One of Royal Caribbean's most popular specialty restaurants is the Japanese cuisine establishment, Izumi, and it has been spreading to many ships across the fleet ever since it first debuted.

The man behind Izumi's prominent success is Izumi Master Chef Travis Kamiyama, whose 30 years of experience are now helping Royal Caribbean create the best sushi experience at sea.

Kamiyama considers himself an artist and a sushi chef and began training at only 14 years old.  He is the brainchild behind Izumi, having envisioned the restaurant while in a Japanese restaurant in Kyoto.  He wanted Izumi to be, "a Modern Japanese restaurant with both traditional and signature sushi that caters to the international market."

"I foresee Izumi being an iconic brand that offers a variety of sustainable concept of sushi and hot dishes that will suit our guests around the world."

The story of how Izumi began goes back to 2008, when Kamiyama was introduced to Royal Caribbean by the former Vice President of Celebrity Cruise Line, Jacques Van Staden.  

Kamiyama worked with Royal Caribbean's Food & Beverage start up team to create the Izumi concept.  Kamiyama was tasked with coming up with an iconic Japanese restaurant that was duplicatable.

Royal Caribbean chose the name Izumi for the restaurant, because it means natural springs and art/decor, so the name seemed like a natural fit.

Izumi first debuted on Oasis of the Seas in 2009.  Back then, the restaurant had a cover charge along with a la carte pricing for the items.  Eventually, Royal Caribbean dropped the cover charge and went straight to a la carte pricing.

"Izumi started out way under, but management was reluctant," Kamiyama said.  "Today it's streamlined with only a la carte pricing and we are spot on in pricing."

Izumi's success meant the restaurant quickly spread to other ships in the fleet.  Kamiyama believes the reason is because of the food and the people working there, "What stands out in Izumi is not only an excellent menu but the heart of the people, the chefs and servers. They are dedicated and loyal."

Today, Kamiyama serves as the Master Chef for Izumi, where he visits different ships in the fleet to motivate and relay his passion to others in the restaurant.

"As chef, my goal is to give the best every day. We are only as good as our last meal."

Izumi will be coming to Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, and the restaurant will feature not only sushi but teppanyaki style dining at the restaurant's hibachi section.

What does the future hold for Izumi? The chef simply says, "I forsee Izumi being an iconic brand that offers a variety of sustainable concept of sushi and hot dishes that will suit our guests around the world."

Quantum of the Seas is in the midst of construction currently and already, there's a lot of anticipation for Royal Caribbean's newest class of cruise ship.  With any new ship, questions surrounding the design and architecture process pop up regarding what obstacles and challenges does Royal Caribbean face and how do they get around them.  

We had the chance to speak to Royal Caribbean Design Manager for New Builds Jodi Barozinsky, who is working on the design of Quantum of the Seas about how a Royal Caribbean ship is designed.  Barozinsky has been designing Royal Caribbean ships for a long time, starting with Vision class ships, followed by Radiance class, Voyager class and Oasis class.

Jodi started out working with Royal Caribbean as a design consultant in the 1990s and eventually was hired by Royal Caribbean to work exclusively for them.  Since her work on Oasis of the Seas, she has been working in the design department managing the various designers throughout the world that work on Royal Caribbean's ships.  

Her early work on Vision class, Radiance class and Voyager class was centered around the casino, the theater, kids  area and suites.  Starting with Oasis class and continuing to Quantum class, she's focused more on the overall design of the ship, primarily in the public areas and with the design consultants.

Looking at Quantum of the Seas, the biggest challenge Barozinsky identified was the sheer large span of time involved from when a project begins and when it ends and wanting to keep the design contemporary and relevant to what's hip when the ship launches.

"The period of time that we start and finish is a fairly long period. Sometimes three to four years. Staying up on top of what's current and what's cutting edge is always a challenge," Barozinsky said about how time factors in. "That deadline at the end, they're still delivering that ship in October of 2014.  So, trying to stay current and make sure the design is right for the day it gets delivered is a huge challenge."

