Chef’s market excursion…Experience and availability?

[chemmo]

When we next cruise I really fancy experiencing this. A small group excursion that involves a walk around a local market at one of your ports of call with one of the executive chefs. The chef will purchase of some produce and then in the evening it will be part of a special meal for the tour group.

 

My only knowledge/experience of this tour was some friends of mine thoroughly enjoyed it Pre covid….

 

So…

 

Is it on your excursion list or advertised once on board?

Have you done this? What was your experience?

I would be grateful for any feedback.

[sassycruiser]

We also did it pre-Covid and it was excellent.  We would definitely do it again.  

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We did it in st Martin years ago and really enjoyed it. Booked it 3 more times and everyone was canceled for one reason or another. I don't know if it has resumed.

 

[goofysmom99]

I just checked and it's still being offered in Malaga and Cartagena on the November Connie TA.  I did it in Malaga several years ago and it was excellent.  I love European markets but it involves a lot of walking and standing which I'm not up to it now (bum knee).  Definitely recommend the excursion.

[jelayne]

We are booked for it in Phuket, 2nd to last day of cruise.

I will be really p_____ed if it is cancelled on short notice.  We would be left with no plan and a ton of non-refundable OBC to use and not much time.

[chemmo]

Thanks to you all. I wonder if they cancel it if they don’t get enough interest? I seem to remember it was quite pricey…Can anyone let me know what the present cost is?

 

8 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We did it in st Martin years ago and really enjoyed it. Booked it 3 more times and everyone was canceled for one reason or another. I don't know if it has resumed.

 

This is my concern…I remember reading of others this has happened to. Re your experience. How long was the tour? How big was the group? In what venue did you have the meal? Did it include the produce the Chef bought? Was your meal as you returned to the ship or during the evening? Sorry to ask so many questions!!!
 

I am thinking now that prior to my cruise I may mention it on the roll call and see if anyone else is interested…

 

8 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

I just checked and it's still being offered in Malaga and Cartagena on the November Connie TA.  I did it in Malaga several years ago and it was excellent.  I love European markets but it involves a lot of walking and standing which I'm not up to it now (bum knee).  Definitely recommend the excursion.

Just how much walking and standing is involved. With two knee replacements I am wondering now if it would be too much for me…Ditto all the questions I have listed above!

 

8 hours ago, jelayne said:

We are booked for it in Phuket, 2nd to last day of cruise.

I will be really p_____ed if it is cancelled on short notice.  We would be left with no plan and a ton of non-refundable OBC to use and not much time.

Definitely have a ‘plan B’ we have spent 2 x one week stays on Phuket and there are some lovely places to visit and some really nice boat trips but not the place to just head into town or to one of the very commercialised beach areas last minute. If I were  you I would check a few days into your cruise at excursions about the likelihood of your trip happening…I will certainly be doing that. We also have an embarrassment of OBC!

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by chemmo

[bikerunner]

I have multiple available for my TA next year on beyond.   They run anywhere from 199-269 depending on location for the Chefs Mkt.   i have a feeling it’s more due to lack of sign ups why they get cxled.  They are very pricey.  Probably need a min of 8 or more for them to run this type of tour.  How many people on vacation really do any to spend that type of money going to a farmers market and have prepared the food while on vacation.  Not to many I think 

[downsmead]

They had one on our Infinity sailing in April, though cannot remember which Spanish port it was, possibly Valencia.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Ours were all in the Caribbean, Jamaica, St Lucia and one other. Reasons for cancelling were vendor issues or lack of sign ups. 

There was a lot of walking and standing in st Martin. Lunch was at a small sea side restaurant. We stopped at a fish market and had time on our own at the market in the middle of town. About 24 guests but we traveled in 2 small coaches so it didn't seem like too many people. Lasted about 4 to 5 hours plus Dinner in Tuscan. Don't remember the price.

We were told US regulations didn't permit the ship to serve the actual food picked out but they bought similar items from approved source.

 

[Bead Pirate]

Did this in Barcelona and it was expensive (and the best money we ever spent on an excursion). They limit it to 8 because there are also 4 chefs with you (one carries a bag of money, one who does nothing but fish mongering, one who does nothing but meat purchases and of course your head chef). The market (all though huge) has many booths close to each other and isles are small. I would think it would be hard to keep a larger party on track as this is a business trip for the chefs.

