October 12, 2022 • 20 mins
Our friends Eric and Mark from Norwegian Cruise Line come and hang out for the podcast as our ship 'Prima' is in town!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
What would you talk about on your on your podcast
firm Elvis Ran Presents fifteen Minute Morning Show. Okay, well,
(00:25):
we've got some special guests here today on the fifteen
minute Morning Show, Mark Cansley, who is the senior vice
president of Hotel Operations for n c L. Everybody say
hi to Mark. Hi, right into the microphone. Mark to
see you guys again. Tail. And then we also have
the director of Culinary Operations, Eric Billido am I saying
(00:47):
that correctly? Okay, and Hi Eric. Eric brought us the
cake that we have in front of us. We'll talk
about that in a second. Thank you guys for joining us.
Is this because Prima is in town? She showed is
did you did you see that? Yes? He looks great
duck down there. She's even better when she's at sea.
I know she's huge and beautiful and we had such
(01:08):
a good time when we were all on her very recently.
And you, guys, I I know we're not supposed to
rank importance, but I think that the two of you,
what you do is like the most important aspect of
the whole ship. I love it. I don't know about that,
but the most fun. Yeah, So what exactly do you do, Mark,
I like to say as little as possible, but what
(01:29):
I really do is unfortunate enough to be blessed with
the best team in the in the industry, and and
we develop and execute the guest product on board um
predominantly the food and beverage and the hotel side. Of course,
food and beverage is one of the core pillars of
our brand and one of the main reasons that that
guests choose the cruise. Absolutely, I mean, hello, the food
(01:50):
and beverage and the hotel aspect of it, those are
the most important. I know you don't want a minute,
that's fine. Yeah, there's also entertainment. We have world class entertainment,
a lot of activities to do on board the ship.
We have the race cars, the racetracks, and and and
and so forth. It's just overall, it's a it's a
great experience. So how did you get started with Norwegian
Cruise Line? What did you just start? It was at
(02:11):
a part time job in in college, Like, what's the story.
It's a good story. Yeah, although you know the story
of how I got started in cruising with cruise Norwegian
Cruise Line. Um, how I got started with the Norwegian
Cruise Line I actually worked for for a number of
previous companies, um, and thought it's about time I went
home and had a proper life with my wife and kids. Um.
(02:33):
I was home for four or four or five months
and got a call um from Norwegian Cruise Line actually
that they were looking through to hire some more positions. Um,
and I thought I must been at sea. I've been
at home too long. My wife and kids are tired
of me already. And I really felt at home with
Norwegian Cruise one from day one, I really and truly did.
And I quickly saw the difference between the other companies
(02:57):
that I had worked with previously and and Norwegian News Line.
And I felt like I've come home and uh, and
that's why I wanted to do. I wanted to join them,
stay with him and really in my career with him.
Wait are you retiring? Wait did you just say, d
your career? Well, we have another five another fives in
the in the Prima class coming on and uh, and
(03:19):
I hope to be here to deliver all of the
surprise retirement announcement which just happening. How did you get involved, Derek?
Prior to Twinsila had another great life. I was working
in Las Vegas in a couple of major hotel and
I had really a day off. But that one day
I had a day off, was playing golf and I
got a call from my head and from me a
(03:41):
job in Miami. They were looking for a pastry chef.
I came down to do an interview, and this was
fifteen years ago. You know, it's interesting. As you know
we were on Prima. One of the things that we
noticed was the elevated food concepts and there was so
many different things and this this indulged food hall, which
I don't even that that thing's a whole other explanation.
(04:03):
It's like nothing we've seen before. Did you come up
with this stuff? And how did it? How did it
all materialize? Credit? Even if you have back as a team,
I mean we are, and Silly is well known to
push the bar and try to get more innovative and
something different than another cruise line. Yeah, we all push,
get together as a team and Brent storm and come
(04:23):
out with some idea and make it happen. And we
have somebody like Marko behind us and help us to
make it happen. So he didn't want to say whipping
but I think he meant. But really Prima was right
from the get go going to be a far more
elevated experience and a far more elevated ship that than
we had in the past. Ships in the past are great.
(04:46):
This is a fantastic ship. Um, But really we were
up to that game with Prima, and we needed to
do likewise with on the food and beveridge side of it.
