Chocolate on the high seas

Norman Love has had an exciting career, starting as a pastry chef for the Ritz-Carlton hotels and then branching off to open his own confectionery in Florida. Students of pastry programs online will notice that Love has boldly gone one step further and joined hands with Princess Cruises to help them create a new cruise offering, “Chocolate Journeys.” This new, water-chocolate endeavor is a first for any cruise line, and Princess Cruises plans to offer these sweet treats on each and every one of its ships by the end of this fall.

What would you give for chocolate?
Princess Cruises had an easy decision to make when developing this dessert-focused voyage. Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, observed that chocolate desserts were the most frequently ordered item on their menus. To learn more about the reasoning behind these decisions, the cruise line put out a survey about chocolate. It found that more than 58 percent of women would choose chocolate over sex, and that 81 percent of those surveyed ate chocolate to lighten their mood. Add the famed chocolatier Norman Love and you have a sure success.

Love’s boat
“One thing is for certain, chocolate makes people happy,” Love told Naples Daily News. “So what I create and what Princess Cruises offers its guests are quite similar – what could make people smile more than savoring decadent chocolate creations while enjoying their cruise vacation? I think we have a winning combination.”

Love is going further than just offering his name to the Princess Cruises journey; he has also created special chocolate recipes that will be used onboard. These recipes have been taught to the pastry staff who will not only serve the creations, but give daily demonstrations to guests on how they can make these confections at home. Love has also picked specialty chocolates, including his very own Black Single Origin Dark Chocolates, that will be served with complimentary wines that Love has chosen himself.

A special chocolate indulgence body treatment is another chocolate experience that will  be available onboard. For an extra charge, cruise guests can get the chocolate body scrub, a whipped chocolate body mask and chocolate massage oil.

“Around the world there’s incredible passion for chocolate, as evidenced by ever-growing consumption and the plethora of specialty varieties,” Swartz told the source.

If the cruise line’s studies are correct, Love and Princess Cruises will be serving guests happy treats for years to come.