How hard is cider in Halifax? How do you forge a Japanese knife worthy of Kobe beef?
They’re among the insights you can gain in an expanded range of Culinary Discovery Tours from Oceania Cruises. The globe-spanning experiences are among 46 available on 2025 cruises of Oceania’s four larger ships, Marina, Riviera, Vista, and Allura, which debuts in July 2025.
The new chef-led tours span the globe from Europe, with new excursions in Amsterdam, Belfast, Invergordon, Valencia, and Valletta; to Asia with three new options for Japan plus Busan in South Korea; and North America where new tours are available in Halifax, Quebec City, and Victoria.
The Culinary Discovery Tours are an integral part of the line’s food-focused enrichment program, which includes The Culinary Center, the first-ever hands-on cooking school at sea. Limited to 18 guests and led by Oceania Cruises’ team of expert Chef Instructors, each tour is designed to go beyond traditional sightseeing, providing access to local markets, acclaimed restaurants, and hands-on cooking classes, both on board and ashore.
“Food has the power to connect people to places in meaningful ways,” says Chef Kathryn Kelly, Oceania Cruises’ director of culinary enrichment and founder of The Culinary Center. “Our 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.” Highlights include:
HALIFAX: Cider and chowder:
Learn about the “chowder trail” and artisanal cider trends that define the modern culinary scene in Nova Scotia. Guests will meet a local foodie guide for the first stop at the taproom of a 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 Dartmouth restaurant, where they can watch the chefs preparing various dishes in a reserved seating area.
INVERGORDON: Foraging and Scottish cooking class:
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.
KOBE: Unique slices of culture:
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.
“Our guests seek more than just incredible cuisine – they crave authentic connections with food, culture, and people….These unique excursions allow travelers to savor the essence of destinations in a way that only Oceania Cruises can deliver,” says Jason Montague, chief luxury officer of Oceania’s expanding program.
Story by Wallace Immen, The Cruisington Times
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