We did with the entertainment, we did with the innovation,
we did absolutely with the design, and we needed to
do with the with the food and beverages side of
it as well. Um, food All is a concept that
(05:07):
I've always wanted to do. We've never had the opportunity
to do it, and and the proof is in the
put in. You're so how successful and how popular the
indulse food all is, let me tell you scary. This
is like his dream is just you can push buttons
and food comes to He was actually texting me, Holy crap,
you have to wake up right now. I'm sitting at
the table. I'm pushing buttons foods just like the idea.
(05:29):
It's like a food hall and you're sitting at a
table and you don't have to get up and this
iPad in front of you, and you can imagine ordering
from like nine restaurants at once and pressing all the
book and then the next thing you know, people start
coming from all the different restaurants and serving you each individual. Oh,
you ordered this appetizer from restaurant A here it is.
(05:50):
Then all of a sudden, this guy swoops in with
the dumplings that I had for this and I'm like, wow,
this is amazing. What a great saying. I feel like,
I feel like all my years of answering customer satisfaction
surveys and how would you improve have finally no, because
you know the customers have had input over the years
(06:12):
on some of this stuff that that shaped what you
guys are today, right, But you know it's it is
a great concept. Food comes quickly, food is fresh, The
offering is almost limitless. You said nine or eleven different
different offering to so many different dishes. We have a
different menu for lunch and a different menu for dinner.
So you could really go there if you want to
do seven days a week and eat a different a
(06:35):
different meal every time. I think he did that and
the technology obviously helps. It helps us um just the
fun of being able to see what you're ordering comes
from different stations really quickly. As you said, the pictures,
the pictures great concept. Do you guys have favorites? Favorite dish?
If you were to go back on board right now,
(06:56):
both of you like, what would be that meal that
you pick? And I know there's something in your head
right now that you just instantly felt, Well, there's something
in every different outlet. You know which of your kids
are your favorite? I love each of those kids, each
of the outlets. I have a favorite edition in each
of them, I think, and indulge. I have to go
for the Tomorrow station. The Indian station is incredible, and
(07:17):
the Chicken Tika there is really really good. I have
to confer and I think a lot of times too,
like when I try Indian food because I'm a little
picky about it, I'm like, oh, this is not going
to be that great. I tried it. I actually said
to my boyfriend, Oh, I actually got this right. It's amazing.
So whoever was behind that we got these giant Sundays
(07:37):
where you were responsible for those giant Sundays that they
brought out to us those we love. That problem is,
I don't know if this is going to come off wrong.
There's too many options because I felt like at the
end of the cruise I needed to tack on like
another four or five days because I wasn't able to
hit everything that I wanted to right. So does that
(07:59):
mean I just have to book another cruise? That means
you have to come back. But yes, we one guests
to have you. Guys are from New York. You have
all the dining options in the world when you when
you in New York today, you're deciding where would I
like to go eat tonight? I want to go for
Italian and you go into to an Italian restaurant. We
want you to be able to have the same experience
on board Prima. When you wake up in the morning,
(08:20):
you don't know what you feel like um for dinner
that night, but come noon or two o'clock, you think
tonight I want to go. I feel like a French meal.
We want you to be able to go and have
a French experience. So we have a labistro. If you
decide you wanted the sushi, we have Norma. If you
decided you wanted the seafoot experience, we have Palama. We
want to be able to give all our our guests options,
(08:42):
and it really is a floating city. And and gone
long gone in the days of where people think of
cruise ships and they have to eat the same thing
with the same thousand people in the same room, remember,
because a lot of times that's what what it was.
And people still have this in their this stigma in
their head they haven't obviously been with Norwegian and and
(09:04):
you're you're, you're absolutely right, And that's really what happens
traditionally in the main dining room, even the main our
main dining rooms which is Hudson's and the Commodore room.
