We sailed a 2-night cruise on Margaritaville At Sea Paradise and ate in the Main Dining Room for both dinners so we could capture the menus and share our thoughts with you. Let us know in the comments what you would order from the Fins Main Dining Room!
Fins Main Dining Room
There are two seatings for dinner in the Main Dining Room at 5:45pm and 8:00pm; you choose whichever time you’d like to dine and head to Deck 8 aft for your meal at the designated time. The dining room is an expansive space! We were surprised at just how beautiful and modern it is. White tablecloths and linens folded in the shape of fins, bright white lighting, and modern décor really transported us from a 30+ year old ship!
In fact, when we sat down, the waiter came over to place the linen napkins in our lap – such a nice, classy touch. Extra points for Margaritaville At Sea Paradise!
Margaritaville At Sea Night One Menu
The surprises didn’t stop with the design and look of the Main Dining Room! When we got to the restaurant, we were greeted by a digital display board that included the full menu. Once again, we we surprised with all of the options included!
Once seated, our dining room waiter brought over physical menus. It was another nice touch that we’ve seen go away in favor of QR Codes. While we do love having the menu on our phone, having a physical menu created a more upscale feeling in the main dining room – almost like we were dining out at a restaurant on land.
We each ordered multiple appetizers, a single main, and a single dessert. Like other cruise lines, there was an option to upgrade your dinner from the upcharge restaurant “JWB Steakhouse,” however, we chose to stick with the included options for our review.
Margaritaville At Sea Night One Main Dining Room Bread Service and Appetizers
Before the appetizers (or “Opening Act” as Margaritaville At Sea refers to them) were delivered, our assistant waiter Jo came to the table with a variety of breads to choose from. The rolls were fresh, an appetizing color, and delicious, especially dunked in my Jamaican Pumpkin Soup! The raisin bread (not pictured) was dry and not very flavorful. Glad we tried both!
After the bread service, Jo delivered our shared appetizers: the Cuban Croquettes, Jamaican Pumpkin Soup, and the Florida Hush Puppies. While the texture of the Cuban Croquettes was a little mushy, the flavor was fantastic! The soup was HOT and very flavorful (I loved dunking my roll in it), and the “Come Back Sauce” served with the Florida Hush Puppies was a star that I dipped the rest of my food in. Rocky also enjoyed a Caprese Salad. He shared the mozzarella wasn’t as fresh as other salads he’s had in the past, but it was still very tasty.
Margaritaville At Sea Night One Main Dining Room Entrees
Honestly, it was difficult to choose between all of the entrée options on the menu. On other lines, I would likely have tried two dishes, however, Margaritaville At Sea charges a $7 fee for a second entrée. Because we were already filling up, I went with the Vegetarian Thali. Once again, I was surprised when the dish was delivered. The presentation was simply fantastic! And they served the platter with a gulab jamun! If you can’t tell, Night One was chock full of unexpected moments and surprises. Each of the dishes were flavorful and I was very happy with my selection.
One other surprise and delight? I like spicy food and so I asked if I could get a hot sauce or some additional spice. Well, the team over delivered on my expectations bringing me multiple options for my dish: pepper flakes AND fresh jalapeños!
Rocky got the Pineapple Glazed Chicken – a signature dish for the line. He really enjoyed his meal and felt it was a good portion size. He didn’t love that it was on a bone, but still found there to be plenty of chicken to enjoy. The mashed potatoes were also flavorful and complemented the dish nicely. With that said, the star of the dish was definitely the pineapple glaze, It was phenomenal! I actually took a couple bites I liked it so much!
Margaritaville At Sea Night One Main Dining Room Desserts
As you can probably guess, by this point, I was filling up! It was a great first meal with wonderful presentation of the dishes. I was excited to see Cherries Jubilee on the menu as it was one of my favorite dishes in the Yacht Club private restaurant on board MSC. Unfortunately, it must have sat for a while; when it was delivered the ice cream had already mostly melted and the presentation wasn’t nearly as sharp as the rest of the dishes. Also, unlike the Yacht Club, it wasn’t flambéed in front of us… lol 😉
With that said, I very much enjoyed this dish and it was a GREAT end to my first meal on board Margaritaville At Sea Paradise.
Rocky ordered the Classic Brownie. He said it was, “really good!” and that it was moist. He loved the frosting and loved that it was served warm with ice cream. In fact, he liked it so much, he ordered it for dessert on Night Two as well!
Final Thoughts on Night One Main Dining Room
If you can’t tell by now, I was super impressed with our first meal in the main dining room on board Margaritaville At Sea Paradise. From the moment we arrived to the dining room, until the end of the meal, there were multiple surprise and delight moments that really made the experience special. Add on the fact that Jeston and Jo provided outstanding service, I give this first meal 5 ships out of 5 ships. Super impressed!
Margaritaville At Sea Paradise Fins Main Dining Room Night Two Menu
Check out Fins Main Dining Room Night Two Menu (coming soon!) for the full list of appetizers, entrees, desserts and lots more pictures of the food we ordered!
As always, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments below!