Oceania Cruises has added 12 new chef-led gourmet excursions for 2025, bringing the total to 46. The cruise line is the leading culinary cruise line and is adding the immersive Culinary Discovery Tours to itineraries in Europe, Asia and North America.
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.”
Tours are capped at 18 guests, are led by one of Oceania Cruises’ expert chef instructors, and provide access to local markets, restaurants and hands-on cooking classes. Whether foodies are foraging for herbs in Belfast or enjoying a plant-to-plate lunch in an Amsterdam greenhouse, each experience will showcase the local culture and community through the lens of food.
The tours were founded by Chef Kathryn Kelly, Oceania Cruises’ Director of Culinary Enrichment, and 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.”
Some Culinary Discovery Tour highlights include a chef-led culinary journey through Kobe, Japan. Guests will learn how traditional Japanese kitchen knives are crafted and used by master chefs before indulging in the 18th-floor Teppan Grill Keyaki that overlooks Osaka Castle. In Busan, Korea, guests will use a “seafood treasure map” to tour the Jagalchi Fish Market in search of unique local marine life, then stop at the Gukje Market for local gourmet ingredients before returning to the ship to enjoy an onboard cooking class to create an authentic Korean dish.
In Belfast, guests can join chef Paul Cunninghan from the BBC cooking series “Great British Menu” to enjoy a bowl of his seafood chowder while learning about locally sourced ingredients before snapping a photo at the ruins of Dundrum Castle. In Halifax, guests will meet a local foodie at the taproom where they will enjoy different hard or non-alcoholic ciders. This tasting will be followed by a short walk to a local restaurant in the Dartmouth neighborhood where guests will watch chefs preparing their food.
Invergordon will bring chef-led foraging for traditional ingredients in a classic Scottish chowder, Cullen Skink, before a hands-on cooking class onboard the ship to prepare the dish. Last, in Valletta, guests will be introduced to Maltese cuisine in a grotto that has been transformed into a restaurant. Guests will visit a family-owned bakery where they will take part in the baking and enjoy local cuisine and Maltese wines in the Grotto Tavern.
The Culinary Discovery Tours are available on the cruise line’s four larger ships–Marina, Riviera, Vista, and Allura which will debut in July 2025.