Fresh Cuisine for me! Review of Blu on Celebrity Cruises

Photo Credit: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises recently announced the completion of the revitalization for the final Millennium Class ship, Celebrity Millennium. The $140-million "Solsticizing" of its Millennium Class ships added features that cruisers enjoy about Celebrity’s Solstice Class ships. The four Millennium Class ships completed the transformation over the course of a three week dry dock period. The ships now have one of my favorite aspects of cruising with Celebrity, the specialty dining restaurant, Blu.

Dining at Blu
Celebrity Cruises describes the restaurant:

“If the concept of "spa restaurant" causes you or your significant other to think you'll never see a steak or a rich dessert on the menu that is definitely not the case. The cuisine at Blu is simply an imaginative way of preparing popular dishes without fussiness or pretense. Tender steak is served with a flavorful truffle vinaigrette instead of a heavy béarnaise."

Blu is only available to guests staying in the AquaClass category of staterooms (Suite guests upon availability). The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner every day.

Sample Salad course at Blu

The modern feel to Blu’s décor transcends to fresh foods and even the actual dishes they use, which offers a sleek presentation.  You forget that you’re on a cruise ship and feel like you’re out at a contemporary restaurant. Celebrity Cruises refers to Blu’s food as “clean cuisine" and this feeling of “clean” is also very visible in the décor.  The use of white as the main color with hints of blues contributes to the overall feel you get while dining there.

Sample Appetizer at Blu

Blu offers gourmet meals in innovative ways. I enjoyed trying new foods while dining there. The food didn’t taste mass produced but prepared just for me.  In addition to bread and butter on the table every night, you also received 3 tiny bowls that had hummus, vegetables, and ranch dressing in them as a snack while waiting for your meal. There was a steak on the menu the first night of the cruise we were on. My husband ordered it and raved about how delicious it tasted.  It was a key point of conversation over the next week as other cruisers’ first experience at Blu was just as memorable and kept them coming back each night.

Overall, I’m happy to see Celebrity Cruises expand this concept of fresh and “clean” food to additional boats in its fleet. I hope to see this theme continue to options in the main dining room as well as on other cruise lines.  Blu proves that a well-prepared meal using fresh and healthy ingredients can taste even better than one prepared with lots of butter, cream, and oil.

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A little extra to spend on your honeymoon cruise: Wedding Registry & Gifts

Norwegian Cruise Line

With seven weddings to attend this year,  I’m in store for a lot of celebrations.  Since I love to travel and talk about travel, I always enjoy asking the couple where they decided to go on their honeymoon.

One of my good friends got married last year and I gave her a Carnival Cruises gift card as part of her wedding gift.  It was her first cruise, and I couldn’t be more excited for her to find out all the joys of cruising. She and her husband were incredibly sweet to tell us that she used the gift card for a city tour in Boston.  She even took pictures and sent them to us showing her appreciation.  The gift card worked out great as she was able to pick what she wanted to spend it on.

There are a few ways to a gift to someone if going on a cruise for their honeymoon including a way for couples to “ask” for a little help in paying for things on their honeymoon cruise.

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More food options for Vegetarians on Holland America

ms Eurdoam Rembrandt Dining Room

Holland American announces new Vegetarian-Only Alternative Menu

Holland America announced today that they are expanding their vegetarian options on board.  The new features include a new vegetarian-only menu.  The additions will be a welcome to vegetarians as it can be a constant struggle trying to find something to order on a dining room menu when many times there is only one main vegetarian entree offered a night.  In a study published by Vegetarian Times, it showed that 7.3 million Americans are vegetarians.  In addition, according to the study, 22.8 million follow a vegetarian-inclined diet.  

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By Land or by Sea

Cliffs of Moher

I recently got back from a trip to Ireland. Before this trip, I had visited Ireland on a cruise.  I enjoyed my time so much that I wanted to go back and explore more.  I wondered how it would compare to visiting it on a cruise.  As a follow up to my last blog post, Hungry for More!, here’s a recap of my experiences of cruise vs. land travel.  

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Hungry from more Ireland

My first trip to Ireland was while cruising on the Celebrity Century in 2008.  I was trying to decide whether or not to go to Ireland for 10 days or take the cruise that included stops in Ireland, Norway, and the Netherlands.  Since I love cruising, I opted for the cruise and thought, this way I can see if I like Ireland and then can always come back for a longer visit. 

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Cruise Ships have mommies too!

Celebrity Chef named Godmother of Oceania Cruises’ newest ship

Oceania Cruises, Marina

Prior to making their maiden voyage and in maritime tradition, a godmother is named for a new cruise ship. The godmother christens the ship in order to wish the passengers and crew safe travels.

In that tradition, Chef & Philanthropist, Cat Cora has been named as Oceania Cruises’ Rivera Godmother.  Oceania continues to hold true to their word that the Riviera was “purposely built for epicureans” with over 10 different dining venues plus the Bon Appétit Culinary Center for hands-on learning by naming Cora as the godmother. The christening ceremony will happen on May 11th in Barcelona where Chef Cat Cora will name the ship.

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Healthy Recipe from Seabourn: Seared Spice Crusted Tuna

Seared Spice Crusted Tuna with Vegetables Escabeche & Coriander Puree

 

Seared Tuna is a dish that you’ll typically find when you go out for sushi.  I love adding it on top of a salad or just having it plain as it’s a great source of protein. It’s a healthy and low calorie option when considering dinner entrees.

The recipe is one that you'll find when cruising with Seabourn. In addition to the tuna, the recipe adds flavors to the overall dish with the vegetables esabeche and coriander puree. The recipe calls for slices of tuna sashimi to be quickly seared along the edges.  The edges are covered in salt and coarse ground fennel seeds before searing and it creates a crusty affect once seared.

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Welcome 2012!

 

2011 was an exciting year for me with the launch of my FreshCruiser website, blog, and twitter feed. I worked hard to define my niche with the goals of writing about something I love, cruising!  Writing about fun, active and healthy cruising has been wonderful and I love these aspects of the cruise industry.  I'm looking forward to the year ahead and hope you'll enjoy reading!

Wishing you a Happy & Healthy New Year filled with visiting new places and experiencing new cultures!

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