Russell Higham tests out three immersive dining experiences that are so good, clients may not want to leave the cruise ship
1. Progressive Dinner on Uniworld
The hundred or so other guests aboard River Queen look on bemused, even slightly envious, as my party of 10 is led through a door marked Crew Only. We’re taking part in Uniworld’s Progressive Dinner experience, which leads us on a secret journey to the hidden heart of this elegant river cruiser, stopping for each course in a different, off-limits part of the ship.
The evening starts with champagne and foie gras crème brûlée appetisers down in the galley, where the head chef introduces us to his team. We stand at spotless stainless-steel workstations but, instead of helping with prep, are served a delicious oxtail consommé as we learn how, at peak times, the temperature in the kitchen can reach 50C.
Next we descend another level, for an antipasto of seafood spaghetti in the laundry room, then it’s on to the crew’s mess for a fish course of Atlantic halibut. The utilitarian tables at which the ship’s 42 staff usually eat are tonight draped in fine linen and set with opulent cutlery – charmingly at odds with the staff rosters and safety reminders pinned on the walls around us.
“This experience is all about the camaraderie that comes from going behind the scenes in a small group.”
After that, it’s upstairs for cocktails in the wheelhouse where we take selfies with the captain. He regales us with tales from his career afloat and even lets us take the controls… purely “for the ’gram”, of course, as the ship is safely stationary. Finally, we’re back on deck for more main courses – such as herb-crusted rack of lamb – then dessert.
Food and service are both excellent, as we’ve come to expect from Uniworld, but this experience is all about the access and sense of camaraderie that comes from going behind the scenes in a small, exclusive group.
Fellow diner Amanda from Boston puts it best as we raise a toast to the crew, whom we now know a little more personally: “I actually feel quite honoured. It’s a bit like The Wizard of Oz. Everybody wants to know what’s behind the curtain!”
Book it: The seven-night Dutch Delight itinerary sailing on the River Queen costs from £2,999 per person, based on two sharing, including flights, transfers, all-inclusive dining and a full excursion programme. The Progressive Dinner experience costs €95.
uniworld.com
2. 360: An extraordinary experience on Princess Cruises
I’ve heard the phrase ‘a feast for the senses’ used many times before, but the two-hour ‘360’ dining experience on board Enchanted Princess – which promises “a journey through the sights, sounds, textures and scents of the Mediterranean” – really does warrant the title.
I meet my nine dining companions over cocktails, serenaded by musicians, before being led by an immaculately dressed maître d’ and a procession of 10 waiters through a dark, velvet-lined corridor. Plush curtains are pulled aside to reveal a circular private dining room of the kind you might expect to find in the secret lair of a James Bond villain (in this case, a benevolent one who enjoys feeding their guests fine food and wine).
Floor-to-ceiling screens encircle the room, displaying panoramic landscapes and first-person POV videos that immerse us in the destinations – Greece, Italy, France and Spain – which we ‘visit’ during our seven-course meal.
Overhead projectors turn our interactive tabletops into the blue-and-white checked cloth of a taverna in Santorini as we tuck into a Greek octopus starter. I tap my plate and the high-tech wizardry makes it appear to break into pieces right in front of me.
The scent of Sicilian lemons is spritzed into the air while I devour the next course of pasta al limone. Vintage Spanish red wine arrives, poured from specially designed bottles that have been aged under the sea for six months.
To accompany an exquisite honey lavender dessert from the south of France, friendly bees buzz about the screens around me, which suddenly become flowing fields of purple flowers as the scent of Provence lavender pervades the room. The effects may be virtual but the food is real – and lip-smackingly authentic.
I feel literally transported across the Med, and all in the company of actress Brooke Shields, who provides the audio narration on this extraordinary and sensational – in every sense of the word – experience.
Book it: A seven-night Canada and New England cruise on Enchanted Princess starts at £649 per person, based on two people sharing an inside stateroom, departing on October 26, sailing round-trip from New York and calling at Newport, Boston, Bar Harbor and Halifax.
360: An Extraordinary Experience costs $149 per person.
onesourcecruises.com
Indulge Food Hall on NCL
The ship I’m dining aboard tonight, Norwegian Prima, is moored outside Reykjavik in Iceland. Yet I’ll be starting my dinner in Delhi, having a little snack in Singapore, then on to main course in Mexico and dessert in downtown New York – all without leaving the table.
International food halls such as this are all the rage; even Harrods has one now. But on a ship? NCL’s Indulge concept is inspired and really works on a cruise because it means the whole family can eat together, even if their tastes are entirely different.
“I’ll start my dinner in Delhi, have a snack in Singapore, then main course in Mexico and dessert in New York.”
The hall is divided up into 11 sections, each of which resembles a street-food outlet of the kind you would find in the destinations themselves. For example, the Latin Quarter serves Mexican nachos and tostadas out of a converted Airstream trailer, while Tamara serves Indian cuisine cooked in their very own tandoor oven. And everything is free except Coco’s, which serves upmarket desserts and gelatos.
The best thing is, you can sit anywhere in the hall and still choose from any of the outlets, either by going to the counter yourself or by ordering from the table on one of the tablet-like control panels in front of you.
I tap the screen and select a pad Thai from Nudls, which offers noodle-style dishes from around the world: there are noodly Asian soups, pasta dishes from Italy or even spätzle from Germany. It arrives so quickly my partner is still deciding between a healthy Cobb salad from The Garden or a spicy bowl of Lone Star Chilli from the Q Texas Smokehouse.
One thing we both agree on is that the bacon-wrapped medjool dates, stuffed with almonds and blue cheese, delivered straight from Indulge’s retro-styled Tapas food truck, are among the best things we’ve ever eaten, either at sea or on land.
Book it: An 11-day cruise from New York to Bermuda and Dominican Republic on Norwegian Prima, departing November 30, costs £1,808 per person for an Oceanview Stateroom. Ports of call include San Juan, St Thomas and Tortola.
ncl.com
