Celebrity Chefs take MSC by storm!

Posted on 18 November, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

Celebrity Chefs take MSC by storm!

Official press release

CELEBRITY CHEFS BRING THEIR MAGIC TO MSC CRUISES GOURMET VOYAGES AT SEA

Five*top European*chefs*teach and delight

Starting this winter, MSC Cruises will be bringing its guests the additional pleasures and insights of world-class cuisine prepared to perfection by specially-invited celebrity chefs from Spain, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. You can choose from five delicious cruises, each designed to provide a true gourmet voyage of discovery, beginning with MSC Fantasia on 27 November 2011, continuing with MSC Splendida on January and February 2012 and finishing with MSC*Lirica in June.

“We are delighted to have hand picked a group of celebrity chefs from five culinary capitals of the world,” explained Pierfrancesco Vago, Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises. “While exploring the most alluring destinations in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, our guests will be able to enjoy demonstrations and tastings of outstanding European cuisine prepared to the highest gourmet standards on a cruise ship and indeed anywhere on land or sea.”

The celebrity line-up will be bringing their creative magic to the following voyages with MSC*Cruises:

MSC Fantasia, 27 November – 8 December 2011
Guests on MSC Fantasia will have the privilege of exploring the finest Spanish cuisine with two-time Michelin Star winner Paco Roncero at the helm. A specialist master of the different textures and flavours of olive oil, Paco Roncero is acclaimed as a leader of the molecular gastronomy movement. A modern Renaissance man, Paco is the Executive Chef and Manager of Casino de Madrid and Estado Puro, both praised for their innovative spin on traditional favourites, while also being a contributor to the gastronomy section of El Pais, Spain’s leading national daily newspaper and a much-admired star on Spanish television food shows.

MSC Splendida, 7-14 January 2012
In the same tradition that MSC Cruises greets its guests with genuine Italian hospitality, Chef Mauro Uliassi from Italy welcomes lovers of fine food and wine with authentic flavours from his home. With two Michelin Stars under his apron, this master of fish is the co-owner of Uliassi in his hometown, Senigallia, which has won a coveted Three Forks award from the renowned Italian Restaurant guide Gambero Rosso, the “Excellent Cuisine” award and the Accademia della Cucina Italiana’s “Recognition of Magnificence” from 2003 to 2010.

MSC Splendida, 28 January – 4 February 2012
Chef Gilles Epié joins MSC Cruises from France. Awarded a Michelin Star at the age of 22, Epié has seasoned his career with a 10-year tenure in the United States, where he was celebrated as Best Chef by Food & Wine magazine for L’Orangerie in Los Angeles. Gilles will be delighting MSC guests with the acclaimed fusion of French and New World cuisines that can also be found at Epié’s restaurant in Paris, Citrus Etoile.

MSC Splendida, 4-11 February 2012
Celebrity Chef Antony Worrall Thompson from the United Kingdom is familiar to many travellers and food lovers alike from the popular television show “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here” on ITV. Always at the forefront of food and health trends, Thompson brings more than 30*years’ leading gastronomic creativity to MSC Splendida’s tables. His latest book, The Essential Low Fat Cookbook: Good Healthy Eating for Everyday, highlights deliciously healthy dishes that are also offered aboard MSC Splendida. The recipe for his flavourful career includes his first restaurant, Ménage à Trois, which was a favourite of the late Princess Diana.

MSC Lirica, 1-12 June 2012
German Celebrity Chef Kolja Kleeberg will be on board MSC Lirica for a several nights in succession, making the cruise from Hamburg to Amsterdam an experience to savour. Kolja trained in Germany at the restaurant Rino Casati in Cologne, at Le Marron in Bonn and in Switzerland at the restaurant La Punt. In 1996 he opened his own restaurant, VAU in Berlin, serving gastronomic creations that won him a Michelin star and 17 points in the Gault Millau Guide within a year. Kolja’s vision and personality have in addition made him a popular guest on several German TV shows.

Who’s your favourite Celebrity Chef? Would you like to see them on a cruise?

Silversea revamps entertainment

Posted on 10 November, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

Silversea revamps entertainment

By Donna Tunney

In a partnership with Las Vegas-based Choozi Entertainment, Silversea Cruises is changing its entertainment program from traditional song-and-dance productions to concerts.Concerts will feature Motown, opera, pop and rock. The revamped shows were launched on the Oct. 24 sailing of the Silver Cloud, with additional shows opening this month on the Silver Whisper, the Silver Wind and the Silver Shadow. The program will be rolled out on the Silver Spirit in March.

The show lounges on Silversea ships will feature three productions. “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” is described as a musical journey through Motown. “High C’s” will focus on classical music and well-known arias, from Puccini and Verdi to contemporary songwriters.

“Fabbalicious” features the music of Swedish pop group Abba and is designed to “get the audience on their feet, singing and dancing along with the cast,” said the line.

On the ships’ pool deck, a new music party will showcase pop music from Madonna to Lady Gaga, and almost everyone in between, said Silversea. “Famous stars will come to life as costumes are pulled from a trunk and the performers become one music legend after the next,” Silversea said.

And in the ship’s Panorama lounges, passengers will hear the music of John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Billy Joel along with selections from Broadway musicals.

“Our guests expect world-class amenities and entertainment is a big part of their overall shipboard experience,” said Christian Sauleau, Silversea’s executive vice president of fleet operations. “By partnering with Choozi, we are elevating the caliber of entertainment and creating variety that will delight our guests and enhance their cruise experience.”

Choozi Entertainment’s Christopher and Suzanne Childers are in charge of production of the Silversea shows. Christopher Childers toured with Madonna, Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil. He is artistic coordinator for “Le Reve” at Wynn Las Vegas.

Previously, Silversea’s entertainment was handled by Jeanne Ryan Productions.

Brits flock back to Tenerife

Posted on 9 November, 2011 by Spacejunkie2

WTM: Brits flock back to Tenerife

Tenerife is reporting a 12% increase in UK arrival numbers for 2011, with all-inclusive and cruise the key growth areas.

Speaking at a World Travel Market breakfast briefing, tourism minister Carlos Alonso revealed the Canary Island is close to matching UK visitor numbers from 2005.

The island’s arrival numbers had been deteriorating for about three years before April 2010, but already close to 1.5m Brits have travelled there this year.

British guests have made up 31% of 2011 arrivals, and Tenerife accounts for 45% of all British arrivals to the Canary Islands.

Alonso also revealed that the average age of visitors is slowly falling, now at 49, due in part to the growing number of younger couples – couples account for 57% of travellers.

Bookings are mostly online, with 67% of flights booked on the web and 44% of accommodation. Online research plays a role in 82% of trips.

All inclusive is the real growth area, up 27.8% on 2010. Cruise is also proving a key area of growth with 312,000 cruise visits in 2011 to date.

New initiatives for 2012 include the introduction of five volcano tours around the island, and a new focus on gastronomy.

The island also has a keen social media policy, carefully monitoring everything on the web in order to keep an eye on trends and respond where suitable to comments.