HEY YOU FOODIES - TRY A SPECIALTY RESTAURANT

Did you know that the major cruise lines all have highly recognized, well known executive chefs? We recently sailed on the Oceania Regatta when their executive chef, Jacques Pepin and his associate and friend, Jean Claude, were onboard. They did cooking demos, gave autographs and fielded questions from those in attendance. We also sailed on Celebrity’s Mercury when their then executive chef, Michel Roux, was on board. During a very recent group cruise on the NCL Dawn we had a private cooking demo presented by two of the ship’s chefs.

You’ve undoubtedly heard that the food is outstanding on board most cruise ships. Would you believe that you can actually kick it up a notch? Want to really experience some outrageous food? Try a specialty restaurant aboard a cruise ship. Here’s what you can expect.

Specialty Restaurants

Most mass market, premium and deluxe cruise lines have specialty restaurants. Each of these restaurants usually focuses on a particular cuisine such as French, Italian, Asian and a Steak House. Some cruise lines may levy a modest surcharge for dining in some of the specialty restaurants while others don’t. Most of these restaurants serve outstanding meals. In addition to being open and serving fantastic bills of fare for dinner, some of the specialty restaurants open for lunch on sea days while others open for wine tastings/pairings, private breakfasts and lunches.

Cruise lines having outstanding specialty restaurants are:

Oceania Cruises - Executive Chef – Jacques Pepin

Polo Grill

In Polo you will enjoy the finest cuts of dry-aged prime beef; chops and fresh seafood. This classic steakhouse features floor-to-ceiling windows affording views of passing seascapes and is warmly decorated with dark woods and elegant furnishings, however, it accommodates only 96 guests so make reservations early in your cruise.

Toscana

This comfortable 90-seat restaurant captures the flair and essence of Tuscany with an intimate yet romantic and whimsical ambiance. The savory gourmet cuisine reflects the very best of Italy in dishes representative of its many regions. As does the Polo Grill, nearly every table is adjacent to floor-to-ceiling windows for soaring views of sea and sky.

There is no extra charge for Specialty Restaurants on Oceania.

Azamara Cruises - Culinary team leader - Jacques van Staden

Reap some very delicious rewards at Azamara’s two specialty venues, Aqualina and Prime C. Every guest gets one dinner in one of the two alternative restaurants as part of the cruise fare (suite guests get two). After that, it's $25 per person for Prime C (tip included) and $20 per person for Aqualina.

Aqualina

The fare of Aqualina is a fusion of Mediterranean flavors Inspired by the coastal cuisines of Italy, Greece, France, Spain, and northern Africa. You can savor dishes drawn from the abundance of the region’s seas, simply prepared yet exceedingly delicious. The ambiance is every bit as tasteful, with accents of silver, cream and blue, all surrounded by breathtaking ocean views.

Prime C
At Prime C, you will find tender cuts of prime beef and fresh seafood that have been transformed into epicurean works of art served in an ambiance of handsome dark woods, warm lighting and soft leather chairs. While dining in Prime C you can relax, sip your favorite wine and enjoy a superior dining experience.

Disney Cruise Line

Palo

We were greatly surprised to be able to delight in delicious Northern Italian cuisine at this elegant, world-class restaurant for adults only, where a romantic candlelit dinner lives on as a treasured memory. All this and Disney too.

Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL features up to five specialty restaurants on each of their ships. We’ve commented on just a few.

Le Bistro

Le Bistro, NCL’s signature restaurant, is offered on all of their ships. Start with the traditional French Onion Soup or Escargots in Garlic Butter. Your entrées can be selected from a delectable selection of beef, seafood, and poultry. After savoring all of that, how about a Chocolate Fondue, Crème Brule or the Grand Mariner Soufflé? We couldn’t resist

Cagney’s Steakhouse

Looking for beef done just right? Cagney’s Rib Eye Steaks, slow roasted Prime Ribs or New York Strips are just what you’re looking for. Non-steak lovers will delight in a selection of chicken and fish dishes. Their Sinful Chocolate Obsession for desert is to die for.

Teppanyaki

This will be a meal to remember. You’ll be seated at a Teppanyaki table for 10 surrounding a large cooking surface. The word "teppanyaki" is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled. Whether you’re seated with new faces or familiar faces is up to you. When the chef arrives, the fun begins. Your meal will be prepared right before your eyes. Be sure to bring your appetite. This is a total dining experience and lots of fun!

