Listen to our
interview with
Stephen Raniowski
Chef of The Pinnacle
Stephen Raniowski
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Southern Caribbean delights aboard Holland America’s Maasdam
Holland
America has been in the cruise business for 137 years, and along the
way the company and their personnel have achieved an expertise that is
hard to match. The Maasdam, with a passenger capacity of 1258, has all
of the features and amenities of a large ship. However, many guests
prefer the mid-sized ship’s manageable scale. She is everything
you’d expect in first class cruise ship: lots of mahogany and
brass trim; an elegant two storey Rotterdam Dining room with sweeping
staircases; a lovely theatre for Broadway-style entertainment; a
variety of smaller lounges and sitting areas and a well-stocked
library.
However, as with any successful business, it is the people who make the
difference. Aboard the Maasdam, room stewards, waiters, activity
animators, officers and crew all make you feel that your comfort and
holiday enjoyment is job #1 for them. We met a couple from Cape Cod who
have cruised extensively, and with many other lines including the
upscale Cunard and Celebrity.
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The elegant Rotterdam Dining Room is the centre of evening activities
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Linda said that they kept coming back to
Holland America, commenting; “It’s the attention to detail
and the staff that make the difference for us; we feel comfortable and
looked after. Isn’t that what a good holiday is all about?”
Repeat customers are a barometer of success, and during a past
passengers Mariners’ Club luncheon, the Cruise Director noted
that 700 of the 1250 guests onboard for our cruise were repeat guests.
We boarded the Maasdam in Ft. Lauderdale for her first 10 day Caribbean
cruise after spending the late summer and early fall cruising Atlantic
Canada and New England, which she will do again – expanding her
season to the spring and summer. The Maasdam does alternating 10 day
Caribbean itineraries, so you could stay on board for 20 days and enjoy
two different routes. Our Southern Caribbean Seafarer would take us to
Half Moon Cay (Holland America’s private island in The Bahamas)
St. Thomas, Dominica, Curacao, and Aruba; with four relaxing sea days
mixed into the itinerary. The alternative Southern Caribbean Wayfarer
route begins with two days at sea before calling in at St. Maarten, St.
Lucia, Barbados, Martinique, Tortola and then Half Moon Cay before
returning to Ft. Lauderdale. Two cruises – one air fare –
no snow! A fine combination if you can manage it.
| Our first stop after leaving Ft. Lauderdale was Half Moon Cay, which is
perhaps one of the best beach experiences during the cruise. The post
card perfect crescent beach has talcum powder soft sand, and every
convenience to make your day pleasurable. There are smooth concrete
walkways from the tender pier to the beaches, and enough lounge chairs
for everyone. |
The only thing missing here is you |
If you’d like to really spoil yourselves, look into
renting an air conditioned beach house with a small balcony. A full
lunchtime BBQ is available, and there are picnic tables under permanent
shade structures to provide comfortable and spacious dining areas. If
you or anyone in your group has limited mobility, Half Moon Cay offers
an excellent opportunity to enjoy the beach. Based on the comments
received from several fellow guests, we’d also recommend the
horseback riding excursion, which includes a tour of the island and
riding your horse in the ocean.
We then enjoyed a leisurely day at sea while making our way to St.
Thomas. There’s so much to do onboard, it can sometimes be
difficult to decide. Food and Wine Magazine sponsors a cooking
demonstration on set just like a scene on The Food Network. Overhead
cameras allow you to easily follow the chef’s step-by-step
demonstration on the large screens at either side of the stage. The
first day the theatre was filled to near-capacity for this new and
popular cooking show. The Chef is Steve Raniowski, a Montrealer who has
been with Holland America for 2 years and thoroughly enjoys his
“television” work in addition to being the chef for the
Pinnacle Restaurant, the speciality steak and seafood restaurant on
board all Holland America ships.
Continuing on the topic of food, the two storey Rotterdam Dining Room
is the focal point of evening activities. While it is also open for
breakfast and lunch, it is quite special during the evening; especially
for the three formal nights during a 10 day cruise. The menu has an
excellent variety to suit everyone’s preference. Special dietary
requirements are accommodated and your waiters quickly learn your
preferences.
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The architecture on Curacao is a reflection
of the island’s Dutch Heritage
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One of our table mates liked tomato juice before dinner,
and from the second evening on, our waiter brought John’s tomato
juice when he arrived to take our order. There were several
entertainments provided by the waiters and busboys, including the
ever-popular Baked Alaska Parade. Fine food, interesting conversation
and good fun made every evening a dining pleasure.
The Lido Buffet takes the “cafeteria” out of the buffet
experience and gives a whole new meaning to self-serve dining. Raised
dining areas are carpeted, floor to ceiling windows afford fabulous
views, and in the evening the white linen table clothes and subdued
lighting give The Lido a more intimate atmosphere.
St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is arguable the best duty free
shopping destination in the Caribbean. Stores selling watches and
jewellery will sell as much in a month as other mainland stores will
sell in a year or more. Hence, manufacturers such as Rolex will
understandably give the retailers volume discounts; which in turn mean
attractive prices for us.
