Disney Cruise Line Chef Receives Top Culinary Honor

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Disney parks, resorts and cruise ships have continually been recognized by both consumers and industry experts for the exceptional, innovative and fun dining experiences. Today, we congratulate Disney Cruise LineChef Patrick Albert, executive chef of Remy restaurant on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, recently named a Master Chef of France after being inducted into the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, a prestigious culinary society and one of the highest honors in the country.

Master Chef of France is a coveted title, dedicated “to preserving and perpetuating the tradition of great French cuisine.” At Remy, inspired by Disney’s animated hit film “Ratatouille,” Chef Patrick showcases French-inspired cuisine featuring superior seasonal ingredients from around the globe.

This honor adds to a growing list of awards for the chefs onboard Disney cruise ships and at our parks and resorts around the world. Chef Arnaud Lallement, advising chef at Remy, received a third Michelin star for his restaurant in Reims, France. Chef Scott Hunnel, who collaborates with Chef Arnaud, is a 2015 James Beard Award semi-finalist and at the helm at AAA Five-Diamond Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Since launching in 1998, Disney ships have been the place where guests can connect with the stories and characters they cherish most, and dining has always been an important part of that story. From quick-service to fine dining, the chefs focus on exceeding guest expectations – and keep adding innovative new ideas that help move the culinary industry forward. All told, Disney Parks and Resorts has nearly 300 top-notch chefs, many of whom are graduates of prestigious culinary schools. A great meal awaits!

Contributed by Pam Brandon, Disney Parks Food Writer

Eight Ways To Improve Your Cruise Experience, Pick The Right Ship, And Enjoy A Vacation At Sea

GUNNAR SVANBERG SKULASSON

Have you ever noticed how people either love cruises or hate them? My pet theory is that the people who love them picked the right ship the first time they ever cruised. And the people who hate them neglected to check this annual list of the best and worst ships, as rated by Condé Nast Traveler readers. The 2014 list has just come out, but studying it is only the first step to choosing the right cruise. To minimize the potential drawbacks of cruises (e.g., limited time in port, crowds and lines, possible seasickness) and maximize the potential benefits (e.g., a new place to explore each day, an ever-changing ocean view, free child care), here are eight important things to know:

How to pick a ship that’s the right size:
The most vital statistic about a vessel is the number of passengers it carries. Ship size determines a lot more than you might imagine—from what you’ll be able to see and do in ports of call to what you’ll eat on board to how rested you’ll feel by the end of the trip.

How to transform a cheap cruise into a dream trip:
Sometimes a cruise “deal” is no deal at all. But sometimes it’s just a few tweaks away from the trip of a lifetime. This is the story of how I turned a low-budget Caribbean cruise—on a crowded megaship with a run-of-the-mill ­itinerary—into my family’s best vacation in years.

How to choose a great cruise for kids:
A cruise can take the work and stress out of a family vacation. If your goal is to sightsee, you can show your children a different place each day without having to change hotels and beds. If your goal is to relax, you can drop your kids off at the supervised kids' club while you stare at the sea and read novels. But pinpointing the right cruise for your family is a lot more complicated than you’d think. Here are the crucial questions to ask. Here, too, are the pros and cons of cruises I took with my own kids on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Star, and the Disney Dream.

Factors that make for a great itinerary:
Look for routes where the ship hits a charming port every day and stays in it till after dark—like this itinerary I chose on Azamara Club Cruises in the Adriatic Sea.

How much your cruise will actually cost once you factor in onboard expenses:
There’s a big difference between the base price you pay for a cruise and the total you end up paying once the add-ons have been tacked onto the supposedly “all-inclusive” base price. What do cruise ships nickel-and-dime you for anyway, and how much does a cruise really cost?

What a river cruise is really like:
Americans are flocking to river cruises in record numbers, making it one of the hottest trends in travel and leading river lines to launch a whopping 25 new ships on European waterways next year. But will river cruising float your boat?

The surprising differences between river cruising and ocean cruising:
They differ more than you might think. Many of the people I've met on the former are refugees from the latter: They chose a river cruise to avoid the crowds, lines, and hassles they've encountered on giant ships at sea. But river cruises also lack some of the most enticing features of the ocean experience—from vast, uninterrupted sea views to romantic dinners on your balcony. Here are 13 things that make a river cruise different.

How to have a perfect time in port:
Here are ten ways to get the most for your time and money during your days ashore. And, for those of you headed to Europe this summer, here are seven great day-long itineraries for seven popular ports.

Contributed by Wendy Perrin, www.cntraveler.com

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