Jacques Pepin Cruise in November on Marina

[tj1616]

I see that Jacques is "hosting" the Medieval Artistry cruise and when I called Oceania for a schedule of his demos, lectures, etc. they don't have one and won't until October. I also see that the ship is in port almost 10 hours everyday, which makes me wonder when and how much "Jacques time" there really will be. Has anyone taken one of their "hosted" cruises? How much host time was there? Did you have to miss much port time? Seems rather conflicting to me.

[ClafoutisFoodie]

I see that Jacques is "hosting" the Medieval Artistry cruise and when I called Oceania for a schedule of his demos, lectures, etc. they don't have one and won't until October. I also see that the ship is in port almost 10 hours everyday, which makes me wonder when and how much "Jacques time" there really will be. Has anyone taken one of their "hosted" cruises? How much host time was there? Did you have to miss much port time? Seems rather conflicting to me.

I am wondering the same thing, as we are booked on a cruise from London to Copenhagen where Jacques Pépin will be on board. I have inquired both with our TA and directly with Oceania and received pretty vague information. Much to my surprise, the Oceania person I spoke with knew very little about the JP hosted cruises and could not answer my questions. Our TA was a bit more in the know, but the most she could offer was that the schedule of Jacques Pépin events would be posted on the first day of the cruise, and that he would probably do a book signing. She could not give me information on lectures, special dinners or menus or even demos. She directed me to the Culinary Center section of the OC website where the only JP themed class, not even taught by him but rather focusing on his classic dishes, is simply sold out or closed. I find that aspect a little surprising and, not gonna lie, somewhat disappointing. What and see, I guess!

[babysteps]

We were on a Jacques Pepin cruise in 2012 that had iirc 1 or 2 sea days. Jacques gave a couple of lectures, held a book signing, and was very gracious and available during the cruise to chat with folks around the ship. There may have been additional "special" events but don't recall exactly. He did pop in on at least one of the culinary classes :)

[ClafoutisFoodie]

We were on a Jacques Pepin cruise in 2012 that had iirc 1 or 2 sea days. Jacques gave a couple of lectures, held a book signing, and was very gracious and available during the cruise to chat with folks around the ship. There may have been additional "special" events but don't recall exactly. He did pop in on at least one of the culinary classes :)

 

Thanks! I'll be sure to report when we get back!

[ronrick1943]

Most likely it's part of his contract, so I wouldn't expect to much of his time.

[tj1616]

Thanks, everyone. I decided not to take the cruise. Oceania staff members were so vague and uninformed, I felt there was a good chance I would end up disappointed or frustrated. If the ports had been more interesting to me, I might have gone anyway, but they were not on my "bucket list" so decided to travel elsewhere instead.

[ClafoutisFoodie]

<p>That's understandable. In our case, while the fact that the cruise was hosted by Mr. Pépin was definitely the first factor that drew us to that voyage, the ports of call are definitely bucket list destinations for us, and the reputation of Oceania's cuisine sealed the deal. We are celebrating an important anniversary this year and wanted to take a special trip different from our usual travels. Meeting Mr. Pépin would be a bonus the main goal for us to spend quality time together and discover new places.</p>