Today’s megaships set sail for the good life. But only 3% of the U.S. public cruises in a given year. To reach elusive non-cruisers, Celebrity Cruises needed to change perceptions that cruise ships were overrun by octogenarians, and cruise food consisted of subpar buffets prepared by cooks whose fast-food careers had dried up.

To lure landlubbers out to sea, we had to float an idea that would appeal to their passions with enough pizazz to open a foodie’s mouth – and mind – to cruising.

The solution: let them eat ship’s food.

Our campaign created full-scale, first-class cruise ship restaurants in the heart of Manhattan and San Francisco. We nailed every detail, serving food influencers, media elites and cruise skeptics exquisite 3-course meals prepared by Celebrity’s chefs. We had 48 hours to build restaurants in each of these U.S. food capitals, then for several days, we cooked and served meals that won critical praise – and applause by diners seated in open kitchens where chefs cooked “dinner-in-the-round.” Diners left espousing fresh-caught ideas about cruise life with Celebrity.

These pop-up restaurants – ship-to-shore venues never before attempted – put Celebrity’s brand strength on display, a bold move in cities where 5-star restaurants grow on trees. But we won the adulation of potential advocates for Celebrity vacations.

We sailed out generating 14m impressions, coverage in all the right media, including The New York Times (twice!), and changed minds – perception of cruise food shifted 109% according to exit survey data. Their verdict? Celebrity Cruises was a foodie mecca on water, with 93.65% rating the food as “good” or “great.”

Setting the table for dinner and a show.

TastingTable.com took reservations for our 5-star-worthy extravaganza. And, we sweetened the deal with a vacation giveaway and donation to Celebrity’s Culinary Institute of America scholarship.

We crafted mouth-watering ads and invited each city’s media and culinary elite. In just 48 hours, we created an authentic restaurant that emanated “cool,” even shipping eight pallets of Celebrity’s signature tabletop silver, china and glass. The venues: The Stable Café (San Francisco) and The Kitchen NYC.

Pre-event coverage launched buzz. New York Times food columnist Florence Fabricant put diners on notice of our impending arrival and emblematic 3-course meals. We sold out bookings for four days of lunch and dinner.

To create more excitement, we timed the New York event with the airing of the Celebrity Cruises-sponsored “Top Chef” episode, hosting an exclusive pre-screening attended by “chef-testants,” Bravo executives and entertainment media. To whet throats, master mixologist Junior Merino concocted the artful libations served at sea.

We achieved “five-star” results, securing coverage in all the right big-name food and travel media, including The New York Times (twice!), generating 14 million targeted impressions. We generated 3,100 leads through sweepstakes and reservation systems and reached 190,000 Tasting Table subscribers with targeted emails and newsletters, resulting in 1.93 million impressions and 6,000 clicks delivered. Positive perceptions of cruise food shifted 109%, according to exit survey data. Consideration for booking a cruise vacation rose 95%, as 75% of diners said they were “likely” or “very likely” to book a Celebrity Cruises vacation. The verdict? Celebrity Cruises was a foodie mecca on water.