Juneau seafood boil. (Photo by Regent Seven Seas Cruises)

Palate Pleasers: Culinary Cruising Takes Center Stage

Juneau seafood boil. (Photo by Regent Seven Seas Cruises)
 
 

Dining is always a highlight of a good cruise, and these two major cruise lines have taken culinary cruising to new heights with new programs—plus a few extras.

Culinary Cruising with Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Immersion is the name of the game with Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ new Epicurean Perfection program, created to celebrate the line’s Seven Seas Explorer, now debuting its Alaska season.

“We are incredibly excited to offer a new collection of immersive culinary experiences to enrich Seven Seas Explorer’s inaugural Alaska season,” said Andrea DeMarco, president of Regent Seven Seas Cruises, in a press statement. “Alaska’s untamed natural beauty and flourishing wildlife makes it the perfect destination for multi-generational travel which is why we are offering a Kids Sail for FREE promotion along with savings on select voyages.”

The new culinary cruising program includes three Epicurean Explorer Tours to Ketchikan, Sitka, and Juneau and three new Culinary Arts Kitchen classes that revolve around the recipes and ingredients found in the Pacific Northwest. Clients who like to get up close and personal with their food sources will have the opportunity to ride a catamaran through a fjord to a wild Alaska salmon hatchery one day and stop into an oyster and kelp farm—both sustainable. Classes will teach clients not only how to make dishes local to the Vancouver and Seattle area but also how to make sustainable seafood selections. Plus, the line has even created a class just for 6- to 16-year-olds to don aprons with their parents and grands serving as sous chefs.

Speaking of kids, Regent is currently running a special for families where kids (ages 2-17) sail free to the Last Frontier when you book them by May 31, 2023, and you can combine it with their Luxury in Alaska offer for an extra 10 percent off when booked by April 29, 2023.

Princess Cruises Brings the Vineyard to the Menu

The exclusive Caymus Vineyards Winemaker Dinner will soon be available across the fleet.

Culinary cruising on Princess Cruises just reached a new level with their fleet-wide addition of Caymus Vineyards—your clients might know them from their famous Cabernet Sauvignon. This libation, as well as others from their vineyards, are now available on the line’s Caymus Vineyards Winemaker Dinner, debuting on all Princess ships on North American itineraries by the end of this month—including Alaska—and on all ships worldwide by the end of May.

Your gourmand clients can now request the special dinner at the Crown Grill specialty restaurant at an extra charge—this is a five-course meal with dishes created to complement the wine. Chuck Wagner, owner and Caymus Wineyards winemaker, personally selected the wines working alongside the Princess culinary team. The dinner is intimate, with only 12 guests per seating, and will be offered only two to three times per cruise. Spots can be reserved by your clients once on board.

Caymus Vineyards is also working with Princess on additional culinary cruising palate pleasures, as it will be the curator of its new wine menu, and later this year, your cruise clients will have the chance to follow the path of the grape even more closely with exclusive shore excursions to Caymus Vineyards in Rutherford, Napa Valley, and Caymus-Suisun Winery in Suisun Valley, Calif., on several of the line’s California-based cruises.

Itinerary Adjustment to View Eclipse in 2024

In addition to the new dinner, Princess has also announced a special April 2024 sailing aboard Emerald Princess so your clients can view the total solar eclipse at sea during its Mexican Riviera cruise. The event occurs on April 8, 2024, and it’s one of the three remaining worldwide this decade. The itinerary was re-crafted after the line sold out the 10-Day Mexican Riviera cruise with Total Solar Eclipse on Discovery Princess.
Culinary cruise
Clients will be able to view the total solar eclipse from the deck of the Emerald Princess.
The vessel will sail on an adjusted 15-day ocean-to-ocean Panama Canal cruise departing Los Angeles on April 5, 2024, and sailing to Ft. Lauderdale into the Mexican Riviera. Guests aboard will be able to view the eclipse with special safety glasses between Cabo San Lucas and Huatulco, Mexico. Stops include San Juan del Sur, Costa Rica, Cartagena and Grand Cayman. A specialist onboard will help them enjoy the experience to its fullest.
For more information, visit princess.com.