Bread Upon the Waters
Cruise Lanes 2009: An unprecedented number of food- and wine-related amenities and add-ons are characterizing what's new at sea.
Julie Mautner
Posted: May 5, 2009
The Los Angeles-based Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection recently unveiled its Epicurean Adventurer Program, which allows passengers to enjoy private wine tastings, special food and wine pairings, chocolate tastings, cooking demos, and special shore trips at no extra charge. The Epicurean Adventurer Program is available on nine 2009 itineraries. Uniworld currently has 18 ships cruising 12 rivers in more than 20 countries.
Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises has planned 11 Wine Series voyages for 2009. Guests sample great vintages and attend lectures conducted by wine professionals, vineyard owners, and wine-makers from around the world. On many itineraries there also are wine-themed shore excursions. (Of special note this year is the participation of Salvatore Ferragamo, grandson of the Italian fashion visionary whose family owns the Il Borro wine estate in Tuscany.) The company has also renewed its partnership with Relais & Châteaux, now in its eighth year. Highlights will be cooking demos and new signature dishes from Relais & Châteaux guest chefs, chef-escorted tours and provisioning trips to international markets, new wine-inspired menus, and new cross-marketing initiatives. With four intimate vessels, Silversea has been voted "World's Best" by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler (nine times) and Travel + Leisure (seven times). With the addition of the expedition ship Prince Albert II in 2008, the company's itineraries now encompass all seven continents.
For a certain type of traveler, a visit "behind the scenes" can be the high point of a cruise. With this in mind, Princess Cruises debuted its new $150-per-person Ultimate Ship Tour with the launch of Ruby Princess in November 2008. The tours let passengers visit a number of back-of-the-house areas that are key to a ship's daily operations: the galley and food production areas, engine control room, medical center, print shop, laundry, photo lab, bridge, and more. Along the way, guests get goodies: in the galley, for example, they'll chat with the chef over Champagne, caviar, and canapés and leave with their own chef's jacket. The Ultimate Ship Tour lasts roughly three hours and is offered once or twice per cruise on a sea day. The program, now being rolled out on all 17 Princess ships, has received a great response with wait lists of up to 60 people.
Holland America Line is hosting more than 60 guest chefs, cookbook authors, and wine and spirits experts in its 2009 culinary program, which launched in 2005 and runs in partnership with Food & Wine. Most of the action happens in state-of-the-art show kitchens, which have been installed on every HAL ship at a total cost of $14 million. Each theatre-style venue features two large video screens, a cooking display counter, and seating for 100 to 245 guests; there are now culinary demos, tastings, and hands-on cooking classes on every sailing. The one hour demos are complimentary and happen at least twice on a seven day cruise; guests get recipe cards and wine tasting notes to take home. Additional activities include book signings, market tours, hosted dinners, and cooking classes for kids and teens. Additionally, cooking classes with the ship's chef are offered for $29 per person, with a maximum of 12 per class.
Sailing round-trip from France's gastronomic capital of Lyon, Peter Deilmann Cruises' 140 passenger MV Princesse de Provence is offering a nine day wine themed cruise-tour this spring, summer, and fall on the Rhône and Saône rivers, featuring visits to some of the country's most charming cities, vineyards, and wineries. The Princesse de Provence, built in 1992 and refurbished four years ago, features a European Old World ambience and a one seating dining room where five course meals are served. The company says its one crewmember for every 2 1/2 passengers is among the highest in the industry.
In 2003, Crystal Cruises debuted a program of winemaker dinners called Vintage Room. They're now available on every cruise, priced around $215 per person. Then, in 2007, Crystal upped the ante and created Ultimate Vintage Room dinners, which pair very rare wines with a special multicourse menu for upwards of $1,000 per person. The first event sold out within a few days, and subsequent dinners have been equally popular, sometimes filling up within hours. In March 2008 aboard Crystal Symphony, Piero Selvaggio hosted the event and pulled 13 vintages from his award-winning cellar to accompany a lavish meal; 12 guests paid $1,250 each to participate. The dinners take place in the ships' private Vintage Room, which can be reserved for up to 14 people on every cruise. This year, Crystal will offer two of the Ultimate dinners, both aboard Crystal Serenity. For an October 8 Athens to Venice cruise, the guest chef will be Stéphane Buyens (of the Michelin two-star Hostellerie Le Fox in De Panne, Belgium) and the wine expert will be William Wouters (owner of Pazzo restaurant in Antwerp.) At press time, guest experts for an August 9 cruise had not been announced.
Ship your cruise news to Julie Mautner at FAcruisenews@aol.com.
