Rudi Sodamin with a “food face” made with smoked salmon.
Fun with food is coming to the Carnival Mardi Gras.
A new seafood restaurant designed by chef Rudi Sodamin called Rudi’s Seagrill will feature dishes with the ingredients arranged in playful “food faces.”
Carnival said the menu will feature a selection of appetizers, entrees and desserts presented as food faces, including big eye tuna, grilled branzino, seared scallops and apple cheesecake.
“I believe the quality of a restaurant starts on the plate, so with Rudi’s Seagrill, I want guests to enjoy the food and feel connected to their meals in a fun and engaging way,” Sodamin said.
To date, Sodamin has been primarily associated with Holland America Line, where he is head of the Culinary Council of chefs and has his own seafood bistro on several ships.
Sodamin also published a book last year called “Food Faces: 150 Feasts for the Eyes.”
Situated on Deck 8 between La Piazza and Summer Landing, Rudi’s Seagrill will have an 80-seat indoor dining room with warm lighting and stylish design elements as well as an alfresco area on the Lanai, Carnival said.
There will be a reservations fee “in line with Carnival’s other full-service speciality restaurants.”
The Mardi Gras is scheduled to launch in Europe on Aug. 31, 2020, and arrive at Port Canaveral for Caribbean cruises in October.
Anticipating the first LNG-fueled cruise ship to sail out of a U.S. port, Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras, Tom Strang, senior vice president of maritime affairs for Carnival Corporation, told Cruise Industry News that the company has worked closely with Port Canaveral, the LNG supplier, the Coast Guard and other stakeholders, paving the way.
“There were little formal rules existing on ship-to-ship bunkering,” he explained, “so together with Shell and Port Canaveral, we have agreed to follow the standardized processes we developed for our bunkering operations in Europe, in Tenerife and Barcelona. Our LNG ships pretty much share the same technical platform enabling us to follow the same processes and procedures.”
Strang noted that crew and officers have been trained in the bunkering operation at CSMART where Carnival built a full-scale mock-up bunkering rig.
In addition, an engineering simulator was built for training purposes, and pilots also travelled to CSMART to learn how the ship will handle.
Explained Strang: “With LNG, the rate of loading of the engines is slightly slower with a gaseous fuel than with conventional fuel, but working with the engine manufacturer, the shipyard and Valmet’s automation engineers, we have been able to negate any major issues.
“Also, if there is an emergency and full power is needed immediately, the engines will switch over to diesel and you get an immediate response.”
In addition, some MGO has to be burnt routinely to keep it moving through the tanks, he added. It is also used as a pilot fuel for the LNG.
Bunkering by barge in Port Canaveral, the process for the Mardi Gras will take about six to eight hours, according to Strang. That is longer than conventional bunkering, and the goal is to find ways to speed up the process, while obviously maintaining safety, he noted.
LNG will take Carnival all the way to IMO’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction target as far as the newbuilds are concerned. “We have 21 new ships on order,” Strang said, “and 10 of them are LNG, after the AIDAnova, which entered service late last year.
“The percentage of the fleet with LNG will be high. Later we will also see how we can continue to reduce our carbon emissions by potentially introducing biogas or synthetic gas into the supply chain.”
PHOTO: Agents can now book 2020 trips on Carnival’s Mardi Gras. (Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Line)Cruise lovers who sail on Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, set to debut in late summer 2020, will enjoy an array of architectural features and designs that will enhance many aspects of its balcony, ocean view and interior staterooms.The staterooms were developed in partnership with DCA Design International, a leading product design firm based in Warwick, England, that works across consumer goods, travel and transportation, commercial, and science and technology sectors. The staterooms will reflect new and innovative design practices that are ergonomically friendly and maximize visual space, clean lines, surfaces and storage.
“We took a unique approach to our stateroom design with Mardi Gras, utilizing DCA’s design experts who are well known for innovative product design and partnered them with Miami-based interior architect Studio Dado,” said Ben Clement, Carnival’s senior vice president of new builds. “DCA employed a thoughtful guest-centric approach gleaned from observations of how our guests use their space in conjunction with their vast experience in product design to make the staterooms as comfortable and functional as possible.”
Distinguished by muted turquoise hues, the staterooms’ are enhanced by design touches that include:
—Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors on nearly all verandahs for easier balcony access;
—New sofas that “flip” into a bed and footstools that open up for storage;
—Clear glass doors on the in-room mini-refrigerators to see what’s inside;
—More 110V power outlets and USB connections both on the vanity and by the bed as well as more shelf space to accommodate electronic devices;
—Flexible bedside reading lamps that allow guests to read without disturbing others;
—A larger, customizable wardrobe with two pull-out bins, a sliding shoe rack, folding shelves and storage under the bed for luggage.
—Spacious bathrooms with glass shower doors, a first for the line, along with an in-shower shaving bar.
“We’ve taken the best practices in new interior design and hotel concepts and applied them to Mardi Gras to create guest-friendly staterooms designed to make guests feel at home,” said Dom Hargreaves, sector manager for DCA Design International. “It’s been an incredible opportunity to work with Carnival to enrich the stateroom experience by focusing on both design principles and small details, creating moments of delight for Mardi Gras guests.”
Mardi Gras will offer the widest variety of accommodations of any Carnival ship with more than 70 per cent of staterooms featuring an ocean view or balcony, along with 300 pairs of connecting staterooms, for large families or groups.
In addition to the newly redesigned staterooms with more balcony, ocean view and interior choices than ever before, Mardi Gras will offer favourites introduced on Carnival’s Vista-class including:
—The tropics-inspired Havana staterooms feature vibrant interiors and outdoor patio space. These staterooms have access to an exclusive open deck with sun loungers, Cuban-themed bar and a relaxation pool.
—Extra-roomy Family Harbor accommodations with their nautical decor are located near Camp Ocean, the children’s facility, and have access to the Family Harbor Lounge, an exclusive spot with breakfast and snacks throughout the day, plus board games, family movies, video games and more.
—Cloud 9 Spa staterooms feature exclusive, soothing decor, spa bathrobes and slippers as well as Elemis toiletries. These accommodations offer privileges to the ship’s spa.
Mardi Gras will also offer the most suites of any Carnival ship, a total of more than 180 of varying size and locations. Exciting details on the ship’s suites and amenities will be announced in mid-April, including the premium-level Carnival Excel Suites, which will include a set of exclusive features and offerings.
The new accommodations are the perfect complement to Mardi Gras’ exciting activities and attractions, including BOLT, the first roller coaster at sea, and six distinct themed zones with popular dining, libation, entertainment and activity offerings.
Currently, under construction at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, Mardi Gras is slated to enter service in Europe August 31, 2020, before repositioning to New York for a series of voyages then shift to Port Canaveral for year-round, seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning in October 2020.
PHOTO: Agents can now book 2020 trips on Carnival’s Mardi Gras. (Photo courtesy Carnival Cruise Line)Cruise lovers who sail on Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and most innovative ship, Mardi Gras, set to debut in late summer 2020, will enjoy an array of architectural features and designs that will enhance many aspects of its balcony, ocean view and interior staterooms.The staterooms were developed in partnership with DCA Design International, a leading product design firm based in Warwick, England, that works across consumer goods, travel and transportation, commercial, and science and technology sectors. The staterooms will reflect new and innovative design practices that are ergonomically friendly and maximize visual space, clean lines, surfaces and storage.
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