All the marketing emphasis was on the fact that you could keep grazing from morning to night, from early risers breakfast to bouillon at elevenses, lavish luncheons to afternoon teas, pre-dinner canapés to the midnight buffet. Not that things have changed that much – food continues to be a main focus on most ships, but now we see an increasing diversity in the type of dining on offer, and some great value opportunities for international foodies.

It was recently announced that master chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa will travel aboard Crystal Symphony this spring to officiate the opening of two new restaurants, Silk Road and The Sushi Bar. Since her launch in 2003, guests on Crystal Serenity have enjoyed meals prepared by Nobu-trained chefs, who have learnt the nuances of preparing his trademark blend of classically styled Japanese foods with Peruvian and European influences. Now Crystal Symphony guests will enjoy the same offering. Worldwide Nobu aficionados happily spend upwards of £70 a head for an evening at one of this unusual chef’s restaurants. The opportunity of enjoying such a dinner for ‘free’ on Crystal has high appeal!

Meanwhile on Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner the gourmet Signatures restaurants are the only Le Cordon Bleu restaurants at sea. Not only does the restaurant itself offer a very special tasting menu much enjoyed by the discerning travelers on these beautiful ships, but in addition certain cruises feature the Classe Culinaire – intensive hands-on workshops on board, as well as an exclusive visit ashore, maybe to a food market or the kitchen of an eminent local chef.

Silversea, a member of the prestigious Relais et Chateaux hotel group, enhances its dining room menus with La Collection du Monde, a series of signature dishes created exclusively for Silversea by Relais & Chateaux, whilst a more exclusive experience can be had in the Relais Gourmands Degustation restaurants Saletta and Le Champagne. In addition, celebrated Relais chefs will sometimes join a Silversea cruise for an exclusive Guest Chef appearance – Raymond Blanc from Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons was on board in the Far East last year.

Seabourn’s collaboration with American Chef Charlie Palmer is evident both in the carefully constructed menus in the main dining room, and in the alternative indoor/outdoor 2, where evening tasting menus with paired wines and outstanding service are an absolute delight. The tasting menu at Charlie Palmer’s Manhattan restaurant Aureole with paired wines is $160 a head.
Cunard’s latest addition to the fleet, Queen Victoria, features a Todd English alternative restaurant, first launched on her big sister Queen Mary 2. A most attractive and intimate space, this rather special restaurant features Todd English signature Mediterranean dishes in line with his many restaurants in the US (most notably Olives in New York, Las Vegas and Cincinnati).

From Marco Pierre White to Michel Roux, from James Martin to Jacques Pepin, celebrated chefs are increasingly recruited to work with cruise lines to create very special menus on board. But in addition to such cruise line/chef partnerships, cruise line passengers can also enjoy some wonderful Guest Chef experiences on certain cruises, when master chefs from around the world agree to take a brief break from their starred restaurants and rising stars or great names join specific cruises to offer cookery demonstrations, shoreside visits and a signature menu. Ask us to look out for such opportunities for you if you are interested.