In the late Eighties, there was a well-known industrial for bathtub merchandise that coined the road, “Calgon, take me away.”
That may simply apply to what Princess Cruises has achieved in creating “360,” an immersive and interactive eating expertise like no different, the place a choose group of visitors are just about transported to a tour of European meals meccas.
Launched final November on Discovery Princess, it debuted on Enchanted Princess in January, and this week, invited media received their first look, and style, of what 360 is all about. As we entered Sabatini’s, the specialty Italian restaurant the place 360 is situated, we had been handled to a singular cocktail, with “360” embedded within the foamy high, and our photograph taken towards a red-carpet worthy backdrop. We had been off to begin.
Soon, 360 supervisor and our host, Johannes, gave us every a quantity. Afterwards, accompanied by the supervisor and two proficient violinists, we had been led right into a darkened room with two, semi-circular tables and assigned a spot primarily based on the quantity we got. After being seated, we had our first shock: A private welcome message appeared in entrance of us on the tabletop. Nice contact.
Then the partitions got here alive with pictures as Johannes magically opened a journey diary to start out our gastronomic journey, narrated by actress Brooke Shields. And identical to that, we had been off to Greece. Over the size of our multi-course expertise, we might additionally journey to Spain, Italy and France.
?While the visuals had been beautiful, they had been additionally academic, as we had been launched to the locals who produce the meals with love and keenness, from processing olive oil and harvesting lemons, to getting older wine underwater, tending lavender fields and attempting to find truffles. It actually provides you an additional appreciation for the programs we loved, and was much like taking an immersive shore tour with out leaving the ship.
And concerning the meals: Remarkable, each in style and presentation. After appetizers of marinated olives and grilled octopus, we sampled scrumptious buffalo cheese, adopted by an unimaginable lemon-flavored pasta. Then got here a charcuterie sampler and an entre of steak and roasted greens. Dessert was a heavenly, lavender-inspired work of culinary artistry.
Each course was paired with a cocktail or wine, together with wine from Elixsea, an underwater vineyard situated in Spain, the place their wines are aged within the Mediterranean Sea. Guests additionally get to take part within the magic, as we “broke” our plates, had been lined with buzzing bees and waved our fingers to make lemons swirl round.
Throughout the meal, you will have a private server. Ours was George, from Turkey, who took excellent care of us. At the meal’s grand finale, we gave all of the servers and cooks a well-deserved spherical of applause as champagne bottles danced on the partitions and fireworks exploded.
For an encore, there was one final shock to go along with our glass of champagne: The pictures they took of us had been framed and introduced everywhere in the partitions of the room. They actually do consider all the things to make for an unforgettable meal.
As famous, 360 is just out there for visitors booked in suites on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess, together with visitors that e book a set on a future cruise aboard these ships. There are two seatings scheduled every day.
While the present programming is repeated for every meal, it’s straightforward to think about future shows which may highlight meals of the Caribbean or different areas of the world. It actually is the following smartest thing to really being there.
PHOITOS
- The partitions come alive at 360
- Everyone received a glass of champagne
- That’s a photograph of Pam and I on the wall
- The lemon pasta was wonderful (cowl photograph)
Princess Cruises – Princess Cruise Line (cruisecompete.com)