Acclaimed culinary trainer David Bilsland, a former instructor at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London, is again set to host Silversea’s exclusive “Relais & Châteaux L’École des Chefs” interactive cooking school in 2013.

On 14 ultra-luxury voyages across the globe, Chef Bilsland will present a program developed in collaboration with Jacques Thorel, a consulting Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux. Silversea enjoys the privilege of featuring the only “Relais & Châteaux L’École des Chefs” cooking school at sea. The innovative program — which is offered completely free of charge — provides guests with a special culinary curriculum, including hands-on instruction, and entertaining events.

With the curriculum for each of these cruises carefully designed to celebrate the cultural flavor of the ship’s itinerary, participating guests may prepare Cajun-spiced shrimp, vegetable fritto misto, or spanakopita, as well as other international delicacies. Highlights include specialized workshops covering an array of topics from basic knife skills and kitchen terminology to sauces and baking; cooking demonstrations with wine pairings and interactive Q&A sessions; lively cooking competitions between Chef Bilsland and the ship’s own culinary team; a “Lunch and Learn” event offering small groups of guests a chance to sample a delicious meal of specially prepared dishes; and inspired “Take It Home” recipes that will give guests an edge when entertaining at home.

Also offered on certain voyages, when the itinerary permits, is a “Market to Plate” experience that provides an escorted tour of a local market followed by a cooking class, and a “Culinary Outing,” an instructor-escorted excursion to a local restaurant, hotel or other venue where guests can enjoy a unique culinary exploration.

“What’s really great about our L’École des Chefs cooking school is that it’s free, fun and entertaining,” said Ellen Bettridge, Silversea’s president of the Americas. “And it lets our guests get hands-on training, working side by side with an accomplished chef to learn new cooking techniques and sample delectable dishes.”

Following below is a small selection of the L’École des Chefs voyages for 2013:

AFRICA

Voyage 2336: Silver Wind departs Las Palmas December 3 on an 18-day sailing to Cape Town with calls in Porto Novo, Praia, Dakar, Takoradi, Walvis Bay, and Lüderitz. Silver Privilege fares start at $5,450.

ASIA

Voyage 3329: Silver Shadow departs Tokyo September 29 on a 10-day sailing to Shanghai with calls in Hiroshima, Busan, Jeju, and Tianjin (Beijing). Silver Privilege fares start at $4,350.

Voyage 3331: Silver Shadow departs Tokyo October 19 on a 12-day sailing to Hong Kong with calls in Osaka, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Shanghai, and Xiamen. Silver Privilege fares start at $5,650.

MEDITERRANEAN

Voyage 2334: Silver Wind departs Rome November 19 on a 7-day sailing to Málaga with calls in Sorrento, Trapani, Valletta, La Goulette, and Cartagena. Silver Privilege fares start at $2,050.

Voyage 2335: Silver Wind departs Málaga November 26 on a 7-day sailing to Las Palmas with calls in Cádiz, Casablanca, Agadir, Arrecife, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Santa Cruz de la Palma. Silver Privilege fares start at $2,750 for a Veranda Suite (Vista Suites are sold out).

NORTHERN EUROPE

Voyage 7309: Silver Explorer departs Lisbon April 29 on a 14-day “Flavors of Europe” voyage to Portsmouth with calls in Oporto (Leixoes), Vigo, Santander, St. Jean de Luz, Bordeaux, Quiberon, Saint-Malo, Guernsey, and Honfleur. Silver Privilege fares start at $6,850 (for Adventurer Class accommodations).

Voyage 1318: Silver Cloud departs Southampton June 9 on a 10-day sailing to Copenhagen with calls in Honfleur, Oostende, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Warnemünde (Rostock), and Helsingborg. Silver Privilege fares start at $4,150.

SOUTH PACIFIC

Voyage 5304: Silver Spirit departs Los Angeles February 1 on a 31-day roundtrip odyssey exploring the enchanting isles of the South Pacific with calls in the Marquesas Islands, Rangiroa, Society Islands, Kiribati, and Hawaii. Silver Privilege fares start at $14,550.

TRANSOCEANIC

Voyage 3328: Silver Shadow departs Vancouver September 12 on a 16-day transpacific voyage to Tokyo with calls in Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Kodiak, Petropavlovsk (Kamchatka), and Hakodate. Silver Privilege fares start at $6,250 for a Veranda 1 Suite (Vista Suites are sold out).

For a complete list of L’École des Chefs voyages, visit Silversea.com and click on Life Onboard/Enrichment/Culinary & Wine Voyages/Cooking School Voyages.