We've we've elevated that experience and and and she shook
it up. Um. We we've made instead of a different
boring ish menu seven days a week, or different rotating
menu seven days a week, we've made one really really
(09:26):
comprehensive menu which we serve every night, which gives the
guests a huge array of choices, but also enables us
to execute at a higher level because our cooks, our
chiefs in that galley are serving the same menu every
night like they do in our specialty restaurants. So they
do it really, really well. And so even the old
boring main dining room experience is you will not be
(09:48):
found on board the premium. I was going to say,
because we did. We did the Joy last year and
we're doing Epic h next February, and don't downplay the
Garden Cafe at all. Have an eleven year old who
was in there morning, noon, and night. That's where we
know we're going to find her. So when we're in
the other restaurant, she's always in the Garden Cafe because
he just loves it, you know. And I know exactly
(10:08):
what you mean because my mother is exactly the same
and she gets the cruise with us regularly. Garden Cafe
on the premium of the suf Side Cafe. The selection
is as almost limitless spectacular and and the quality is
it's really a great experience. Do you want to let
Cooper speak for herself if she'd like to. I mean
usually you find her with her head underneath the ice
(10:29):
cream machine. I can't relate. Come here, just what what
was your what was your what was your favorite thing
that you would either NonStop having pizza and cupcakes every day.
I'm not always back for crates as a nightcap every night. Hey,
that's also not gloss over the fact that on one
day that we woke up, it was like there was
(10:52):
a seafood fest going on, like a surprise. So I
was texting my friends. I'm like, hey, you gotta get
over to this one restaurant on the ship because they're
having all this amazing seafood. And then then then the
other person said, wait a second, I'm at this restaurant
and it's that same seafood. And we found out that
every place on the ship was serving the same like
crazy seafood, like a vertical like seafood surprise, Stephen Seafood Extravaganza.
(11:18):
We're very proud of it. We do it really well. Um.
You know, we were very fussy about the product that
we that we served to our guess, so in that case,
it needed to be fresh, it needed to be locally sourced,
and it was the same consistency and the same level
and the same offerings at all the restaurants. Who was
insane because all of our guests, regardless of they eating,
(11:40):
entitled to and deserve a great experience. That was a
great experience. And I know that sustainability is the thing
you guys are really focusing on right now, that applies.
We talked to Gabe, your bartender, about all the things
that he's doing and how he sort of repurposes some
of the stuff that is not going to be used
and that makes good drinks out of it. Does that
apply to the restaurant side of things as well. It's
part about DNA in with Norwegian Sustainability and the s G.
(12:03):
So our question was, after that seafood extravaganza, you know,
last for a certain amount of time and then they're
closing it down, where did all the crab legs go?
The staff? Did the staff gets a party? Like? What happened?
Was that? Because I take all the travel away, where's
it going? Um? We we have really really stringent public
health controls, so we are only allowed to have food
(12:25):
out on a buffet in a buffet environment for a
certain amount of time and they're off. We do need
to dispose of it. It doesn't matter to Scary, he'll
sign a waiver. Of course, we want to waste as
little as possible, and so we we staged down towards
the end of the buffet. We don't do as much production,
so we don't have that much wastage, and of course
(12:46):
any of the product that is not exceeded the time
limitations the crew will get to put it. That is
just amazing to me. The way you guys operate, the
logistics behind it, it's just mind boggling. Sometimes even think
that you have to start ramping down making crab legs.
You know, I would have never thought of that, Right,
(13:07):
You do that a thousand times every day on a
ship multiplied by what seventeen ships? Eighteen We had another
one just a second ago and soon to be seon
to be nineteen. Now next one's going to be delivered
in Listen, now you know if we have something in
common here, because we're gonna be doing this Tacos in
(13:27):
Tequila night on Saturday as part of the New York
City Wine and Food Festival, which is on Saturday. Uh
info at nyc WF dot org. Our Mooring show is
gonna be hosted with the cast of The Kitchen Now
Norwegian also Norwegian Cruise Line has an affiliation as well
with the New York City Wine and Food Festival this
weekend as well. Correct we we do. We have a
(13:48):
number of auditions that are going to be served on
different nights. On Thasday, which is the bugabes a day.
By the way, Burger Bash always sell down. Do miss
the burger back on Thursday night? Did you actually want
a food festival game? You know, we're going to be
serving the one of the desserts from Cagneye, which for
me is one of our top four desserts that we
(14:10):
have on board the ship. And let Eric speak about it,
because of course he delivered it. It's the OMG cheesecake. Sorry,
go ahead, desserts. This isn't nice. Nice style creamy cheesecake
and New York style, very tall and just covered with
a nice creamy butter scotch sauce. It was all with
(14:32):
chocolate and so with the cream on top and used
to be cool to see cagneese cheesecake until a CEO
and president felt Frank del Rio tasted it and he said,
oh m G, what is this and I explained to him.
