The Informed Traveler
The Informed Traveler
Splurge or Skip? Luxury Upgrades & Scenic Cruise Dining Revealed
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On our show this week we'll discuss Luxury Travel Upgrades, my co-host Travel Expert Onanta Forbes joins me to share which ones are worth it and which ones you might want to skip. Plus, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes serving all those meals when you take a cruise? We'll get some insight from the VP of F&B & Hotel Operations for Scenic Ocean Cruises.
Splurge or Skip? Luxury Travel Upgrades
SPEAKER_01Well, hello and welcome to the Informed Traveler Podcast, a weekly travel podcast, where our goal is to help you become a more informed traveler. And I'm your host, Randy Sharman. On our show this week, we're going to discuss luxury travel upgrades. My co-host, travel expert Onanta Forbes, wrote about them on her website, onantaforbes.com. Which ones are worth it and which ones you might want to skip. So Onanta will join me in a few seconds to discuss those. Plus, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes serving all those meals when you take a cruise? We'll get some insight from the vice president of Food and Beverage and Hotel Operations for Scenic Ocean Cruises later on in the podcast. But first, let's kick things off chatting with travel expert Onata Forbes, who joins us each week to discuss some of the travel news and travel trends. You can follow her adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and X at OnandaForbes. OnandaForbes.com is her website. I was checking on your website, OnandaForbes.com, and you have a lot of interesting pieces on there, but one uh that we're going to talk about luxury travel upgrades. You do have some ones listed on there, uh ones that uh you should use and ones that you can skip. So I like that idea. But before we get to the ones you can use and skip, uh just give me some general thoughts about it.
SPEAKER_02Right. So, you know, it's just like going to McDonald's, like they always upgrade you, you want fries. So it's in every part of our life. And luxury travel is actually one of the most growing components in the travel industry. And people want that personalization, they want um to know that you know that they that they can get perks um when they travel, because travel's not always easy. So if you can make it simple and if you can get some um save some time and and um you know basically enjoy your journey, I think that's important. And the world is full of tempting upgrades, but they're not all worth it. And so the best ones improve your comfort, save time, and protect your investment. So um, some of the ones I think that you should consider if you have the resources, um, is um, you know, when you're going on a long haul flight, perhaps don't go an economy, maybe premium economy, or even business class. So more space, better sleep, a quieter cabin, and it's well worth it on flights over seven to eight hours. And so you could do that in different ways. Like one of the ways I do it is I bid on it. Um, I bid on my upgrades, and when you do that, you kind of have to it's a guessing game because you don't know what uh other people are bidding, but you also don't want to overbid what the selling price is, right? Because if that was the case, you would have just bought it. Um, so I would consider that, but for definitely for long flight, um, arriving in better shape really is something that you will achieve when you're in a pod and you're laying flat and you can get some shadow and um the meals are a little bit well prepared and served as well. So that's just an idea.
SPEAKER_01Very true. Uh and you know, when you consider, and again, if you have the resources to do that, like you mentioned, but I would I'd be interested to know that um how you do the bidding, and there's websites you can do this with, uh, or if I call my friendly neighborhood travel agent, can they do that for you?
SPEAKER_02Well, um, I've been learning um in my quest of different things is that it's actually a third party that the airlines um uh engage that they do it. So it's you're not actually you can't just phone up the airline and say, I want to bid on this. It's actually you have to do it online and then it's assessed by a third party. As a travel agent, um we really shouldn't be doing it for you because it's you you know your money is your money. So you don't want to go go wild and just bid arbitrarily. Um, and and the reality is there's a lot of components that you may want to consider. Um, some people too may e have with their airline of choice um e-upgrades or e-certificates that they can apply um to get that upgrade as well. So it's not just always um putting out more money. And then once it's submitted, and if you continue with it, you don't cancel it, if it's accepted, it's accepted. You can't back out of it and it's non-refundable.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. So there's some caveats to know, but yeah, yeah, good uh good to know. Uh and I do agree with you. The short haul, when you say skip short haul business class, yeah, like if it's an hour flight or two-hour flight, like don't be wasting your money on a business class ticket, right?
SPEAKER_02No, unless it's a cheap old, like unbelievably low price. Oh yeah. Um, because I I I have to say, even though I say skip shot short haul business class, I have done it. And the reason I've done it is because I am over my baggage allowance and I need and then I compare what it costs for extra baggage or overweight baggage compared to the upgrade for business class. So I have done that. So just so fair like just so you know, I I break my own rules.
