Silversea Cruises is offering a greater number of voyages featuring the Viking Cooking School Aboard Silversea in 2008. The school includes cooking demonstrations and market tours hosted by chefs of the Viking Cooking School on 12 voyages. "Our new Viking Cooking School theme cruises are generating such great feedback from guests that we're rolling out a more expansive schedule next year," said David Morris, Silversea's executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "This is a really fun enrichment program that lets guests discover new cooking techniques and sample regional dishes prepared on top-of-the-line Viking Range equipment, including culinary products and utensils they may have in their own kitchens at home."

Through the company's partnership with Viking Range Corp., each Silversea ship features a demonstration culinary theater custom-designed by Viking and equipped with an induction stove, convection-microwave oven and Viking professional-caliber cookware, cutlery and countertop appliances -- plus a large rear projection screen so guests can easily view different cooking techniques. The curriculum for each cruise is designed to echo the cultural flavor of the ship's itinerary. Highlights include cooking demonstrations with wine pairings and interactive Q&A sessions; a "Lunch and Learn" event giving groups of 12-16 guests a chance to sample a meal; and a "Market to the Plate" experience on voyages when the itinerary permits that provides an escorted tour of a local market followed by a cooking class. All Viking instructors are chefs and culinary industry leaders. When Viking chefs are not onboard, the culinary theaters serve as venues for the international guest chefs of Relais & Chateaux on select Culinary Arts cruises.

On all other voyages, Silversea's own master chefs host cooking demonstrations and competitions. Among the Viking cooking cruises in 2008 are the Silver Cloud's 14-day Africa and Arabian Peninsula cruise departing Feb. 23; Silver Shadow's 15-day Panama Canal cruise departing May 16; and Silver Wind's 12-day Northern Europe cruise departing Sept. 10. For a complete list of Viking Cooking School cruises, visit www.all-travel.com/silverseacruises