Cooking Schools: Cruises

Tuscan Terroir

While sailing the Mediterranean on Crystal Serenity, don’t miss an excursion into Florence and a visit to the Apicius Culinary Institute, where some of the city’s top chefs will show you how to make such great regional dishes as zuppa di ribollita (bread, bean, and vegetable soup) and pappardelle with meat sauce. (Starting in June; 888-722-0021; crystalcruises.com; from $4,585 for 12 days)

All Cooking, All the Time

Holland America carries some 70 guest chefs aboard its fleet each year, including big names like David Pasternack (New York’s Esca) and Govind Armstrong (Table 8 in Los Angeles). Every voyage is devoted to hands-on cooking, with each session aired on in-room TV for those too lazy to get to the demo kitchen. (Year-round; 800-637-5029; hollandamerica.com; from $799 for seven days)

Bound for Bahia

Passengers going from Portugal to Brazil on Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Endeavour will have plenty of opportunities to mingle with representatives from the nonprofit Chef’s Collaborative, who can fill them in on the local seafood scene, always with an eye toward sustainability. Chef Barton Seaver (D.C.’s Hook Restaurant) leads demonstrations and market tours. (September 20; 800-397-3348; expeditions.com; from $5,990 for 19 days)

Spring-Roll Awakening

When the Seabourn Spirit docks in Bangkok, the first order of business is a trip to the Shangri-La hotel for a lesson in making tom yam kung (traditional spicy prawn soup). Next, you’ll sail to Saigon to pick up some ingredients at the Ben Thanh market before trying your hand at making spring rolls. (December 20; 800-929-9391; seabourn.com; $8,186 for 14 days)

The Main in Spain

Amaze your friends with an authentic paella after acquiring all the secrets at the Valencia Cooking School, in the heart of the city that made this classic dish famous. Back aboard the Silver Whisper, stop by the Viking demo kitchen, tricked out with all the latest equipment, to pick up more recipes along the way. (August 2; 800-722-9955; silversea.com; $4,546 for seven days)

Dine with the owners of Washington’s finest small vineyards and head off to a cooking demo at the Seafood Center in Astoria (an Oregon State University nonprofit wing devoted to seafood sustainability) as part of a trip along the Columbia River on the Spirit of Discovery. (September 28; 888-851-8133; cruisewest.com; from $3,549 for eight days)

A Royal Taste of Turkey

Get a quick lesson in making kebabs after prowling Istanbul’s lesser-known food, fish, and spice markets while sailing with Princess Cruises. (Starting May 12; 800-774-6237; princess.com; from $2,059 for 12 days)

Pan-Asian, Transatlantic

On one of the transatlantic sailings aboard the Queen Mary 2, you can sign up for dinner at your very own table in the galley, catered by a chef who’ll show you all the tricks to preparing Korean BBQ, hot-and-sour soup, and Thai fish cakes. Or, if you prefer, tell the chef you’re more interested in learning about (and sampling) French, Italian, or Indian. (August 7; 800-728-6273; cunard.com; from $1,395 for six days)

Baked Alaska

Star chef Michel Richard (Citronelle in D.C.) will give demos on a sail from Seward to Vancouver aboard the Regent Seven Seas Mariner. (A team trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris gives lessons on select sailings.) (July 16; 877-505-5370; rssc.com; from $4,195 for eight days)

Caribbean on the Menu Hop off the Celebrity Galaxy in Curaçao for a rundown on plantain soup and salt-cod stew at a culinary school called Angelica’s Kitchen, housed in the 19th-century home of Angelique Schoop. (December 19; 877-202-4345; celebritycruises.com; from $849 for 11 days)