How local farms inspire Royal Caribbean's menus

How do the chefs on board Royal Caribbean's mega cruise ships stock up to feed 5400 passengers at their 25 dining venues? They head to the source of it all, where fresh organic ingredients at local farms inspire new entries on the ever-changing menus.

A Royal Caribbean Western Caribbbean Cruise is part of this month's Hot List. Don't miss out on your chance to taste some of this delicious cuisine--  a complimentary specialty dinner for two is our gift to you when you book through FROSCH before February 29!  Ask your FROSCH travel agent (or use our Find a Travel Agent tool) how to start planning your cruise!

A foodie's dream aboard Holland America Line

By Jenna Storey 

Cruise ship dining in the past has been something that would strike fear into most foodies' taste buds, conjuring up images of buffets and blandness. I am happy to say this is no longer the case. Cruise lines have caught on: while they do have a captive audience, their passengers are always looking for that something special, including drastically unique dining experiences. 

Holland America’s “An Evening at Le Cirque in the Pinnacle Grill” is a unique opportunity to experience a taste of the famed Le Cirque restaurant while aboard their fleet of 15 ships. During most sailings, the ships, Pinnacle Grill is transformed into a Le Cirque-like atmosphere for at least one night. On that evening, the menu, wine, table décor, and even the restaurant itself is morphed to create the most authentic Le Cirque experience possible. While reservations are required and there is a charge, we highly recommended it for the famed Le Cirque crème brûlée alone. Your meal will be served on the iconic orange Le Cirque china; you can expect to see all the legendary cuisine such as Lobster Salas “Le Cirque”, Sweet Corn Soup, and Côte de Boeuf. 

For the hands-on foodies, you've got the opportunity to learn how to serve up a Le Cirque-worthy meal at home with the demonstrations in the on-board Culinary Arts Center. It's another excellent place to set your inner foodie loose. The entire center is presented by Food & Wine Magazine, so the chefs, wine experts, and cookbook authors are top notch. Kids & teens can get involved with classes of their own while their parents are off at a cooking class, wine tasting and mixology lesson, or even a party planning presentation. This year, the classes and meals are sure to be of the utmost "carat" as Holland America celebrates its diamond anniversary. 

Holland America's Glacier Discovery Cruise is featured on this month's FROSCH Hot List. Ask your FROSCH travel agent how to book!

A Foodie’s Dream of Gastronomic Bliss in London

by Jenna Storey

Tea and Sugar. Photo by Flickr user vtsr.

Borough Market is an ideal starting place for a foodie in London.  It’s London’s most renowned food market and a wonderful source of produce. Specialty traders come from throughout the United Kingdom to sell their offerings. Spend a morning wandering  from stall to stall sampling all the goodies the market can spare. While the market is closed Sunday through Wednesday, we recommend paying a visit on Thursdays when the market is less crowded and you would have a chance to chat with the booth owners; many of whom are the producers themselves. If you don’t get your fill from sampling around the market there are a variety of restaurants in the area that frequent the stalls for the best products they can find.