“The biggest advantage for us is our two-night itinerary, which means that we are at our homeport at least three times a week. Calling at West Palm Beach every other day allows us to supply the ship regularly with fresh meat, seafood, fruits and more. That’s something the other cruise lines simply can’t do,” said Wolfgang A. Greiter, vice president of food and beverage at Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line.

According to Greiter, that reflects in the final product, resulting in better quality food.

Greiter said the company offers a complete food and beverage experience aboard, comparable to any major cruise line.        

Overseeing the operation on the Grand Celebration, Executive Chef Thomas Kamil told Cruise Industry News: “What makes our product different is that we hardly serve frozen food. Everything onboard is fresh and that makes a huge difference in the flavor and the quality of the dishes.

“We are always adding something new to the menu after hearing the guests’ feedback,” said Kamil. “We work with our suppliers too, creating new dishes based on new products that become available to us.”

The Grand Celebration has three main restaurants: the Stellar Prime, a traditional two-seating restaurant; Ocean View Buffet; and the Admiralty Club, a multipurpose venue with complimentary and specialty options.

“We use the central area of the restaurant for our Your Choice Dining program (included in the cruise fare), while the sides of the restaurant are dedicated to Admiral’s Steak and Seafood,” explained Greiter.

Bull Gourmet Burgers is another venue available nightly, located poolside.

“Some of the best hamburger places in the country are in the West Palm Beach area, so we designed a very special menu to compete with them,” said Greiter.

Options include premium handcrafted oversized certified angus beef burgers, ahi tuna burgers, fresh salmon and turkey burgers with à la carte pricing.

“The Godfather,” at $8.95, is a 10 oz. angus burger with fresh mozzarella, portabella mushrooms, basil, arugula lettuce, bruschetta and is served on a ciabatta roll.

The ship also has a café, Lattetude, which is not included in the cruise price and serves a special menu of coffees and hot chocolates, along with pastries.

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Fall 2018