Emma's team builds menus around the region. As she puts it, "you don't really want to be eating some hot seafood chowder in the Caribbean, right?" But on a scenic Glacier Bay sail, "nothing is better than some warm chowder featuring Alaskan halibut maybe or crab."

The details count too. Linens, glassware, cutlery and china are all considered, down to a small change in water glass color. Crew touches like a bow tie or a Panama hat in the Panama Canal help team members tell the story.

Storytelling is part of the meal. Team members are given the "what we're serving and why" so they can share it with guests.

Regional feature dishes show up in every outlet, from the main dining room to Pinnacle Grill, the specialty steakhouse, with different dishes for the Caribbean, Alaska and the Mediterranean.

Alaska cocktails lean spirit-forward and warm-spiced, and a few feature glacial ice. In the Caribbean, beverage ambassadors are building their rum knowledge and the history behind classic Caribbean and Bahamian cocktails.

Holland America Line's global fresh fish program means a regional fish dish prepared the way the destination would do it. Emma's advice: try one on every sailing.

Sourcing local is a priority, but ships are a moving target. Regional beers, spirits, mixers and even tea are used where the supply can be consistent.

More non-alcoholic and functional beverages, more wellness, and a clear shift toward quality over quantity: one really beautiful cocktail or an amazing dinner instead of more of everything.

More younger travelers, plus growing multi-generational families, which means kids' menus get regular attention, along with casual spots like Dive-In (smash burgers and a house sauce) and New York Deli and Pizza.

Guests who research their destinations and want to try more. Emma calls that curiosity "really, really exciting" for someone in food and beverage.

Nostalgia with a modern twist. "Our guests live and die for baked Alaska," and the team looks for new ways to keep classics fresh. The Magnolia Bakery banana pudding partnership arrives in the upcoming Caribbean season.

Half Moon Cay is Holland America Line's private Bahamian island. No one lives there, so everything guests see is run by the team members, from crew who sailed in with you to those ferried in for the day.

The new beach club will offer "more of an all-inclusive experience for the entire day" with food, drinks and dedicated beachfront in one spot, alongside the island's pickleball courts, shore excursions (you can even ride horses in the water), multiple bars and food venues, and beach buggies that bring you drinks.

Emma's picks: the Bahamian grouper with Caribbean rice and beans, the Wagyu beef burger, or a lobster roll, with a piña colada or a Miami Vice, which is a piña colada and a strawberry daiquiri combined into pink and white.

Her motto: "if you're on vacation you need at least one frozen drink a day."

Breakfast: Alaskan blueberry pancakes (with a Bloody Mary), or an eggs Benedict with Alaskan crab. Coffee and Dutch snacks, including frites with mayo, at the Grand Dutch Cafe.

Lunch: a Dive-In burger with fries and the Dive-In sauce by the pool.

Dinner: Canaletto, Holland America Line's Italian outlet, for spaghetti with clams and shrimp.

Dream itinerary: Japan, for the sushi and special regional dishes.

On a mid-sized fleet, the team weighs whether it makes sense to buy something only one or two guests will enjoy. That is why destination dining matters: Marmite makes more sense on an Australia and New Zealand sailing than on a Canada and New England run, and classics like Caesar salad are always there as a fallback.

Sustainability, local sourcing and rising costs all have to be balanced, always with the goal of staying "guest obsessed."

Emma's advice: "be ready to be part of a crazy family." Ships run around the clock, across every time zone, so teams lean on each other.

Her own path: she grew up working in hotels and on golf courses, studied hospitality and accounting, tried an accounting job, and then took a chance on a position in Seattle from the East Coast. That was almost ten years ago.

Emma is also presenting at this year's IFWTWA conference.