He said, no, no, the name from now one will
be the cheese. That's the power of Frank del Rio.
(14:53):
And and then on Friday, which is the taste of Italy.
You all know that we have Underbuss Carpital onboard, which
I said, done the last night on board the Prima,
and it couldn't have been any better. I mean, really
and truly, it's a fantastic experience. And the butter Scotch
Bardino is one of what I considered the one of
the second of the four top desserts that we have
(15:15):
on board. Again, it is one of Eric's creations. So
it's like it's like a proto crime. I mean, it's
a French expression, but it's basically a thick flown very
creamy not to think obviously. And yeah, I finished with
the salted calm and so chocolate. Okay, So that's dessert
(15:36):
for Thursday for Burger Bash. Friday Tasted of Italy. You've
got another dessert, right, and then Saturday, Saturday, we have
the hero Mashiew takedas from Food Republic. Did you guys
get to enjoy Food Republic while you on board? Yes,
I also have the the iPad Mordrine system, which you
which I love so much, very very very popular location
(15:56):
for us, and that is the yellow tail Takeda's excellent,
very very good. So he's doing that Saturday, that makes sense.
And then Sunday learn start Potato from Que Smoke Cass.
I mean, if you if you want to overload on
on a boat baked potato. I think that's the barbecue
theme day Sunday, right, Yes, oh my gon Be'm gonna
(16:17):
have to buy four passes for the New York City
Food Festivals Saturday. Sam, I'm a godfather of Norwich and father.
I parked my ship over here. Before we we wrap
all this stuff up, can we talk about this cake
sitting in front of us? Is this you? Eric? Like
(16:37):
all you? So? Yeah? I want to bring you a
little little bit of sweetness. I mean the last time
I bring you three huge ice cream coup at nine
am in the morning and said, why not big big cake? Yeah?
So that's the brownie raspberry swirled cheesecakes A cross that
ship in Prima. But you know I did like a
(16:59):
nice little design the New York sky Line. I mean
you did that, I did it. Yeah. We have a
special equipment on board the Prima water jet machine. So
we cut all this chocolate because there's no way you
can cut it by hands. Okay, And then how did
you get Elvis's face? The very impressive this is freehand?
How did you do that? I received a picture and okay,
(17:21):
it's a it's a duplication. Basically, it's not a transfer.
It's all freehand design it on the cake. It's it
looks it's exactly like the cover of his book. Are
the buildings edible? This is very impressive and for people
who can't see it, it is a cake that has
(17:42):
the cover of Elvis's book on it, but it also
has the New York City escape and such good detail
that I almost don't want to eat it. And we
won't mention the calorie count. There's no calories on board
the ship. How mt you come around the side here?
I get a front view of that cake neuron. She's
(18:04):
our video videographer and we'll post this well, she'll edit
this right. I want to know who broke the Empire
State Building? Was it Andrew outside? Anyway, thank you so
much for joining us. This was just such a treat
literally And when are we going to be back on board?
(18:27):
We know this two weeks today? Wait no, wait, are
we really? I think Elvis is going to be Elvis
is gonna be? Is he going to be? It is now?
Or it gets at it out? Yeah? Yeah, so does
(18:49):
an inaugural happen? A christening happening in Galveston, Texas. Elvis
is going to be there. Um, we don't know when
that when is that with the date seven? So there
you go in a couple of weeks and you'll be there.
Mark TBD. You know I did plan to be there,
and I do plan to be there. The teams are
executed so well on board at the moment. They don't
(19:10):
need a bitter grandfather what you know. But just for
the fun of being on board and the love of
being on board. I mean, you announced your retirements. I mean,
now when you guys are on board, do you make
everybody nervous? Are people like, oh here come Eric and Mark? No?
I think, but you know, we we're such a close
(19:30):
in the team, the corporate team and and and the
ship with team are really one team. That and they
see us all the time. It's there's Mark, there's Eric.
That's very cool, awesome. You guys are doing amazing things.
We love it. We always love being on board any
Norwegian ship. I know that we're all doing different trips
this year, so we're gonna get really good experiences. Um,
is there anything that we we missed you guys want
to talk about good just go to n c L
(19:53):
dot com. Book your cruise today, right yeah, say it
with force. Go to nl dot com book your creuise today.
