On Board
❖ cindy bertram
Cruise Ship Dining Charts New Territory When norWegian Cruise Line launched its Freestyle Cruising concept, along with Freestyle Dining, it brought more flexibility than had ever been seen in the cruise industry. since then we’ve seen the growth of alternative dining venues, less regimentation and more flexibility, and a wider range of restaurants with different cuisines as cruise lines “bring land to sea.” griLLing aT sea The debut of Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity silhouette this past summer provided the cruise industry’s first interactive grill restaurant. The intimate, open-air Lawn Club grill lets guests select their meats and have them cooked to order. another part of the experience is an opportunity to serve as a “grill master” for your table, being paired with a chef and helping prepare the meal over a custom-built, ventilated grill. grill masters receive a complimentary apron as a memento. advance reservations are taken and a surcharge of $40 per person applies. hoLLanD aMeriCa’s neW signaTure Dishes holland america is well known for its sophisticated cuisine, thanks to Master Chef rudi sodamin, who has been directing and overseeing cuisine onboard for a few years. since this past summer holland america has begun featuring new dishes on main dining room menus of its 15 ships. The dishes have been developed by the holland america Line Culinary Council (created in 2010), which includes sodamin 10 October 2011
(council chairman) and internationally renowned chefs—Jonnie Boer, David Burke, Marcus samuelsson, Jacques Torres and Charlie Trotter. new signature dishes include sodamin’s seared Cajun tuna steak with horseradish rosti potatoes and plum tomato confit. one of samuelsson’s contributions is a rich chocolate cake with bourbon and blueberry-infused whipped cream, while Boer’s dessert contribution is a brioche toast with caramelized apricot, served warm with clove ice cream. PriVaTe-LaBeL DraFT Beer The redFrog Pub, a new concept for Carnival Cruise Lines, recently debuted on the Carnival Magic. This 100-seat indoor/outdoor pub provides a laid-back Caribbean feel with islandinspired snacks and drinks, including ThirstyFrog red, a private-label beer created and brewed especially for the Carnival Magic. The pub also has tastings of Caribbean rums as well as a wide collection of beers. its nauticalthemed interior is best described as “where the British West indies meets Key West.” ThirstyFrog red is being rolled out fleetwide. CirQue DreaMs & Dinner When norwegian epic debuted in 2010, the norwegian Cruise Line megaship brought new levels of entertainment onboard, including howl at the Moon and Blue Man group. another new entertainment venue, Cirque Dreams & Dinner, is described as a “one-of-a-kind theatrical dining experience.” The show features acrobats, aerialists and contor-
tionists who perform above and around cruise guests as they dine in spiegel Tent, a specially built, tent-shaped theater. a surcharge applies and reservations are required. neW CoMPLiMenTarY Dining oPTions in addition to these innovative experiences, there are still many dining options available at no charge. onboard Celebrity silhouette, for instance, The Porch, located within the Lawn Club area, is a perfect way for guests to enjoy views of the sea and lawn while enjoying complimentary fresh pastries, salads and other sandwiches; it’s open for breakfast and lunch. holland america Line first debuted the Canaletto restaurant onboard the Ms eurodam when she launched in 2008. named after the 18th century Venetian artist, this complimentary italian restaurant is open for dinner only. Canaletto restaurant is also onboard other ships in the fleet. The expansion of dining options onboard provides your group more choices. Consider breaking up into smaller groups to experience some of the new specialty restaurants or flexibility provided within the main dining rooms. Then compare and share. Today’s cruise industry is no longer “one size fits all,” and you can adapt this to fit your group’s preferences. Cindy Bertram has 15+ years of cruise expertise in sales, marketing and training, with an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. She can be reached at cindy@ptmgroups.com
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