When Will We Know More About the Magic Carpet Dinner on The Edge?

[vtcruising]

They are now saying that the dinners for the Chef's Market Discovery Tours are "locally-inspired" and have a footnote for the tour I booked:

 

"Per United States Public Health (USPH) and Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) regulations, the Celebrity Cruises chef may not purchase and bring on board any ingredients from markets in the destination. The private dinner is prepared with local products purchased by approved vendors, reminiscent of the region’s cuisine and inspired by the fresh market ingredients from the day"

 

I agree that Luminae never delivered on their marketing about local dishes. I hope they will shake it up a bit on the Edge and offer a local dish in at least some of the ports.

[hcat]

So the tour will go to Markets but the food is from the ship...?

Like Celebrity Pizza when in Italian Ports?

 

I'd prefer an excursion to local markets and venues where one samples along the way. We had an interesting one booked for St Maarten with focus on Grand Case, but most of Grand Case was damaged so we cancelled it,.. Hope to catch it next time around,...

[vtcruising]

So the tour will go to Markets but the food is from the ship...?

Like Celebrity Pizza when in Italian Ports?

 

I'd prefer an excursion to local markets and venues where one samples along the way. We had an interesting one booked for St Maarten with focus on Grand Case, but most of Grand Case was damaged so we cancelled it,.. Hope to catch it next time around,...

You can sample in port along the way - in St Maarten we went to a wine and cheese store sampled wine and cheese and local markets and sampled and to a restaurant where they prepared ceviche for us that we sampled with more wine and then went to a lovely seaside restaurant for lunch and had local food and more wine. The chef told us his associate would go to shore to get ingredients to use to prepare our dinner (must have been from approved local vendors as described above). The fish, veggies, fruits all tasted very fresh, but by the time we had wine served with every course, we didn't really care! ;) Actually, it was the best Carib tour we have ever done. We have one booked in January in Cozumel that I purchased for 20% off during the flash sale. I am keeping my fingers crossed that dinner will be on the MC. :D

[hcat]

Ok...that makes more sense. Sounds like an upgraded version of the one we had booked... such a shame about Grand case...it is a gem and hope it will all be back up very soon,,

[Host Jazzbeau]

They are now saying that the dinners for the Chef's Market Discovery Tours are "locally-inspired" and have a footnote for the tour I booked:

 

"Per United States Public Health (USPH) and Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) regulations, the Celebrity Cruises chef may not purchase and bring on board any ingredients from markets in the destination. The private dinner is prepared with local products purchased by approved vendors, reminiscent of the region’s cuisine and inspired by the fresh market ingredients from the day"

 

I agree that Luminae never delivered on their marketing about local dishes. I hope they will shake it up a bit on the Edge and offer a local dish in at least some of the ports.

 

I hope they never share this alleged 'government regulation' with Azamara, which procures food supplies locally all the time. The fresh berries they pick up in the Norwegian Fjords (and the cod the crew procures the old-fashioned way -- by fishing) are highlights of that annual itinerary!

[cruisestitch]

I think the key word is “markets”. The sort of open air, farmers markets seen in most ports. They buy from local vendors, just not from those markets.