Traveling and eating are possibly two of the things I like to do best in life. A fine meal with a good vino, with beautiful surroundings and I am as happy as a sand boy. That is exactly what I had experienced on my recent holiday around the Canaries and North Africa. Sailing on board for the second time I may add on the magnificent Navigator of the seas, One of Royal Caribbeans finest ships we headed off from Southampton into the North African sunshine.
I am now back off my travels safely in Blighty on dry land. Two weeks of sunning myself, It was a whistle stop tour around the Canaries stopping off at Vigo, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Madeira, Morocco and a few others. As I mentioned I did all of this on a luxury cruise ship. Cruising with Royal Caribbean International I sailed on the Navigator Of The Seas. A floating hotel with all the five star qualities of a mainland city hotel. Swimming pools, jacuzzis, gymnasiums, bars, cafes and restaurants. it was more like a floating city than a floating hotel.
If any of you have been on a cruise then you will no doubt know about the outstanding service you receive on them. The food is out of this world and the friendly and personal service is second to none.
The range of varied dishes available 24/7 are astounding. Everything from hot dogs and burgers to fine dining at it’s very best. Nothing was off limits. Anything you wanted you got it. Didn’t like something on the menu then they changed it, preferred a vegetarian option no problem. They even catered for different religions and cultures providing kosher, halal and vegan options. The main dining room was stunning, over three decks it had all of the charm and character of a high end Michelin starred Parisian restaurant. The waiting staff are polite, friendly and take the time out to remember you personally, what you like to eat and what you like to drink. This must be a huge challenge to them as most waiters are dealing with more than one table at any one time. Throughout a busy dinner service their enthusiasm never wains and standards are kept high at all times. The food is so good you’d be hard pushed to find finer food anywhere else apart from in the high end restaurants of London, Paris and New York. Steaks cooked to perfection, salads crisp and fresh, sauces not too rich, desserts not too stodgy and filling. In fact each course perfectly compliments the other no matter what you have. bread baskets baked fresh before every service. The portion sizes are big enough for you to comfortably polish off three courses with coffee at the end and not feel like you have eaten an entire buffet cart to yourself. There is a real buzz in the dining room with passengers really enjoying their meals, waiters cracking jokes and music playing softly in the background.
As for the buffets, these are works of art in themselves. Beautifully presented at every station the food on display is all wonderful. The range is huge! You could easily find Jamaican jerk chicken, next to fish and chips, next to lasagne, next to perfectly cooked rare steaks. There is something for absolutely everyone at the buffet station. It is slightly crazy especially when you have some people stock piling food as if it is their only chance to eat during the entire holiday. Some people do seem to forget that when a buffet is running low some poor chef out the back somewhere is being told to make some more. Probably his twentieth batch of the same dish! I have seen a lot of angry chefs in my time but never have I seen one on a cruise ship, not even a chef with a slight frown. They all seem to genuinely enjoy what they are doing and will take time to talk to you about the food and how they prepare it. Nothing is ever too much trouble for them. Amazing when you think that they have over 3000 people to cook for every single day no matter what. They just keep going like little Duracell bunnies, sacrificing their own families, friends and social lives to make sure we all get fed and get fed to an incredibly high standard.
In my opinion the chefs and the front of house staff that work on cruise ships are indeed the unsung heroes of the catering and hospitality industry. We celebrate TV chefs on a regular basis and most deserve the publicity they receive. But what about those men and women who work just as hard producing some of the finest food and customer service you will ever taste and experience? They work long gruelling hours miles away from home and never falter and never complain. Nothing is ever too much trouble for them. Your very wish is their command. It is quite obvious that one needs skill and flair to work on a cruise ship. Only fresh produce is used, all items of food are prepared and cooked fresh on a daily basis. From bread rolls to fresh pasta it is all delicious and very indulging on every level.
So join me in a toast to the unsung heroes of the catering and hospitality trade. The hard working chefs, waiters, bar staff, kitchen porters, butchers and fishmongers of the cruise line industry.
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