 

They are actually buying food and provisions for the ship, so every booth has a sample plate available for the chefs (and you) to taste. Chef spent about $90K on the excursion and we were treated like royalty.

 

When we got back to the ship and the parcels were delivered, the same four chefs prepared a lunch right in front of the eight of us with wine pairings (very intimate).

 

The market in Barcelona is unbelievable in its size (I think it was St. Marks) and the offerings of meats and seafood is unequaled. We tasted some of the best Ibérica ham ever, and the oysters are quite different (in a yummy way) from the states. Also found a tasty little shellfish that is similar to a snail. It clings to the rocks on the cliffs where the waves splash up. To harvest they drop down a rope and pick them up between waves crashing in. Expensive little things, but the most delicious bite I have ever had!!!

 

Spend the money if you have a chance to go...

 

We are going to repeat the day in October (with Royal this time)...

[jelayne]

@Bead Pirate that sounds amazing!

 

Our tour for Phuket includes lunch at a restaurant as a part of the tour and a couple of sightseeing stops 🥱.  It finishes with a “market inspired meal with the Chef”.

So not counting on any food purchases at the market showing up at dinner.

 

Our tour  is showing as Sold Out so 🤞it happens.  Cost was just under $400 so I would have to send DH to the Casino to use up that  non refundable OBC.
 

 

[kk20]

We did the St Lucia chef’s market discovery on our xmas/new years sailing this past year. It was by far the best Celebrity excursion we’ve done!
We started out touring their local market with our guide and one of the ship’s chefs. We then went on a bit of an island tour before going to a plantation where we met with their head gardener who had a small display of local plants and fruits set up for us. He explained how they were used for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Then we had an outdoor cooking demo and taste testing, followed by a three course meal at the plantation before heading back to the ship. 
Later that evening we met another one of the ship’s chef and he took us on a galley tour before we were taken to the tusan grill for a locally inspired family style dinner.

While expensive, it’s definitely worth doing! (imho)

 

 

[chemmo]

4 hours ago, bikerunner said:

I have multiple available for my TA next year on beyond.   They run anywhere from 199-269 depending on location for the Chefs Mkt.   i have a feeling it’s more due to lack of sign ups why they get cxled.  They are very pricey.  Probably need a min of 8 or more for them to run this type of tour.  How many people on vacation really do any to spend that type of money going to a farmers market and have prepared the food while on vacation.  Not to many I think 

It does seem expensive but if you get a tour, a lunch on land and another exclusive meal back on the ship it makes it more ‘worth it’…

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Ours were all in the Caribbean, Jamaica, St Lucia and one other. Reasons for cancelling were vendor issues or lack of sign ups. 

There was a lot of walking and standing in st Martin. Lunch was at a small sea side restaurant. We stopped at a fish market and had time on our own at the market in the middle of town. About 24 guests but we traveled in 2 small coaches so it didn't seem like too many people. Lasted about 4 to 5 hours plus Dinner in Tuscan. Don't remember the price.

We were told US regulations didn't permit the ship to serve the actual food picked out but they bought similar items from approved source.

 

Thanks, I think this is similar to what my friends experienced. I guess 4/5 hours with a lunch stop isn’t that much walking…

[chemmo]

52 minutes ago, Bead Pirate said:

Did this in Barcelona and it was expensive (and the best money we ever spent on an excursion). They limit it to 8 because there are also 4 chefs with you (one carries a bag of money, one who does nothing but fish mongering, one who does nothing but meat purchases and of course your head chef). The market (all though huge) has many booths close to each other and isles are small. I would think it would be hard to keep a larger party on track as this is a business trip for the chefs.

 

They are actually buying food and provisions for the ship, so every booth has a sample plate available for the chefs (and you) to taste. Chef spent about $90K on the excursion and we were treated like royalty.

 

When we got back to the ship and the parcels were delivered, the same four chefs prepared a lunch right in front of the eight of us with wine pairings (very intimate).

 

The market in Barcelona is unbelievable in its size (I think it was St. Marks) and the offerings of meats and seafood is unequaled. We tasted some of the best Ibérica ham ever, and the oysters are quite different (in a yummy way) from the states. Also found a tasty little shellfish that is similar to a snail. It clings to the rocks on the cliffs where the waves splash up. To harvest they drop down a rope and pick them up between waves crashing in. Expensive little things, but the most delicious bite I have ever had!!!

