Talking with Cunard Commodore Rynd and Oasis of the Seas Photos

We have two new items this week.




First, we speak with Commodore Christopher Rynd of Cunard Line. The commodore of a passenger ship line is the senior seagoing officer in the line’s fleet. Traditionally, he has been the master of the line’s flagship and unlike a commodore in the military, his role has been pretty much limited to that ship.



Commodore Rynd, who was appointed commodore in April 2011, aims to break with tradition. While his two immediate predecessors as commodore were necessarily focused on bringing the line’s flagship, Queen Mary 2, into service and establishing her as a viable competitor in the modern cruise industry, Commodore Rynd sees his role as extending fleet-wide - - the goal being to further facilitate a unified Cunard product across the line’s three ships.



I sat down with Commodore Rynd during a transatlantic voyage on Queen Mary 2 and asked him about his vision for his new role. As in past interviews, his answers were well-thought out and well-articulated. Our conversation is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Rynd-3.html



The second item this week is a new photo essay on Oasis of the Seas. On November 23, 2011, Oasis paid a call at the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Although there were five other first-class cruise ships in port with her, Oasis was the center of attention. As the photographs of her during the course of the day and into the evening show, she attracts attention not just because of the enormity of her size but also because of the sense of excitement that she generates. The photo essay is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-StMaarten.html

Allure of the Seas - - Dining

Gone are the days when all there was to do during a cruise was eat. Nonetheless, food remains a big part of the cruise experience and indeed, of travel in general. Just consider how many travel programs on television are really about food.

As is to be expected from the world’s largest cruise ship, the dining options on Allure of the Seas are not limited to the main dining room and a buffet. In fact, if a guest were to confine himself to just three meals a day, he would not be able to dine in all of the dining venues on Allure during one of her seven day cruises.

Beyond numbers, Allure offers variety. The options range from comfort food to fine dining with many gradations in between.. There is Asian food, Italian food, Brazilian food, Mexican food and various types of American cooking. One venue offers hot dogs from around the world while another features healthy smoothies, wraps and fresh fruit.

Facing so many options can be a bit daunting. Therefore, in order to give us some guidance about the various dining options on Allure, I sat down with her Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca and asked him to give us some insights into what each of these options are about. Not only is Mr. Mendoca is in charge of all of the dining venues but he was part of the team that developed the dining concepts for Allure and her sister ship Oasis of the Seas. This tour of Allure’s dining venues is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html

From a fine dining viewpoint, perhaps the most exciting venue on Allure is 150 Central Park. Here, in an elegant, intimate setting, Allure is offering a sophisticated tasting menu. Unlike other sea-going fine dining venues, the menus at 150 Central Park were not drawn up by the line’s corporate headquarters or by a celebrity chef who only visits the ship occasionally. Instead, the menus are the product of the restaurant’s chef de cuisine who is responsible for cooking the meals as well. Thus, the restaurant is unique and reflects that chef’s creativity.

With the success of the top of the line dining venue on its newest ship at stake, Royal Caribbean had to find a truly exceptional chef. An established celebrity chef would have been ideal but it would have been impractical for a number of reasons. Instead, Royal Caribbean went out looking for a person that could well become a celebrity chef. With the help of the Culinary Institute of America, they found that person in Maureen “Molly” Brandt.

I spoke with Chef Brandt while I was on Allure about 150 Central Park and her cooking philosophy. We also chatted about her career and how she became 150’s Chef de Cuisine. The resulting article is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Brandt.html

As an added extra this week, I have also posted a new photo essay on Allure’s sister ship Oasis of the Seas. Like Allure, Oasis’ homeport is Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) Florida. Port Everglades is a busy cruise port and there can be some eight cruise ships in port on the same day in a relatively small area. As a result, it is amazing that a ship the size of Oasis can maneuver with such seeming ease in these confined waters. That is the subject of the photo essay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-Photos-1.html