seven seas explorer Gourmet Explorer Tours

This excursion offers a memorable day on the Cote d’Azur complete with an exquisite lunch at the restaurant, Chateau Eza. Guests will be hosted by the Chef Instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen, as they wander through the open-air seaside market in Nice, known for elegant flowers, photo-perfect fruit and vegetable stalls, and quaint cafes.

Accompanied by the Chef Instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen, participants of this tour visit the Mercado de la Ribera in central Bilbao, followed by tapas and pintxos snacks in Plaza Nova. Guests will also enjoy a short photo stop at the exterior of the famed Guggenheim museum, and then back to the ship for a 90-minute Tapas and Pintxos cooking class for lunch.

*Class fee included in price of Gourmet Explorer Tour

Participants of this tour experience Málaga like a true gourmand with a visit to the Atarazanas Central Market, an architectural gem housing a vivid collection of fresh fish, Spanish hams and cheeses and produce. Accompanied by the Culinary Arts Kitchen Chef Instructor, guests will shop for ingredients for their onboard tapas cooking class. 
*Class fee included in price of Gourmet Explorer Tour

Renowned Michelin-starred Master Chef Rene Berard hosts guests at his private property where they enjoy a tour and Provencal cooking demonstration. An elegant lunch at Le Bistrot de Jef is included and it features the very best of seasonal Provencal wines. Under the glass rooftop, guests enjoy the view of beautiful Provence and savor Mediterranean inspired dishes prepared especially for our group.

Guests will shop for the ingredients for their paella cooking class at the Central Market, a fabulously restored and vast modernistic building. After shopping in the market, participants will journey to Malvarrosa Beach for a causal seaside luncheon at one of Valencia's most popular paella restaurants, La Pepica. Then, they return on board for a private cooking demonstration with the ingredients purchased.

*Class fee included in price of Gourmet Explorer Tour.

Accompanied by the Chef from The Culinary Arts Kitchen, participants journey to a quaint fishing village for a culinary workshop on fish and fish cookery from a local fish expert. Then they travel to Upper Old Town Tallinn for a short guided tour that includes a photo-stop, which offers up a panoramic view of this enchanting old city.

A tender ride brings guests to the picturesque city walls of St. Malo, where they will enjoy a special meal at the restaurant of Castelbrac, prepared by Chef Julien Hennote. Chef Hennote is the recipient of the prized Escoffier trophy and specializes in using local products to produce his gourmet dishes. At the conclusion of lunch, guests will take a guided walking tour of the old city.

Along with the Chef from The Culinary Arts Kitchen and a local Latvian Chef, participants of this tour enjoy a tour through the Central Market of Riga – deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site and considered Europe’s largest market and bazaar – where they’ll shop for produce and ingredients that will be used later for a Latvian cooking class and lunch once back on board the ship.

*Class fee included in price of Gourmet Explorer Tour.

This tour takes guests to Helsinki's oldest food market where they will shop for produce, fish and Nordic ingredients under the guidance of the Chef from The Culinary Arts Kitchen. These ingredients will later be used for a hands-on cooking class. Along the way, participants enjoy tasting some local specialties at the market and taking in the sights on a brief panoramic tour through the city and along the seaside.

Accompanied by the Chef Instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen, guests visit the renowned fish and produce market in Catania, learn how to make delicious cannoli from a Sicilian pastry master and cap off the day with lunch and a cooking demonstration at a famed Taormina restaurant with slow food Chef Turi. Wines from Etna’s award-winning Benanti winery will be paired during lunch by the winemaker himself for an authentically Sicilian wine-and-food experience.

Accompanied by the Chef Instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen, guests enjoy a short boat ride along the coastline to Rapallo. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Guido, a local culinary expert for tastings of the famous Ligurian olive oil and a guided stroll through the local farmers market. Later, they travel to Recco for an unforgettable pasta making class with a true master followed by a lunch of local specialties and wines.

Accompanied by the Chef Instructor from the Culinary Arts Kitchen, guests will stroll through a traditional open-air fish and produce market in the Old Quarter. A spectacularly authentic market, the bounty of southern Spain’s land and sea are meticulously displayed by the local vendors here. The tour includes a tapas lunch at historic El Chato along the seaside.

Guests join their Culinary Arts Kitchen Chef Instructor for an insider’s tour of Barcelona’s trendy food and wine scene. They visit the Boqueria and Santa Caterina markets to get acquainted with the ingredients used by both Catalonian chefs in Barcelona’s haute restaurants as well as local chefs. Then, experience an extra virgin olive oil tasting before enjoying lunch at 2-star Michelin restaurant ABaC and an insider’s peek at the kitchens of famed Chef Jordi Cruz.

Guests embarking on this tour receive a shopping assignment from their Chef Instructor to gather produce, cheeses and specialties at the local market. They also get to enjoy a light lunch at a famed local taverna, before returning on board for a cooking class on Corfu cuisine using the bounty of their foraging efforts.

*Class fee included in price of Gourmet Explorer Tour

Whether this is your first trip to Tuscany or your tenth, enjoy a day in the countryside and a truly authentic food and wine experience. Visit the Mercato Centrale with your Chef and local guide. Travel to Villa Dianella for a cooking demonstration and sumptuous luncheon with wines from the villa. Learn about the olive oil and winemaking traditions here dating back to when the Medici family used the villa as their country home in hunting season.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Tours are based on availability and subject to change at any time without notice.

Fascinating for the true culinary explorer, this tour invites you to search for exotic fruits and vegetables of the Yucatan, such as chayote squash, pitahaya cactus and saramuyo at the local market and taste flavorful regional specialties, all accompanied by a local Master Chef. Your immersion into Yucatecan cuisine and Mayan chocolate continues on board with a hands-on cooking class that consists of revered recipes that have survived thousands of years.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Tours are based on availability and subject to change at any time without notice.

An authentic and eco-friendly culinary experience, this tour immerses you in Roatán’s unique gastronomic scene, marked by a fusion of rich influences from Africa, Spain and Central America. Visit the Blue Harbor Tropical Arboretum for insider access to the indigenous gardens and hydroponic greenhouse and enjoy a cooking class led by a local Chef. Master authentic recipes, such as the famed Roatán pink shrimp and savor an island-fresh lunch with a special dessert cocktail.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Tours are based on availability and subject to change at any time without notice.

Discover the subtleties of authentic St. Lucian cuisine during a hands-on cooking class using fresh and seasonal ingredients. St. Lucia is one of the most revered spice islands of the Caribbean and on this exclusive cooking class and market visit you will taste why. Visit the bustling open-air Castries Market, where farmers have been bringing locally grown fruits, vegetables and spices for nearly 100 years. Then enjoy various dishes while dining al fresco and enjoying views of the sea.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Tours are based on availability and subject to change at any time without notice.

For the tropical plant lover, this journey to a lush Belizean paradise will delight your senses as you get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the meticulously maintained Belize Spice Farm and Botanical Garden. You’ll have the chance to explore the farm and garden, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains and home to one of the largest black pepper and vanilla farms in the country. Enjoy a hands-on cooking class on board at the Culinary Arts Kitchen using local spices and ingredients harvested from the garden.

PLEASE NOTE: Tours may be cancelled if minimum participation levels are not met. Tours are based on availability and subject to change at any time without notice.