 

Spend the money if you have a chance to go...

 

We are going to repeat the day in October (with Royal this time)...

This sounds fantastic. Seeing the meals prepared would be the icing on the cake for me! Oh, I hope this is what Infinity offers in Greece!

[chemmo]

44 minutes ago, kk20 said:

We did the St Lucia chef’s market discovery on our xmas/new years sailing this past year. It was by far the best Celebrity excursion we’ve done!
We started out touring their local market with our guide and one of the ship’s chefs. We then went on a bit of an island tour before going to a plantation where we met with their head gardener who had a small display of local plants and fruits set up for us. He explained how they were used for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Then we had an outdoor cooking demo and taste testing, followed by a three course meal at the plantation before heading back to the ship. 
Later that evening we met another one of the ship’s chef and he took us on a galley tour before we were taken to the tusan grill for a locally inspired family style dinner.

While expensive, it’s definitely worth doing! (imho)

 

 

This sounds delicious too. Whilst inspired rather than authentic it looks delicious. We will be travelling on Infinity with a definite lack of speciality restaurants so this ‘Greek style’ would be really nice…

[chemmo]

Thanks to all who have taken the time to post and offered both details and pictures. I am definitely sold on doing this tour!

[njguy_south]

1 hour ago, kk20 said:

We did the St Lucia chef’s market discovery on our xmas/new years sailing this past year. It was by far the best Celebrity excursion we’ve done!
We started out touring their local market with our guide and one of the ship’s chefs. We then went on a bit of an island tour before going to a plantation where we met with their head gardener who had a small display of local plants and fruits set up for us. He explained how they were used for both cooking and medicinal purposes. Then we had an outdoor cooking demo and taste testing, followed by a three course meal at the plantation before heading back to the ship. 

I did this same tour in Nov. 2022. It was excellent. I thought (as did many on the tour) that the lunch at the Pink Plantation was the main course. Greatly surprised that we then did the galley tour AND dinner in the Tuscan Restaurant. Our menu was slightly different, but equally as fantastic!!

[OUBaylor1]

As stated in previous threads related to this topic, this is the only Celebrity excursion I would recommend based on my February 2019 excursion on our Western Carribbean Cruise.  Our Chef's Market Tour stopped at a chocolate tour, visited a local market where we enjoyed amazing samples of local food.  Next we visited a tequila shop where I wished we would have bought more than 1 bottle of aged tequila!  Then we had a delicious lunch at a local restaurant.  The highlight was the evening dinner where I ate fresh local food and drank the best tequila I have ever experienced.  Does Celebrity offer this same wonderful experience today?  

[geneandjoe14]

We did this a few years ago in St. Martin, one of our favorite excursions. About 12 people, went to several markets with the chef (at the seafood market he did a demo on how to filet a huge fish), then lunch at an oceanfront restaurant. Then that evening he hosted a champagne happy hour, galley tour, & fantastic multi-course dinner. It was about $350pp, worth every penny. We have the same excursion reserved on Apex in Copenhagen next month, can’t wait. It’s sold out so I assume it won’t be cancelled. 

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, njguy_south said:

I did this same tour in Nov. 2022. It was excellent. I thought (as did many on the tour) that the lunch at the Pink Plantation was the main course. Greatly surprised that we then did the galley tour AND dinner in the Tuscan Restaurant. Our menu was slightly different, but equally as fantastic!!

Thanks for your comments. I am hoping that our cruise will offer something similar although in the Med…I want to enjoy the group feel as well as the food experience…We have had mixed experiences with Chefs table, I am hoping this will be something better…

[Mike981]

If I am understanding this correctly, the Chef's Market is different than the Chef's table? I have a 10 day January cruise on Silhouette in the Caribbean and only see Chef's table available.

[chemmo]

18 minutes ago, Mike981 said:

If I am understanding this correctly, the Chef's Market is different than the Chef's table? I have a 10 day January cruise on Silhouette in the Caribbean and only see Chef's table available.

