Cruise catering: Food love stories

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Food love stories

If, as the saying goes, the way to a lover’s heart is through their stomach, then it’s really no surprise that the consumer’s love affair with cruising is more passionate than ever, says Neal Baldwin

When it comes to travel food and beverage there is no doubt the cruise sector is the undisputed king of dining. Constant innovation, ground-breaking menus and impressive partnerships are all part of the mix, and trends here can perhaps give inspiration to airlines and rail operators too.

If you haven't checked out cruise catering for a while the quality and diversity may come as a surprise. The age-old criticism that cruising existed solely to serve the ‘newly-wed, over-fed and nearly-dead’ market, not much interested in the quality of fare served up, is long gone as customer trends and prioritises changed dramatically.

For proof, look no further than Mintel’s 2022 Global Food and Drink Trends report which identifies three food service musts. These are ‘In Control’ (giving consumers power to decide ‘In Control’ (giving consumers power to decide on dishes that are best for them, most notably on dishes that are best for them, most notably for a health and ethical perspective); ‘Enjoyment for a health and ethical perspective); ‘Enjoyment Everywhere’ (the idea that food is an Everywhere’ (the idea that food is an experience to savoured); and ‘Flexible Spaces’ (putting meals into redefined settings that allow greater interaction).

Cruise lines are already ahead of the game here, with massmarket, luxury and niche operators market, luxury and niche operators all eager to demonstrate they are

Above: Food with style on Celebrity Cruises food Below: El Loco Fresh Mexican options onboard Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas

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putting guests first. Most noticeable – especially among the mass-market operators with the largest ships – is the focus on almost endless choice. Take Celebrity Beyond, the newest vessel in the Celebrity Cruises fleet, which entered service in April – it boasts 32 separate places to eat and drink. Four main dining rooms cover off the perennial flavour favourites of Modern US, Greek, Italian and French, while a further eight speciality restaurants offer globally-inspired fine dining. And that’s before you’ve counted the buffets, cafes and light-bite options.

Similarly, P&O’s newest ship, Iona, has 30 dining options including posh fish and chips, American BBQ and Soul dishes, Asian-inspired street food and Indian. And, at the top end, luxury line Silversea has dedicated restaurants covering off Asian fusion, Japanese, Italian, French, modern European and tapas.

Differentiation

What’s clear is that cruise lines are putting food at the forefront of their battle for guests, and at the heart of the message is differentiation. They want to control every aspect of the customer experience and do it by showing how great their own food is.

Contrast that to the commoditised world of air travel, where tie-ups with well-known food retailers aim to bring a touch of familiar comfort to broadly identikit products. Such alliances are rare in the cruising, having already been trialled and swiftly dropped by a number of operators.

Mediterranean giant MSC Cruises had one of the first significant brand partnerships, introducing Italian restaurant and deli chain Eataly to some ships back in 2013. The deal underlined MSC’s heritage, and Eataly was to be the star on its megaship MSC Meraviglia when building plans were unveiled in 2014. Come the ship’s completion in 2017 and Eataly was nowhere to be seen. The marriage has ended completely, with MSC saying it has ‘no plans’ to do anything similar.

Royal Caribbean is the only operator to really persevere with this type of partnership. It still clings to its deal with Johnny Rockets stretching back to 1999 and 13 ships now have branches of its 1950s-style diners. These mostly operate in the

Above L-R: Virgin puts its focus on food as an experience; P&O focuses on culinary style. Left: Scenic's Culinare programmes brings passengers and chefs together

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Caribbean serving predominantly US customers. There’s a $6.95 cover charge to go along with the restricted menu. The line also has an on-going deal with Starbucks on six ships, where outlets charge for coffee and food, and somewhat ironically there are Jamie’s Italian restaurants on eight ships even though the chain - the brainchild of UK TV chef Jamie Oliver - collapsed and closed its 25 land outlets back in 2019. Onboard these cost $25-$45 a person.

At the upper end Crystal Cruises, which went bankrupt in February, had Nobu on its two ships. Its high-end Japanese luxury seemed the perfect fit for a line charging around £1,000 a day, and was one of the few tieups where chefs were trained by the eaterie.

Only Carnival Cruise Line has actively sought out a partnership in recent times, opening Big Chicken Shaq outlets on two ships. The fledgling fast food chain, owned by former basketball star Shaquille O’Neill, has five outlets in the US and matches Carnival’s razzmatazz image.

