The Marine Hotel Association’s (MHA) new Culinary Advisory Council will be awarding scholarships to the emerging culinary talent on cruise ships sailing globally in a first-of-its-kind initiative.
The not-for-profit MHA is looking ahead to its annual Conference and Trade Show, taking place in Naples, Florida, April 2-4.
The event brings together food and beverage and hotel vendors along with key decision-makers from cruise lines, and the new Culinary Advisory Council features chefs from a number of cruise brands that will be heavily involved in the Florida event.
The Council will be nominating and recommending chefs working onboard cruise ships for the MHA culinary scholarship.
“This allows us the opportunity to highlight our extraordinary talents onboard and feature their commitment to delivering an ever-evolving world-class experience,” said Eric Barale, Vice President of Culinary for the Apollo Group and Maître Cuisinier de France. “I am truly excited to be able to support and recommend our chefs at sea for the MHA scholarships that focus on the culinary education, development, advocacy and career navigation of our talent.
“The MHA conference and Trade Show will also provide a unique one-on-one networking opportunity for our vendors and teams to address, encourage and visualize the future of trade on the high seas,” he added.
Explorer Dream Capacity: 1,804 guests Tonnage: 76,800 Year built: 1999 Former names: SuperStar Virgo Move: Chartered to Resorts World Cruises; to be renamed Resorts World One Date: January 2023
Rejoining its former fleet mate Genting Drem, the ex-SuperStar Virgo is set to debut in Singapore in February before kicking off a program of short cruises to nowhere departing from Hong Kong.
AIDAaura Capacity: 1,270 guests Tonnage: 42,200 Year built: 2003 Move: To be retired from AIDA Cruises’ fleet Date: January 2023
Pacific Venus Capacity: 696 guests Tonnage: 26,518 Year built: 1998 Move: Withdrawn from service as operator shuts down cruise business Date: January 2023
One of the market’s only three Japanese-flagged cruise ships, the Pacific Venus is now facing an uncertain future. Currently laid up in a shipyard in Japan, the 696-guest vessel was built at the Ishikawajima shipyard in Tokyo.
Costa Venezia Capacity: 4,232 guests Tonnage: 135,500 Year built: 2019 Move: Ended last cruise for Costa ahead of being transferred to Carnival Date: December 2022
Sailing from New York City on a year-round basis, the Venezia will be part of the new Carnival Fun Italian Style concept, which mixes Costa’s Italian heritage with Carnival’s experience and service.
Braemar Capacity: 977 guests Tonnage: 24,344 Year built: 1993 Former names: Crown Majesty, Crown Dynasty and Norwegian Dynasty Move: To be sold by Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Date: November 2022
In late November, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines announced plans to rationalize its fleet and concentrate on modern tonnage. As a result, the British brand decided to retire Braemar from service.
Currently the smallest vessel of the fleet, the 1993-built cruise ship has been laid up in Scotland since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time of the announcement, Fred. Olsen is also said to be looking for a buyer for the vessel, which has a capacity for 977 guests in double occupancy.
Greater Fort Lauderdale is preparing to set a new record in February 2023 with four sold-out LGBTQIA+ cruises bringing in more than $8 million in economic impact, according to Visit Lauderdale, the destination marketing organization.
“With demand for travel to LGBTQIA+ friendly destinations at an all-time high, our reputation for welcoming ‘everyone under the sun’ has delivered a record-breaking booking of four consecutive LGBT+ cruises of this magnitude,” said Richard Gray, Visit Lauderdale’s senior vice president of inclusion and accessibility.
The four sold-out cruises will bring in a total of 11,500 visitors to Fort Lauderdale, according to a statement.
In October 2022, Visit Lauderdale launched its new brand campaign titled “Everyone Under the Sun,” aimed at emphasizing Greater Fort Lauderdale’s welcoming atmosphere and its inclusive community. The ads feature locals of all ethnicities and disabilities and members of the area’s LGBTQIA+ community.
Gray worked with LGBTAIA+ cruise operators including Atlantis, VACAYA and Olivia for the past year promoting four sailings on Visit Lauderdale’s website.
The sold-out LGBTQIA+ cruises include:
Atlantis’ voyage on Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas (February 4-12, 2023);
VACAYA’s cruise package on Celebrity Reflections (February 12-19, 2023)
Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam two cruises (February 19-26, 2023 and February 23-March 5, 2023)
“Beyond our appreciation for the major economic boost to our economy, we want LGBT+ travellers to know they are truly welcome in our community,” concluded Gray.