SPEAKER_01That's what rules are for to be broken. Okay, what else can we uh what else is worth it and what can we so airport lounge access during delays.
SPEAKER_02So when travel goes wrong, lounges offer some calm, you know, some calm, some comfort, some Wi-Fi, and some food, making delays m far more manageable. And um, again, you through your credit card or um perhaps that you already get that included, like in um some of the lounges, like premium lounges with American Express. That's part of your membership fee. So I would take advantage of it. Um, I do have to say lounges are becoming mass market, so sometimes it's not um a perk to go into a lounge that is crammed to the rafters, the food is not attractive um to partake in. So I would I would consider the lounge. Um, Air Canada's maple leaf lounges are nice, but then you also have to consider some um cities, they don't have a full Arcana maple leaf town, they have cafes um that you are considered lounges. So yeah, you really do have to look at it and see if it's worth it. But during a delay, it's good. But also consider if you're in a lounge, some lounges uh limit the amount of time you spend in it. So three hours might be the max. So keep that in mind. Good too. The other thing I would um definitely consider, um, and we talk about it with with all travel, but for high value trips, like for expensive or complex itineraries, insurance protects you from losing thousands of dollars in non-refundable bookings, misconnections, trip interruption. So always consider um it a worthy, it's not even an upgrade. I would just say it would be part of your travel purchase. So consider those as well. Um for cruise cabin location, midship is a is a very attractive location. It reduces motion, higher decks, improve access, and smart placement means better sleep and convenience. So the cruise lines are definitely involved in bidding on upgrades. Um, I just had guests that are going on an Oceana uh med cruise. They were leaving today, and um, they said that they bid$10 over the base lead-in and they got it.
SPEAKER_03Really?
SPEAKER_02Yes. So again, you never know with bidding because you don't know what other people are bidding. You don't know how many people are bidding, right? So, and I said, you know, and I share with them, I go, it doesn't hurt to ask because you know, if it's no, it's no. There's no expectation, right?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and if it's yes, wow, for ten dollars more.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, they were so excited, so exhausted. Yeah, so yeah, take advantage of those. Yeah, um early check-in, late checkouts. So extra hours in your hotel means real rest and more usable travel time, especially on long, long, short stays. And I know again, if you are um a partner of a of a hot of a resort or a hotel uh chain, sometimes that's included in your membership. And I think it's worthy, really good. And then um seat selection, maybe not an upgrade, but something um a small fee is worthy of avoiding a middle seat or securing space that can dramatically improve the flight experience. So I would consider that something of an upgrade to consider. Um things that you may want to skip, like priority boarding, and that's all you get is priority boarding. Yeah, boarding. I've seen that.
SPEAKER_01It's like, oh, you get priority boarding, and it's not really priority boarding.
SPEAKER_02No, and you know, boarding early often just means sitting longer. So unless you it it includes real perks, think about well, what does it give you at the end of the day? Um, and then hotel breakfast packages, they're usually overpriced. So local cafes, you know, making sure you're in an environment that's safe. Um, that you know, you you probably can get a better price. Um, and they're probably more um what's the word?
SPEAKER_01Food options. Yes, is what I was gonna say, because sometimes it's a limited menu too.
SPEAKER_02Absolutely, yes. So, you know, when we were in Paris, we actually I would just I we were near the Eiffel Tower. I would just pop down, go to a cafe, pick up a couple of um hot chocolates and coffee and croissants, and that's perfect for a start of a day, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I agree with uh all of those actually. And I was gonna sort of mention the, you know, like when you are booking, you uh you mentioned like the the seat selection and things like that. Uh it it's good to be aware of what you're getting um with your status as far as like uh and I'm I'm gonna refer to basic economy now. Like basic economy, you're paying for your seat, you're paying for your luggage, and you're not allowed to bring on a carry-on. So you gotta be aware of all those things. Um and so you you you probably do want to upgrade if you want to, you know, um actually have a carry-on for one, and you want to have seat selection included because sometimes the the price difference, like sometimes you're looking at, depending on the seat, a hundred dollars per seat.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yeah, it can it it adds up, like especially when um you may be involved in two different airlines and you have to pay like it's not all the way through and uh so on. So yeah, it does add up.
