P&O Hunter Valley Cruise
By: Katrina Archer and Bruce Piper, Cruise Weekly
Three-night cruises onboard the superliner Pacific Dawn will give people a taste of cruising as well as the food and wine of the Hunter Valley.
"The Hunter Valley is famous for fresh produce, innovative menus and the amazing local wines, which are so popular onboard our ships," said Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia which operates P&O.
"These themed cruises will give people the unique opportunity to dip their toes into cruising while also learning a bit more about Australian food and wine."
The novel idea of the weekend "sampler" has been developed by P&O Cruises in partnership with the Hunter Valley's two-hat chef, Andrew Clarke of Rock Restaurant.
"Preparing a six-course meal for 2000 passengers presents amazing challenges but this is a great opportunity to bring the unique flavours of the Hunter to a new travelling public," he said.
A six-course degustation dinner has been planned for the two cruises, departing Sydney on 31 July and 14 Aug.
Guests will spend three nights cruising the Pacific Ocean while enjoying wine tastings and appreciation classes.
Highlights of the cruise include:
Wine tastings, appreciation classes and lectures with Bruce Tyrell (Tyrell's Winery) and Duane Roy, co-owner of Glandore Estate
- Cheese tastings from the Hunter Valley Cheese Company
- Coffee appreciation classes with our trained onboard baristas
- A six-course degustation dinner prepared by Andrew Clarke of Rock Restaurant.
Ms Sherry said the cruises had already proven so popular that additional sampler cruises had been scheduled across the fleet in 2010.
"We are encouraged by the public reaction to these cruises, and very proud that the renowned chefs, cheese and winemakers of the Hunter region jumped at the chance to sail with P&O Cruises and contribute to these special cruises," Ms Sherry concluded.
Passengers can tantalise their taste buds even further onboard Pacific Dawn with a range of new features including new bar and all-Australasian wine menus, martini menus and a-la-carte restaurant menus offering diners more choice than ever before.
Fares start from $629 pp twin share for an inside cabin or $649 for outside cabins.
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