Charting the course for immersive gourmet
experiences ashore in the world's most captivating
destinations
MIAMI, Feb. 19,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Oceania
Cruises®, the world's leading culinary- and
destination-focused cruise line, has expanded its signature
range of immersive Culinary Discovery Tours™ with the addition of
12 new gourmet excursions for 2025.
The new chef-led tours are in diverse locations spanning the
globe from Europe and the UK with
new excursions in Amsterdam,
Belfast, Invergordon, Valencia, and Valletta; to Asia with three new options for Japan sailings in Kobe, Kochi, and Shimizu, plus Busan in South
Korea; and North America
where new tours are available in Halifax, Quebec
City, and Victoria.
The additions mean Oceania Cruises now offers a total of 46
Culinary Discovery Tours, available on its four larger ships,
Marina™, Riviera™, Vista™, and Allura™,
which debuts in July 2025.
The Culinary Discovery Tours are an integral part of the line's
renowned food-focused enrichment program, which includes The
Culinary Center, the first-ever hands-on cooking school at sea,
offering unparalleled experiences for gourmands wanting to learn
and to explore cultures through food.
Limited to 18 guests and led by Oceania Cruises' team of expert
Chef Instructors, each of the Culinary Discovery Tours goes beyond
traditional sightseeing, providing access to local markets,
acclaimed restaurants, and hands-on cooking classes, both on board
and ashore.
From foraging for wild sea herbs on Belfast's rugged coast to indulging in a
plant-to-plate luncheon inside an Amsterdam greenhouse where ingredients are
harvested moments before they reach a guest's fork, these tours
give travelers an intimate look at local life through the lens of
food and its impact on the culture and community.
In Japan, witness the precision
of traditional knife-making in Kobe before a teppanyaki feast of wagyu beef,
or master the art of searing bonito over an open flame in Kochi.
Uncover the secrets of authentic paella on a boat ride through
Valencia's rice fields, or explore
South Korea's famed seafood
markets.
Jason Montague, Chief Luxury
Officer, Oceania Cruises said: "Our guests seek more than just
incredible cuisine – they crave authentic connections with food,
culture, and people. The Culinary Discovery Tours are true
behind-the-scenes experiences, guided by top chefs who bring each
destination to life and are eager to share epicurean secrets, one
bite at a time. These unique excursions allow travelers to savor
the essence of destinations in a way that only Oceania Cruises can
deliver."
Chef Kathryn Kelly, Oceania
Cruises' Director of Culinary Enrichment, is the founder and
driving force behind The Culinary Center and the chief architect of
the robust range of Culinary Discovery Tours.
She commented: "Food has the power to connect people to places
in meaningful ways and our fabulous Culinary Discovery Tours
provide an insider's look at local markets, artisans, and
traditions, allowing guests to take a piece of the destination home
with them – not just in their memories, but in the skills and
recipes they acquire along the way."
New Culinary Discovery Tour Highlights:
KOBE: NEW CHEF-LED CULINARY
JOURNEY THROUGH KOBE (6
hours):
Discover how traditional Japanese kitchen knives are
masterfully crafted and watch chefs use these precision tools to
expertly prepare dinner. Artisans forge the knives in different
shapes and sizes depending on their specialized uses. For instance,
a santoku blade is considered an ideal general-purpose knife while
the sujihiki may be the best for slicing meats such as beef.
Following this immersion into knife-making, dine at Teppan Grill
Keyaki, an 18th-floor restaurant that overlooks medieval Osaka
Castle.
BUSAN: CHEF-LED BUSAN MARKETS TOUR (4 hours):
To prepare traditional Korean dishes during the onboard cooking
class, the Chef Instructor will lead guests through two local
markets to forage for ingredients. First stop is the legendary
Jagalchi Fish Market. Widely heralded as "the ultimate place to see
seafood," this sprawling waterfront market is the largest of its
kind in Korea. As travelers browse the seemingly endless stalls,
they can expect to find every imaginable marine creature, including
live eels, sea squirts, and skates, which are similar to stingrays.
Using a "seafood treasure map," guests will identify and check off
these unique local specimens. After touring the seafood market,
stop in at the Gukje Market, known for its international selection
of gourmet ingredients before returning to the ship to create
authentic Korean dishes.
BELFAST: CHEF-LED TOUR OF
COASTAL FLAVORS OF COUNTY DOWN (4
1⁄2 hours):
Join local chef Paul Cunningham – a competitor on the BBC
cooking series "Great British Menu" – along the shore to learn
about locally sourced ingredients while sampling mussels and
oysters and dining on a bowl of his seafood chowder at a nearby
restaurant. A pint of Guinness or another stout will be perfectly
paired to complement the meal. Afterwards, pause for photos at the
atmospheric ruins of Dundrum Castle, a landmark since
the 13th century.
