Walking food tours as an excursion?

[RMS Olympic]

I’m sailing on the Spirit on 21 March out of Barbados🤗

WindStar offers some food tours which would be a different experience as I have visited the ports of call in the past.

Can anyone provide thoughts on these type of tours regardless of the island and whether it’s worth a try….

with all the good food served on the ship is the local cuisine, or just the social aspect of the group tour worth a try?

Thanks in advance.

[Strenz]

We did a market tour with the chef in Kotor, it was outstanding. We tasted and learned about cheeses, meats, honey, breads, I mentioned that one one honey  I have  ever tasted in my life, the chef bought about 12 bottles for breakfast, he later told me they lasted 3 days. It was fun. Happy Sailing

[milepig]

On 1/20/2024 at 6:11 PM, Strenz said:

We did a market tour with the chef in Kotor, it was outstanding. We tasted and learned about cheeses, meats, honey, breads, I mentioned that one one honey  I have  ever tasted in my life, the chef bought about 12 bottles for breakfast, he later told me they lasted 3 days. It was fun. Happy Sailing

In our experience the market excursions are rare, but wonderful.  they weren't well advertised, ask at reception.

[Strenz]

3 hours ago, milepig said:

In our experience the market excursions are rare, but wonderful.  they weren't well advertised, ask at reception.

Hi, I wish they did more food  tours with the chefs. Once years ago there was a food tour to a fish market, off we went no fish, poor chef,  embarrassed, it was very funny. We called it the no fish, fish tour. Hope you are well and sailing haven’t see you on this lately. Happy Sailing 

[kalypso333]

Hi RMS,

 

We have done a few food tours, independent ones. I highly recommend them. You will enjoy a walking tour with history provided by the guide. You will also try some great food. Our favorite was in Madrid. You will also meet people, can be hit or miss. In San Juan Costa Rico we were with an obnoxious elitist - but that was only one out of many. 
 

We will be on the Wind Spirit next year. And we now live in Fort Myers FL. 

 

Kip

Edited March 5 by kalypso333

[Strenz]

9 hours ago, kalypso333 said:

Hi RMS,

 

We have done a few food tours, independent ones. I highly recommend them. You will enjoy a walking tour with history provided by the guide. You will also try some great food. Our favorite was in Madrid. You will also meet people, can be hit or miss. In San Juan Costa Rico we were with an obnoxious elitist - but that was only one out of many. 
 

We will be on the Wind Spirit next year. And we now live in Fort Myers FL. 

 

Kip

Agree, the best of the best food tour we did was a private tour in Croatia organic milk, yogurt and cheeses, truffles grow abundantly in that area they did different aged cheeses with truffles, unbelievable. They build a tasting room, we drank milk in Reidell glasses. It was really fun, plus learned a lot. Happy Sailing

[jlawrence01]

We took a private tour with Roatan Travel and Tours in Honduras.  They sent us a young driver in a Hyundai Elantra for $25 pp for four hours.  He took us around to a variety of small food shacks around the island as well as a Circle K that everyone on the island frequented due to their great food selection.  We bought food for the three of us at every stand.

 

The driver told us that on the next trip he wanted to treat us to the best food on the island - he would have his mother cook for us.

 

We had taken a bus tour with that company two months before and the young people were excellent and very proud to show off their island.

[RMS Olympic]

Thank you all for the responses. Two weeks from tonight I will be on the Wind Spirit……can’t wait! Looking at the sailing on the WS web site……looks like the ship may be full……hope they stock up on shrimp🍤, cheese🧀, steak🥩, and white wine🥂. I have needs🤪.

oh, almost forgot 🥓🥓🥓🥓

[Strenz]

49 minutes ago, RMS Olympic said:

Thank you all for the responses. Two weeks from tonight I will be on the Wind Spirit……can’t wait! Looking at the sailing on the WS web site……looks like the ship may be full……hope they stock up on shrimp🍤, cheese🧀, steak🥩, and white wine🥂. I have needs🤪.

oh, almost forgot 🥓🥓🥓🥓

Hi, Happy Sailing, on the sailing ships even if the ship is full because the outside deck is so spacious you never feel crowded. If you like lamb highly recommend it they do a great job. 

Enjoy

[RMS Olympic]

Hey Strenz……lamb…….delish. I’ll take it over prime rib any day.

Im looking forward to the Spirit…..as my first WS cruise was on the WindSong years ago. Tried the Wind Surf , but liked the smaller siblings better. Breeze and Pride…..just wonderful…..

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

10 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

Hey Strenz……lamb…….delish. I’ll take it over prime rib any day.

Im looking forward to the Spirit…..as my first WS cruise was on the WindSong years ago. Tried the Wind Surf , but liked the smaller siblings better. Breeze and Pride…..just wonderful…..

 

Is there any chance you might consider a Live From?  No worries if not, it’s a lot to ask. We are sailing the Wind Spirit this October, our first time on a small sailing ship. It would be great to see some pictures and read thoughts about the sail if possible.  Happy sailing! `

[RMS Olympic]

I’ll post thoughts and photos upon my return. 
The one thing I won’t talk about is the internet…I go off line for the duration of the cruise.

[jlawrence01]

3 hours ago, CHPURSER said:

Shopping with the Chef on Windstar is a great experience.

...

In the Caribbean, many markets are dirty, stinky, and filled with poor and questionable quality foods.

That has NOT been my experience whether it be in Roatan or St. Lucia among others.  There is nothing better than buying a fish that was caught last night over buying one that was caught 14 days ago by a Chinese trawler