Eat, Drink, Be Merry: Culinary and Wine Cruises

Culinary and wine cruises are gaining in popularity, with cruise lines such as Regent Seven Sea Cruises offering you the opportunity to share your passion with a cruise ship full of like-minded travelers. Whether it's a San Francisco cruise or along the rivers of Germany, there are a number of companies providing culinary or wine cruises.

Imagine taking a French cooking class with a Cordon Bleu chef while cruising France's famous rivers, or cruising the California coast and stopping at wineries, sampling their fare and enjoying seminars delivered by noted wine experts. This is of course on top of the usual luxuries associated with a cruise, such as fine dining, spas, water sports, dancing, entertainment, casinos and the like.

Number of Cruise Lines

There are a number of cruise lines offering such a memorable holiday, including: Silversea Cruises, Windstar Cruises, American Safari Cruises, Cruise West, American West Steamboat Company, Clipper Cruise Line, Wine River Cruises in Europe, Regent Seven Seas and Italiana Crociere.

Silversea Cruises has two identical luxury ships, the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind. Both were built in 1994 and carry 296 passengers, with four elevators and a staff and crew of 210. The company offers wine cruises in the Indian Ocean and South Pacific, some with Cordon Bleu culinary instruction. Selected wines are complimentary for lunch and dinner, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the ship. The ships are not designed for children. Eight-day all-inclusive (with airfare and hotels) prices range from $5,695, with a cheaper rate if you get to the ship on your own. Booking is six months in advance.

Windstar Cruises has a spring wine cruise to Greece and offers gourmet-cooking and wine-themed cruises elsewhere. The company has ships cruising the Mediterranean, Greek Islands, Caribbean, Central America, South America and across the Atlantic. The Wind Star and Wind Spirit hold 148 passengers, while the Wind Surf holds 308. Seven-day cruises on the Wind Star and Wind Spirit range from $3,910 to $5,279 and 14-day cruises from $6,810 to $9,409. Wind Surf prices have 14-day Caribbean cruises from $2,980 to $3,180 for cabins to $4,678 for suites. Mediterranean cruises range from $4,420 to $4,620; $6,818 for suites. Shore excursions are not included.

California Wine Country Cruises

American Safari Cruises features 12 to 22-passenger cruises in the California wine country and other trips to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama. The company's luxury yachts feature prices for three-night California coast and rivers wine cruises from $1,395 to $1,895 per person double occupancy. Four-night Napa wine cruises are $1,795 to $2,495 per person double occupancy, which includes tours, wine tastings and bar drinks.

Cruise West has 52 to 102-passenger cruises in the California wine country in September and October. The company also offers cruises to Alaska, British Columbia, Columbia and Snake Rivers, Sea of Cortes, Cost Rica, Japan and the South Pacific. The three-night California wine cruises start at $1,299 with four nights starting at $1,949. Motorized landing craft are used for adventure cruises, or the ship ties up at the dock in town. Snorkeling and diving are featured on warm water itineraries.

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