When it comes to cruising, there is an ocean of options for the food-obsessed traveler. Here, the boats you won’t want to miss in 2014—for dining experiences both at sea and in various food-focused ports.
1. The Booze Cruise
(American Queen Steamboat Company)
Thanks to a new bourbon program, beloved brown liquors pour like water at the genteel Engine Room Bar on the American Queen steamboat. Hitch a ride on its Bourbon & Bluegrass voyage and sip George T. Stagg and Elmer T. Lee while chugging along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, visiting distilleries along the way.
2. The Italophile Paradise
(MSC Cruises)
Turin-based supermarket Eataly now has shops aboard the MSC Preziosa and MSC Divina. Grab a souvenir, like limited-edition Roi Cru Gaaci olive oil ($40) from Liguria.
3. The Day Trippers
(Holland America Line)
Cruise ships are designed to keep passengers endlessly entertained, but even die-hard mariners occasionally pine for terra firma. Enter the epicurean shore excursion.
At cookbook author Yara Roberts’s cooking demo and dinner in Parati, Brazil, bookable via Azamara Journey, you learn how to make acarajé (black-eyed pea fritters) and other Brazilian street foods. Meanwhile, on the MS Volendam, travelers port at Australia’s Kangaroo Island for tours of Clifford’s Honey Farm, Island Pure Sheep Dairy, and eucalyptus-oil distillery Emu Ridge.
Find more info on the best cruises for food lovers.
More from Bon Appétit
10 Best New Restaurants in America
Where to Eat and Drink Near the Vatican in Rome
Fun stories about food, relationships, the great outdoors and more.