Cruise ships are luring foodies with creative food-themed culinary cruises and new onboard restaurants.
Travelers looking for a taste of Miami and South Florida can experience the city’s flavors on board Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) newest ship, Norwegian Getaway, which debuts in January.
“Norwegian Getaway is Miami’s ultimate ship, so her unique venues celebrate the heritage and culture of Miami and South Florida,” says Kevin Sheehan, NCL’s CEO. “With these themed venues, we want all of our guests to experience a taste of Miami with food and drinks that reflect what the city is known for.”
The new restaurants include: The Tropicana Room, which evokes the Miami Beach nightlife scene from the 1940s and 50s with Latin-inspired dishes like churrasco steak; The Flamingo Bar & Grill, a complimentary all-day Latin restaurant; Sugarcane Mojito Bar, an indoor/outdoor bar serving mojitos and rum-based cocktails; and The Sunset Bar on Deck 8, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s Key West.
For more information, call (866) NCL-CRUISE or visit ncl.com.
Travelers interested in a luxury cruise with a food-focused itinerary can choose from four new wine- and food-themed cruises on Crystal Cruises in 2014.
The cruises, available on both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, will feature guest chef-prepared 7-course Vintage Room dinners in addition to a new microbrew theme. Travelers can choose from cruises heading to Asia, the South Pacific, Iceland and New England, and the East Coast and Caribbean, with local flavors offered for each destination.
“With our new program expansions, guests now have even more to love: more beverages, more flavors, more enlightenment about foreign cultures, and more intimate experiences with our culinary experts,” says Toni Neumeister, Crystal’s v. p., hotel procurement & food and beverage operations.
On board, guests can take part in cooking classes, demonstrations, wine tastings, mixology lessons and beer pairings on the microbrew-themed cruises.
Call for fares. For more information, call (888) 799-4625 or visit crystalcruises.com.
Chocoholics can take a cruise hosted by Norman Love of Norman Love Confections along the Danube with AmaWaterways.
The Romantic Danube is a 12-day chocolate-themed cruise that kicks off on April 25, 2014 with a 3-night stay in Prague before cruising from Vilshofen, Germany, to Budapest. Travelers will visit destinations including Regensburg, Germany; Linz, Melk and Vienna in Austria; and Bratislava, Slovakia.
The themed cruise will feature three private chocolate-making demonstrations; chocolate tastings; chocolate-themed shore excursions; chocolate seminars; Norman Love Confections desserts; a chocolate mini-buffet; and a “bites and sights” Sachertorte & Schlumberger Cellar Tour, where travelers experience the Austrian chocolate cake, sachertorte, and tour the 300-year-old Schlumberger Cellars in Vienna.
Rates include a 3-night stay at the InterContinental in Prague; transfer from Prague to the ship; 7-night accommodations in a stateroom; complimentary WiFi; gourmet dining on board; tours and excursions; complimentary wine and beer with lunch and dinner; complimentary bicycle use; onboard lectures, cooking demonstrations, and music performances; and a cocktail reception, welcome dinner and captain’s gala dinner.
Rates start at $3,849 pp. For more information, visit amawaterways.com. For more on AmaWaterways, see Q&A With AmaWaterways’ Kristin Karst.