SPEAKER_01When does luxury travel become luxury travel though? Like if you're starting at basic economy and you're and I just warned of the of the the caveats of basic economy, what you're not getting. Uh and if you're aware of it, fine, that's good. Um but when does it start to become luxury travel? Because it seems to me a lot of stuff, it's like they're they're nice perks, but is it really luxury? You know what I mean? I guess I'm looking for just for a definition.
SPEAKER_02Right. So for me, luxury travel is you know, the it's seamless. It's like um I create uh or curate something that fits what the traveler is looking for. It's it's you know, giving them that opportunity not to be part of the massive, I guess. You know, really at the end of the day, it's more personalized. Um, you can you it it's it's more about your experience versus being herded along.
SPEAKER_01Um, I would add one more to your list here, and that's private transfers, because I I do that from now on on the destination that I'm arriving at. Because the last thing you want, especially if you've been on a long flight, like you've been flying all day, sometimes you're doing a connection, and airports are busy, they're chaotic, and so you kind of you want someone who's there to look after all the things that you may not be aware of, like like traffic, for example, and all, and even just even finding anything like an Uber or a taxi or something, they're there, they pick you up, they have preferred parking spots, and they're doing all the navigating, and you just relaxed, and you're not in a luxury vehicle, and the cost really isn't that much.
SPEAKER_02No, and what I like about that is um they, you know, they and I experienced it in my recent trips, um, they are actually contacting you to say who they are, where to meet, they're giving you pictures of, you know, to look and opportunities to be in contact with you in case there is a situation where your plane's delayed, or maybe you go to the wrong terminal, or whatever the case may.
SPEAKER_01It's just take like peace of mind and what do you what do you call a smooth um seamless travel. Seamless travel. It's just and that's the to me, that's the best way to start.
SPEAKER_02Oh, absolutely. And at the end of the day, too, like it's high touch, so like you don't have to touch it. People know what you are asking for or what you have booked, and they're taking it. They're taking it for you, and and it's it's the opportunity. And at the end of the day, it it's basically I know luxury travel is is is it's a word that can be used in so many different destinations, but you know, I think it's a more emotional um reward to what you're doing because then you're not doing anything, you're just like, this is what I want to do, and it's done. It's like design, the services are designed for you.
SPEAKER_01Good stuff. People people can uh read about luxury travel upgrades on your website, onantaforbes.com, along with all kinds of other posts and blogs and good information. And they can follow you on Instagram, Facebook, and X as well at OnantaForbes. Uh good chatting with you, Danta. Good tips. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02Happy Easter, everybody.
cenic Cruise Dining Revealed
SPEAKER_01This is the Informed Traveler Podcast. I'm Randy Sharman. Just want to remind you of our website, theinformedraveler.org. That's where you can find our contact page if you have any questions or comments about the podcast. You can also email me too with any questions you might have. My email address is randy at the informedtraveler.org. You can check out our social media pages too at facebook.com slash informed traveler, Instagram at informed traveler, or on X at InformTraveler. That's where you'll find a number of videos and reels from our adventures throughout the year and audio clips from our past shows. Plus, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter. It's released at the beginning of every month. Our April issue is now available. Just go to our website, theinformtraveler.org, click on the newsletter button, and it'll take you right there. Or better yet, you can subscribe to it and have it arrive in your inbox each month. Well, have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes serving all of those meals when you take a cruise? Simply put, a lot. So joining us now to give us some insight on what goes on in the galleys of those cruise ships is Tom Goether. He is the vice president of food and beverage and hotel operations for Scenic Ocean Cruises. Scenic.ca is the website. Hi, Tom.
SPEAKER_00Hey, how's it going? Nice to meet you or nice to be with you, I would say.
SPEAKER_01Well, thanks for doing this. Uh, I come from a cruising background. I kind of have an idea what the uh food and beverage manager does on board a ship. But tell us uh just uh your role with Scenic Cruises and the role more importantly of the food and beverage food and beverage manager on board.
SPEAKER_00Well, my role now is actually for the entire hotel department, and it's not really an onboard position anymore. So basically I'm leading as the vice president for hotel operations the entire hotel part, if you want to say so, of the vessels. Um which is traditionally a job more on land based than anywhere else. However, I'm kind of refusing to that, so we're trying to be anywhere different. So uh I would say I spent about six to seven months a year on the ships, uh jumping from ship to ship and you know, inspiring the crew, um trying new things. Mainly I'm chasing for new ideas and fresh ideas, something might not be seen on the ocean. Uh and yeah, as a chef as background and started as executive chef for Scenic, I obviously spend a huge amount of time on uh food and beverage and wine stuff because wine is kind of my favorite hobby, which is for most chefs the most hobby. So uh yeah, when I'm on the ship, it's usually never the same and always different.
