Cruise dining was once a formal, limited affair; now, specialty dining, immersive experiences, and mind-bending menus are the dominating trends. This has been led by the number of worldwide ocean cruise passengers increasing, reaching 31.7 million in 2023. With a wider range of passengers on board, each with varying palates, there grew a demand to offer a variety of cuisines. Today, cruise lines offer a wide range of restaurants, grills and buffets per vessel, with Icon of the Seas boasting a staggering 40 dining venues and bars alone!
With these changes in cuisine, the cruise galley has also undergone a transformation. Each cruise ship now has several galleys on board each dedicated to serving their own specialist venue. These take many different layouts, from open plan kitchens allowing passengers to watch their meals being prepared to hands-on galleys like interactive cooking laboratories and Korean BBQs where guests can cook at their own table.
Changing tastes
Over the past few years, the way we dine and drink away from home has changed. Increasingly, guests are seeking more memorable moments, with Forbes declaring exceptional experiences as one of the leading restaurant trends of 2024. This has also impacted bars, with unique drink menus and interactive experiences being listed as some of the top bar trends of 2024. But how is this magic being achieved on board cruise ships? What goes on behind the scenes? Read on to uncover what’s behind the magic of some of the cruise industry’s most enchanting venues.
Down the rabbit hole
On Royal Caribbean’s Wonder, Anthem, Harmony, and Ovation of the Seas, guests can step into a storybook to discover the magic of Wonderland, an imaginative Alice in Wonderland-inspired dining experience. After venturing down the rabbit hole, the adventure begins with a curiously empty menu. To reveal its contents, guests must brush the blank page using the paintbrush dipped in water. Magically, this unveils dishes based on five natural elements – earth, sea, fire, ice, and sun.
At Wonderland, guests are taken on a gastronomic journey. Visitors can choose dishes from each elemental category, or allow their waiter to put together a selection of samples for them. The menu offers a feast for the imagination as Wonderland’s chefs twist their culinary kaleidoscopes to invent an elaborate dreamscape of never-before-seen fare. Dishes range from the Madhatter’s purple potted shrimp to baby vegetables in the garden (complete with edible soil), and the restaurant’s signature ‘The World’ – a chocolate ball concealing a surprise filling. Everything served at Wonderland, including the plates the food is presented on, is out of the ordinary!
Creating culinary magic
There is plenty of culinary magic taking place in Wonderland’s galley, including candyfloss that melts into a cocktail, eggs perched atop an edible nest presented inside a smoke-filled glass dome, crabs carefully crafted into cones, and test tubes filled with a delicious tomato-based starter. All of these fantastical feats are performed by teams as small as five in an open kitchen.
Executive Chef Franz Blum explains, “[the menu] is based on a molecular cuisine where we’re actually taking a product, taking it out of its shape completely, and then re-creating it without actually having the same product in front of you”. The dishes offer a striking visual impact based on the theory that we experience food first with our eyes. Chefs take on the roles of scientists and chemists to deliver a unique twist on well-known dishes. Reimagined classics on offer include a deconstructed caprese salad and a transparent tomato gazpacho.
“Drink me” cocktails
Wonderland cocktails were designed to match the whimsical food served in the restaurant, with five cocktails matching the five elements of the menu. These are expertly crafted by a team of mixologists, with the aid of a few tricks and specialist equipment including a machine that uses liquid nitrogen to freeze glasses from room temperature to minus two degrees Celsius.
Spellbinding mixology
On board Sun Princess, behind a cryptic black door, there lies a bewitching bar shrouded in mystery; Spellbound. In this curious venue, pianos strike a chord, seemingly out of nowhere, played by an invisible spectre. Magicians perform tricks through portholes. Paintings move and change the closer you watch them. Spellbound is not just a bar; it is a transportation to an enchanted Victorian house.
Spellbound is a venue on board Sun Princess which was built in collaboration with the Magic Castle. Magic Castle is a prestigious and highly exclusive gathering spot for members of the Academy of Magic Arts, hosted inside an old Victorian House in Los Angeles. Now, Princess Cruises passengers can catch a glimpse of the magic.
Spellbound blends the captivating world of magic with the art of mixology to create an extraordinary, Victorian-inspired experience. Cocktails are shaken and served alongside delightful surprises including sinking bar seats which will only rise once the cocktail has been served and its bubble popped, a Houdini drink served inside a smoking chest containing handcuffs, and colour changing drinks.
While a magician never reveals his secrets, we uncovered some of the tricks behind this magical bar. The smoke emanating from the titular chest from the ‘Escape from Houdini’s Chest’ is created using dry ice. The Magician features butterfly pea tequila that changes from blue to purple as it is poured into the glass. This trick is achieved as butterfly pea blossoms change colour when combined with acidic ingredients. With dozens of cocktails specially curated for Spellbound on offer, there are plenty of other secrets to be uncovered.
Conjuring magic-making galleys
Designing any space on a cruise ship comes with many obstacles. Space limitations, IMO standards and industry regulations, weight restrictions, changing lighting, and even psychology, are just some of the factors designers need to consider. However, due to their purpose, cruise ship galleys possess their own unique hurdles. In a recent article, Foodservice Equipment Reports outlined some of the key challenges, considerations, and trends in cruise galley design, with extra insights from suppliers.
Firstly, there is the need to factor in space limitations. Often, cruise galleys are smaller spaces with challenging layouts. This is why “marine-izing” foodservice equipment is so important, according to a galley supplier. Foodservice Equipment Reports stated that the shift toward more and smaller restaurants has necessitated the evolution of marine combi ovens in particular. Features like slide-away doors help operators maximise usable space in tight galley quarters. In addition, scaled-down combis, at around 20 inches wide, add meaningful production capacity without taking up a lot of space, and stackable units provide added flexibility.
In a CSI article, galley designer Almaco unveiled that galleys are one of the biggest energy consumers on a vessel. They are connected to almost all onboard systems. These systems are sometimes “invisible” to the naked eye, but crucial when planning the layout and design of cruise ship galleys. As a result, lowering energy consumption has become the standard in cruise ship galley design. It’s important to select energy-saving equipment and plan for proper technical spaces that fit energy-saving devices. Almaco recommends cruise lines should keep an eye on emerging technologies and advanced solutions to ensure catering areas have the most state-of-the-art equipment.
Some of the other considerations designers account for include equipment weight, corrosion reducing materials, galley flow, and time-saving equipment.
Want more of this?
Check out the Cruise Ship Interiors (CSI) Design Expo Europe blog for more design insights and the latest industry updates. CSI Design Expo Europe is a specialised conference and exhibition catered exclusively to the European cruise interior design industry, with a unique focus on Europe’s luxury ocean, river, and expedition cruising. The next event will be taking place on 4 – 5 December 2024 alongside the Sustainable Design Summit at Excel London.