Do Celebrity Chefs make a difference for cruisers?

Curtis Stone is the latest celebrity chef to make news with a cruise line. The Australian recently opened two restaurants called Share on Princess Cruises. With the move, he joins his colleagues Geoffrey Zakarian, Guy Fieri, and Jacques Pepi as cruise innovators. But do any of them actually move the needle with passengers?

Food and dining is a huge aspect of cruises. The variety in tastes, styles, flavors and service make cruise vacations unique. With food such a factor, it makes sense to get famous chefs involved. But the challenge is that unless you are on a special ship, you are not really getting the Chef's meal. A cruise kitchen is preparing their recipes. It probably still tastes great, but it is not the same. So what are you paying for if the same people are preparing food in other, non-celeb parts of the ship? Plus, how sensitive are the passenger pallets. Cruise companies have had great chefs and unique recipes for years. If you take the best dish on one of those Princess ships, would it compare to the food at Stone's bistro? Probably.

We encourage cruise companies to keep investing in great dining. But don't waste money on celebrity chefs. The companies are already making great food. Just make it that much better!