Pass the Watercress

What are two of life’s greatest indulgences?  Cruising and Food!  Now combine both with a culinary festival on Celebrity Cruises.  The cruise line known for recognizing, pampering, and celebrating its guests is teaming up with the magazine known for celebrating the world of great food and sharing it with others. This year, Celebrity Cruises and Bon Appétit will present “Celebrity’s Mediterranean Experience with Bon Appétit,” an at-sea experience focusing on the joys of cooking and dining.

This tantalizing cruise experience will take place on the 2,038-guest Celebrity Summit, departing San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 18, 2009, and sailing to Barcelona, Spain. The ship will call at several ports exemplifying Mediterranean flavors, including Tenerife, Canary Islands; Agadir, Morocco; Malaga, Spain; and Valencia, Spain.

The featured guest chef on the sailing will be Joey Campanaro, chef/owner of New York restaurants “The Little Owl” and “Market Table.” Known for his creative style, which combines the freshest seasonal ingredients with the bold, rich flavors of the Mediterranean, Campanaro will bring his lifelong affinity for Mediterranean cuisine to Celebrity’s guests.

During the sailing, Campanaro will lead several culinary demonstrations. He also will present an enrichment lecture, during which he will share various aspects of his culinary background. Campanaro also will add his flair to the ship’s main dining room’s menu, offering a specially-themed four-course set of selections showcasing the flavors of the Mediterranean. Selections from this custom menu will be available during some dinners in the main dining room, in addition to the regular menu items.

Activities onboard will reflect the focus on the region’s epicurean and cultural highlights. The ship’s casual restaurant will offer numerous Mediterranean-themed buffets throughout the voyage. Guests will have the opportunity to participate in Mediterranean-themed food/wine trivia competitions, a Mediterranean cooking class hosted by the cruise director and the ship’s executive chef, Spanish-language classes, regional dance classes, and a recipe contest.

Big Happenings in California

Royal Caribbean International’s 142,000gt Mariner of the Seas arrived at Los Angeles today, becoming the largest cruise ship to operate regularly on the US West Coast. The vessel will sail weekly Mexican Riviera itineraries, year-round. Ports are Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlán.

Also joining the year-round weekly Mexican Riviera lineup, starting late next month from Long Beach, is Carnival Cruise Lines’ largest and newest ship, the 113,000 gt Carnival Splendor.  There are abundant great deals for Mexico cruises available throughout the year.

Cabin Talk

All cabins are created the same, right?  Not so fast, world traveler.  Experienced cruisers have learned a few secrets about determining the best stateroom choices.  It is true that most of the contemporary and premium class ships being built today offer “cookie cutter” cabins that are very similar in dimension and layout.  But even if they all appear to be the same according to the deck plan, there are some things you can do to make sure you get the best bang for your buck.  The first consideration is location, location, location.

Carefully view the deck plan to check for elevator, lobbies, and high traffic areas like buffet entrances.  Staterooms in this area can be a little more lively (read noisy) than others.  And also take note if the cabin is under an active public area.  A few years ago, I was in a beautiful balcony cabin that was under and outside deck storage area.  Every morning, my traveling mate and I were summoned from our dream-filled sleep not by the sound of gentle waves slapping against the hull but by not-so-gentle deck hands dragging things on their “floor” which also happened to be our ceiling.

You can do a lot of this research yourself, but here’s a hint.  Your cruise specialist likely knows a lot of these tricks of the trade and can assist you in the search for that perfect hideaway.  Of course, if you are an early riser and long for the old military style wake up call, then my former balcony stateroom is probably available!

Alternative Dining Thoughts

I just returned from a one week Caribbean cruise.  In the elevator during the early part of the trip, I overhead two middle-aged ladies chatting about dining on board.  The gist of the conversation was about the alternative restaurant options on board.  One of the ladies’ comments struck me. “You should not have to pay for your meals on a ship” she said. But thinking about this conversation, it became apparent that the comment was not really correct.  You don’t HAVE to pay for dining on any ship as each cruise line offers included dining in the main dining rooms, buffets and snack venues.  Optional restaurants have limited seating, upgraded menus and more interesting venues.  The cost, usually presented as a “cover charge”, runs from about $10 to $25.   If you are celebrating a special event while on board or just want an excellent dining experience once or twice while cruising, then consider alternative dining for just what it is “alternative and optional”.  Or you can blissfully dine 3 to 6 times per day at the no cost restaurants.  But if you have not sampled an alternative restaurant, be careful, you might get hooked!  It is quickly becoming a popular feature as cruise lines who used to offer only “traditional” first and second seating dining are adding flexible dining options as well as more alternative restaurants to their new and existing ships.