Cooking classes

[MsMermaid]

Can anyone tell me what they think about the culinary arts cooking classes?

[Tsunami74]

We have enjoyed them.

[Pcardad]

They sell out quickly - people enjoy them very much.

[cwn]

 Very good, but you have to be able to stand for 2* hours at the cooking station and at the chefs demonstration counter. There are no stools allow at the cooking stations. On the Splendor there were a few stools at the back of the room but you could not move them…. Had to watch the demonstrations on the overhead TV.

[irishwitchy]

We did one and as much as it was enjoyable,  I didn’t really learn much.  However, the instructor was very good, it was that nothing all that complicated is taught.   
 

I was fine with standing,  but my husband who normally is also,  felt queasy between the ship rocking and standing.  We did lose a few folks almost immediately because of the motion.  
 

I don’t think we will do another one unless, they label it advanced or something very special is being cooked! 

[Flgreg]

We did one on the Explorer in 2019. I was apprehensive as I have no knife skills and almost never do any real cooking. It was really easy and we hac a great time. We made a salad dressing and salad, a shrimp and scallop appetizer, a steak and a crepe for dessert. Everything was portioned out and just needed to be assembled and cooked. They served wine. It was 2 hours from about 3:00 to 5:00.

 

We're doing one on Splendor next month. It's from 10:00 to noon.

[ernieb]

We will be on Splendor next March for the Lavish Crossing, 21 days, from San Juan to Barcelona. When I look for the Culinary Arts classes, it only shows three days during the segment from San Juan to Miami. Does anyone know why I am not able to see the classes for the 14 day Miami to Barcelona segment?

[GMIAC]

9 minutes ago, ernieb said:

We will be on Splendor next March for the Lavish Crossing, 21 days, from San Juan to Barcelona. When I look for the Culinary Arts classes, it only shows three days during the segment from San Juan to Miami. Does anyone know why I am not able to see the classes for the 14 day Miami to Barcelona segment?

Is it a back-to-back sailing that you have to click on a separate itinerary?

[ernieb]

No, the itinerary in “my account” is for all 21 days.

[Jane Mitchell]

They may not have scheduled them yet.  When I initially booked a cruise for next February, although excursions were available to book, the culinary arts cookery classes did not appear until later.  You could always ask your TA to check with Regent to see whether they are planning to do any on that segment.

[GOARMY]

Very current comment. 

 

Spouse participated in two of these Classes during Explorer's just-completed September-October Vancouver-Tokyo segment.  She retained the detailed printed materials; and advised Instructor, with Seattle roots, was the best in guiding guests throughout the approximately two hour sessions. One ran a little over; the other was right-on the two hour timeline.  

 

My wife, a gourmet cook to which I can attest for the past 54+ years, always looks for opportunities to increase culinary skills.  This evening, she replicated preparing salmon similar to that demonstrated--and consumed--during one of those onboard classes. 

 

Delicious.

 

Plan to sign-up for similar venue(s) on future Explorer and Grandeur cruises. 

 

GOARMY!

 

 

[seasidemn]

On 10/24/2023 at 9:46 AM, cwn said:

 Very good, but you have to be able to stand for 2* hours at the cooking station and at the chefs demonstration counter. There are no stools allow at the cooking stations. On the Splendor there were a few stools at the back of the room but you could not move them…. Had to watch the demonstrations on the overhead TV.

That's no fun.

[cwn]

1 hour ago, seasidemn said:

That's no fun.

Actually it was fun….what we cooked was good and it was nice fixing something fancy that I didn’t have to do all the prep work for. My DH and I worked at two stations on the back row. He went up to the counter to see what she did and I just rested on one of the stools in back watching on the overhead TV. I can stand for short periods of time so it worked out OK for me. You just need to know how it is done.. if you can not stand  at all unaided skip the classes.
 

The food being done is somewhat determined by the region you are in. We were in the Caribbean so the dishes had a Mex/ tropical vibe.

[rkaratsu]

We are on the Explorer in Japan and just did a cooking class (called “Farmhouse Fabulous”.) And we made…Falafel and a riced cauliflower stir fry! 🙄

 

Now considering that we were just in Busan, South Korea where we did a tour of the largest fish market in Korea (it was pretty amazing BTW), why we are making falafel (well actually, just frying them; they were already made for us) doesn’t quite register. 
 

The class was fun and well organized but all of the prep work is done for you and like someone else already mentioned, you aren’t going to learn anything new unless you are a pretty novice cook. But having said this, if you haven’t done a cooking class before, go for it (and then decide if more are in your future.)

 

There probably is an untapped market for Regent here in doing a market visit with chef and then coming back and cooking whatever you found (no recipes, just inspiration from the ingredients) or in a place like Japan, visiting a sushi or a tempura restaurant and learn from the local master. Wouldn’t be cheap but I’d sign up for one of these!

