He Icon of the Seasthe ship that holds the official record “largest cruise ship in the world”, it is a fascinating mass for many reasons. All capital letters. Not only is it extremely long (364.7 meters), extremely wide (48 m) and extremely heavy (250,800 tons), it is also a floating city capable of accommodating more than 2,000 crew members and 5,600 passengers. To get an idea of what such figures mean, in Spain there are some 6,800 municipalities that do not even exceed 5,000 inhabitants.
When reviewing these figures we usually automatically think of the engineers and shipyards that allow such large structures to sail the seas, but there are another challenge which is just as (or even more) complicated: feeding such a troop, mostly tourists who expect to eat and drink like true kings.
floating cities. It may sound cliché, but there is no better way to define a cruise ship than as a ‘floating city’. The numbers leave no doubt. If we talk only about passengers (the crew is older), the Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, Utopia of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas either Symphony of the Seas (to name just a few examples) they can accommodate more than 5,000 people.
Or what is the same, 5,000 mouths and stomachs to feed in the middle of the ocean. Not a simple task and one that we can understand better thanks to the last ship on that list, the Symphony, which for a time was the biggest cruise of the world.
How do you cook on a megacruise? A few years ago Sophie-Claire Hoeller, a travel reporter from Business Insiderdecided to answer that question in a way quite practical: checking it herself, in situ, on board the Symphony of the Seas, of the Royal Caribbean company.
He chose that ship because at that time (2019) there were still years before the delivery of the Icon and it boasted the title largest cruise ship in the world. Hoeller’s experience was fascinating. Not only because of his story, but because of the figures that he collected during his stay in the megacruisein which during the most chaotic weeks of the year they could eat up to almost 9,000 peoplebetween travelers and employees.
And let’s remember: people eat several times a day. In fact, Allan Gentile, chef in the culinary innovation area, explains that there are passengers who come to eat between breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. eight times a day.
Not for disorganized chefs. As a figure always says more than a long explanation, here are a few of the ones collected by Hoeller during his visit to the Symphony: at that time the ship had 23 restaurants on board in which they served 30,000 dishes daily and 1,850 people were working in charge of feeding the passengers, which includes everything from chefs to dishwashers.
It may seem like a lot of staff, but the kitchen works non-stop, which is why it requires a culinary team of more than a thousand of people capable of delighting travelers while the megaship moves among the waves.
Lots of people, lots of food. There is not only a lot lots of staff. To feed such a clientele, the cruise ship needs to carry a huge amount of food. To be more precise, Hoeller explains that every Saturday, before embarking on a seven-day voyage, the Symphony is loaded with dozens of tons of food, which in turn requires millimeter organization.
“On average, we load 500 pallets every Saturday and we have to finish at four in the afternoon to leave Miami,” explained Jaret de Silvaresponsible for inventory. “It’s a big challenge.” To move such a quantity of merchandise they need 30 trucks and a weekly budget of one million dollars.
A team of 18 people is then responsible for carefully storing the food, which is carefully organized to supply the twenty or so restaurants on the ship. As a reference, each of these food points must order their supplies from the warehouse at least one day in advance.
Logistics, the key on board. The task is even more complex than it seems because not all of the ship’s restaurants (23) have their own kitchen. Hoeller explains that there are 12 specialized restaurants that do have their own kitchens on board the Symphony of the Seas, but the rest of the dishes are basically prepared in six kitchens: three focused on supplying the main dining room and another three in which food is prepared for the rest of the establishments.
“The food is prepared 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” clarifies the reporter from Business Insiderwhich specifies that in total the cruise has 285 chefs dedicated to menus that may vary from one trip to another. After all, a boat full of families with children does not demand the same food as a more senior audience, a mostly Asian clientele than one from Europe.
Another key: advance. Since no one wants to be left without supplies in the ocean (even less if they have paid a considerable sum to enjoy a relaxing vacation), those responsible for filling the Symphony’s holds are in charge of stockpiling more food than their guests and crew will theoretically need.
The emergency ‘cushion’ they work with is designed for two days, although that figure increases to three days during hurricane season. Of course, it doesn’t come with stowing the load correctly. As in any other restaurant, the food must be in proper condition and at a controlled temperature.
Do you eat so much on board? Yes. The figures are once again capital letters, hyperbolic. During a week-long cruise they devour on average 15,000 pounds of meat of beef, which is equivalent to around 6,800 kilos. And that’s not even the most impressive number. If we talk about chicken, consumption skyrockets to 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) and if we focus on eggs, demand rises to 10,000 dozen.
Each day the passengers and crew also account for about 5,000 pounds of potatoes, around 2,300 kg. And since there is no meal worth its salt without dessert, to all that is added an assortment of 100 types of cakes prepared by the chefs.
Images | Wikipedia, Royal Caribbean 1 and 2
Via | DAP
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