Thank you and thank you, mark it, thank you, Eric,
thank you, thank you. Eat this cake. The fifteen minute
Morning Show
What would you talk about on your on your podcast
firm Elvis Ran Presents fifteen Minute Morning Show. Okay, well,
(00:25):
we've got some special guests here today on the fifteen
minute Morning Show, Mark Cansley, who is the senior vice
president of Hotel Operations for n c L. Everybody say
hi to Mark. Hi, right into the microphone. Mark to
see you guys again. Tail. And then we also have
the director of Culinary Operations, Eric Billido am I saying
(00:47):
that correctly? Okay, and Hi Eric. Eric brought us the
cake that we have in front of us. We'll talk
about that in a second. Thank you guys for joining us.
Is this because Prima is in town? She showed is
did you did you see that? Yes? He looks great
duck down there. She's even better when she's at sea.
I know she's huge and beautiful and we had such
(01:08):
a good time when we were all on her very recently.
And you, guys, I I know we're not supposed to
rank importance, but I think that the two of you,
what you do is like the most important aspect of
the whole ship. I love it. I don't know about that,
but the most fun. Yeah, So what exactly do you do, Mark,
I like to say as little as possible, but what
(01:29):
I really do is unfortunate enough to be blessed with
the best team in the in the industry, and and
we develop and execute the guest product on board um
predominantly the food and beverage and the hotel side. Of course,
food and beverage is one of the core pillars of
our brand and one of the main reasons that that
guests choose the cruise. Absolutely, I mean, hello, the food
(01:50):
and beverage and the hotel aspect of it, those are
the most important. I know you don't want a minute,
that's fine. Yeah, there's also entertainment. We have world class entertainment,
a lot of activities to do on board the ship.
We have the race cars, the racetracks, and and and
and so forth. It's just overall, it's a it's a
great experience. So how did you get started with Norwegian
Cruise Line? What did you just start? It was at
(02:11):
a part time job in in college, Like, what's the story.
It's a good story. Yeah, although you know the story
of how I got started in cruising with cruise Norwegian
Cruise Line. Um, how I got started with the Norwegian
Cruise Line I actually worked for for a number of
previous companies, um, and thought it's about time I went
home and had a proper life with my wife and kids. Um.
(02:33):
I was home for four or four or five months
and got a call um from Norwegian Cruise Line actually
that they were looking through to hire some more positions. Um,
and I thought I must been at sea. I've been
at home too long. My wife and kids are tired
of me already. And I really felt at home with
Norwegian Cruise one from day one, I really and truly did.
And I quickly saw the difference between the other companies
(02:57):
that I had worked with previously and and Norwegian News Line.
And I felt like I've come home and uh, and
that's why I wanted to do. I wanted to join them,
stay with him and really in my career with him.
Wait are you retiring? Wait did you just say, d
your career? Well, we have another five another fives in
the in the Prima class coming on and uh, and
(03:19):
I hope to be here to deliver all of the
surprise retirement announcement which just happening. How did you get involved, Derek?
Prior to Twinsila had another great life. I was working
in Las Vegas in a couple of major hotel and
I had really a day off. But that one day
I had a day off, was playing golf and I
got a call from my head and from me a
(03:41):
job in Miami. They were looking for a pastry chef.
I came down to do an interview, and this was
fifteen years ago. You know, it's interesting. As you know
we were on Prima. One of the things that we
noticed was the elevated food concepts and there was so
many different things and this this indulged food hall, which
I don't even that that thing's a whole other explanation.
(04:03):
It's like nothing we've seen before. Did you come up
with this stuff? And how did it? How did it
all materialize? Credit? Even if you have back as a team,
I mean we are, and Silly is well known to
push the bar and try to get more innovative and
something different than another cruise line. Yeah, we all push,
get together as a team and Brent storm and come
(04:23):
out with some idea and make it happen. And we
have somebody like Marko behind us and help us to
make it happen. So he didn't want to say whipping
but I think he meant. But really Prima was right
from the get go going to be a far more
elevated experience and a far more elevated ship that than
we had in the past. Ships in the past are great.
(04:46):
This is a fantastic ship. Um, But really we were
up to that game with Prima, and we needed to
do likewise with on the food and beveridge side of it.
