Get a Taste of Cruise Cuisine

From celebrity chefs to more flexible dining and signature onboard culinary experiences, cruise lines are focusing on their food and beverage efforts like never before. These four dining opportunities are creating a new standard of cuisine at sea.

Onboard culinary experiences with Disney Cruise Line’s culinary cabaret

Disney Cruise Line is taking dinner and a show to the next level, next summer. With the debut of three brand-new family restaurants in 2022, DCL is combining gourmet cuisine with signature storytelling and service on board its new cruise ship, the Disney Wish. “For the Disney Wish, our three new family restaurants will be a feast for the heart as well as the palate, and all meals will be served, of course, with the incredible care and attention to detail that families expect from our world-class Disney Cruise Line service team,” says Ozer Balli, the vice president of hotel operations at Disney Cruise Line. A blog post from DCL that announced the upcoming culinary experience referred to it as “the most ambitious dining experience ever.”

Dinner on board the Disney Wish will be so much more than a simple meal; it will put diners right inside their favorite feature films. It’s an upscale restaurant that meets technology showcase just waiting to be explored by experiential enthusiasts. The upcoming, unparalleled culinary journey will consist of embarking on an adventure filled with two main events. First, to an enchanted “Frozen” kingdom where guests are invited to pick up right where “Frozen 2” left off, attending a royal engagement party for Queen Anna and Kristoff. Throughout the meal, guests will enjoy listening to live musical performances by famous “Frozen” characters in addition to fun table crafts for everyone. The second event is a chance to attend a “The Avengers” adventure where the audience in the restaurant can help stop a villain to save the day. The Worlds of Marvel’s marvelous meal will take families on a tour of both real and fictional dishes inspired by legendary locales of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, from African Wakanda, Eastern European Sokovia and The Avengers’ hometown of New York City.

Highlighting Holland America Line’s celebrity chefs

Holland America Line cruise passengers get to experience the cruise line’s exclusive “As You Wish” dining program. With restaurants on board to crush any craving, passengers can pre-schedule reservations at the time they prefer or go with the flow and, you guessed it, dine as you wish. Foodies will find fresh flavors from executive chefs on board every ship who just so happen to be members of Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, the prestigious international food and wine society.

Passengers should not miss the chance to experience the global influence and exceptional expertise from the seven world-class celebrity chefs who make up the Holland America Line Culinary Council. For more than 10 years, these internationally acclaimed Culinary Council chefs have had the passion and creativity to chart an exciting course for dining options on board each and every HAL ship, as each member oversees an area on each menu that highlights their specialty. Rudi Sodamin is HAL’s master chef and Culinary Council chairman, in addition to the innovator behind Rudi’s Sel de Mer, a French restaurant with a modern twist. Sodamin’s innovative approach to cruise cuisine has made him considered the most decorated chef on every ocean. Kristen Kish has worked in various high-profile restaurants across the U.S. before and after winning season 10 of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” Her playful yet cultured cuisine is carefully crafted to showcase French and Italian traditions. David Burke is a New Jersey native who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has worked with renowned chefs in France and New York. He has been featured on “Iron Chef America” and “Top Chef Masters,” as he is one of the most respected chefs known for being a pioneer of contemporary American cuisine, and the only American to win the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur. Jacques Torresis the French-trained master chef and artisan chocolatier, also known as “Mr. Chocolate.” He is a James Beard award winner that rose to executive pastry chef at New York’s prestigious Le Cirque before opening his very own chocolate factory and stores throughout New York. Ethan Stowellwas born in Germany and self-taught while he grew up in Seattle. He was named one of the “Best New Chefs in America” by Food & Wine in 2008. Stowell has helped change the face of the Seattle food scene, working at a remarkable roster of highly acclaimed restaurants. Jonnie Boer was born in the Netherlands and trained at Culinaire Vakschool Groningen. He is the head chef and co-owner of De Librije in Zwolle, which was recognized as one of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” Boer has also earned Michelin-star ratings every year since 2004. Andy Matsudawas born in Japan and is the founder of the Sushi Chef Institute in Los Angeles, where he teaches aspiring chefs and professionals about sushi and Japanese cuisine. He is always ahead when it comes to sushi trends and techniques. After battling cancer, he began focusing on a deeper understanding of the connection between food and health.

VIP dining at Royal Caribbean’s Chef’s Table

Dining on board with Royal Caribbean International includes choices like fresh-rolled sushi at Izumi, old-world flavors at Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen and seasonal, locally sourced bites at 150 Central Park. And of course, all the island flavors available to cruisers with a Perfect Day at CocoCay, RCI’s private island. But there’s an exclusive and elevated dining experience foodies should not miss that has now become part of the fabric of RCI’s onboard experience: the Chef’s Table.