SPEAKER_01Well, there's a tremendous operation. Again, I come from a cruising background, and the food and beverage manager seems to be the busiest person on board because they are looking after so much. It's not just the food, it's the service, it's the wine, and you gotta make everybody happy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, that's right. I mean, it's I would say is the most beautiful madness you can think of if you like it. So uh there is no one who does their job because he needs a job. Uh there's there's no one in this world saying, yeah, I can do it. Rather you love it and then you do it, or you you know you you don't do it because you think they're all mad. And to be honest, they are all mad. So you need to be a little bit crazy and you need to love this this vibe of busyness to around you to uh yeah, to have an enjoyment on that.
SPEAKER_01Uh and it is such a huge component, uh serving uh all three meals and snacks during the the middle of the day. Uh and some would argue it's the most important part of cruising. People go on cruises just for the food alone, the dining experience alone. So just talk about some of the trends over the years, and I would think it's an impossible task coming up with new uh ideas. It seems like what what new ideas could there possibly be?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think honestly, I think the the guests have helped us a lot over the years. Uh when I started working on the ocean, it was all about all-inclusive products. They came on board, they eat as much as they can in a week, took on five to ten pounds and kind of be proud about it. Where now guests are a lot more caring, not just about the food, but also they are stopped doing the mainstream tours, they are stopped doing the mainstream location cruises, they are uh also stopped looking at how can I eat as much as possible and uh what is most expensive I put in my mouth, sort of thing. Um, our ships are designed with only 200 guests or 100 guests, so we have a massive opportunity here to make a difference on the market. And that's really how we roll. We're not too worried about cooking a couple meals a day for 100 people or 200 people. We are really focused on getting inspired ourselves rather than the guests from outside. So we are running all day long outside around and uh chatting to fishermen and the bridges basically chasing all fishing boats you can imagine around us, uh ideally in the most remote locations, and then work with them. And then they give us the inspiration and they give us the ideas, uh how they cook it. And usually our first question is what is what do you have from here? How do you usually cook it and how would your mom cook it? And then that alone gives you a massive amount of ideas how you proceed it. And and very important here is, and I think that's a mistake the industry did for a very long time. We try to duplicate dishes, like you know, we went to Rome and we made Cabonara, then we went uh to Sicily, we made a traditional dish from there. And I think that's crap. Um you will never make it as good as they do it. You will never have this authenticity, but why not using this ingredients and do it your own style, but then celebrating the ingredients? And I think that is one of the biggest successes Scenic had over the years on the ocean, and you know that really echoes back from our guests that we just take so much care into our produce and our locations where we are and celebrating small and local people and uh local companies to work with the the small ones, which is obviously a lot more work, but it feels a lot better. It is really right, and we really fall in love with it. And as we sail along and the years go by, it gets easier because you know we have more connections and uh we meet more people, and it's amazing. You know, we actually know that by first name, and uh it feels like an extended family.
SPEAKER_01Nice. Uh well yeah, we should mention that yeah, Scenic Cruises is a luxury cruise line. They do have smaller ships, so you're not looking at the mass 5,000 you know meals a day kind of thing. So you can be a little bit more creative, right?
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, 100%. I mean, our biggest I mean cruise ships in general, they usually have the traditional main dining room and then a couple of specialty restaurants. I in my word, that's so wrong. I mean, why would you elevate one restaurant to the other? And why would you make one so big that no one can cater for it uh in an a la carte proper way? So our biggest restaurant has a hundred seats, usually never more than 90 guests inside, and then the smallest has eight seats, you know. So we cook a la carte everywhere. And when I say that, I mean it. We don't carry food on trays with clutches on it to guests. We sit guests down. We have an all-inclusive product. We we will not try to sell you a bottle of wine, you know. We just let you enjoy your evening. And with that, you take a lot of pressure away from waiters and families and let them do what they like most, which is uh hospitality. They don't they don't like it. To sell stuff. So having a full and real all-inclusive product which gives us the opportunity to just enhance service, like you would enjoy it in this little corner restaurant in Genoa where you eat the uh you know the pasta and the restaurant wasn't even like perfectly clean, but somehow it was the best dish you ever eat. This feeling is real hospitality and having an pure a la carte experience where we basically start cooking after you ordered, we are flexible. So if I get two halibut outside uh on the coast of Canada, you know, that's basically enough to cater an entire restaurant, and that's how we want to see it, and that's how we envision it. So our entire focus is on a la carte, uh, which obviously reduces food waste to a terrific amount because there's nothing more worse in the world than huge buffets, you know, and all-inclusive products. Uh so giving all of this back to the guest, you have a lot more time to care for the individual dish. You have a lot of time as a waiter and a sommelier and a chef to actually talk to the guests and celebrate with them um the local experiences, which is not just the tour or you know, the nice view from your balcony, it's the food too, and the cultures and the habits and the drinks. And I think that that is really the future. And I think more and more guests, if not all by now, they're really going away from the big boys and they're really going away from the big ships because they want this experience, you know, they really want to feel like where they are, and not just looking out of the window and saying, Oh yeah, I've been there.