Yes, the Chefs Market is an excursion. A small group visit to a local market with chef(s) from the ship. This is followed by a local lunch. Then in the evening there is a special meal back on the ship. Subject to local rules either you have a meal incorporating some of the market produce or a meal inspired by the market visit. It seems to be a quite expensive excursion but you do get a small group excursion with lunch and a special meal in the evening so I wouldn’t expect it to be cheap…
 

Chefs table is a group of 12? guests meeting to share a set menu (with options) and wine pairing.

 

The main reason for my post is Chefs Market doesn’t seem to be universally available every cruise. Also that the experience seems to vary and that it frequently gets cancelled. Some of my friends did this tour and loved it! On my next cruise I fancied trying it….

 

Have a look on excursions rather than dining options and see if you can find it on your cruise…
 

 

[miched]

We did the one in St Lucia.   The ‘chef” didn’t  purchase anything in the market to prepare for dinner that night.    It would be impossible to do that as it isn’t inspected according to our “chef”.  I think he said he was an assistant bread slicer 😱🤷‍♂️.  All he did was take us to the market place and said this is the food shed look around, and then to the junk souvenir shed and said you have 15 minutes to look around and buy something.  
 

We then went to the Pink House.   It was interesting 

 

That night we met for dinner at a lounge and then did a tour of the galley.  From there  we went to the Tuscan Grill.   We were seated at a very large table for 10 or 12,   The food was served family style.   I ordered some wine and told the server that I had the Premium package.  He recommended a wine and I tasted it and said it was fine.   I asked if it was covered by the premium package and he said yes it is $10.   OK, I will have that.   Whenever my glass got around 1/2 full he would top it off.   Toward the end of dinner he was going to top it off again. I told him that I had enough and didn’t  finish that glass.    When I was getting ready to leave he gave me a bar bill for $59.00.  5 glasses of wine at $10 over the premium plus the gratuity.    I paid the bill instead of making a scene.   The next day I called guest relations and told them the situation.    They removed the charge.  
 

For us it is one and done.  There was nothing outstanding in the dinner that stood out.    It was completely different than the menu posted in comment #12    They do give you a copy of the menu and I think we also got a group photo of us sitting around the table.  Neither my wife or I could be seen in the photo as others were blocking us out.   We filed the menu and photo in the circular file 

 

As with many things sometimes the experience is only as good as the people doing it.   Get a dud and it will be a dud.  We had a dud.  

Hopefully you will have a better experience.

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by miched

[chemmo]

11 minutes ago, miched said:

We did the one in St Lucia.   The ‘chef” didn’t  purchase anything in the market to prepare for dinner that night.    It would be impossible to do that as it isn’t inspected according to our “chef”.  I think he said he was an assistant bread slicer 😱🤷‍♂️.  All he did was take us to the market place and said this is the food shed look around, and then to the junk souvenir shed and said you have 15 minutes to look around and buy something.  
 

We then went to the Pink House.   It was interesting 

 

That night we met for dinner at a lounge and then did a tour of the galley.  From there  we went to the Tuscan Grill.   We were seated at a very large table for 10 or 12,   The food was served family style.   I ordered some wine and told the server that I had the Premium package.  He recommended a wine and I tasted it and said it was fine.   I asked if it was covered by the premium package and he said yes it is $10.   OK, I will have that.   Whenever my glass got around 1/2 full he would top it off.   Toward the end of dinner he was going to top it off again. I told him that I had enough and don’t finish that glass.    When I was getting ready to leave he gave me a bar bill for $59.00.  5 glasses of wine at $10 over the premium plus the gratuity.    I paid the bill instead of making a scene.   The next day I called guest relations and told them the situation.    They removed the charge.  
 

For us it is one and done.  There was nothing outstanding in the dinner that stood out.    It was completely different than the menu posted in comment #12    They do give you a copy of the menu and I think we also got a group photo of us sitting around the table.  Neither my wife or I could be seen in the photo as others were blocking us out.   We filed the menu and photo in the circular file 

 

As with many things sometimes the experience is only as good as the people doing it.   Get a dud and it will be a dud.  We had a dud.  

Hopefully you will have a better experience.

 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅
 

 

Thanks so much for posting your experience. It is only when you read some negatives as well as positives that you can make a reasonable judgement on what an experience will be like. In a similar fashion we did chefs table twice. First experience really nice, second one spoiled by Mr Talk a Lot and his wife Mrs Drink a Lot…