RCI bills the Chef’s Table to be “as VIP and intimate as can be.” Diners lucky enough to sit at the white tablecloth of the Chef’s Table (in their formal attire) are treated to a seafood-forward menu of scallop carpaccio, Maine lobster salad and roasted branzino. Each of the five courses is “expertly paired with the perfect wine to highlight every flavor on the menu.” Groups of diners are intentionally kept small, ranging from 10 to 16 guests (however, due to CDC protocols, until further notice, Chef’s Table capacity is capped at eight guests and is for vaccinated guests only).

In 2009, RCI invested $70 million in its Royal Advantage enhancements program to bring, amongst many things, new dining experiences first debuted on the Oasis-class ships to more ships across its fleet, starting with Oasis of the Seas. One of those exclusive new dining experiences was the Chef’s Table, a private event co-hosted by the executive chef and sommelier and described as “an intimate wine-pairing dinner and five-course dining experience.”

The work of the Royal Advantage revitalizations program continued with $300 million in upgrades across RCI’s fleet, which included bringing the Chef’s Table experience to Allure of the Seas in 2010. And today, Chef’s Table is now an option on every ship in RCI’s fleet with the exception of Symphony of the Seas.

Elevating culinary excellence and launching multiple firsts with Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line continues reaffirming the company’s commitment to providing elevated dining experiences across its growing fleet. But that’s not the only thing on the horizon for this brand; NCL also recently unveiled its highly anticipated next class of vessels — its first new class of ships in nearly 10 years.

In 2019, NCL and LDV Hospitality collaborated and made waves for the first-ever restaurant of its kind: Onda by Scarpetta on board the innovative ship Norwegian Encore.It is now also featured onNorwegian Spirit. Scarpetta derives from the Italian expression, “fare la scarpetta,” which means “to savor a meal to the last bite.” Onda, or “wave” in Italian, mirrors the same philosophy and brings the effortless charm and elegance of its urban Scarpetta sister to the sea. Its menu showcases rich and bold Italian flavors with the very best desserts of the region, pasta made in-house daily and beautifully prepared seafood and signature dishes. Onda captures the core design, aesthetic and ambience of the critically acclaimed land-based Scarpetta restaurants in other portfolio locations like New York, the Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, Newport, Rhode Island, and London.

Andy Stuart, former president and chief executive officer of NCL, describes Onda by Scarpetta as “the perfect complement to the variety of spectacular offerings available on our Norwegian Encore.” With more than 34 venues to visit, the ship offers an eclectic blend of carefully crafted culinary fare for every foodie, including: Cagney’s Steakhouse, serving premium cuts; Food Republic, for a fusion of worldly flavors; Le Bistro, serving the finest in French cuisine; Los Lobos, for premium Mexican delicacies; Garden Café, the three-meal buffet; and of course, the Main Dining Rooms — The Manhattan Room, Savor and Taste. Since then, NCL has continued bringing other exclusive, land-based culinary experiences to its cutting-edge new ships that are expected to go beyond expectations.

NCL is unveiling a new ship every year from 2022 to 2027 as part of its highly anticipated next class of vessels: Prima class, which will include a variety of new culinary experiences. Norwegian Prima is the first of the six ships in the class with maiden voyages expected to set sail in the summer of 2022. The 965-foot-long vessel will be a “game-changer for NCL,” according to the cruise line, offering guests exciting itineraries, more wide-open spaces, thoughtful and stunning design, and exciting new ways to dine on board by introducing Ocean Boulevard.

Ocean Boulevard offers an elevated experience that puts guests first and understands the important connection they have with the outdoors and proximity to the sea. At 44,000 square feet, Ocean Boulevard wraps around the entirety of deck eight, which allows guests to walk across the ship and experience panoramic ocean views while having the chance to participate in plenty of exceptional outdoor activities and alfresco eats. Here is where you’ll find Indulge Food Hall, NCL’s first-ever upscale open-air marketplace. Indulge Food Hall offers visitors diverse and delicious menu items from 11 culinary venues as well as both indoor and outdoor seating. 

What VAX Travel Advisors Say

A VAX poll from the summer of 2021 asked travel advisors, “What is most important to your clients when it comes to cruise cuisine onboard?” Here are the results:

• 59% of travel advisors on VAX said their clients find onboard culinary experiences (mixology/cooking classes, et cetera) most important.
• 24% said options to accommodate special diets are most important.
• 4% said celebrity chef partnerships are most important.
• 13% replied “other.”

Originally appeared in the fall 2021 issue of The Compass Magazine.