These three NCL restaurants require a surcharge and reservations are highly recommended.

Holland America Line - Master Chef Rudi Sodamin

The Pinnacle Grill

These beautifully appointed alternative-dining venues on all Holland America Line ships are ideal for a romantic dinner for two or an elegant dining spot for a group celebration. Featuring Pacific Northwest specialties including selected cuts of Sterling Silver beef and superb seafood items, as well as carefully selected wines from renowned Pacific Northwest vineyards, expect a delicious experience. Entrees may include Pan-Seared Rosemary Chicken with Cranberry Chutney, Grilled Sea Scallops with Marjoram Pomodoro Coulis, served on curried Hollandaise spinach with fried capers, or Lamb Rack Chops with Drizzled Mint Sauce. Top a selection of these with Warm Grand Marnier Chocolate Volcano Cake, Lemon Berry Angel Shortcake, and Not-so-Classic Baked Alaska. Open for dinner only by reservation, guests pay a modest surcharge of $30 per person for dinner and for lunch.

Princess Cruise Line - Master Corporate Chef Alfredo Marzi

Sabatini's

Princess offers several Specialty Dining options for you to choose from on every ship. We have chosen one upon which to comment. Sabatini's serves an authentic Italian dining experience in a remarkable eight-course meal. The stellar menu features both local seafood specialties and other regional favorites. Cover charge applies.

In Your Own Sweet Way

Here’s the ultimate in Specialty Dining. On Princess you can order up a very special dinner consisting of lobster and champagne and all the fixings served right there on your stateroom balcony. Now that is truly SPECIAL!

Interested in Food and Wine? Look for future Blogs on Culinary Cruises, Wine Cruising and River Cruising.

CHILDREN ABOARD CRUISE SHIPS

Going on a CRUISE? Thinking about going on a cruise? Wanna take the kids along? Here are a few tips.

Many cruise lines encourage passengers to bring their children along while others remain neutral and some understandably discourage children. Before you take the youngsters along, consider where you're going and the cruise line you'll be travelling on. Think about the child friendly facilities on board. Consider also the impact of children on your fellow passengers. Consult your travel agent to learn of kid friendly cruise lines and the right line for you and your family.

Consider also your destination. Will the children find it to be fun or will it be BORING? Remember, today’s kids can get very bored very quickly. Their minds have to be kept active which means they need to have their activities changed frequently.

Age appropriate facilities and activities are on board just for the youngsters. Many of the onboard children's programs are very comprehensive and serve to build the individual child. Some of the kid friendly facilities you can expect to find aboard today’s cruise ships are:

Special dining room facilities on the lido decks

These facilities include lower tables and seats, kid height warming tables, food kid's like such as Pancakes, Fruit Loops, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, Mac 'n Cheese, French Fries, Pizza, Cookies and Ice Cream

Organized play activities

We’ve seen groups of them on supervised parades through the ships. They sing and carry on having a real good time for themselves.

Small children's clubs


Many of the lines provide organized facilities for the little tykes to play in and to be with children their own age.

Intermediate Children's Clubs

These facilities and activities are just for tweens. Again, they are age appropriate and limited to children of the same age bracket.

Teen Clubs

These facilities are off limits to adults and focus on activities and games that teens enjoy. There are even organized and well supervised dances and night clubs.

These three clubs are well supervised by trained childcare crew members.

Do children cruise for free?

Rarely, but when kids are third and fourth passengers in a stateroom, they travel at a substantially reduced fare on all cruise lines. Infants under six months of age are not eligible for travel on most ships. Consult your travel agent or cruiseline.

Are babysitters available?

Most cruise lines offer group sitting for ages 2-12 for a nominal fee with the counselors. In addition to regular sitting hours of 10 pm - 1 am, group sitting is available in port from 9 am - 5 pm. Private babysitting is not available on most lines.

Are there any pool regulations?

According to United States Public Health (U.S.P.H.) regulations, no diapers of any kind, including those marketed as "swimmers, are permitted in the swimming pools or Jacuzzis." Other regulations apply on specific ships.

