Talking with the Captain of Enchantment; Chops Grille Review

This week, some of the members of the senior management team talk about what makes Enhantment of the Seas work.

First, we have Captain Gus Andersson, the master of the vessel. Captain Gus clearly enjoys his role. He can be seen out and about in the passenger areas of the ship, walking about and keeping his eye on how things are going and also participating in light-hearted activities such as a cake making competition. His announcements from the bridge inform the guests of the usual nautical information such as the ship's position and the weather but also about places of interest the ship is passing and some relevant history. The announcements always end with “words of wisdom” - - little sayings that elecit a smile but also have a lesson embedded in them.

Enchantment is Captain Gus' first permanent command. However, his resume includes expereience as an officer on several Royal Caribbean ships. Especially noteworthy is that he was First Officer on the team that brought Allure of the Seas into service. I sailed on Allure's maiden voyage and was struck by how incredibly motivated the crew of that ship was.

Micael Landry is the Hotel Director on Enchantment. One of the few American hotel directors in the cruise industry, his experience in hospitality includes both land-based hotels and ships. On Enchantment, he is in charge of the ship's largest department including such things as the dining, the entertainment and the accommodation. Like Captain Gus, he is not one to hide in his office. Rather, he too gets out and about amongst the guests and passengers. His forays are low key and designed to ensure that the operation is running smoothly.

Snezana Katic is the Guest Relations Manager. Included in her area of responsibily is management of the Guest Relations Desk. Equivalent to the reception desk at a hotel, the Guest Relations Desk is where passengers go when they have a question or a problem. On too many ships, the attitude of the people manning the desk is quite defensive. They seem to regard questions and reports of problems as a personal criticism. This, of course, is not very helpful.

On Enchantment, the Guest Relations Desk is just the opposite. The people behind the desk are friendly and endeavor to be problem solvers.

Enchantment is now 15 years old, which makes her approaching middle age. Yet, she still provides a good vacation experience and has a legion of followers who sail on her regularly. I asked these members of the senior team why that is. Their answer is posted at: http://www.beyondships2.com/enchantment-of-the-seas-interview.html

In addition, this week we have my review of the Chops Grille on Enchantment. Chops is Royal Caribbean's urban-style steakhouse. The menu of this specialty restaurant is the same on each of the Royal Caribbean ships that has a Chops. However, just as the same brand of restaurant can differ in different cities, so do the Chops. The review is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/enchantment-of-the-seas-chops-grille-review.html

Queen Mary 2 Video and Queen Victoria Dining

This week we present our first video on Beyondships.  It is a short item showing P&O Cruises’ Oceana leaving Southampton.  However, what makes it exciting is that it includes an exchange of salutes between Oceana and Queen Mary 2.

I was standing on the forward observation deck of Queen Mary 2, trying out the video feature on a small Nikon that I had just purchased.  We were getting ready to sail on what had turned out to be a sunny and pleasant afternoon in Southampton when Oceana approached on her way out to sea.  I trained the camera on her and as Oceana approached the pier where QM2 was berthed, QM2 sounded her horns in salute.  These horns have a distinctive sound as one is from the original Queen Mary while the other is a copy of the Queen Mary’s original horn (actually, it is the better sounding one).  In any event, the sounds of the horns as well as Oceana’s answering salutes are captured on the video.

The video is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/video-qm2-salutes-oceana.html

In addition to the video, this week we have added two culinary articles on QM2’s fleetmate, Cunard’s Queen Victoria.  In the first article, Food and Beverage Manager Bernhard Fischer gives us his insights into the various dining venues on Queen Victoria from the luxury Grill restaurants to the new alternative dining options in the Lido.  It is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-dining-guide.html

The second article is a review of the specialty restaurant on Queen Victoria, the Todd English Restaurant.   Although similar in its menu offerings to the Todd English on Queen Mary 2, the Victoria’s version has an ambiance of its own. http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-todd-english-review.html

Talking with the Capain of Zuiderdam; Afternoon Tea on Queen Mary 2

This week we have three new articles on Beyondships.




The first is an interview with Captain Christopher Turner and Hotel Director Edwin Blunik of Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam. When I booked my cruise on Zuiderdam, I wasn’t expecting anything special. My impression was that she was just another of the larger HAL ships. While I had enjoyed my cruises on HAL Vista and Signature class ships, I had no reason to think that this one would be special.



