The ‘Excite the Senses Culinary Theme Cruises’ will kick off on March 24 with a seven-night voyage headlined by Celebrity’s master chef and vp culinary operations, Jacques Van Staden.
Each of the cruises will showcase the various culinary disciplines featured in ‘Excite the Senses’—‘Captivate’ (dining), ‘Accentuate’ (wine, spirits, coffee and tea) and ‘Illuminate’ (entertaining). Each voyage will be led by a member of Celebrity’s culinary team, along with partners from the line’s wine and spirits program.
The March 24 cruise, on Celebrity Eclipse, will feature not only Van Staden but also the other members of Celebrity’s culinary team who will later host their own sailings. Special guest ‘The Liquid Chef’ and master mixologist Junior Merino will share his expertise, along with various partners from a variety of wineries.
The kickoff cruise will offer activities including an exclusive cocktail and Qsine pairing dinner hosted by Van Staden and Merino, a ‘Corporate Star Chefs’ cooking demonstration and question and answer session with Celebrity’s food and beverage team, mixology demonstrations, hands-on cooking classes with chefs in the galley, an ‘Excite the Senses’ book signing event and more.
Among the activities during the theme cruises are exclusive dinners in Celebrity’s specialty restaurants, cooking demonstrations focused on using locally sourced ingredients, wine tastings, sessions on how to host elegant afternoon teas and unique cocktail parties, ways to enliven holiday traditions with modern twists and tips for creative table settings.
Other dates include Celebrity Silhouette’s April 10 cruise round-trip from Bayonne’s Cape Liberty, hosted by Celebrity’s traveling pastry chef, Thierry Houlbert; Celebrity Century’s May 5 wine cruise from San Diego to Vancouver, hosted by Celebrity’s senior traveling executive chef W. Thomas Szymanski; and Celebrity Summit’s May 27 Bermuda cruise, hosted by traveling executive chef Steve van der Merwe.
The other sailings cover a range of itineraries, including Alaska, the Mediterranean, the Baltic and Vancouver-San Diego, with other hosts and special focuses on topics such as food and wine pairings, Mediterranean cooking, modern entertaining tips and specialty cheeses from around the world.
