For those of you who have taken the classes....

....is payment made as part of final cruise payment, as an additional payment prior to cruise, as an additional payment when onboard ship, or added to account onboard (and thus payable via credits)?

thanks,

Marc, this detail is a little fuzzy in my mind. I think I paid in advance of the cruise when I signed up for the course and not as part of the final payment. I know for certain I did not pay once onboard.

MarnaLou

MarnaLou --

How did you like the class, or classes? How many sessions is it?

They seem to offer these classes on longer voyages, so I imagine it's a great thing to do on "Sea Days."

Would love to hear your experience.

Aloha Cruiser, I have copied the Cordon Bleu portion of the Mariner review I wrote on Cruise Critic. Here it is:

Le Cordon Bleu cooking classes

My aunt and I enrolled in the onboard Le Cordon Bleu classes offered on the Tenerife – Ft. Lauderdale segment. With many sea days at my disposal, it seemed like a nice opportunity. There were 48 of us, broken down into groups of 16 each, under the supervision of Gerard Beyer, who was assisted by the Mariner’s executive chef, Phillipe Logerais. The course consisted of three classes (appetizer, main course, and dessert), a dinner for our group, a galley tour, and a gala ‘graduation’ dinner just for us in Signatures restaurant.

The actual teaching sessions took place in Latitudes restaurant, where there are cooking stations in the dining area. Gerard prepared each dish, explaining as he went, and then we students prepared the same dish. We made a warmed foie gras with grapes, veal tenderloin, and a sabayon with poached fruit. For each class, we students arrived to find 16 cooking settings already prepared for us. At each setting there was a large cutting board, all the ingredients we needed, often peeled/sliced/diced/whatever for us, demi-glace, when needed, measured into silver sauce boats, pots and pans and utensils at the ready. As we cooked, anything we were finished with was whisked away by the kitchen staff, Gerard, and even Phillipe! When finished, we ate our creations. In view of how difficult this kind of hard labor is, and how inhumane the conditions were, we were provided with ample wine (or in the case of our dessert day, champagne) to drink. Thus fortified, we generally waddled out of each class, drunk as skunks. It was marvelous good fun, and the group I was with was very social and we enjoyed getting to know one another.

I don’t know if it was the wine, or the fact that I was in the presence of thousands of dollars worth of foie gras, or what, but my college French came flooding back to me as if by magic and I spoke French, without shyness, to Gerard and Phillipe. Either they were being extremely polite, or else I was at least somewhat coherent, because they responded kindly in French, sometimes even using colloquialisms.

Normally, this class includes a visit with the chef to an onshore market, but our class began and ended without a port stop. So there was no official market visit, but several of us persuaded Gerard, who is easily persuadable, to take us someplace in Hamiliton, Bermuda. We found a couple of markets and he talked to us about selecting produce, meats, and fish. It was very interesting and by far the most enjoyable port tour I’ve ever taken.

Our class ended with a dinner on Thanksgiving in Signatures. Each student was invited to bring his/her spouse or significant other, so I invited Paul59, who accepted and attended as my guest. It was another fabulous meal, with a turkey course thrown in. The ‘dressing’ was a veal and mushroom combination, quite delicious. It was a festive evening and a fun finale to a great experience.

Surprisingly, the ‘take-away’ from the class was not a new technique, the perfect recipe, or anything clinical like that. Instead, it was an affair of the heart. The point was made when one of my fellow students admitted that she was intimidated about cooking in front of Gerard, who teaches the teachers at Le Cordon Bleu and whose credentials are beyond merely considerable. In his kind, soft manner, he quietly asserted that, “This is not what this is about. Food is about filling your house with the people you love, and sharing good bread and a glass of wine with them. You cannot ask more of life than this.” We sighed a collective sigh and went about our play, asking no more of life than that.

MarnaLou

MarnaLou

I enjoyed reading your review again. It was orginally one of the pieces of advice that prompted me to enroll in the Cordon Blue Classes offered on our cruise last fall.

I found the experience to be very much as you described it. I don't remember being offered wine as we cooked, but we were working with a different instructor, Giles Thompson (English...perhaps that's why?)

