Inside the 24/7 Operation to Feed the World's Largest Cruise Ship | WSJ Booked

Summary

The world's largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, offers an unparalleled dining experience for 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew with a vast array of food options. The ship's 1,300 staff members work tirelessly to prepare and serve an astonishing amount of food, ensuring an all-you-can-eat experience while minimizing waste. From stocking up on ingredients through a main passageway to managing 22 inventory rooms and 37 kitchens, the ship's operation is a 24-hour endeavor. Despite the challenges of waste reduction, the cruise line has made significant strides, cutting waste by 24% since 2019 and aiming for a 50% reduction by 2025.

Takeaways

• 🛳️ The world's biggest cruise ship is a massive floating resort, with amenities like a waterpark and seven pools, but food is the main attraction.
• 🍽️ Guest's top priority is the variety and quality of food and drink options available on their vacation.
• 👨‍🍳 A staff of over 1,300 people works tirelessly to feed 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew members, ensuring an all-you-can-eat experience with minimal waste.
• 📈 The ship's provisioning is based on historical data and can be adjusted based on the demographic of passengers, such as the number of children on board.
• 🚚 In cases of supply shortages, the company will go to great lengths, including air freighting, to ensure menu items remain available.
• 🧊 The ship has 22 inventory rooms, including fridges and freezers, to store the vast amounts of food required for its operations.
• 📝 Chefs place orders twice daily for anticipated needs, and inventory staff gather the ingredients, which are then sent to prep kitchens.
• 🔪 Prep kitchens process a significant amount of food, such as cutting 30,000 portions of produce per day and butchering beef.
• 🍰 Automation and staff work together to produce tens of thousands of desserts and baked goods, including 5,000 mini baguettes and 1,600 baked Alaskas daily.
• 👨‍🏫 The ship's executive chef approves all food before dinner to ensure adherence to recipes and maintain the quality of the massive-scale production.
• 🍴 The main dining room serves over 6,000 guests every evening with a la carte menus that change daily, alongside nearly 40 other food service venues.
• 🚮 The cruise line is committed to reducing waste, with a 24% reduction since 2019 and a goal of 50% by 2025, employing strategies such as weighing food before and after service.
• ♻️ There is an environmental impact of food waste, with cruise ships collectively dumping over a billion gallons of sewage into the oceans each year, which includes improperly treated food waste that can be toxic to marine life.

Q & A

What is the main amenity of the world's biggest cruise ship according to the script?

The main amenity of the world's biggest cruise ship is its food, as guests prioritize knowing what they will eat and drink before making a vacation decision.

How many people does the cruise ship need to feed and what is the staff size for this purpose?

The cruise ship needs to feed up to 7,600 passengers and 2,300 crew members, requiring a staff of more than 1,300 people to work around the clock in food preparation and service.

What is the significance of the main passageway called I-95 on the ship?

The main passageway called I-95 connects the stock rooms to the prep rooms and kitchens, allowing for the efficient movement of food from storage to preparation areas.

How does the cruise ship plan its food shipments?

The cruise ship plans its food shipments based on historical data of what passengers eat on certain routes and can adjust sourcing based on the number of children among the travelers.

What measures are taken if the company's projections on food demand miss the mark?

If the projections miss the mark, the company will go to significant lengths, such as air freighting special products from places like Miami, to ensure that everything on the menu remains in stock.

How are ingredients stored on the cruise ship?

Ingredients are stored in 22 inventory rooms, including fridges and freezers, to keep them fresh and ready for preparation.

How often do chefs from each restaurant place orders for ingredients and what happens after that?

Chefs from each restaurant place orders for ingredients twice a day, anticipating their needs for the rest of the day and the following day. Inventory staff then gather these ingredients and they are taken to prep kitchens.

What is the process like in the prep kitchens where produce is cut?

In the prep kitchens, staff cut all the produce needed for each meal, preparing at least 30,000 portions per day, ensuring that ingredients are ready for the 37 kitchens around the ship.

How does the ship ensure the quality and consistency of the food being prepared?

Before dinner, food has to be approved by the ship's executive chef, who checks that dishes follow the recipes and are prepared on a massive scale, maintaining taste and quality.

What is the scale of food production in the main dining room and other restaurants on the ship?

The main dining room feeds over 6,000 guests every evening with a la carte menus that change daily. There are also nearly 40 other restaurants, bars, and lounges serving food, with large scale production of items like 4,000 lobster tails, 1000 New York strip steaks, and over 40,000 portions of dessert in a single night.

How does the cruise ship aim to reduce waste and what is the environmental impact of food waste?

The cruise ship aims to reduce waste by weighing certain foods before and after serving at self-serve locations like the main buffet, using the data to adjust orders and portion sizes. This helps to minimize food waste, which can be toxic to marine life if not treated properly and contributes to the cruise industry's annual dumping of more than a billion gallons of sewage into the oceans.

What is the current waste reduction target of the Royal Caribbean Group and how much waste did they produce in 2022?

The Royal Caribbean Group has reduced waste by 24% since 2019 and is aiming for a 50% reduction by 2025. In 2022, they produced over 50,000 cubic meters of waste, which is equivalent to filling about 13 Olympic-sized swimming pools with compressed trash.

How does the operation in the ship's kitchens work around the clock?

The kitchens operate 24 hours a day, with staff working in shifts. Some staff are in the butcher room as early as 4 am, while others work in the bakery at midnight to prepare for the next day, ensuring a continuous operation even while guests are asleep.