SPEAKER_01Mm-hmm. True, very true. I think so too. I think uh that's what makes a great dining experience. It's not just the food and the meal, it's the overall experience, the service, the ambiance, uh however you want to uh describe it, that makes the total experience that makes the dining experience uh a five or six star rating, I guess, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think so too. I mean, I I started traveling when I was 18. I left Germany and I worked in a couple of restaurants on every continent, actually, on this world. And you know, back then I had this tradition that I wanted to go in a culinary school there, uh, with like ideally a really old mama who does the same dish for the last four generations, and I was usually alone with a couple of people. You know, if you try to get a uh a cooking school, like a day pass somewhere in the somewhere in the world, good luck. I mean, there's like thousands by now, and it just shows that people care a lot more where they are and how they live and how they sustain, rather than say, okay, what is the most important to see here? What is the biggest castle? What is the biggest church? Let's go there we're quick, and then I can say I've been there, I've been in this country, I've seen this. So now people care a lot more about the locals, the traditions, the habits, the heritage, the food. And I that in my opinion, and of course I'm a chef, so that could be a false upon you, but in my opinion, there is nothing in this world who talks more about a country than their local food. So having the opportunity to try their dishes cooked by their people is just insane. And then when you come back on board and we you see that we use their ingredients, so we respect their regions, we respect their people and the locals, rather than flying everything in in big containers, you know, big companies who make it a lot cheaper and a lot easier for us. But it it's not right. So trying to get local as much as we can and really get influenced and inspired by them by their people is just the best part of our chips, to be honest. Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_01Well, you know, with your chef background, how much uh actual can I use the word cooking does the uh food and beverage manager get to do? Because he's there's there's a lot of things uh he also has to over oversee, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, 100%. I mean uh when I got proposed a position as uh vice president for hotel operations for the scenic ocean crew, I kind of got scared to be honest. I thought, you know, I want to take away my chef jacket and take take away the the thing which makes the most love and inspiration in my life. Um but then I understood that the big picture is, you know, is is so worth it. Uh when I was a chef, I thought it's all about the food is the heart, you know, it's the most important. Then I became director of food and beverage and I realized, okay, okay, the restaurant is also important, the wine is important, the beverage, the approach of the waiter, the body language. And now as VP, I get it. You know, I I I see that the overall big picture is what really makes your uh cruise enjoyable. You know, if you come on board and the butler has this first touch who gives you this feeling that he actually cares about you and generally knows you, and then you go to the tours, you know, and the tours they make this very special moment for you, and you go to the bridge, which on which we have open bridge policy, you know, so you actually can talk to the captain. And then the captain is on by chance, I don't know, French, and he says, Oh, you need to try Lumier, you know, but he's a French captain, of course you trust him. And when you then go to the Lumier and you get French wines, uh oysters, and you have the dinner, and the captain, by any chance, passes by because the ship is so small, recognizes you and said, I told you, so you realize that he knows you, then you get that the whole picture is, you know, it's all about that. So I would say it was worth it to take my chef jacket off to have that big picture. However, um, if there's opportunities where I can cook, I use them. Um, we have several different culinary programs which are running along. Um we have also uh Canadian guest chefs uh continuously coming back to our ships as we do uh cruises with them. Uh Michael Bonaccini was on a few times now. Now he comes back with his brother in August, which I'm super excited for. Um I've also been a top chef twice in Germany and in the US uh for World All-Stars. So I'm bringing a lot of these guys over for cruises where we then basically do culinary cruises, uh, where I then have the best excuse in the world to put on my chef jacket and actually support and cook with them. So uh I try as much as I can, but clearly not as much as I want to, which is technically 16 hours every single day. So I need to find a middleware if that makes sense.