Marc:

I made my reservation through my travel agent and paid in advance of the final payment. I think you'll want to reserve as soon as you decide you want to do it. The class size limits are usually reach and there was a waiting list for our cruise. Some folks were very disappointed because they did not realize that they needed to apply before boarding.

It was so much fun I've considered doing it again, but it is an expensive entertainment!

Marna Lou and Margo:

Thanks!

We have reserved the class for fall sailing. Just need to check with TA when she needs to make payment.

Again, thanks,

It is just made at the time of final payment Marc like all other charges.

Our experience was very much like MarnaLou's. CrusinFanatic (JoAnn Ridolphi) was my cooking partner. We had the same menu but we made a Filet Mignon with a Foie Gras sauce. We did not go to market because we were in Hualtulco/ Acapulco and there is no market to speak of.

The highlight of the class was the comraderie, the techniques and the fact that the propane tableside type cooking cart we were using had a mini explosion while JoAnn was cooking and caught fire. I will never forget her running off with the sauteed fruit and pan while I was preparing the sabayon at the other stove. We had a full on fire drill just short of making the passengers muster. The kitchen staff put out the fire and we finished the class, but, not before we had every officer show up in Latitudes on the Mariner

Our teacher was French but lived in Mexico City teaching the Cordon Bleu school there He was extraorinarly good looking. We were all too tongue tied to ask him to dinner and his English was fairly limited. One look from him sent all the women into a tizzy.

MarnaLou - now I'm going to have to track down the rest of your review on CC! I loved the last 2 lines especially. :)

Kathy - I've heard before your story about the fire and JoAnn running off with her half of the dish and each time I hear/read it again, it makes me laugh out loud ... :D

Masaki

Masaki, given the state of the search function on CC, I doubt you'd ever find it on your own. Here's a link, but know that it's now a pretty old review:

Mariner review

MarnaLou

MarnaLou - thanks for the link! Tried looking for it the other day and (obviously) couldn't find it (possibly because I was looking on the RSSC board). You have a great way with words ... :)

Masaki

MarnaLou gives fantastic reviews. She is truly a gifted travel writer, better than most you see in the magazines. I really think she should freelance!

I agree! Might be a way to pay for more cruises!! :D

Masaki

Getting paid to spout off about cruising?? Tell me where to sign up!!

Thanks for the nice comments.

MarnaLou

I love this review! It's so good that I'll even ignore my general impatience with cooking (I like the eating part) and take the Le Cordon Bleu classes! :eek:

Sounds like a great time. I don't think I've ever been on a Radisson cruise with one of these classes...?? (others may tell me differently). What is the cost?

MarnaLou...you do have such a wonderful gift of writing (as do others on this board). Maybe you could write a book of short stories about raising Stewart!

These classes were offered on the crossing I did several years ago. The participants had a ball & the staff that can get off - Say they always come for the "cook off". It was a blast. I enjoyed watching my friends & they said they learned a lot. Plus they now have their own offical apron & chef hats. Plus their receipes.

Marcie:

I believe they are still $395 and are offered on VJ7.

Thanks Marc. YIKES, that sure is expensive!! :(

Marcie,

It seems expensive but I though it was worth it. You do get WINE, apron, WINE, hat, More WINE, cookbook and dinner with the excutive staff, a Cocktail party or two, a galley tour with snacking allowed, and you make an entree that is over the top ala Signatures style. I think we had 3 lessons, plus 3 or 4 other things we did and a market/shopping excursion, which we did not get on ours. Plus it was very memorable. A local cooking class (more of a demonstration) here in California that would be equal to each session would be $100.00 or more each and not hands on. I've been taking French Cooking Lessons which include lunch and Wine and they are $125.00 for a 3 hour class with a Michelin rated chef and more people in each class.

Thanks Kathy...I'm sure you're right. The only cooking class I had was Home Ec when I was a freshman in H.S.. I remember burning brownies... they were disgusting and went straight in the garbage!

To echo Kathy, those cocktail parties are very festive, with tons of caviar and an open bar, etc. And your non-participating signifcant other can attend all the social events with you. This is not an inexpensive endeavor, by any means, but you do get a lot for the investment. At least that's how it worked when I did it.

MarnaLou