As an example, Jodi mentions on Quantum of the Seas they had designed all of the dining rooms and about a year later the Operations team felt the design wasn't, "current" and had to be re-designed.  Thus, the dining rooms have been designed twice so far on Quantum of the Seas.

Another challenge is living up to Royal Caribbean's slogans of delivering the "WOW" to their guests and so with every new class of ship, the designers are tasked with coming up with that new "WOW" while staying within the budgetary confines of the project.

"To get those WOWs in there, it may mean compromising something else that's not as critical and deciding on what those compromises are to get the WOW."

The other consideration for coming up with these WOW ammenities is the small details, like with Oasis class what to do when a deluge of rain hits the ship and where does the water go considering there's a huge "hole" in the middle of the ship where Central Park is and prevent flooding.

Another challenge for Quantum of the Seas is that the designers are calling the ship, "the technology ship", which refers to how the team wants to bring in the newest cutting edge technology onto the ship.  This includes the way Royal Caribbean operates the ship, the signage, art work and so more much. 

When asked about what guests should look for in the design of a Royal Caribbean ship, Barozinsky thinks it's the small, overlooked details of basic design that are major considerations that many guests don't notice.  An example is at any bar, there cannot be anything over the top that may collect dust for health code concerns.  Moreover, what they do design needs to hold up so that something does not need to be torn out and redesigned later due to a health issue.

Also Barozinsky is rather proud of the lengths Royal Caribbean goes to in terms of guest accessibility.  She mentioned Royal Caribbean has its own special guidelines for the cruise line to follow and the result has been a lot of compliments from guests with special needs because they find the ships very accomodating.

So what's the most rewarding aspect of designing a Royal Caribbean cruise ship?  Jodi thinks it's seeing the interest that they get from the highest executive level for what they do and so their work is very imporant and knowing what they work in sails in ports all around the world.  

"Anyone you talk to, whether I'm travelling next to some stranger on a plane and they ask what you do and you get into a conversation.  They know that ship, they know about that room that you designed.  To me, it just feels good.  It made a difference and someone actually noticed something that you worked on.  You can really take pride in that."

If Jodi's work sounds really fun and interesting and you're perhaps a student in college looking to be a designer to, her advice to them is take college courses on ship design, which are already being offered these days.  

Barozinsky also mentioned that Royal Caribbean offers summer internships to interior design or architecture college students and would be a great avenue to take to get the right background to work on a Royal Caribbean team.  She also says you have to love it and you give it your all and be willing to work hard.  And the reward?  The cultural aspect of working with the foreign shipyards as well as the guests you are designing for that come from all over the world.

Travel Blackboard interviewed Royal Caribbean's senior vice president for global sales and marketing, Lisa Bauer, to talk about her new role with Royal Caribbean and her experience at Royal Caribbean.  

When asked about what she'd like to see improved in the cruise industry, Bauer responded, "It would be nice to get a global voice for cruising. I think that they all do a great job, but that would be the one thing, if we could all figure out how to come together and make a global cruise industry, versus all the regional associations."

Bauer also commented on Royal Caribbean's recent revitalization program that has been upgrading it's entire fleet of ships in an effort to make them all more relevant in a time when new ships get a lot of attention.

"Well the guests’ reaction has really been unbelievable because the ships right now and the ratings from all our customers are quite high. "

"They’re amazed that we took something that was already so great and made it even better. "

We’ve done this thing and now every ship is our best ship and that’s really caught on!

"You go on Rhapsody of the Seas and it’s like a brand new ship! The people that loved the ship before because they loved the crew and they love that type of ship and they love where it goes now have a ship that’s got an incredible entertainment experience etc... "

"So the fact is that the guests have already loved it and then it’s like “wow”. "

"Our ratings are up double digits, which is unbelievable, because they were already so high. "

"This was a big deal; it was a lot of money. But it was really to make sure that our guests had a consistent brand experience. The ability to have these key brand elements, no matter what ship you get on in the world, is very important to us and it is resonating amazingly with the guests. " 

We had the opportunity to interview Padraic Connelly, a performer on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, who is best known onboard the ship for playing the role of Wilbur Turnblad in "Hairspray".