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Mehgan’s Bay on St. Thomas is one
of the world’s best beaches
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The same applies to gold, diamonds and other
precious stones. The onboard Port Consultant provides an overview of
the best shopping destinations; and we recommend that you attend these
presentations if you’re considering a purchase. Further, there is
a Store Guarantee offered by Holland America for selected retailers who
have mainland offices and the ability to replace broken or defective
goods. If you’re putting hundreds of dollars down for an item,
it’s reassuring to know that you have a back-up guarantee.
Dominica, our next port, is the “youngest” island in The
Caribbean, having risen as a volcano a mere 23 million years ago.
It’s beautiful; and scenes from Pirates of The Caribbean were
filmed in Dominica. As the mountainous terrain rises up from the water,
this is not a beach destination, and we recommend that you take a
ship-organized tour. There’s a good choice of rainforest
excursions which allow visitors to appreciate the incredible beauty of
this small island, which is still home to the once aggressive Carib
Indian tribe. We took a combination sea kayak and snorkelling tour that
was entertaining and informative. Our guide set a leisurely pace for us
amateur paddlers and snorkellers.
After another activity-filled day at sea, it’s a full day and
evening on the Dutch island of Curacao. The Dutch influence is very
much in evidence in the architecture, especially in the primary
shopping area, with buildings painted bright yellow, pink and blue. The
shopping area is a comfortable ten minute walk from the ship. (A
reminder that we are just off the coast of Venezuela, not too far from
the Equator, and it does get warm – some would say
hot…) Curacao has an arid climate, and we spent a good
part of the afternoon at Contiki Beach. A 10 – 15 minute cab ride
from town and at a fixed rate of $15, the beach is sheltered from the
ocean by a breakwater that creates calm waters for swimming. Lounge
chairs, shade umbrellas, palm trees, and a nearby bar made the
afternoon very pleasant. At midnight, we cast off and sailed to nearby
Aruba, another Dutch island.
Aruba is also an arid climate, and has developed a significant tourism
business in addition to being a popular cruise ship port. As you might
expect, there is ample shopping available, including major Caribbean
duty free jewellery retailers. The shops are located close to the pier,
and if you don’t want to walk a great distance – this is
the place! Sightseeing tours, beach tours and snorkelling excursions
are all available through the Onboard Excursion staff. Fellow passenger
Ronnie, a Bostonian now retired in Florida, said that he played on an
excellent golf course on Aruba.
We then enjoyed two laid back days at sea as we sailed back up through
the Caribbean towards Ft. Lauderdale. There is a huge variety of
activities to select. In addition to the ever-popular bingo and casino
(open all day when at sea), The Maasdam has a well-equipped fitness
centre (and knowledgeable instructors if you wish to join a class); two
pools, including one that has a retractable roof; a walking deck, movie
theatre, a lovely indoor observation lounge on the top deck and
fittingly called The Crow’s Nest; and a beauty salon and spa.
Even with a beautiful ship, the wonderful climate and the Caribbean
islands, it is the staff and crew who make sailing with Holland America
such a pleasure; enabling the company to confidently use
“Signature of Excellence” in their logo and marketing.
Industry research confirms that Holland America consistently exceeds
guest expectations - explaining their huge proportion of repeat
business.
For information about sailing onboard The Maasdam or other Holland
America ships, please contact your travel agent; one of the three
CruiseShipCenters offices; or visit the Holland America web site at: www.hollandamerica.com or call toll free: 1-877-SAIL HAL (1-877-724-5425) Bon Voyage!
Montrealer Stephen Raniowski is The Pinnacle Chef onboard the Maasdam
By Peter Kerr
The Culinary Arts Centre
is just like a network
television kitchen.
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Stephen Raniowski provides
the cooking demonstrations
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When he attended the St. Adele School of Culinary Arts, Stephen
Raniowski never dreamed that he would Chef of The Pinnacle; the gourmet
alternative restaurant onboard Holland America ships. Food and Wine
Magazine sponsors a demonstration kitchen on Holland America ships, and
Steve really enjoys this aspect of his job. He’s very comfortable
in front of an audience; and his easy going affable nature is popular
with guests attending his Food & Wine presentations.
The Pinnacle is an intimate, wood-panelled dining room where elegance
and culinary enjoyment are combined to make any occasion special.
“We have an a-la-carte menu in The Pinnacle, and our signature
dishes are the Sterling Montana beef,” commented Steve during an
interview. “It makes my job easier when we have such fine beef to
begin with. Only 3% of beef is given this rating, and that’s what
we use. We also serve seafood, veal chops, and rack of lamb to offer a
variety.”
Steve has been with Holland America for 2 years, after a successful
restaurant career in the St. Sauveur area of the Laurentians.
“I’ve been to South America, Southeast Asia, Europe and The
Caribbean with Holland America. Working in a kitchen is a pressure
environment, and I’m fortunate that we don’t have any
tension with my staff.” Steve continues; “The company
believes that a happy staff and crew in a positive working environment
will make for happy guests.”
We enjoyed an evening in The Pinnacle, and it was outstanding.
Professional and unhurried service, delicious meals, and the desserts
alone were a gastronomic experience. There is an extra charge for The
Pinnacle, and fellow guests agreed that their evening was worth the $30
extra. The Pinnacle is also open for lunch, and the extra charge is
just $15 per person. Enjoy!
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