This was published 9 years ago
Wine tasting cruise holiday: Sailing and sipping
Carnival Cruise Line's martini tasting.
Wine-tasting sessions on cruise ships are always very well attended, but if you've been there, done that, you can now sign up for any number of delicious palate-educating classes.
Martinis are all the rage, but you don't have to restrict yourself to the James Bond-style shaken, not stirred, gin and dry-vermouth version – on Carnival Spirit, for example, you can sample eight different varieties in one sitting. You may not be able to master pouring eight at once, as the ship's bartenders do, but you can learn now to mix martinis like a pro on courses offered by P&O Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Holland America Line, among others.
Craft beers and ciders are popping up in ships' bars everywhere. P&O UK's just-launched Britannia offers 70 different British beers and ciders in the clubby Brodie's Bar (named after one of the line's founding fathers, Brodie McGhie Willcox). Here you can wet your whistle with a Black Sheep from Yorkshire - or perhaps the Admiral Lord Collingwood will be more your style.
The pasta buffet on the Carnival Spirit.
If gin's your thing, check out the Great British Gin Menu in Britannia's Crow's Nest bar, the fabulous forward-facing venue at the top of the ship on Deck 16. There are 20 varieties to choose from, including several produced in Britain.
However, Germany's uber-luxe Europa 2 can top that; its cigar bar, Herrenzimmer, offers 35 varieties of gin. Even better, a three-hour tasting session is included in the price of your fare (admittedly fares are not cheap). I developed quite a liking for the Gingerina, a delectable cocktail of Hendrick's gin, ginger beer, fresh ginger and a taste of honey, stylishly garnished with lime quarters and cucumber slices.
Princess Cruises has introduced chocolate and wine pairings as part of its new Chocolate Journeys program – in convivial sessions held in Vines Wine Bar you can learn all about the various terroirs and varieties of the chocolate and wines on offer. If you feel like skipping the education but still want to make the most of the chocolatey opportunities on board, head to one of the bars for a Dirty Piglet (an extraordinary mix of Maker's Mark bourbon and vanilla ice-cream topped with chocolate-dipped bacon), or perhaps a lighter Choc'elit Mintini (Stoli Elit vodka, Remy Martin XO, fresh mint and clear chocolate cordial). Who knew there was even such a thing as chocolate cordial? It's amazing what you can learn on a cruise.
Farai Mwaruta, training and development manager for Carnival Spirit.
MEET THE CREW
NAME: Farai Mwaruta, from Zimbabwe
POSITION Training and development manager, Carnival Spirit
Harmony of the Seas' waterslide.
MY JOB: I mentor, train and coach team members onboard to assist their professional and personal development. I also deliver regulatory safety and hospitality training sessions.
MY TYPICAL DAY … starts with either a safety training or hospitality class. Then I work with team members on their developmental needs, and plan and develop courses such as learning new languages or etiquette classes. I also help with other duties like hosting our Behind the Fun Tour for guests.
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT There have been so many, including being part of the inaugural team of the Carnival Breeze (Carnival's biggest ship). It was great to see the ship sail for the first time with guests and see how excited and proud the crew members were.
Pandaw Kalay
FAVOURITE CRUISE PORTS: Carnival Spirit's home port – Sydney – and Athens.
TIP FOR PASSENGERS: To fully understand and appreciate your cruise experience, take the time to talk to staff onboard - and do a Behind the Fun Tour of the ship.
TIP Learn a few words of the local language for every overseas port you visit – please, thank you, hello, goodbye – the ship's daily newsletter often includes helpful phrases. Your efforts will be appreciated and it adds to the fun of meeting local people.
Pioneering Pandaw
Pandaw's latest adventurous river cruise is a seven-day expedition on the Chindwin River to Myanmar's remote Nagaland. The journey is only possible on Pandaw's ultra-low draught vessel Kalay Pandaw, and can only be taken in September when water levels are high enough to navigate. Kalay Pandaw has just five staterooms, so you'll have to be quick to book a place on one of the three departures – September 12, 19 and 26. Highlights include colonial Mawlaik, Homalin's beautiful Buddha Lotus Garden, and villages in Nagaland. pandaw.com
Big, bigger, biggest
Royal Caribbean's newest ship, Harmony of the Seas, is set to launch in April 2016. It will be the third in the line's Oasis class of ships and even bigger than its giant fleetmates Oasis and Allure of the Seas. Harmony of the Seas will span 16 decks and accommodate 5479 passengers (double occupancy) in 2747 staterooms. Like Oasis and Allure, Harmony will have seven "neighbourhoods" - new features include three multi-storey waterslides, an exclusive restaurant and full-service sun deck for suite passengers, studio staterooms for solo travellers and lots of the high-tech entertainment and facilities that made their debut on Quantum of the Seas. royalcaribbean.com.au
Pre-cruise packages
Celebrity Cruises' new City Stay packages offer passengers a three-day, pre-cruise holiday in 16 major port cities around the world. The packages include accommodation in selected four-star hotels, guided city tours, cruise check-in facilities in the hotel, transfers to and from the airport, hotel and the ship, and a Classic Beverage Package on your cruise. As it's always a good idea to arrive at the embarkation port at least a day before the ship departs (in case of delayed flights and to get over jetlag), why not extend the experience? celebritycruises.com/vacationpackages
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Cruise1st has a 25-night fly, stay, rail and cruise package from Las Vegas to Canada and Alaska from $4799. Leaving August 16, 2015, the holiday starts with three nights in Las Vegas, followed by a Rocky Mountain train trip to Whistler, a 12-night cruise through Alaska to San Francisco on Celebrity Infinity, two nights in Francisco and three nights in Honolulu. Phone 1300 596 345, see cruise1st.com.au.
MORE DEALS
CRUISE GURU Book a 2015 Silversea Mediterranean cruise and enjoy free shore excursions and Wi-Fi. Silversea sailings include butler service, gratuities, cocktails and more. From $3550 for a five-night Barcelona to Rome cruise on Silver Spirit departing May 2, 2015. Phone 131 303, see cruiseguru.com.au.
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE MS Noordam's 12-day Pacific Treasures round-trip departing Sydney December 5, 2015 visits Mare, Lifou and Noumea (New Caledonia) and Lautoka and Dravuni Island (Fiji). From $1398; phone 1300 987 322, see hollandamerica.com.au.
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