Sneak Peak into Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas Dynamic Dining

Television personality and food connoisseur Andrew Zimmern once said, “Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.” 

Last week Royal Caribbean flew me to Miami from Seattle.  Not knowing what to expect, I expected to be amazed by Chef Cornelius Gallagher, the Director of Culinary Operations at Royal Caribbean International, and Chef Michael Gillian, the Royal Caribbean Corporate Chef.  Both chefs are known to be passionate about food in the culinary world, and are all about creating extraordinary meals.  They are now bringing their Michelin-star experience and celebrated restaurateur backgrounds to the cruise industry in a ground-breaking way.

Royal Caribbean, known as a top tier cruise line, is adding a new cruise ship to its fleet.  The Quantum of the Seas ship is the first of its Quantum class to offer Dynamic Dining, which is a more modern approach to experiencing an epicurean journey compared to the more traditional formal dining cruises are generally known for.  Quantum of the Seas will move cruising away from just knowing you will eat relatively well towards making your vacation cruise a dining destination affording you flexibility and creative options tailored around each guest .  Quantum of the Seas voyagers can expect a ‘foodcation’ like no other.

If you’ve ever been on a cruise, researched what to expect when dining on a cruise, or ever conversed with someone who has been on a cruise, then you know most people will tell you that you’ll never go hungry and that you will come back 10 pounds heavier.  You might hear of reports that the food was good without many specifics.  As someone who loves to eat well and has vacationed on several different cruise lines and ships, the typical cruise fare is what you would expect at a 3.5-4-star hotel managed restaurant: adequate- even good – but likely not memorable.  That is, unless you are under age 12 where the idea of all you can eat pizza and French fries 24/7 is what makes your cruise dining experience epic – at least this is how it is for my kids who still boast to their friends that this is the best part of cruising.  But for the rest of us who seek a memorable food experience, cruises generally do not come to mind.

Because I am all about the food I am really excited to be partnering with Royal Caribbean to give you a behind the scenes look at their Dynamic Dining culinary concept with Quantum of the Seas.  The hope for Royal Caribbean is that it will excite passionate food lovers, like me (and hopefully you), to have a whole new reason to sail with them in the near future.  Quantum of the Seas will be a one ship destination to meet all your culinary expectations from the first bite till last.  This ship is designed to be a game changer on how cruise dining is perceived, hashtag:  #ThisChangesEverything .

My day long studio kitchen visit with Royal Caribbean in Miami was to get a taste of what guests can expect when dining in one of their 18 restaurants on board.  This includes restaurants by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, James Beard award-winning chef Michael Schwartz, Biggest Loser chef Devin Alexander, and famed Cornelius Gallagher.  On this particular visit, Chefs Gallagher and Gilligan prepared three dishes designed to give guests a dining experience they will savor, remember, and want to tell their friends, co-workers, and family back home.

Baby Vegetables in the Garden – This dishes features roasted root vegetables presented on a pillow platter with edible organic faux soil.

Caviar Tempura with Remoulade

Halibut in Clear Papillote with Mushrooms, Potatoes, and Bacon

These dishes will be featured in Wonderland a sea based restaurant specializing in ‘Imaginative Cuisine’ intended to compete with what you would expect come to expect and experience at a 5-star land based restaurant.  I’m told by Chef Gallagher restaurants on board are committed to using fresh, seasonal, local ingredients brought on board by local purveyors at each port.  Every good chef and home cook, your dish is only as good as its ingredients, and Wonderful will highlight this throughout their menu.

I hope you will follow my culinary adventure with Royal Caribbean’s new Dynamic Dining concept.  I will give you a real-time culinary report through social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest at the Aspen Food & Wine Festival later this month when Royal Caribbean will be unveiling more of their exciting culinary vision and when the Quantum of the Seas sails in their inaugural voyage.  I invite you to follow along, ask questions along the way, and get excited about what’s to come.

Here are all the ways you can follow my adventure and stay informed:

Hashtag: #ThisChangesEverything

On Pinterest: Alice will be pinning her Royal Caribbean Dynamic Dining adventures on Royal Caribbean’s Pinterest Dynamic Dining Board, here.

Alice’s Social Media:

Instagram: @savorysweetlife

Twitter: @savorysweetlife

Facebook: Facebook.com/savorysweetlife

 

Royal Caribbean’s Social Media:

Instagram: @RoyalCaribbean

Twitter: @RoyalCaribbean

Facebook: Facebook.com/RoyalCaribbean

 

Disclosure:  Royal Caribbean and Savory Sweet Life have partnered together for this sponsored content.