So where are cruise lines going now? Most prominent of all seems to be a swift understanding around passenger concerns about the ethics and provenance of their food.

Peter Tobler, Windstar Cruises director of hotel operations, explained: “Our guests travel to taste the world… not some chain restaurant where they could eat at home! We listen to our guests to hear what they want and determine what’s missing or what makes the most sense to adjust and reinvent. We’re seeing a continued focus on local foods and flavours, and an industry-wide trend to indigenous flavours and ingredients. There is also a big focus on fresh and healthy options.” Concentrating on ‘local’ delivers on multiple fronts, most particularly allowing operators to link food to

Cruise lines are using the different itineraries and their big-name chefs as a create a more ‘immersive’ point of differentiation - experience. The reduction they are ‘food heroes’ or in food miles works from a

‘ambassadors’ now CSR perspective, while also delivering marketing benefits. P&O Cruises rules the roost here, especially with the sailings from its UK home port. The brand actively promotes itself as a ‘British’ line and works with an incredible 900 UK-based F&B suppliers, many based on the south coast. Examples include trout farm ChalkStream Foods in Hampshire, Isle of Wight Cheese Co. and Dorset’s Annings Cider. Each sailing is estimated to be worth £2m in sales for local businesses. At the same time, cruising is already on to the next step of its journey with celebrity chefs. British star Gary Rhodes was the first to lend his name to menu development at sea, opening a restaurant on P&Os ship Arcadian back in 2005, and since then every line has announced

Above from left:

Fresh from the pizza oven on MSC and SardineBruschetta-on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Below: Culinary fun at the Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade onboard Symphony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines

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similar partnerships. Notable examples of chefs with ship restaurants include Roy Yamaguchi (MSC Cruises), Thomas Keller (Seabourn), Curtis Stone (Princess Cruises) and Marco Pierre-White (P&O). However, what is expected of the famous faces in the kitchen has changed significantly.

Cruise industry consultant David Selby said: “The business has created more ‘celebrity’ chefs than the TV industry! Often you hear names mentioned and wonder who on earth these people are. But it’s not about just having a celebrity consultant anymore – cruise lines are really working the culinary relationships.”

Revenue bonus

Rival lines are using their big-name stars to create a point of differentiation. Famous chefs have morphed into ‘food heroes’ or ‘ambassadors’, and are expected to play an active part in at least two cruise itineraries each season, offering masterclasses and demonstrations.

For lines, the celebrity kudos gives the opportunity to add more ‘speciality restaurants’ (where an additional fee can be charged to eat). This is a popular revenue-raising trick for cruise lines, promoted as an ‘upgrade’ to guests wanting a bit of extra glamour during their holiday.

With consumers now more interested in all things epicurean, getting chefs more involved with sailings works well. Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten recently unveiled acclaimed local chefs Astrid Nässlander and Halvar Ellingsen as its culinary ambassadors to enhance an existing programme celebrating the use of local organic produce. As well as being responsible for seasonal menu creation, the pair will source sustainable ingredients from producers on the routes of six Hurtigriten sailings, train the line’s kitchen staff and oversee a new trainee programme. Nässlander will even supply her famous moose sausages to the onboard kitchen.

Meanwhile, P&O Cruises has recently announced a series of sailings where its food heroes Marco Pierre White, Jose Pizarro, Kjartan Skjelde and wine expert Olly Smith will be interacting with guests. Spanish star Pizarro, who is responsible for the tapas menu in the line’s Glass House restaurant will even run shore excursions, highlighting the local flavours of the region.

Offering authentic local dining experiences and foodie tours has become increasingly popular too. Scenic Cruises has launched its first ever culinary cruises in France; Regent Seven Seas Cruises has added Gourmet Explorer tours targetting foodies and Silversea's Sea and Land Taste programme focuses on regional Greek culinary traditions, with local chefs, producers and authors conducting talks, demonstrations and cookery classes.

Viking Cruises, Scenic and new British line Ambassador Cruises are among those pushing the Chef’s Table concept onboard where diners join lavish taster menus of eight courses or more, combined with the chance to share in the food’s creation with chefs and have the dishes’ stories and provenance explained. Just like the cruise ships themselves, it seems when it comes to food and beverage onboard, this is not a sector that is content to stay still. •

Above from left:

Culinary flair onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line; Caviar in the surf with Seabourn Below: Royal Caribbean Cruise Line lays on the style