HALIFAX: CHEF-LED TOUR CIDER
& CHOWDER: AUTHENTIC NOVA
SCOTIA (3 hours):
Learn about the "chowder trail" and artesian cider trends that
define the modern culinary scene in Nova
Scotia. Guests will leave the ship and meet a local foodie
guide for the first stop at the taproom of an artisanal cider maker
where they will be served a flight of four vastly different hard
ciders. These may be seasonal pours, year-round favorites, or mixed
into cocktails such as the Apple Spice, a concoction of spiced
cider, ginger kombucha, and cinnamon liqueur. Other possibilities
include a non-alcoholic cranberry cider and a watermelon cider
mimosa. A short walk will bring guests to a famed local restaurant,
a "fixture" in the trendy Dartmouth neighborhood, where they can watch
the chefs preparing various dishes from their reserved seating
area.
INVERGORDON: CHEF-LED
FORAGING & ONBOARD SCOTTISH COOKING CLASS (4 hours):
Shop in Invergordon
for ingredients traditionally found in a classic Scottish
chowder and learn to prepare it in a hands-on cooking class
onboard. The soup Cullen Skink is named for the nearby village of
Cullen and skink, a term for the beef from the front legs of a cow.
While shopping for haddock and other items at George Cockburn & Son, guests
will sample the butcher's award-winning haggis, another classic
Scottish dish. Select the vegetables for the soup at Black Isle, an
organic brewery that also grows organic produce, before meeting
back onboard and learning to prepare the soup.
VALLETTA: CHEF-LED TOUR
ARTISANAL MALTA TREASURES (3
hours):
This carefully curated, small-group experience introduces guests to
Maltese cuisine while sampling artisanal foods in a stunning grotto
that was transformed into a restaurant decades ago. A short but
scenic drive inland brings travelers to Rabat, where they will first visit a bakery
that has been in the same family for generations. While showing how
traditional Maltese breads are made, the baker will invite guests
to help prepare a loaf and sample another bread straight from the
oven. Indulge in more local specialties in the Grotto Tavern, which
occupies a cave once used as a bomb shelter in World War II. In
this unusual setting, guests will watch the chef prepare pastizzi –
a flaky pastry stuffed with ricotta cheese or curried peas – and
then enjoy samples. As an accompaniment, local cheeses such as
gbejna and a special tomato paste to slather on bread will be
offered. Maltese wines that may include a ruby-red melqart will
also be served.
For additional information on Oceania Cruises' small-ship
luxury, exquisitely crafted cuisine, and expertly refined travel
experiences, visit OceaniaCruises.com, call 855-OCEANIA, or speak
with a professional travel advisor.
Biography
Chef Kathryn Kelly, Director
of Culinary Enrichment
Chef Kathryn
Kelly is the founder and driving force behind The Culinary
Center, overseeing Oceania Cruises' faculty of dedicated Chef
Instructors. She is the chief architect of more than 100 unique
culinary classes as well as Oceania Cruises' signature range of
Culinary Discovery Tours™, immersive chef-led excursions offered in
more than 40 destinations worldwide.
Chef Kelly was one of the first members to be inducted into
Oceania Cruises' Culinary Advisory Board in 2024 thanks to her
inherent passion for food, for learning, and for sharing her
incredible knowledge and skills in inclusive, lively, and
informative ways.
She serves alongside the Board's co-chairs – Master Chef
Jacques Pépin, chef and television
personality Giada De Laurentiis, and
the line's two Master Chefs of France and Executive Culinary Directors,
Alex Quaretti and Eric Barale.
Chef Kelly completed her doctoral studies in Epidemiology at the
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
and holds two master's degrees in Community Medicine and
Biostatistics. After a fulfilling career in health care, she
pursued her lifelong dream of becoming a chef, graduating with
honors from The Culinary Institute of
America in the fifth decade of her life. Chef Kelly resides
on Amelia Island, Florida, and in Austin, Texas. She is an avid golfer and the
proud grandmother of her three "little sous chefs," Kate, Luke, and
Jack.
About Oceania Cruises
Oceania Cruises® is
the world's leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line.
The line's eight small, luxurious ships carry a maximum of 1,250
guests and feature The Finest Cuisine at Sea® and
destination-rich itineraries that span the globe. Expertly curated
travel experiences are available aboard the designer-inspired,
small ships, which call on more than 600 marquee and boutique ports
in more than 100 countries on seven continents, on voyages that
range from seven to more than 200 days. Oceania Cruises®
has two additional ships on order scheduled for delivery in 2027
and 2028 or 20291. Oceania Cruises® is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
(NYSE: NCLH). To learn more, visit www.nclhltd.com.
1 Delivery for the second Oceania Cruises ship
is contractually scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2028, but may
be delayed to 2029.
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SOURCE Oceania Cruises