SPEAKER_01Um take me like the day in the life of a food and beverage manager. Like there's so much that goes on behind the scenes that the uh average cruiser doesn't even realize, I don't think, anyways. So just give me uh some highlights, some of the just uh uh a taste of of what uh a food and beverage manager has to go through uh during the day.
SPEAKER_00I think I think that's a extremely difficult question. Uh firstly, our ships uh they sail from the Europe to the Caribbean to the Arctic to the Antarctic below New Zealand and uh Argentina. They also go to Australia, they go to Asia. So it depends where the ships are. I would say that defines the day most drastically. Um, and then also we have the new builds, right? We have in Vietnam and Shipyard where we're building ships, then we have one in Croatia where we're building ships. So uh the days are defined basically by the seasons and by the mood of what is needed. So uh currently I couldn't be more happy because I'm heavily involved in culinary programs, uh for uh selecting wine, which is so cool, but it's so much more. I'm involved in the design parts of new ships, uh the technical design of new ships, which is such a gain of knowledge over the last two years. I'm so grateful for. You obviously work with markets from all around the world. We have you know huge markets in Canada, in the US, in Europe, in Australia, in Asia. So, you know, you you work with different cultures, different people, uh, you learn a lot about the needs and interests and what is you know what one market likes more than the other. So this whole big picture is kind of like a roller coaster, but you kind of never know when the next uh somersault comes or the next looping. So it's it's so interesting, it uh exposes by so many people, so many people you work with and you need to trust with. So um, yeah, I'm very grateful that actually I do not have a routine because that's something I really don't like. Um, you know, sometimes I work from home, sometimes I'm months and months on the ship, sometimes in the shipyard, and I'm working closely with the you know with the ship building teams.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Then we have the river fleet as well, which I'm you know sometimes in contact with to learn from them and their challenges. So I think the best part is really that there is no daily routine at all. It really depends if the ships are in a different location. You sometimes work in the middle of the night, sometimes you work very early in the morning, you know. It's there's no day like the other one. I absolutely love it.
SPEAKER_01Never a dull moment, as they say. It's interesting you mentioned uh the designs. Uh I never even thought about this, but the design of the kitchen or the galley, that's really important, isn't it? Like so you can be efficient.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, not just that. I mean, uh we quite a unique company where uh it's privately owned, and the owners himself are heavily involved in design and build. So uh I'm not just designing kitchens, I'm actually heavily involved into uh color codes, music, light shutters, and the restaurant. Uh the art against the walls, what fits the food. So uh that let me be having a huge impact and a great opportunity to say things I feel to really make sure it doesn't look like a cruise ship, you know. So we we're doing the entire interior, the entire design, uh the entire technical part, ourselves as a company. So there's no companies in between who tell us what to do or what we can or what we can't do, uh, which we don't like at all. So uh we basically have it all uh uh inside the company and inside, you know, the the bonding is different, and you have so much more opportunities and knowledge to share. And for me, you know, with 37 years, I'm I'm heavily grateful to be part of this and to learn from so many people and their passions as you know, as much as I have passion for cooking. So it's been an absolute incredible journey over the last few years, and yeah, many ships to come.
SPEAKER_01Uh when this is such a big part of your life, and uh do you ever can you turn it off? Like when you go to a restaurant and can you just sort of sit and relax, or do you oh I want to go back in the kitchen, I want to see what's going on.
SPEAKER_00I want to I'm being very honest, uh it's very rare that I go in and that I go in, let's say, a good restaurant. Uh for me there's only three options left. Uh rather I go in a Michelin restaurant and I celebrate it. Um, then usually I visit friends mainly. Uh, or I go in like very, very humble and rustic restaurants where I just celebrate the honor, uh the honesty of the dishes and the service, you know, where I where I don't need to judge because there is nothing to judge uh in this kind of same level. But most of the time, believe it or not, I actually cook for myself, ideally for 10 to 20 people is like my favorite numbers. Um to cook for only one person is just not enough fun. It's not messy and loud enough. So but I like a I would say a regular average restaurant, I'm trying to avoid as much as I can. Then I'd rather have some, you know, some very nice food but rustic in a garden or in the street or like some stands or I cook for myself or yeah.
