Marella Cruises Nonna’s Menu: Make Your Own Pasta Dining Guide
Nonna’s is a casual Italian dining option on Marella Cruises where one of the highlights is the ability to create your own pasta dish. Instead of choosing only from a list of predetermined combinations, guests can select their pasta, ingredients, sauce, herbs and cheese to build a meal to their own taste.
The menu photographed below gives a useful look at how the make-your-own pasta experience works, including the choices available for each step.
For more onboard information, see our Marella Cruises dining menus, Marella Cruises bar menus, and other Marella onboard guides.
What Is Nonna’s on Marella Cruises?
Nonna’s is Marella’s casual Italian restaurant concept, with pasta and pizza among its main offerings. The relaxed format makes it particularly useful for passengers who want an informal meal rather than a more structured multi-course restaurant experience.
One of its most distinctive options is the make-your-own pasta menu. Guests work through a series of choices, creating their preferred combination before the dish is prepared.
The photographed menu divides the process into five simple steps: pasta, ingredients, sauce, herbs and cheese.
Nonna’s Make Your Own Pasta Menu
The menu begins with a choice of pasta:
• Farfalle
• Penne
• Spaghetti
• Rigatoni
The menu marks the pasta category as vegetarian, while spaghetti is additionally marked with an “O” symbol.
After choosing the pasta, guests move on to the ingredients.
Ingredients
The photographed menu lists:
• Ham
• Pepper
• Mushroom
• Pineapple
• Pepperoni
• Sweetcorn
• Red onion
• Tomato
This section is marked GF on the menu.
Sauces
The next step is choosing a sauce:
• Tomato basil
• Meat Bolognese
• Carbonara
• Pesto
• Alfredo
• Blue cheese
The sauce section is also marked GF on the photographed menu.
Herbs
There are three choices in the herbs section:
• Chilli flakes
• Oregano
• Basil
This section is marked V and GF.
Cheese
Finally, guests can finish their pasta with:
• Parmesan
• Mixed cheese
• Mozzarella
The cheese section is marked GF.
The result is a particularly flexible cruise-ship meal. Someone looking for something straightforward could keep the combination relatively simple, while guests who prefer a richer pasta can add meat, cheese and one of the heavier sauces.
What the Nonna’s Restaurant Is Like
Nonna’s is designed as an informal Italian venue rather than a formal specialty-dining experience. The accompanying photos show a simple restaurant setting with Nonna’s branding and casual seating.
The make-your-own format is also different from a traditional cruise restaurant where guests simply order a finished dish from the menu. Here, the choices are part of the experience.
That flexibility may be especially useful on a longer itinerary, when having the ability to create different combinations can make repeat visits feel less repetitive.
Pasta and Pizza at Nonna’s
Pasta is only part of the food available at Nonna’s. Pizza is another major part of the venue’s Italian offering.
The photos accompanying the menu show several pizzas available at the restaurant, while the finished pasta pictured provides an example of the type of made-to-order meal passengers can create.
Because menus and individual offerings can change between sailings and ships, passengers should check the current onboard menu and daily schedule during their own cruise rather than assuming every selection will remain identical.
Dietary Information on the Menu
The photographed Nonna’s menu uses dietary symbols throughout the different sections, including V and GF markings.
Guests with allergies, coeliac disease or other medical dietary requirements should still speak directly with the onboard restaurant staff. Menu symbols can be helpful when narrowing down choices, but they should not replace confirmation from the crew when cross-contamination or specific ingredients are a concern.
Is Nonna’s Included in the Cruise Fare?
Nonna’s is generally positioned as one of Marella’s included dining venues rather than one of its additional-charge specialty restaurants.
That makes it an appealing option for passengers looking for casual Italian food without necessarily adding another dining expense to their cruise.
As always, inclusions and individual menu offerings can change, so passengers should confirm the current arrangements for their particular ship and sailing.
When Is Nonna’s Open?
Nonna’s operates as a lunch and dinner venue on ships where it is offered.
Exact restaurant hours can vary by sailing and day, so passengers should check the onboard daily program or Marella’s current onboard information for the schedule during their cruise.
This is particularly useful on port days, when dining schedules and other onboard activities may differ from those on sea days.
Is Nonna’s Worth Trying?
For passengers who enjoy casual Italian food, the make-your-own concept is probably the biggest reason to try Nonna’s.
Rather than committing to one predetermined pasta recipe, guests can control virtually every major component of the dish. The available choices cover everything from a simple tomato basil pasta to combinations involving Bolognese, carbonara, Alfredo or blue cheese sauce.
The casual setting also makes Nonna’s an easy option when you want something more substantial than a snack but do not necessarily want the atmosphere of a formal cruise-ship restaurant.
Tips for Eating at Nonna’s
A few things are worth keeping in mind before visiting:
• Check the current onboard schedule for opening hours, particularly on port days.
• Look through all five sections of the pasta menu before making your selections.
• Dietary markings are provided on the menu, but speak with the crew if you have an allergy or strict dietary requirement.
• Remember that Nonna’s also offers Italian options beyond the make-your-own pasta concept, including pizza.
• Menus can change, so use the photographed menu as a guide rather than a guarantee of what will be served on every future sailing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nonna’s on Marella Cruises
What type of food does Nonna’s serve?
Nonna’s is a casual Italian dining venue with pasta and pizza among its main offerings.
Can you create your own pasta at Nonna’s?
Yes. The photographed menu lets passengers choose their pasta, ingredients, sauce, herbs and cheese.
What pasta choices are available?
The photographed menu lists farfalle, penne, spaghetti and rigatoni.
What sauces can you choose?
The menu shown includes tomato basil, meat Bolognese, carbonara, pesto, Alfredo and blue cheese.
Does Nonna’s have vegetarian choices?
Yes. Several sections of the photographed menu carry vegetarian markings, and the customizable format provides a number of meat-free combinations.
Are gluten-free options available at Nonna’s?
The photographed menu marks several categories GF. Guests who require a strictly gluten-free meal should confirm their requirements with restaurant staff onboard.
Does Nonna’s serve pizza?
Yes. Pizza is part of the Italian offering at Nonna’s, and pizzas can be seen in the accompanying restaurant photos.
Is Nonna’s included on Marella Cruises?
Nonna’s is generally an included dining venue on Marella ships where it operates. Passengers should check the current information for their individual sailing for any changes.
Is Nonna’s open for lunch and dinner?
Yes, Nonna’s is offered as a lunch and dinner venue. Exact operating hours can vary and should be checked onboard.
Conclusion
Nonna’s offers one of the more customizable casual dining experiences on Marella Cruises. Its make-your-own pasta menu lets passengers work through five straightforward choices—pasta, ingredients, sauce, herbs and cheese—to create a dish suited to their own preferences.
Combined with pizza and a relaxed Italian restaurant setting, it provides an alternative to both the main dining room and the traditional cruise buffet. For anyone researching Marella Cruises dining, restaurant menus and included food options before sailing, Nonna’s is a venue worth knowing about.
