies, salad’s, cheeses and some delicious soups with fresh bread. There is also a gluten free section and if you fancy an alcoholic drink with your food then there is a self service station with beer, cider and wine on tap.

Deserts were pretty impressive too with a hot dish such as crumble or pie with custard available and also a lovely daily selection of cakes.

Every day from 15:00-17:00 afternoon tea is served with a large selection of finger sandwiches, hot sausage rolls and of course scones with clotted cream and jam.

Apart from the food our favourite thing about the Islands Buffet Restaurant were the views, positioned right at the front of the ship it is a perfect position.

The Snack Shack on deck 9

The Snack Shack is open from 1100 – 1800 and serves fish and chips, chicken wings, and burgers, and must say all the snacks were excellent.

It also has a selection of sandwiches, salads and cookies to take away if you are heading ashore or on an excursion. We stupidly forgot this and on our excursion in Norway whilst everyone was eating their snacks, we were hungry and bought 2 packets of crisps which cost £9 so don’t forget yours!

The Snack Shack is mostly under cover but can get a bit breezy if you are cruising somewhere cold but if this is the case just get your food and head to the Glasshouse which is very close by.

The Glass House on deck 9

The Glass house boasts an indoor pool with lots of sunbeds which is ideal for a winter cruise. Its also a excellent place to go if you just want some peace and quiet or to read your book and generally relax with spectacular views like the Islands Buffet.

From 11:00-18:00 you can get light snacks and salads here and there is a coffee and tea station too. From 18:30 it opens into a Tapas and Pizza restaurant with waiter service, there is no charge for the tapas menu but there is a cover charge for the hot stone menu.

We had a fabulous meal here, the tapas and pizza were both excellent plus the starters of meat and cheese plates also really hit the spot.

The sharing platters were superb, we couldn’t fault the tapas and the service was exceptional.

This is the place for late night snacks with a small selection of hot and cold food being served from 21:00-01:00.

All the above restaurants and food are included in the price of the cruise, however there are some speciality restaurants where you pay extra.

On deck 11 there are The Surf and Turf Steakhouse, the Kora La, and the Sushi bar, all open between 18:00-21:30. We have reviewed the speciality restaurants in this post here – Marella Speciality Restaurants

In the two weeks we spent on the Marella Discovery, we ate very well. The restaurants that were available and all included in the price were excellent.

We hope you have found our Marella Discovery Cruise Ship Food and Restaurant Review helpful, now read all about Speciality Dining on the Marella Discovery!

Do read our other reviews below or click here for more information about Marella Cruises or go to their website to book your cruise now!

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