We did with the entertainment, we did with the innovation,
we did absolutely with the design, and we needed to
do with the with the food and beverages side of
it as well. Um, food All is a concept that
(05:07):
I've always wanted to do. We've never had the opportunity
to do it, and and the proof is in the
put in. You're so how successful and how popular the
indulse food all is, let me tell you scary. This
is like his dream is just you can push buttons
and food comes to He was actually texting me, Holy crap,
you have to wake up right now. I'm sitting at
the table. I'm pushing buttons foods just like the idea.
(05:29):
It's like a food hall and you're sitting at a
table and you don't have to get up and this
iPad in front of you, and you can imagine ordering
from like nine restaurants at once and pressing all the
book and then the next thing you know, people start
coming from all the different restaurants and serving you each individual. Oh,
you ordered this appetizer from restaurant A here it is.
(05:50):
Then all of a sudden, this guy swoops in with
the dumplings that I had for this and I'm like, wow,
this is amazing. What a great saying. I feel like,
I feel like all my years of answering customer satisfaction
surveys and how would you improve have finally no, because
you know the customers have had input over the years
(06:12):
on some of this stuff that that shaped what you
guys are today, right, But you know it's it is
a great concept. Food comes quickly, food is fresh, The
offering is almost limitless. You said nine or eleven different
different offering to so many different dishes. We have a
different menu for lunch and a different menu for dinner.
So you could really go there if you want to
do seven days a week and eat a different a
(06:35):
different meal every time. I think he did that and
the technology obviously helps. It helps us um just the
fun of being able to see what you're ordering comes
from different stations really quickly. As you said, the pictures,
the pictures great concept. Do you guys have favorites? Favorite dish?
If you were to go back on board right now,
(06:56):
both of you like, what would be that meal that
you pick? And I know there's something in your head
right now that you just instantly felt, Well, there's something
in every different outlet. You know which of your kids
are your favorite? I love each of those kids, each
of the outlets. I have a favorite edition in each
of them, I think, and indulge. I have to go
for the Tomorrow station. The Indian station is incredible, and
(07:17):
the Chicken Tika there is really really good. I have
to confer and I think a lot of times too,
like when I try Indian food because I'm a little
picky about it, I'm like, oh, this is not going
to be that great. I tried it. I actually said
to my boyfriend, Oh, I actually got this right. It's amazing.
So whoever was behind that we got these giant Sundays
(07:37):
where you were responsible for those giant Sundays that they
brought out to us those we love. That problem is,
I don't know if this is going to come off wrong.
There's too many options because I felt like at the
end of the cruise I needed to tack on like
another four or five days because I wasn't able to
hit everything that I wanted to right. So does that
(07:59):
mean I just have to book another cruise? That means
you have to come back. But yes, we one guests
to have you. Guys are from New York. You have
all the dining options in the world when you when
you in New York today, you're deciding where would I
like to go eat tonight? I want to go for
Italian and you go into to an Italian restaurant. We
want you to be able to have the same experience
on board Prima. When you wake up in the morning,
(08:20):
you don't know what you feel like um for dinner
that night, but come noon or two o'clock, you think
tonight I want to go. I feel like a French meal.
We want you to be able to go and have
a French experience. So we have a labistro. If you
decide you wanted the sushi, we have Norma. If you
decided you wanted the seafoot experience, we have Palama. We
want to be able to give all our our guests options,
(08:42):
and it really is a floating city. And and gone
long gone in the days of where people think of
cruise ships and they have to eat the same thing
with the same thousand people in the same room, remember,
because a lot of times that's what what it was.
And people still have this in their this stigma in
their head they haven't obviously been with Norwegian and and
(09:04):
you're you're, you're absolutely right, And that's really what happens
traditionally in the main dining room, even the main our
main dining rooms which is Hudson's and the Commodore room.
