SEATTLE, Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Holland America Line is building on its popular collection of immersive culinary-themed FOOD & WINE® EXC Tours (shore excursions) with the addition of 20 new tours throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Canada & New England.
Experience neo-Fjordic cuisine at Lysverket in Bergen, Norway
Enjoy world-class wine and art in Hobart, Tasmania
Dine in La Ménagère a 120-year-old café in Florence, Italy
Sample boutique wines in Napier, New Zealand
Make dumplings by hand in Taipei, Taiwan
Developed in partnership with FOOD & WINE magazine, Holland America debuted 23 excursions earlier this year on select cruises in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe that explore food, wine and culture in some of the world's hottest gastronomic locales. During these exclusive tours, guests take hands-on cooking classes with top restaurant chefs, go on culinary walking tours, visit wineries, sample authentic street food, explore local hideaways and more.
"We've expanded our exclusive FOOD & WINE tours due to their overwhelming popularity, as food is a universal language that connects travelers with the cultures they visit in a deeply immersive way," said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. "We're excited to add this special tour program in several new locations so our guests can discover the diverse flavors of the many different places we visit through these unique and authentic experiences."
New Tours in Asia, Australia and New Zealand Guests on cruises in Asia, Australia and New Zealand can chose from 14 new FOOD & WINE EXC Tours throughout the region. The shore excursions are offered in Bangkok, Thailand; Shanghai, China; Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; Yokohama, Japan; Hobart, Tasmania; Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; and Napier and Dunedin, New Zealand. Among the options include the opportunity to visit numerous markets in Asia, wineries in New Zealand and Tasmania, and "tough-to-get-a-table" restaurants in Australia.
Noteworthy FOOD & WINE EXC Tours include the Courageous Kitchen Cooking Class, an immersive culinary experience with heart. A portion of proceeds from the tour go toward helping to feed locals and train youth in need. The Bangkok tour starts with an in-depth exploration of a local market followed by a hands-on cooking class in home-style Thai cooking with Chef Dwight Turner, owner of Courageous Kitchen.
In Sydney, the Beautiful Bennelong & the Opera House tour combine two of the city's culinary and cultural highlights in one night. Guests begin the tour exploring the Opera House and then step next door to dine at Bennelong, one of Sydney's top restaurants that falls firmly into the "tough to get a table" category of top restaurants worldwide.
Canada & New England Tours Feature Local Favorites Six new FOOD & WINE EXC Tours in Canada & New England highlight the area's gastronomic favorites including lobster, poutine, clam chowder and maple-infused treats. The ports of Bar Harbor and Portland, Maine; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Boston, Massachusetts; and Québec City, Québec, all feature unique FOOD & WINE EXC Tours.
Wine enthusiasts will delight in the Bay of Fundy, Grand Pre & Winery tour in Halifax, where guests enjoy a scenic drive to the Bay of Fundy, known for some of the most extreme tides in the world, and visit the Grand National Historic Site, a 17th-century French settlement. Then it's on to the Annapolis Valley, known as the "new Napa of the North," for a wine tasting at the Lightfoot & Wolfville Vineyards.
Over the next year, Holland America will continue to expand its FOOD & WINE EXC Tours to an array of destinations, including Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, South America, Hawaii, and more.
Holland America Line introduced a new video to tell the story of the FOOD & WINE EXC Tours: https://youtu.be/dz7d9v-kW7g.
For additional information, contact a travel professional or call 1-877-SAIL-HAL (1-877-724-5425). To speak with a destination expert, call 1-888-425-9376 or visit the FOOD & WINE EXC Tours webpage here. All FOOD & WINE EXC Tours are noted with "in partnership with FOOD & WINE" in the tour name so they are clearly identifiable. FOOD & WINE is a registered trademark of Time Inc. Affluent Media Group and is used with permission.
ABOUT FOOD & WINE FOOD & WINE is the ultimate authority on the best of what's new in food, drink, travel, design and entertaining. FOOD & WINE has an extensive social media following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Snapchat. FOOD & WINE comprises a monthly magazine in print and digital; a website, foodandwine.com; a books division; plus newsletters, clubs, events, dinnerware, and cookware. At FOOD & WINE, we inspire and empower our wine- and food-obsessed community to eat, drink, entertain and travel better—every day and everywhere.
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL and CUK)] Holland America Line's fleet of 14 ships offers more than 500 cruises to more than 400 ports in 98 countries, territories or dependencies around the world. From shorter getaways to 113-day itineraries, the company's cruises visit all seven continents, with highlights including Antarctica explorations, South America circumnavigations, Cuba cruises and exotic Australia/New Zealand and Asia voyages; four annual Grand Voyages; and popular sailings to the Caribbean, Alaska, Mexico, Canada & New England, Europe and the Panama Canal. The line welcomed Koningsdam in 2016 and has a second Pinnacle-class ship,Nieuw Statendam, to be delivered in December 2018. A third Pinnacle-class ship will be delivered in 2021.
The company is undergoing $300 million in brand enhancements to secure its position as the leader in premium cruising. Fleetwide, the ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination immersion and personalized travel. Guests can expand their knowledge through an exclusive partnership with O, The Oprah Magazine; during an America's Test Kitchen show; at Explorations Café presented by The New York Times; and by taking a Digital Workshop powered by Windows. Outstanding entertainment fills each evening at venues including Lincoln Center Stage, Billboard Onboard and B.B. King's Blues Club. The dining experience can be savored at a variety of restaurants with menus that feature selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council, comprising world-famous chefs who design dishes exclusively for our guests.
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