[cwn]

When we did the Splendor cruise in the Caribbean the cooking classes, I think there were three or maybe four different ones, most had a topical/creole fare except the brunch one. Ours was a full meal,

 

I am not a big fan of that type of food, but my husband is, he could make his food very spicy and I could dial mine way back. And as I said earlier all the tedious prep is done for you, after all the class is only 2hours.
 

I read what we were cooking as there is a description in the info on the classes offered. Somewhere on the Regent website I was able to read about the different groups of classes offered and what was to be fixed. It is a set offering (was at least in Jan) geared toward to a broad region like the Med, Asia etc not the the port or even a country. Always read the descriptions be it tours or activists, that will cut down on disappointment.

 

When we sailed Seabourn’s little sisters years ago, they had a shopping with the chef that was very popular, but the ship only had 200 passengers. Ship size makes a difference not only in the ship’s feel but in what is/can be offered, as in the Navigator compared to the Splendor. 

[RELS]

On boarding day, the chef is in the culinary kitchen, so you can check the menu of the classes with her. This give you time to cancel a prebooked class if it's later in the cruise. Done 36 hrs or more before the class, the money gets put into your onboard account. If you paid with real $$ (not OBC), you'll get the money back on your card after the cruise. We've done this for a class that featured a dish we could not eat.

 

On the Splendor in December in South America, they are offering a market visit with the chef, then you watch the chef prepare a meal on shore and eat what (s)he prepares.

[cwn]

1 hour ago, RELS said:

On boarding day, the chef is in the culinary kitchen, so you can check the menu of the classes with her. This give you time to cancel a prebooked class if it's later in the cruise. Done 36 hrs or more before the class, the money gets put into your onboard account. If you paid with real $$ (not OBC), you'll get the money back on your card after the cruise. We've done this for a class that featured a dish we could not eat.

 

On the Splendor in December in South America, they are offering a market visit with the chef, then you watch the chef prepare a meal on shore and eat what (s)he prepares.

Thanks I forgot you had a chance to cancel on board. 
 

I thought on earlier Navigator cruises they had some form of shopping with the chef, but I didn’t remember the details. Glad that is still being done when they can. I think it use to be noted in Passages and not a bookable shore excursion.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 10/24/2023 at 10:46 AM, cwn said:

 Very good, but you have to be able to stand for 2* hours at the cooking station and at the chefs demonstration counter. There are no stools allow at the cooking stations. On the Splendor there were a few stools at the back of the room but you could not move them…. Had to watch the demonstrations on the overhead TV.

We were able to use the stools at the back on Splendor.  We chose cooking stations in the back row, so it was convenient.  We really enjoyed the two classes we took.

[cwn]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

We were able to use the stools at the back on Splendor.  We chose cooking stations in the back row, so it was convenient.  We really enjoyed the two classes we took.

When did you cruise on the Splendor. We were on over the Holidays this year. Yes, there are stools at the back and you can use them at the back, but not at the work station, I did. You had to stand at the work station during food prep for safety reasons they said. I pointed this out because I asked on CC before I signed up for the class. Told I could use a stool at the station. I have problems standing long periods. We also pick the back row workstations. We were not allowed to move the stools from in front of the windows to where the stations actually are. DH is standing at a back row stations . The stools are about 4-6 feet behind him against the windows. The demonstration counter is up by the TVs and the chef had us gather at that counter for the demonstrations.I sat down at the back during that part and watched in TV. Not perfect but doable.

Edited October 27, 2023 by cwn

[Techno123]

Do you get to keep your apron as a souvenir? 😁

[cwn]

NO! 😟 For the cost of the class that would have been a nice gesture. But you could buy them at the end along with a cookbook.🙄

[Martini22]

What is the cost of the class.

 

TY

[Tsunami74]

On Explorer in January $89 each

[Techno123]

Just to prove I did the cookery class. Aprons were $30 so, as I have a draw full at home, I passed. Unfortunately, we were going straight to the Sommeliers wine tasting lunch straight after this so I only tasted and sipped rather than polishing it all off 😜

Edited December 16, 2023 by Techno123

[the_dylaness]

We are new Regent cruisers and signed up for a wok cooking class, as I have limited experience with wok cooking (and all of the other classes of interest were already booked for the 10am time slot!)

 

Standing for 2 hours is fine and the facility looks lovely... I'm hearing some undertones though that for those who are decently experienced home cooks, that this may not be the right choice.

 

I'd love to know more about this aspect if anyone cares to share.  I'm no Julia Child but I can cook reasonably well and enjoy reading about new techniques... the only magazine I subscribe to is Cook's Illustrated and I can replicate most recipes there with okay results (except spinach and ricotta gnudi, UGH!!!)  I don't want to spend the time and $ on something that is really entry level...