Culinary Cruises Launched by Oceania & CookingVacations.com

The inaugural package, “Cooking along the Mediterranean: Athens to Rome,” is currently available to book at CookingVacations.com. Ten days in length, the cruise departs on November 14 and takes guests along the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean coast, providing entrée to private cooking lessons, both on-board the ship and at esteemed, private cooking schools in destinations at which the ship stops. For the first time, cruise-goers can not only explore a variety of destinations, but enjoy a deeper immersion into each destination's culture via gourmet cuisine and cooking lessons specially curated by CookingVacations.com.

“We are continually adding new packages to our portfolio that will enhance and broaden our customers' culinary experiences,” said David Loy, founder of Epitourean LLC, parent company of CookingVacations.com. “As such, we are thrilled to debut our signature series of epicurean cruises in partnership with Oceania Cruises aboard their beautiful new ship, Marina, which is perfectly-appointed for the sophisticated epicurean.”

The first cruise ship specially-built to facilitate world-class dining and cooking lessons, Marina features the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the world's only hands-on cooking school at sea. The center boasts 24 cooking stations where Master Chefs will impart cooking techniques and instruction in a professional kitchen atmosphere. Additionally, Marina features six, open-seating gourmet restaurants, all at no extra charge. Each restaurant features meals cooked to order, a la minute, from menus crafted under the direction of Executive Culinary Director Jacques Pépin. Additionally, the ship features two private dining venues, including La Reserve by Wine Spectator an intimate space built for hosting tastings and seven-course pairing dinners, complemented with premium wine selections from editors of the esteemed publication, Wine Spectator. The second venue, Privée, is a posh private dining room, ideal for intimate gatherings.

Priced from $3,998 per person, “Cooking along the Mediterranean: Athens to Rome,” includes economy airfare from 21 primary U.S. destinations and lodging in luxurious stateroom suites each featuring private verandas. At the crux of the package is a variety of unique, and often times private, culinary experiences. One such experience includes cooking lessons in the Bon Appétit Culinary Center. Each of these classes will incorporate fresh, local ingredients from the destination in which the ship docked each day. Guests are encouraged to accompany the chefs off-ship while they shop for ingredients in the local markets.

Also while on-board Marina guests will enjoy a seven-course food and wine pairing at La Reserve by Wine Spectator, in which they will sample a flight of distinctive wines, hand-selected from the cellar and reflecting the destination in which the ship docked that day.

Upon docking in Positano, Italy, guests will be treated to a private hands-on cooking class in St. Agata, a picturesque town perched on a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean located a short distance between Postiano and Sorrento. Here, one of the region's most acclaimed chefs will guide the class through the creation of a full-course Mediterranean meal. Following the meal, guests will meet the duo who penned Europe's Cookbook of the Year for 2011, Mama Agata and daughter, Chiara, and receive a signed copy of the cookbook, “Mama Agata: Simple and Genuine.”

In addition to stopping in Postiano, the cruise includes stops in Ephesus, Turkey; Nauplion and Katakolon, Greece; Taormina/Sicily and Florence/Pisa/Tuscany, Italy; Olbia/Porto Cervo, Sardinia; Monte Carlo, Monaco and Rome. After a full day exploring each destination's culinary delights, guests are welcome to indulge at the full-service Canyon Ranch Spa located aboard Marina.

CookingVacations.com will offer additional 10-day culinary cruise packages also aboard Marina throughout 2012, including “Tuscan Artistry,” featuring internationally-recognized French chef, Jacques Pépin departing on May 12; “Azure Coast,” that takes off from Rome and makes its way to Barcelona, departing on August 23; and “Pyramids and Palaces,” a cruise that takes guests from Athens to Istanbul, which departs on October 22. Details and booking information for “Cooking along the Mediterranean” and all 2012 cruise packages can be found at www.CookingVacations.com.