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As people on land seek to know where their food comes from and prefer local sources, with sustainable and organic products, cruise lines are paying attention. The farm-to-table or market-to-table movement is being adapted to sea. While acquiring fresh ingredients from local vendors at ports of call is difficult on larger ships -- which need huge quantities to prepare thousands of meals each night -- small luxury ships and river ships are working to source more items from local markets.
A chef from a Sea Cloud sailing ship might head ashore in the Caribbean to purchase a whole fish to slice and grill per order on deck; a chef from a Windstar ship may purchase fresh tomatoes at a market in France for dinner; and a Seabourn chef may pick up pounds of dates and spices at a market in Oman.
On the river ships of Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, chefs create some menu items daily based on seasonal produce that they discover at local markets where ships dock. Similar experiences are available on Oceania Cruises and Viking Cruises.
Crystal River Cruises takes the approach into the stratosphere with its Vintage Room experience, where on a Rhine itinerary an intimate group of guests might dine on Dutch caviar, raw oysters, local fish and venison with fresh-baked bread and butter purchased that day in Strasbourg, France -- accompanied by fine hand-selected wines.
On the cruelty-free front, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., with its four brands; Carnival Corporation, with its nine brands; and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, with its three brands, have committed to using cage-free eggs across their fleets by the end of 2025. Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean have committed to using only crate-free pork by 2022.
Cruising The World
