PORT EVERGLADES — In the end, my belly was full, my mind was sated and it had been a while since I experienced a cruise ship dining offering that hit all the right notes.
On board Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess at port in Fort Lauderdale, media were invited to experience what only suite-level guests get the opportunity to enjoy on two of the line’s ships: Discovery Princess that sails on the U.S. West Coast and now Enchanted Princess as of this past January and currently sailing Caribbean itineraries out of Florida. The seven-course immersive meal that hits all the senses over an hour and a half is titled “360: An Extraordinary Experience.”
“What you’re about to hear, see, smell, taste and feel is a unique experience, and I would like for you please if you could put your phones on silent now,” said Johannes Kotze, the experience’s host and 360 Restaurant Manager on Enchanted Princess. “Also, if you could disconnect from everything and enjoy your journey with me.”
“Is everyone curious? Are you excited? Are you hungry?” he asked getting unison replies of “yes” from the 20 diners that were then led into a rotunda venue with two half-circle long tables facing one another while being serenaded by two Ukrainian violinists flowing out a melodic rendition of the Princess Cruises’ mainstay, the theme to “The Love Boat.”
As the guests settled in their seat in the dark room surrounded by digital screen snapshots of Mediterranean destinations about the circular enclosed walls, Johannes performs a little 3D trickery grabbing a worn and leather-bound journal right off the screen to introduce the adventure to come.
And what follows is a combination of storytelling of a culinary adventure from Greece to Italy to Spain and into France with an assist from actress Brooke Shields leading the way. It’s a narrative device to get the real stories told, the source of the various culinary delights presented with white-glove service from course to course, whether it’s the Spanish divers who take the red varietal Grenache and age it underwater or the French lavender farmer who explains where the distinct honey flavor comes from.
Along the way, and intense and detailed projection about the room and onto the dinner service plates invites diners to interact with their meal settings before the actual food is presented, such as virtually smashing some Greek plateware or digging up their own Spanish truffle.
The scents of the food while dining could suffice, but an effusive olfactory accompaniment hits here and there such as the lemon aroma ahead of the tasty Italian dish pasta al limone while its recipe is projected upon the screen.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/TEY3H5SVRJEPLGYRTWTOYCN4VE.jpg)
The experience is reminiscent of Disney’s Epcot offerings such as the sights and smells one gets when riding Soarin’ and the 360-degree video such Reflections of China and Canada Far & Wide, except rendered in 4K and up close in the quaint venue. There is a great deal of neck craning to take it all in.
The hints of Disney are no surprise as Princess Cruises President John Padgett spent years in Disney technology development before coming to Princess’s parent company Carnival Corp. as its chief experience and innovation officer.
Travel Unraveled
Weekly
Get away from it all with vacation ideas, trip planning help and money-saving tips.
“What happens here in 360 is you can be anywhere in the world and we’re going to transport your into the Mediterranean” Padgett said during a debut event last year. “We have immersive video, storytelling, food and wine that intersects with the story. And this will be the new pinnacle of what we can do from an experience company.”
Even the champagne finale has a “Be Our Guest” feeling, but the overall experience doesn’t leave you thinking this is a Disney production. It doesn’t even feel like a cruise line production. It’s an offering that is full of whimsy such as animated mopeds wending their way slowly across the table as the projection screens show scenes of a couple traveling across Italian towns and hillsides. Yet there is respect for the origins of the food, and that connection is something that stays from course to course and ultimately beyond the end of the meal.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/XBXGLZGGUJHNVL43SFSA6HNBSA.jpg)
“To me what is most special is when you watch everyone just realize that this is something unique and then they sit back and they start taking in and truly say this is spectacular,” Padgett said.
The event is offered twice a night on sailings with 20 diners per experience, but is invitation only touted by the cruise line as a “priceless” offering for its suite guests, although there are some other limited opportunities such as booking a future suite sailing on any Princess ship or winning the experience at the casino.
The destinations run from the Greek island of Santorini to the Amalfi Coast in Italy to the streets and waters of Barcelona to the hills of French Provence, although the technology lends itself for a future shift in story and cuisine.
Enchanted Princess continues to sail from Port Everglades on Caribbean in March before migrating to Europe, but will be back to Fort Lauderdale this winter.
Details can be found at Princess.com.