We've we've elevated that experience and and and she shook
it up. Um. We we've made instead of a different
boring ish menu seven days a week, or different rotating
menu seven days a week, we've made one really really
(09:26):
comprehensive menu which we serve every night, which gives the
guests a huge array of choices, but also enables us
to execute at a higher level because our cooks, our
chiefs in that galley are serving the same menu every
night like they do in our specialty restaurants. So they
do it really, really well. And so even the old
boring main dining room experience is you will not be
(09:48):
found on board the premium. I was going to say,
because we did. We did the Joy last year and
we're doing Epic h next February, and don't downplay the
Garden Cafe at all. Have an eleven year old who
was in there morning, noon, and night. That's where we
know we're going to find her. So when we're in
the other restaurant, she's always in the Garden Cafe because
he just loves it, you know. And I know exactly
(10:08):
what you mean because my mother is exactly the same
and she gets the cruise with us regularly. Garden Cafe
on the premium of the suf Side Cafe. The selection
is as almost limitless spectacular and and the quality is
it's really a great experience. Do you want to let
Cooper speak for herself if she'd like to. I mean
usually you find her with her head underneath the ice
(10:29):
cream machine. I can't relate. Come here, just what what
was your what was your what was your favorite thing
that you would either NonStop having pizza and cupcakes every day.
I'm not always back for crates as a nightcap every night. Hey,
that's also not gloss over the fact that on one
day that we woke up, it was like there was
(10:52):
a seafood fest going on, like a surprise. So I
was texting my friends. I'm like, hey, you gotta get
over to this one restaurant on the ship because they're
having all this amazing seafood. And then then then the
other person said, wait a second, I'm at this restaurant
and it's that same seafood. And we found out that
every place on the ship was serving the same like
crazy seafood, like a vertical like seafood surprise, Stephen Seafood Extravaganza.
(11:18):
We're very proud of it. We do it really well. Um.
You know, we were very fussy about the product that
we that we served to our guess, so in that case,
it needed to be fresh, it needed to be locally sourced,
and it was the same consistency and the same level
and the same offerings at all the restaurants. Who was
insane because all of our guests, regardless of they eating,
(11:40):
entitled to and deserve a great experience. That was a
great experience. And I know that sustainability is the thing
you guys are really focusing on right now, that applies.
We talked to Gabe, your bartender, about all the things
that he's doing and how he sort of repurposes some
of the stuff that is not going to be used
and that makes good drinks out of it. Does that
apply to the restaurant side of things as well. It's
part about DNA in with Norwegian Sustainability and the s G.
(12:03):
So our question was, after that seafood extravaganza, you know,
last for a certain amount of time and then they're
closing it down, where did all the crab legs go?
The staff? Did the staff gets a party? Like? What happened?
Was that? Because I take all the travel away, where's
it going? Um? We we have really really stringent public
health controls, so we are only allowed to have food
(12:25):
out on a buffet in a buffet environment for a
certain amount of time and they're off. We do need
to dispose of it. It doesn't matter to Scary, he'll
sign a waiver. Of course, we want to waste as
little as possible, and so we we staged down towards
the end of the buffet. We don't do as much production,
so we don't have that much wastage, and of course
(12:46):
any of the product that is not exceeded the time
limitations the crew will get to put it. That is
just amazing to me. The way you guys operate, the
logistics behind it, it's just mind boggling. Sometimes even think
that you have to start ramping down making crab legs.
You know, I would have never thought of that, Right,
(13:07):
You do that a thousand times every day on a
ship multiplied by what seventeen ships? Eighteen We had another
one just a second ago and soon to be seon
to be nineteen. Now next one's going to be delivered
in Listen, now you know if we have something in
common here, because we're gonna be doing this Tacos in
(13:27):
Tequila night on Saturday as part of the New York
City Wine and Food Festival, which is on Saturday. Uh
info at nyc WF dot org. Our Mooring show is
gonna be hosted with the cast of The Kitchen Now
Norwegian also Norwegian Cruise Line has an affiliation as well
with the New York City Wine and Food Festival this
weekend as well. Correct we we do. We have a
(13:48):
number of auditions that are going to be served on
different nights. On Thasday, which is the bugabes a day.
By the way, Burger Bash always sell down. Do miss
the burger back on Thursday night? Did you actually want
a food festival game? You know, we're going to be
serving the one of the desserts from Cagneye, which for
me is one of our top four desserts that we
(14:10):
have on board the ship. And let Eric speak about it,
because of course he delivered it. It's the OMG cheesecake. Sorry,
go ahead, desserts. This isn't nice. Nice style creamy cheesecake
and New York style, very tall and just covered with
a nice creamy butter scotch sauce. It was all with
(14:32):
chocolate and so with the cream on top and used
to be cool to see cagneese cheesecake until a CEO
and president felt Frank del Rio tasted it and he said,
oh m G, what is this and I explained to him.
He said, no, no, the name from now one will
be the cheese. That's the power of Frank del Rio.
