Princess Cruises sets standards for trend-setting culinary style. First in the industry, the 24-hour food court has changed cruising, said Princess Cruises Corporate Chef Alfredo Marzi. There are more choices in dining style, venue and meal times for anything you want, when you want it.
Last August, the sushi bar debuted in their casual buffet restaurants fleetwide, further expanding guests selections. Available on sea days during the lunch hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., passengers line up for a variety of sushi made with shrimp, crab, avocado and vegetables, not raw fish. An average of 3,000 pieces of sushi is consumed each day with California roll a popular choice.
On the newly launched Ocean Princess the casual Horizon Court, with a colorful tropical look and banks of windows, offers self-service breakfasts, lunches and snacks as well as sushi. Evenings, it becomes a Bistro for full service alternative dining with dishes from the regular menu and daily specials. Coffee and tea always are available.
For its commitment to culinary excellence, the entire Princess Cruises fleet was inducted last year into the prestigious Chaine des Rotisseurs, an exclusive gastronomic society. This honor is unique as its usually awarded to noteworthy individual culinarians.
With a greater emphasis on dining and expensive ingredients, Princess Cruises is spending 30 per cent more on food than a number of years ago, Marzi explained. Exotic truffles, porcini and portobello mushrooms, caviar, lobster tails, saffron, 74-pound wheels of Grana Padano--one of 82 varieties of cheese, 32 types of tea, premium wine and champagne promise good eating and drinking. Pink ginger, wasabi, soy sauce, sesame oil, tofu and chopsticks also are on the gargantuan market list.
Marzi was onboard the Ocean Princess last February, their first new ship in the millennium and fourth in the 77,000 GRT Grand Class series, joining sister ships Sun, Dawn and Sea, to ensure that the food service met Princess high standards during their inaugural run from Ft. Lauderdale to the home port of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
With Princess 25 years and Corporate Chef since 1988, Marzi, one of 100 with the distinguished title of Commandante awarded by the Italian president for his contribution as ambassador of Italian cuisine to the world, is passionate about food.
Spending more time aloft and afloat than in the Los Angeles Corporate office, Marzi visits Princess fleet of 10 ships, calling on 230 ports with 150 different itineraries. Inspired by port calls in various countries and continents, Marzi designs over 100 sets of menus yearly for the three- to 78-day cruises.
While menus follow the season and destinations, the cuisine is continental with a touch of Italian, Marzi continued. The kitchen, headed by key Italians such as Ocean Princess Executive Chef Michele Cozzoli, has an international staff of cooks with as many as 150 galley staff preparing approximately 45,000 meals each day.
Whether in the Caribbean, Asian, Alaskan or Mexican waters, youll enjoy similar dining experiences from the Sailaway Dinner to Italian, French and American theme nights. Ninety per cent of the passengers order broiled lobster tail at the Captains Gala Welcome and fifty per cent choose fresh salmon, cod, rockfish and halibut on Alaskan cruises. But its orange roughy in New Zealand and tuna in the Mediterranean. More meat and fruit is served in the Caribbean to a younger crowd. Longer cruises also feature regional dinners such as Greek and Spanish in the Mediterranean, Russian in the Black Sea and Asian in the Far East, where Regal Princess calls on China and Pacific Princess visits India and Nepal.
With two beautiful smoke-free dining rooms that seem more like intimate restaurants than banquet halls, almost 2,000 passengers are served in two seatings. Tables are set with crisp linen, flowers and English Stoke-on-Trent bone china. Unlike many cruise lines, there are more dinner choices with three appetizers, three soups, salad and apsta. Offering five entrees, one can select fish or seafood, poultry, beef, lamb or veal. Caesar salad, broiled salmon, chicken breast, sirloin steak, baked potato and French fries always are available. Desserts run the gamut from airy souffles to flourless chocolate cake and flambes tableside. An international selection of cheese and fresh seasonal fruit also are offered.
Presentation is important. We eat twice; first with our eyes, then with our mouth, Marzi explained. Princess has returned to elegant multi-course menus with smaller plated portions. Were not looking at two-pound prime ribs, but lighter dishes, vegetarian and more healthful choices full of flavor. Flavor has more to do with a balance of seasonings than fat. Doing things we never dreamed possible, we combine fish with fruits and vegetables. Halibut in apricot sauce, not beurre blanc or Hollandaise, is such a dish.
More passengers can enjoy continental breakfasts on their private balcony, since Ocean Princess has about 400 outside cabins, nearly 70 percent, with verandas. In the dining room, one can order complete breakfasts with standards of lox and bagels, pancakes, bacon and eggs as well as two specials such as eggs Benedict and meusli for variety.
Lunch is more American style, with salads, sandwiches and burgers, pasta, meats, vegetarian dishes, housemade frozen desserts and pastries, but youll also find hot sour soup and other Asian specialties. Catering to current tastes, theres pizza and calzone in the pizzeria, hot dogs and hamburgers at the grill, and white glove afternoon tea with finger sandwiches, scones and pastries in the dining room.
Emphasizing freshness and innovation in sync with current culinary trends, Princess chefs help set standards for cuisine at sea. For more information contact your travel agent or Princess Cruises, 10100 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90067. (310) 553-1770.