1 4 8 Service please! Richard Humphreys asks cruise executives why the dining experience is important and what factors they consider when developing food and beverage offerings Developing an excellent dining experience is crucial for cruise and ferry operators. Not only do these venues and food and beverage offerings play an important role in achieving high levels of passenger satisfaction, but they also increase the chances of guests booking with the cruise brand again. Royal Caribbean International offers a range of international dishes in both the main dining rooms and the speciality restaurants across its 26-ship fleet. Linken D’Souza, vice president of food and beverage operations, says highquality food is a vital part of any cruise. “Delivering memorable holidays is what drives us at Royal Caribbean,” he says. “We provide a variety of incredible meals on our ships and private destinations, including ‘Perfect Day at CocoCay’ in the Bahamas and Labadee in Haiti.” Offering a variety of dining options is also a priority for MSC Cruises. “Dining is an intrinsic part of a cruise for all guests,” says Jacques Van Staden, vice president of food and beverage at MSC Cruises. “As the ship travels from port to port, passengers want to discover and enjoy an array of flavours and styles of cuisine. They want more options and are curious to try new things. “A key part of any cruise is the allinclusive dining offered in the main restaurants and buffet. To elevate the experience, it’s important for our guests to have speciality restaurants that offer well-thought-out concepts and, of course, fabulous food.” MSC Cruises has incorporated new speciality restaurants on most of its ships, with one highlight being HOLA! Tacos & Cantina on MSC Virtuosa. “By bringing the street food dining concept to sea, we wanted to offer our guests a selection of Latin American and Mexican-inspired dishes and drinks which could be enjoyed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere,” says Van Staden. “Guests can even make their own guacamole with a pestle and mortar.” For Finnish ferry operator, Viking Line, the dining experience is proven to be one of the most important factors for customers booking a cruise. Wilhelm Hård af Segerstad, senior vice president at Viking Line, says the ferry operator has conducted a survey and analysed what passengers onboard its vessels most look for when booking a holiday, and found that food comes high on everyone’s list. “Good food, starting from the choice of raw materials to how the dishes are prepared and served, is something we have a great focus on,” says Hård af Segerstad. “We have a very competent, creative and customer-focused crew within our kitchen and restaurant departments, and every day they offer memorable dining experiences to our guests.” The dining experience is a key aspect of the entire guest experience says Florent Kuhry, hotel director on Le Commandant Charcot, Ponant’s newest ship, which sails to some of the most remote areas in the world. “We want our guests to remember how they felt when dining on our ships, whether it be the taste of the food or the friendliness and respectfulness of our waiters,” says Kuhry. “We would like our guests to have a memorable dining experience while looking at the magnificent landscapes passing by. We provide a lot of training to our crew both in the galley and in the restaurant to achieve this.” To ensure the onboard experience stays fresh and appealing for both loyal and first-time guests, food and beverage teams must continually come up with new dining concepts. MSC’s Van Staden says that passenger demographics, FEATURE “ Dining is an intrinsic part of a cruise for all guests” Jacques Van Staden, MSC Cruises
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