Tell us a little about yourself, such as where you're from and how you got into the entertainment industry
I'm originally from Daytona Beach, FL. I first started doing musical theater at Flagler Palm Coast High School, where I had three incredibly inspirational directors. I ended up at the University of Florida as a Theater major, and while I was there I began performing and teaching with UF's Theatre Strike Force, which is the school's official improv group. After college, I moved with my two best friends (who, coincidentally, are now performing with The Second City on NCL's Dawn) and started performing at the IO Theater in Wrigleyville. When I'm not on a cruise ship, I'm doing a show called Whirled News Tonight ( http://www.whirlednewstonight.com ) which has been running continuously for the last seven years with almost the entire original cast.

• Favorite restaurant on Oasis of the Seas
  Tie. Giovanni's Table for lunch, Solarium Bistro and Giovanni's for dinner. I cannot get enough of the risotto at Giovanni's or the pumpkin soup at Solarium!
• Preferred drinks on a cruise ship
  It all depends on the mood! If we're sitting in the Schooner bar, listening to Ed or Paul play, nothing beats a Manhattan on the rocks. If it's a party on the pool deck, you have to grab a Bushwhacker. And for watching a show or people watching on the Royal Promenade, it's tough to beat a margarita on the rocks or a simple scotch and soda! And for the next morning, several of the ship's venues serve fresh-squeezed orange juice. LOTS of fresh-squeezed orange juice.... thank goodness....
• Favorite port of call to visit
  Puerto Costa Maya on the Western Route for its INCREDIBLE food (don't miss the catch of the day or the fresh salsas and guacamole at Maya Bar) and the Mayan ruin tours. If you're heading to the Chacchoben ruins, ask for Luis, who's an amazing guide. On the Eastern Route, you absolutely can't beat St. Maarten. Whether you stay on the Dutch side in Philipsburg or head over to Marigot for a few hours, you'll have a blast!
• Favorite song on the radio/iPod today
  I hate to admit it, but Cee Lo Green's "F*** You" has been topping my playlist lately (along with the rest of the album).

Recently we had a chance to sit down with John Hinchey, the musical arranger for the brand new show "Summer Breeze", which is set to debut on Royal Caribbean's brand new Allure of the Seas ship.

This show, that is being performed each cruise in the Aqua Theater, is a brand new show never seen before on Royal Caribbean and we talked with Hinchey and took a look at this new show and how it came about.

Hi John! Tell us a little about your background in the music industry

Hereʼs my suggestion, when you look at the schedule of events for the day and see “Summer Breeze” put it on your schedule. About 20 minutes before show time go to your cabin, put on some loose fitting, comfortable clothes and shoes you can dance in or kick off easily. Then head up to the Aqua Theater, get one of those great fruity drinks they serve or your favorite beverage. Then find a nice comfy chair but donʼt plan to be in it too long because dancing and singing along to some songs you love is in your immediate future.

Today we have the exclusive opportunity to interview Maureen Brandt, who just won the Allure of the Seas Culinary Challenge, and is the new Chef de Cuisine for 150 Central Park onboard the soon to launch Allure of the Seas.  Maureen was generous enough to give us some of her time and offer us a look into how she managed to win this highly touted contest.

How did you find out about the Allure of the Seas Culinary Challenge and why did you feel compelled to enter it?

• Favorite food cuisine (Mexican, Italian, chinese, etc)
  I'm not sure I have one.  I call myself a human garbage can because I'll eat anything.  But I really do like bold flavors so I'm a fan of Mexican, Indian, and Thai.
• Favorite drink to have on a cruise (either one you've had or one you think would be great on a cruise)
  Corona's in the sunshine, wine pairings at dinner, and a specialty cocktail in a lounge.  I take the same unbiased approach to drinking as I do to eating.  I like it all! Dark beer, light beer, clear liquor, brown liquor, bubbles, white, and red wine.  No I am not an alcoholic!  I think the drink I most often order is a Manhattan on the rocks just like my dad! 
• Favorite port of call to visit 
  Monte Carlo.  I loved the luxury of it, seeing the palace and the casino, and driving the roads!  How fabulous! Plus it's just a hop skip and a jump to France and Italy.
• Favorite song on the radio/iPod today
  Somewhat embarrassing, but I'll give.  Right before I walked in to the kitchen before the finals I listened to Dynamite from Taio Cruz 3 times as loud as possible. There's a line in it where he sings that he'll be the last one standing, I just took that and ran with it!