Kid Friendly Cruise Lines

Carnival
Disney Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line
Princess
Royal Caribbean

Kid Neutral Cruise Lines (Offer Children’s programs on many sailings)

Celebrity
Holland America Line
Regent

Non-Kid Friendly Cruise Lines

Crystal
Oceania
Silversea

A BIT OF LUXURY WITHOUT THE COST

When many of us dream of the perfect cruise, we imagine an incredible fantasy in a large suite, on board one of the major luxury lines with butler service, champagne flowing and all of the amenities. Our dream comes to an abrupt end when we take a long look at the price tag. O.K. so do we need to give up our dreams until we hit the Powerball or Mega-Million? We don’t think so. There are some alternatives that you can employ to get a taste of luxury while you wait to hit the Big Time – so why wait?

Look at the larger Suites on some of the mass-market ships. For example, the Courtyard and Garden Villas on board the newer NCL Ships are incredibly huge and beautiful. Pricing seems very high at first glance but consider that these suites include 3 bedrooms, each with private bath and balcony. Invite two other couples and split the cost. Up to 8 guests are allowed in each Garden Villa so two rollaway beds can be added. These suites have private hot tubs and many extras and come complete with Butler Service. Eat in your private suite dining room or enjoy freestyle cruising and dining with the other guests – Your Choice. Luxury? – ABSOLUTELY YES!!! Affordable? – You be the Judge! Courtyard Villas are also available and have access to the private courtyard and pool that is available only to Garden and Courtyard Villa guests.

Have you tried an Oceania or Azamara Cruise? These are two lines that are priced right and give you great value while offering a Luxury experience. These former R-Ships offer unique itineraries only available to smaller ships with an intimate atmosphere that makes you feel as though you are on your own private yacht. Oceania gives you access to her two fabulous specialty restaurants at no additional charge. Azamara even offers Butler service in all of her cabins. Luxury? - OH YES!! – Affordable? – ABSOLUTELY!!

Have you heard of Celebrity’s new ship, the Celebrity Solstice? Solstice will debut at the end of 2008 and features Aqua Class “for those who have entered a spa and never wanted to leave”.

How about a lovely suite on board a Princess ship? Want to feel like Royalty? Order breakfast or a lobster dinner served on your balcony.

Lots of opportunities await you so don’t procrastinate. Did you know that many suite categories are usually the first to sell out??

The InterNET at Sea is not for Fishing

In this time of being ever busy, some find it difficult to allocate time for rest and relaxation. Rest and Relaxation are the primary reasons for taking a cruise. Now you can have time at sea and even do a little work while you’re there. That of course is only if you really feel that you must.

In addition to being able to use your cell phone on many ships you can also have access to the World Wide Web while aboard. There are several ways in which this can be accomplished. Most of today’s cruise ships have fully equipped internet cafés where passengers can surf the web, send and receive e-mail from their home internet service provider or other services such as AOL, Hotmail, G-Mail to mention but a few. Additionally, if they don’t have their own e-mail facility, passengers can use the cruise line’s e-mail system.

As an alternative to using the cruise ship’s equipment, passengers can also access the internet using their own laptop computer. Use of one’s own equipment obviously increases the security factor. This can be done in one of two ways; many ships have Wi-Fi available in some areas of the ship while others have Wi-Fi available all over the ship including passenger staterooms. In addition to having Wi-Fi capability, some ships have a direct connection Ethernet port right in the passengers’ staterooms. All the passenger need do is connect to the port using an appropriate Ethernet cable. This use of a cable also enhances the security perspective over Wi-Fi.

It is possible to carry on business from your ship while on the high seas. There is, however, a cost and the user must understand what that cost is and evaluate it against the need. The cruise lines usually have plans by which specific amounts of time can be purchased. Per minute charges are typically lower when a larger block of time is purchased (100 minutes at 30 cents per minutes versus 30 Minutes at 65 cents per minute). If the user opts not to purchase a plan they can still use the internet facilities on a minute by minute basis. This is the most expensive per minute cost. Printing is more often than not fairly expensive so the user must determine the need for the printed page.

When considering cellular telephone use while at sea, watch the rates. It can be very expensive. Please see our CELL PHONES ON THE HIGH SEAS blog.

Here’s the greatest thing about computers at sea. We have been able to fully conduct business while enjoying a cruise.