Oceania Cruises is sponsoring this look at their culinary discovery tours, onboard services and shipboard cuisine. Warning: this article will inspire your next cruise—and might make you hungry.
Here at My Itchy Travel Feet, I’m usually highlighting the active fun that Alan and I experience on small ship cruises. But whom am I kidding? We’re really onboard to enjoy the food. After learning about Oceania Cruises’ fine cuisine and culinary tours, I’m thinking our next cruise will have a renewed focus on food.
Explore ports on a Culinary Discovery Tour
On a Culinary Discovery Tour offered by Oceania Cruises you can do it all—experience an active excursion with a Master Chef visiting local markets—followed by learning to cook regional dishes back onboard at The Culinary Center. Oh, did I mention tasting the results?
What could be better than strolling the markets of Barcelona as the Oceania master chef introduces you to the vegetables, seafood and meats that inspire Catalan specialties? Later attend a local cooking class for a paella demonstration. Wait, put down that fork! We’re not done yet.
What do you do with the Catalan cooking knowledge you just gained? Hone your skills in a hands-on cooking class at The Culinary Center (available onboard Marina and Riviera). Oceania’s is the first cooking school at sea where guests participate in hands-on classes. The professional teaching kitchen includes fully equipped individual cooking stations accompanied by chef supervision, allowing you to learn by doing.
Enjoy the finest cuisine at sea
When a company claims to have the finest cuisine at sea, they better come through. Oceania does just that with a variety of specialty restaurants and dining styles. Lovers of classic French cooking will appreciate Jaques ++ on the Marina and Riviera or at Jacques Bistro on Sirena. Gourmands will thrill their taste buds at vintage wine dinners in La Reserve (Marina and Riviera) or at Toscana, Italian-style gourmet dining offered on all Oceania ships.
Are you a cruiser who prefers more casual fare? You’ll find it at breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Terrace Café. And sometimes all you crave is a gourmet hamburger and hand-dipped shake like the ones available poolside at Waves Grill.
No matter where you dine, dishes are prepared when you order them, not cooked en masse earlier in the day. Of course fine cuisine is most enjoyable when the choice is yours. Oceania ships offer open seating, with a choice of multiple venues, for no additional charge. Or there’s always the free 24-hour room service.
Include wellness in your voyage
With Oceania’s emphasis on fine cuisine, you might expect to roll off the ship at the end of the cruise. But, if you’ve been participating in the Wellness Tours inspired by Canyon Ranch, that definitely won’t be the case. Practicing yoga at Monte Carlo Bay or rejuvenating at the Pope’s Thermal Baths in Civitavecchia, Italy, are examples of wellness tours.
Onboard, choose healthy options available from the menus. Or book a spa treatment or state-of-the-art fitness session. Top off your wellness efforts by attending seminars and presentations. But remember to put that health knowledge—and new-found cooking skills—to work when you arrive home.
Experience the benefits of small ship cruising on Oceania
With ship capacity ranging from 684 to 1250 guests, Oceania Cruises definitely falls in the small ship category, my favorite way to cruise. You’ll be going where the large ships can’t go, which means exploring the charming seaside villages and boutique ports that only small ships can visit. And the smaller passenger size allows for the flexibility of more extended and evening ports of call.
On Oceania Cruises, you won’t stand wait in lines, you’ll enjoy dinner where and with whom you choose and the vacation is at your pace. And you’ll definitely enjoy the intimate service of a staff and crew that remember your individual preferences. That’s what small ship cruising is all about. You’ll find it on Oceania Cruises.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored article for Oceania Cruises. I have been compensated through the SheSavvy Influence Network. All opinions remain my own.
