Virtuoso Life - March/April 2008 - (Page 42) LUXE REPORT BON VOYAGE TASTEFUL UPGRADE Fine-dining and bar service on Crystal Cruises’ ships have been enhanced with several innovations. Master mixologist Tony AbouGanim of Las Vegas’ Bellagio hotel has created a refreshing lineup of new cocktails for the 940-passenger Crystal Symphony and the 1,080-passenger Crystal Serenity (try the Bow Thruster – Maker’s Mark whiskey, Grand Marnier, fresh peach puree, orange juice, and lemon sour). And in March, famed restaurateur Nobuyuki Matsuhisa opens two restaurants aboard the Symphony, Silk Road and The Sushi Bar, with staples such as saikyo miso black cod from his award-winning Japanese-fusion menus. Continental drift: Icebergs off Booth Island. Back to the source: Nobuyuki Matsuhisa heads to sea. Hot Topic New York’s Corning Museum of Glass and Celebrity Cruises have teamed up to bring glassblowing to the high seas. Demonstrations take place in the purpose-built outdoor studio aboard the new 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice, with historical and scientific presentations on the art during the ship’s eight-day Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale. Departures: Sundays through 2008; from $1,099. Expedition Ready Silversea Cruises jumps into adventurous waters with its newest ship, the former World Discoverer, this spring. Built for expedition cruising, the Silver Dawn has been renovated to accommodate some 140 guests (down from 175), with all oceanview staterooms, a fitness center and salon, a library with desktop computers, and Wi-Fi throughout the decks. Passengers gain a posh alternative for small-ship cruising to Antarctica and hard-to-reach spots, with a full complement of on-board lecturers and naturalists. Napoleon barges into Burgundy. (ANTARCTICA) WoRldFoTo/AlAmY, (Nobu) SeRge ThomANN/WIReImAge GRAND CRUSING IN BURGUNDY Barging on Burgundy’s canals gets more sublime this summer when Orient-Express’ 12-passenger Napoleon stops only at grand cru wineries, with tastings of all 33 of Burgundy’s highest-appellation wines. Gala dinners and visits with vintners such as Joseph Drouhin highlight the seven-day round-trip journey from Paris. Departure: July 20, 2008; from $6,200. BY JIM GULLO 42 V I RT U O S O L I F E
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