Silver Privilege fares listed above are cruise-only rates per guest, based on double occupancy for a Vista Suite, unless indicated otherwise. Silver Privilege is a capacity-controlled program and subject to change.

Visit Silversea’s website for more details.

Reported by © www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

When Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic calls on Tunis, the capital of Tunisia next year guests will be in for an amazing visual treat. Tunisia is on the northeastern tip of Africa and juts into the Mediterranean Sea, its southern tip wedged between Algeria on the west and Libya on the east. The country is largely Arab and Muslim.

Tunis was regarded as one of the greatest and the most affluent cities in the Islamic world. The city boasts some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, madrasas and fountains, which showcase the splendor of the past.

I am touring the city with Disney Cruise Line managers as they ‘test out’ the tours they will offer their guests when the line returns to Europe next summer. Tunis is a new port of call for the line and the company is going all out to ensure guests are able to explore the best of the city. The focus, of course, is on the family experience.

“The challenge for Disney is to keep the children engaged in the cultural significance of the area. We’re looking for the sweet spot,” says Jason Lasecki, director of public relations for the line.

Find out what that “sweet spot” is on tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, here are some postcards of this amazing city.

French luxury yacht line Compagnie des Iles du Ponant has changed its name to Compagnie du Ponant. After twenty years the Marseilles-based line felt it needed to have an easier to remember and understand name for more global recognition. Yes, it’s shorter, but why not name it something people can really remember like Pepe le cruise? (That would have done it for me)

All kidding aside, the company is positioning itself to stress its luxury position given the line’s smaller and truly unique vessels. Compagnie du Ponant’s fleet includes the three-masted sailing ship Le Ponant (64 passengers), the yacht Le Levant (90 passengers) and Le Diamant (220 passengers). Under construction are a pair of 284-passenger luxury yachts, L’Austral and Le Boreal due for delivery in March and July 2010.

The company made news last year when its vessel Le Ponant was seized by Somali pirates. The pirates held the ship and its 30 crewmembers hostage for three weeks –the vessel was released when the company paid $2 million dollar ransom.

The pirate attack on Oceania’s Nautica has the cruise industry re-thinking it’s Middle Eastern cruise schedule.

German cruise operator Hapag-Lloyd is so concerned about a pirate attack on one of its ships that it is unloading passengers in Hodeidah, Yemen. Instead of sailing onboard the MS Columbus passengers will now spend three days in Yemen and then fly to Salalah, Oman to reconnect with the MS. Columbus and finish their journey into Dubai. The report comes from the son of a passenger onboard the MS Columbus who posted the account on iReport.com.

MS Columbus was on a scheduled 19-day voyage from Genoa, Italy to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In the past week the vessel had transited the Suez Canal and stopped a various ports of call along the Red Sea. The 15,000-ton MS Columbus carries 420 passengers and 190 crew. The vessel is now transiting the Gulf of Aden with 50 crew. Good luck to them!

Stay tuned for more info.

The French three-masted sailing ship Le Ponant was hijacked by pirates on Friday morning in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. The luxury ship was carrying 30 crew and no passengers. The vessel was on the way from Seychelles to the Mediterranean to board passengers in Malta for its next voyage.

The ship’s owner, the Compagnie des Iles du Ponant, said the 30 crew members were from France and Ukraine. Compagnie des Iles du Ponant says the ship was a “victim of an act of piracy” as it was sailing between Somalia and Yemen.

France’s Defense and Foreign ministries have been mobilized and the warship, Le Commandant Rouen, has been diverted from NATO’s Afghanistan operation to join the Yemeni coast guard in the hunt for and rescue of the captured cruise ship. The 290-foot long, 32 stateroom Le Ponant, is a luxury sailing vessel fully equipped with lounges, bar and restaurant, is one of three operated by the Marseille-based firm, which describes itself as France’s leading cruise provider. With a capacity for 64 passengers, it offers cruises in the Gulf region, including between Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan, and off the coast of Oman.
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Pirates seized more than 25 ships off the Somali coast last year and leisure craft are advised to give the area a wide berth. The International Maritime Bureau, has reported that global pirate attacks rose 10 percent in 2007, marking the first increase in three years. The last attack on a cruise ship occurred in November 2005 when the Seabourn Spirit was attacked by pirates firing automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at the cruise ship. Fortunately the crew took evasive action, repelling the attackers without returning fire. No passengers were harmed, but one crew member was slightly injured.

Read more about Le Ponant.