You can visit Maureen's company, Cook in the Kitchen, as well as follow her on Facebook and Twitter. Congratulations Maureen!

Today we have the honor of talking to DJ Big Phyll, a Celebrity DJ for Royal Caribbean, who has recently been DJ'ing on Oasis of the Seas.  Big Phyll talks to us about his thoughts on where to have a great time on Oasis of the Seas, as well as sharing his favorite aspects of Royal Caribbean's newest ship.

Tell us about what your role is and has been on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship?

I am a Celebrity DJ for Royal Caribbean & Scratch Events.  I'm the headlining DJ for the featured parties aboard the cruises, as well as guest DJ appearances in the nightclubs.  I'll also play some sets on the Boardwalk, Promenade, & other areas.  I also teach DJ courses to teenagers on the cruises.

 

Of the places you DJ onboard the ship, what is the busiest/most popular time for dancers?

The most popular time is between midnight-3am.  There are so many activities, shows, great restaurants, & casinos on the ships, guests are well occupied until late night.  But they seem to enjoy finishing their nights at one of the featured parties, or the nightclub, having cocktails with other guests & dancing.  The nightclub stays open past 4am, and most nights it's crowded until the music ends. 

 

You DJ'ed on Oasis of the Seas recently. Talk to us about the dance and music venues you either worked at or saw.  Which ones stood out to you as great places to have some fun dancing or enjoying music?

The Oasis is an amazing ship, and it's wonderful that music is a major entertainment piece onboard.  There are great venues aboard for dancing, including Blaze Nightclub, The Royal Promenade during the 70's Party, Dazzles Nightclub during the 80's Flashback Party.  My favorite venue for parties is the Solarium.  Dancing under the Caribbean sky at night is an amazing feeling!  Two of the featured parties is on the Solarium deck, and there is always a great turnout.  The hot tubs & pools are open, so cruisers can choose to take a dip, dance, and relax.  

 

What story sticks out in your mind as the most memorable from being a DJ on a cruise?

There isn't any single event that sticks out in my mind because being on the Oasis for a month is a story in itself!  The most memorable aspects for me were the interactions with such a diverse group of people.  The staff was amazing!  They are genuinely nice people who will do whatever it takes to make their guests happy.  Interacting with the guests was wonderful.  I dined at the specialty restaurants nightly, usually alone, but I always seemed to have a dining companion.  Whether it was a sushi chef at Izumi, or a couple at the next table at Giovanni's, conversations were easy to strike up & enjoy.  When I would DJ for the guests, they danced & had fun, and were very appreciative of Royal Caribbean bringing me aboard to DJ for them.  They would thank me verbally, & with drinks sent to my booth!

 

Any suggestions for cruisers looking to have a great time onboard their ship if they enjoy music and dancing?

Be ready to have fun!  The dance parties are high-energy, and you'll find yourself dancing hours on end without realizing it...so wear comfortable shoes!

 

Let's get to know a little about you....

• Favorite restaurant on Oasis of the Seas: 3-way tie between Giovanni's Table, Chops Grille, & Izumi.  I also love Vintages, which I enjoyed tapas & wine flights daily.
• Preferred drinks on a cruise ship: Tiger's Blood - equal parts Courvoisier & port wine (introduced to me by a bartender at Blaze Nightclub); Italian wines;  Louis XIII de Remy Martin.  
• Favorite port of call to visit:  Nassau, Bahamas.
• Favorite track of the moment that you love to play when you're working:  "Shots" by LMFAO.

Be sure to check out DJ Big Phyll's podcast "Mixes for Music Lovers" and be sure to add him as a friend on Facebook.