The next cruise ship godmother is a chef. Here’s why that’s important
The launch of Celebrity
Godmothers are often famous actors or singers, so the chef’s choice speaks volumes to how cruise lines are focusing more on onboard dining and raising the level of cuisine to appeal to increasingly sophisticated and demanding cruise passengers.
We’ve mapped the changes in cruise ship dining over the past decade: the rise of specialty dining, themed dining, upscale buffets, more informal steakhouses, collaborations with notable chefs on land, and more vegetarian and health-conscious menus.
Now the cuisine on cruise ships, which has long been American and pan-European, is becoming more diverse and focused. Congratulations to the new Greek restaurant Paxos on MSC World America, the Thai restaurant on Norwegian Aqua and the Indian restaurant on Cunard’s Queen Anne.
Some of Holland America’s cruises now feature Dutch-Indonesian fusion Rijsttafel and an Indian pop-up menu; new Indian menus are also now offered in the main dining room fleet-wide.
Guests are also looking for better quality and more elegance, and they are willing to pay for it. Is it a good example? The newest six-course Chef’s Table experience, featuring dishes like Asian-inspired wagyu steak tartare, poached lobster, spinach ricotta in truffle butter, and Mediterranean-style braised lamb loin, is rolling out on Holland America Line ships.
Even ships at the lower end of the budget make more. Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria on Princess Cruises ships has begun a collaboration with the Frescobaldi Tuscan winemaking family. The new menu includes dishes from Frescobaldi’s famous restaurant in Florence and Frescobaldi wines.
Options include seafood casserole, handmade tortello pasta, sea bass fillet with artichokes, and flourless almond cake with caramelized hazelnuts and mascarpone ice cream.
In other good news, next year Cunard will spend another season of its Le Gavroche at Sea residences with renowned Michelin-starred restaurateur Michel Roux on Queen Anne in Norway and the British Isles.
Fifty guests will enjoy the master’s limited edition five-course tasting menu, and Roux will also give cooking demonstrations and appear as a speaker.
And Oceania is introducing the Gerard Bertrand Food and Wine Pairing lunch at Jacques restaurant on four of its ships, a six-course menu paired with wines from the famous French winemaker.
Dishes include scallop risotto, duck and foie gras pâté, braised short ribs, and chocolate cake with caramel and white chocolate mousse.
Meanwhile, Oceania’s beloved Red Ginger Asian restaurant is debuting new Nikkei dishes that blend Peruvian flavors with Japanese culinary techniques: miso-glazed scallops, soft-shell crab tempura and chickenNtikuchos fog.
Oceania, renowned for its top cuisine and featuring one chef for every 10 guests on board, has become the first cruise line to appoint two Master Chefs from France as executive chefs. Enjoy your meal So the gourmet feast on board can continue.
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Brian Johnston seemed destined to be a travel writer: an Irish man born in Nigeria, raised in Switzerland, lived in Britain and China, and now calls Australia home.