SPEAKER_01It must be exciting when when people say we're going to Tom's house for dinner. Must be great for your guests.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy, I tell you, my parents raised me on a big winery, so I I also do my own wine, and we have a lot of space here. So uh especially during COVID, I think there were about 20 of my friends like literally sad when COVID was over, and uh then knew I need to go back to work and cannot cook for them every day anymore. So we made massive feasts, and uh, my mom is a chef and her mom was a chef, so cooking and wine in my family is something which is you know carried over for many generations, so we take that very seriously. There's there's no day we can just eat a pasta dish, you know. It's about two to three dishes. Uh I never had a uh uh bought bread till I was 16, you know. It was just normal for us to have our own vegetables, to make our own bread, you know, and you know, having having lunches like other people would pay hundreds of dollars for, to be honest.
SPEAKER_01So, what do you hope your guests on board when they when they leave a scenic cruise? What do you hope they say? Uh I I'm assuming they have comments and things like that. Uh what makes the uh a special cruise for for for you, for them?
SPEAKER_00Well, look, I always tell two things uh to my crew, right? We have by now almost 800 employees, and I always tell them, look, there is no perfect way of service. There is no perfect service steps when you go for dinner as a waiter or as a chef. It's about to read the guests and read their personality. There is guests there that love to be hugged and they love to have a warm service where the waiter basically stays at the table and talks about his whole life. There's other guests there, they're a little bit more you know um preserved, and you need to read that as a guest. And I think there's a lot of ships or in a lot of hotels that do a really good job because they're trying to force their service style to it. Where I believe that um there is no service style I can force to a guest. I need to adapt to the guest. So in my world, the perfect crews and the most grateful guest is the one who basically hugs the crew when he leaves and has tears in his eyes. That means more to me than anything this person could ever write on a piece of paper. This means more than tipping one or two crew members because if they're aware that there's such a huge machinery behind and so many crew you don't see, and they are the ones who make the ones in the front shine, right? So it's the engine room, it's the kitchen, it's you know, everybody around them who makes them so successful. So if guests then come back and they remember the names, and when they're in the moment they step up the stairs and we remember their names, then I know that my crew and my team and my hotel director they did well because that shows real care, not just stubbornly learning the last name or you know, following the service steps accurately for every single guest. It doesn't work like that. Guests are from all over the world. I'm if you would bet me, I'm not really German at all. You know, if you would think of a German guest versus me, that doesn't work at all. I'm I'm I'm so warm and hearted. I I'm kind of the opposite. So there is no rule to a to a to a country or to a dimension of guests. You need to read them, and you only can read them if you are truly all inclusive, if you don't need to sell anything, if there comes no pressure on any numbers, and you can just focus on what makes us fall in love with the job, which is being hospitality and not just you know following service steps, learning names and putting a lot of pressure on the table. So if they are start doing this by by feeling, by actually meaning it, then you then you succeed above and then you really make these modern hospitality touch, which makes people come back, fall in love with us, and you know, emotionally attaching to us. And I think that's that's a success these days.
SPEAKER_01Well, that's the uh scenic difference, I would uh I would guess. Uh Tom Goethe is the uh vice president of food and beverage and hotel operations with Scenic Ocean Cruises. Scenic.ca is the website. Uh any uh last words, Tom?
SPEAKER_00No, I mean uh thank you for inviting me. Uh I have a very close heart to Canadians. I lived in Vancouver for a year, and I'm absolutely in love with your country, and especially, and that sounds so bad, but it's true. I love your mushroom culture. I mean, you have mushrooms, they are the best in the world. And blueberries, my god, I it's not a single day I pass by Canada where I don't chase blueberries and mushrooms all day long. So nice, nice for having me, and I honestly can't wait to come back to Canada and uh get your local produce on my table.
SPEAKER_01It was a pleasure chatting with you, Tom, and giving us some insight on the uh food and beverage part of uh cruising. Again, uh, people can find uh where to do a scenic cruise on scenic.ca. Thanks again, Tom.
SPEAKER_00Okay, thank you so much. Take care. Bye-bye.
SPEAKER_01And that is our show for this week. If you have comments or questions, we'd love to hear from you. If you have a show idea, send that along as well. My email is randy at theinformed traveler.org. And if you like what you heard, tell a friend. You can check out our website too at theinformed traveler.org. In the meantime, thanks for listening. Travel safe and be an informed traveler.