(PRESS RELEASE)_Seattle, Wash., April 5, 2021 — When was the last time you played with your food? If you’re ready to get creative in the kitchen, join Holland America Line April 6 to celebrate the first annual National Food Faces Day. Designated in the National Day Archives, the day commemorates the culinary pop art created by the brand’s Master Chef Rudi Sodamin, whose birthday is April 6. Holland America Line is encouraging fans to get playful and share their creations on social media using #NationalFoodFacesDay to spread the joy. “We have seen the way Food Faces resonates with people, showing us that Rudi’s passion for bringing happiness through food can transcend beyond our guests to fans everywhere,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line. “Designating April 6 National Food Faces Day not only honors Rudi’s creativity when it comes to food and art, but it also shows everyone that Holland America Line continues to be an innovator in unique ways.” Sodamin began designing and photographing his Food Faces several years ago on a whim in a shipboard galley to entertain team members. In 2018 he released the art-table book, “Food Faces,” featuring more than 150 vibrant images of his edible cast of characters. His artistic inspiration comes from culinary ingredients and human expression, and he created each personality from food items including vegetables, fruit, meats, fish, grains and sweets. “When I saw how my Food Faces inspired people and made them smile, I knew that this art was capable of something special. I want to spread that joy through these works of art created with food,” said Sodamin. “Food Faces can be made with anything edible, and I encourage everyone to have fun, be creative and let go while making culinary art. “A simple fruit plate presented as a cheerful face at breakfast is a great way to start your day with a smile,” added Sodamin. “I’m excited to have an official day to celebrate my passion for Food Faces with everyone around the world.” On board Holland America Line ships, guests who dine at award-winning Rudi’s Sel de Mer upscale seafood restaurant or pop-up can enjoy his dynamic Food Faces on exclusive limited-edition plate chargers made by Bernardaud, the leading French manufacturer of Limoges porcelain. Each plate charger features a different image from the “Food Faces” book, creating a table setting that’s a conversation starter. Sodamin’s “Food Faces” coffee table book was published by Welcome Books, an imprint of Rizzoli, and is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide and online. Bernardaud plate charger sets and the “Food Faces” book also can be purchased on board Holland America Line ships. For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com. (PRESS RELEASE)_Miami, April 5, 2021 – Today, Crystal announced the much-anticipated inaugural deployment of Crystal Endeavor, the first groundbreaking ship for Crystal Expedition Cruises. As the first and only true luxury expedition yacht to restart cruising in the Arctic and Northern Europe, Crystal Endeavor will sail five 10-night immersive voyages circumnavigating Iceland’s most dramatically beautiful and fascinating locales beginning July 17, 2021. The Luxury Iceland Expedition voyages will sail round-trip from the ship’s homeport of Reykjavík, affording travelers convenient air options, just six hours from New York City, three hours from London and with frequent non-stop flights from many major cities in the U.S. and Europe. Reservations for Crystal Endeavor’s Luxury Iceland Expedition journeys open April 13. The 20,200-GRT vessel is designed to the highest standards of renowned German engineering, with a focus on the luxurious details that have earned Crystal the travel industry’s highest accolades for more than 30 years. Built at a cost of more than half a billion U.S. dollars, Crystal Endeavor will be the most spacious, fastest and most powerful expedition ship in the industry, with a Polar Class 6 (PC6) classification that enables her to sail in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Crystal Endeavor is designed to accommodate just 200 guests with a one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio delivering the personal and genuine service for which Crystal is known. Her luxurious design features expansive personal and social spaces, with 100 gross tons per person and 10,000 cubic feet per guest for a passenger space ratio of more than 100, making her the most spacious luxury expedition ship in the industry. This spaciousness will be further enhanced as she embarks on the Luxury Iceland Expedition Iceland voyages with reduced capacity. “As we prepare to welcome Crystal Endeavor to the Crystal fleet, we share our guests’ great anticipation of this extraordinary new ship and the journeys to come,” said Jack Anderson, Crystal’s interim president and CEO. “We know that travelers have looked forward to this thrilling new way to explore the world with Crystal and, like every Crystal ship that has come before her, Crystal Endeavor will set a new bar for luxury in her market, with onboard accommodations, amenities, spaciousness, experiences and service that are simply unmatched in the industry.” (PRESS RELEASE)_SINGAPORE, April 1, 2021 – Royal Caribbean International today announced Quantum of the Seas will continue sailing from Singapore through October 2021. Having resumed sailing in December 2020, Quantum’s 11-month Singapore season will mark the longest yet for one of Asia’s largest and most revolutionary cruise ships. The cruise line introduced Ocean Getaways from Singapore last year with the local government’s CruiseSafe Certification, which confirms the sailings meet the comprehensive health and safety requirements developed with the Singapore government. Following a successful run and high marks from guests, Royal Caribbean first extended the season for three months, through June 2021, and is doing it again for an additional four months thanks to the partnership with the Singapore government. “We have continued to see an overwhelming demand in Singapore to sail on board Quantum of the Seas. With more than 50,000 guests having cruised with us and zero positive COVID-19 cases to date, holidaymakers can rest assured we are focused on delivering safe, memorable cruise holidays,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Royal Caribbean’s 30-plus sailings in Singapore offer a real-life, validated model of how cruising can be a unique, safe vacation beyond what many other travel options can offer. I'm confident we'll continue to see how successful cruising can be through a combination of our proven, healthy and safe practices, which are informed by the Healthy Sail Panel’s 74 recommendations, and the rollout of vaccines around the world.” Singapore residents can continue to satisfy their feelings of wanderlust on 2-, 3- and 4-night Ocean Getaways and enjoy fun-filled activities, next-generation entertainment and world-class dining on board one of Royal Caribbean’s most groundbreaking ships. These new sailings will be available to Singapore residents and open to book on April 13, 2021. “Our guests have continued to have a fabulous vacation experience with Royal Caribbean, as we continue sailing with our layered health and safety measures developed with the Healthy Sail Panel. In fact, we have seen guest satisfaction ratings jump since we started sailing this past December,” said Angie Stephen, vice president and managing director, Asia-Pacific, Royal Caribbean International. Quantum will continue to operate with the same set of comprehensive health and safety measures in place, such as COVID-19 testing, reduced sailing capacity, physical distancing measures, enhanced cleaning and sanitizing processes, and industry-leading contact tracing. “When we started pilot cruises in Singapore, our aim was to regain the confidence of guests by endorsing cruise operators with rigorous hygiene measures. Singapore’s CruiseSafe standards have set a clear benchmark for our cruise partners, who have been diligent in ensuring the measures on board are adhered to. Thus far, we have completed more than 90 sailings with over 120,000 passengers and no reported cases of COVID-19 spreading on board,” said Annie Chang, Director, Cruise, Singapore Tourism Board. As the broader travel and tourism industry reopens around the world, holidaymakers who are looking for an adventure can be confident in cruise ship safety. Since July 2020, Royal Caribbean Group has carried more than 100,000 guests on 152 cruises in Asia and Europe. This extension follows months of successful cruises in Singapore, with more than 50,000 guests who have sailed aboard Quantum to date, as well as the recently announced plans for the highly anticipated Odyssey of the Seas to cruise from Haifa, Israel, Jewel of the Seas sailing from Cyprus, Anthem of the Seas sailing from the UK and cruises from The Bahamas with Adventure of the Seas and Bermuda with Vision of the Seas. |
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