(14:53):
And and then on Friday, which is the taste of Italy.
You all know that we have Underbuss Carpital onboard, which
I said, done the last night on board the Prima,
and it couldn't have been any better. I mean, really
and truly, it's a fantastic experience. And the butter Scotch
Bardino is one of what I considered the one of
the second of the four top desserts that we have
(15:15):
on board. Again, it is one of Eric's creations. So
it's like it's like a proto crime. I mean, it's
a French expression, but it's basically a thick flown very
creamy not to think obviously. And yeah, I finished with
the salted calm and so chocolate. Okay, So that's dessert
(15:36):
for Thursday for Burger Bash. Friday Tasted of Italy. You've
got another dessert, right, and then Saturday, Saturday, we have
the hero Mashiew takedas from Food Republic. Did you guys
get to enjoy Food Republic while you on board? Yes,
I also have the the iPad Mordrine system, which you
which I love so much, very very very popular location
(15:56):
for us, and that is the yellow tail Takeda's excellent,
very very good. So he's doing that Saturday, that makes sense.
And then Sunday learn start Potato from Que Smoke Cass.
I mean, if you if you want to overload on
on a boat baked potato. I think that's the barbecue
theme day Sunday, right, Yes, oh my gon Be'm gonna
(16:17):
have to buy four passes for the New York City
Food Festivals Saturday. Sam, I'm a godfather of Norwich and father.
I parked my ship over here. Before we we wrap
all this stuff up, can we talk about this cake
sitting in front of us? Is this you? Eric? Like
(16:37):
all you? So? Yeah? I want to bring you a
little little bit of sweetness. I mean the last time
I bring you three huge ice cream coup at nine
am in the morning and said, why not big big cake? Yeah?
So that's the brownie raspberry swirled cheesecakes A cross that
ship in Prima. But you know I did like a
(16:59):
nice little design the New York sky Line. I mean
you did that, I did it. Yeah. We have a
special equipment on board the Prima water jet machine. So
we cut all this chocolate because there's no way you
can cut it by hands. Okay, And then how did
you get Elvis's face? The very impressive this is freehand?
How did you do that? I received a picture and okay,
(17:21):
it's a it's a duplication. Basically, it's not a transfer.
It's all freehand design it on the cake. It's it
looks it's exactly like the cover of his book. Are
the buildings edible? This is very impressive and for people
who can't see it, it is a cake that has
(17:42):
the cover of Elvis's book on it, but it also
has the New York City escape and such good detail
that I almost don't want to eat it. And we
won't mention the calorie count. There's no calories on board
the ship. How mt you come around the side here?
I get a front view of that cake neuron. She's
(18:04):
our video videographer and we'll post this well, she'll edit
this right. I want to know who broke the Empire
State Building? Was it Andrew outside? Anyway, thank you so
much for joining us. This was just such a treat
literally And when are we going to be back on board?
(18:27):
We know this two weeks today? Wait no, wait, are
we really? I think Elvis is going to be Elvis
is gonna be? Is he going to be? It is now?
Or it gets at it out? Yeah? Yeah, so does
(18:49):
an inaugural happen? A christening happening in Galveston, Texas. Elvis
is going to be there. Um, we don't know when
that when is that with the date seven? So there
you go in a couple of weeks and you'll be there.
Mark TBD. You know I did plan to be there,
and I do plan to be there. The teams are
executed so well on board at the moment. They don't
(19:10):
need a bitter grandfather what you know. But just for
the fun of being on board and the love of
being on board. I mean, you announced your retirements. I mean,
now when you guys are on board, do you make
everybody nervous? Are people like, oh here come Eric and Mark? No?
I think, but you know, we we're such a close
(19:30):
in the team, the corporate team and and and the
ship with team are really one team. That and they
see us all the time. It's there's Mark, there's Eric.
That's very cool, awesome. You guys are doing amazing things.
We love it. We always love being on board any
Norwegian ship. I know that we're all doing different trips
this year, so we're gonna get really good experiences. Um,
is there anything that we we missed you guys want
to talk about good just go to n c L
(19:53):
dot com. Book your cruise today, right yeah, say it
with force. Go to nl dot com book your creuise today.
Thank you and thank you, mark it, thank you, Eric,
thank you, thank you. Eat this cake. The fifteen minute
Morning Show
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