Yet when I had actually experienced Zuiderdam, I learned that she was special. Yes, she adheres to the basic HAL formula of a cultured environment with good food and service but she carries out that formula very nicely. Also, the atmosphere, perhaps reflecting the décor, seemed brighter than my previous HAL experiences.



Apparently, other cruisers have found the same thing. Based on guest comment cards, in 2010, Zuiderdam exceeded HAL’s target ratings in every area. in which a ship is rated. No other ship had similar results. Therefore, I asked Captain Turner and Mr. Blunick to explain why Zuiderdam receives such top ratings. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Zuiderdam-Captain.html



If you are interested in food, you’ll probably want to check out The Pinnacle Grill on Zuiderdam. It is the ship’s top specialty restaurant. Once a cruise, the Pinnacle Grill is transformed into a seagoing version of New York’s famed Le Cirque. (See review at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-LeCirque.html ). But most nights it is its own brand of relaxed elegance; combing a steakhouse menu with elements of fine dining. My review is at http://www.beyondships.com/HAL-Zuiderdam-Pinnacle.html



Changing ships, a unique experience at sea is afternoon tea on the Queen Mary 2. Several other lines have afternoon tea. These are usually done in one of the ship’s dining rooms or in one of the bars. In addition, the staff is often unfamiliar with how an afternoon tea works. On Queen Mary 2, one can have afternoon tea in the largest ballroom at sea. As one would expect from a very traditional British line, the staff understands afternoon tea. Consequently, afternoon tea on QM2 is more than just a culinary event. My review is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-review-tea.html

Talking with the President of Cunard and Reviewing the Steakhouse on Carnival Glory

Cunard Line is perhaps the most famous name in the history of the passenger ship business. Not only has it been carrying passengers across the Atlantic on a regular basis since 1840, but its fleet has included an array of ships that were not only famous in their day but which are still recognized as being great ships - - Mauretania, Lusitania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2).

Today, Cunard is no longer the biggest name in the passenger business. It fell on hard times during the second half of the 20th Century and really only survived because the QE2 was such a fabulous ship both technologically and in the atmosphere that was created onboard.

In 1997, the cavalry arrived in the form of Carnival Corporation, which has invested heavily in the venerable line; building the largest ocean liner ever built, the Queen Mary 2, and two large cruise ships that are designed to evoke the feel of the great ocean liners. It also re-focused the line. The succession of owners that Cunard had prior to Carnival were never able to decide what to do with Cunard and so the company tried to do mass market cruising, luxury yachts, Norwegian-style cruise ships and various other strategies. Carnival shifted the focus back to the ocean liner experience.

A year ago July, Peter Shanks became the President and Managing Director of Cunard Line. I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Shanks about Cunard at its headquarters when I was in Southampton. Because that conversation produced so much material that I would like to share, I am presenting it in two parts. The first part focuses on Mr. Shanks’ vision for Cunard and what he views as differentiating the onboard experience on the Cunard ships from Cunard’s competitor. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/Cunard-Shanks-1.html

In part II, we discussed the new Cunard ship, Queen Elizabeth, which will go into service in October, as well as some thoughts about ships that may follow the Elizabeth. In addition, we talked about Cunard’s position in the Carnival family of companies. Part II will be posted next time.

This week I’ve also posted a restaurant review. For the most part, I have tried to avoid explicitly stating opinions about the various ships on Beyondships. There are a lot of other sites that do feature reviews and which do that very well. Beyondships rather is designed to present information that you can use in making up your mind about the ships.

One area that has not received much attention on the web is the specialty restaurants that are now proliferating across the cruise ship fleets. These are dining venues that are an alternative to the ships’ main dining rooms. They often specialize in one style of food and are intended to be a premium experience over and above the main dining room. There is usually a cover charge for these dining venues.

When I cruise, I usually enjoy a visit to the specialty restaurants. Sometimes I am accompanied by one of the ship officers who I have interviewed who often have a uniquer perspective about the restaurant. Thus, I thought it might be helpful to post some on my experiences.

This time the review is of the Emerald Steakhouse on Carnival Glory. Carnival has a reputation for serving good food. However, it is not usually thought of as a premium cruise line. Thus, the question that comes to mind is can a Carnival ship have a good premium restaurant? Helping me explore this question was Jorge Solano, Cruise Director on the Glory. The review is posted at: http://www.beyondships.com/CarnivalGlory-Review-Emerald.html