P&O Cruises is offering passengers the opportunity to enjoy even more value on a cruise holiday by booking now for 2011 departures.

A wealth of savings and early booking incentives are available on cruises across the fleet.
Anyone booking a 2011 cruise by Tuesday August 31, 2010 will receive the benefits of The Early Booking Spectacular.

Benefits available include:
•savings of up to £200 per couple
•free car parking or coach transfers on sailings from Southampton
•free on board spending money of up to £250 per couple
•up to £600 per couple savings on balcony staterooms
•seasonal savings of up to £1,000 per couple on selected cruises
P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “Booking early for 2011 departures delivers this spectacular range of incentives in addition to being able to secure the best choice of cruise itineraries, dining and stateroom options.
“Booking your cruise early certainly makes sense.”
 

For more information or to request a copy of the brochure call P&O Cruises on 0845 3 555 333, visit www.pocruises.co.uk or see your local ACE travel agent.
 

Imagine walking over a tree lined canopy in the Amazon rain forest, sailing on a junk in Vietnam, seeing the wildlife on safari, and an Ostrich Ranch near Cape Town, visiting the Great Wall of China, taking a thrilling ride through the Dubai desert safari in a 4x4 or climbing the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge all on one holiday.

All of these once in a lifetime experiences can become a reality during the ultimate holiday - a world cruise.

World cruise expert P&O Cruises is offering five world cruises, 18 line voyages and 72 shorter cruise holidays, departing in spring 2011 and early 2012. The 2011/12 world cruise brochure will be available on line at www.pocruises.co.uk or via travel agents and is available to book from today.
•Arcadia, 72-night Grand Alaska Adventure departs Tuesday April 12 2011
•Adonia, 87-night South America Grand Adventure departs Friday January 13 2012
•Arcadia, 109-night Grand Odyssey departs Monday January 9 2012
•Aurora, 98-night westabout full world circumnavigation departs Wednesday January 4 2012
•Oriana, 97-night eastabout full world circumnavigation departs Thursday January 5 2012

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow said: “A world cruise is often considered a once in a lifetime experience but each exotic itinerary offers an extraordinary choice of shore adventures, each a once in a lifetime opportunity in its own right.

“The 2011/12 World Cruise programme encompasses 177 ports in 55 countries so we have been searching for the best sights and experiences that these ports have to offer to ensure that passengers have a memorable and exciting range of scenic, cultural, active and city tour shore excursions to choose from. These will include landmark sights such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Panama Canal; overnight stays in ports such as Manaus, Cape Town, Istanbul and New Orleans; cultural experiences and, of course, city tours, often with exclusive entry into museums and art galleries.

“So whether it’s a trail up The Peak in Hong Kong, the Bullet train in Japan, hiking to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, seeing Petra from Aqaba, a wine tour of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, sipping cocktails overlooking Sydney’s Opera House, afternoon tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town or a Singapore Sling at Raffles, there are shore excursions to suit all ages and tastes.”

For more information on the 2011/12 World Cruise programme or to request a copy of the brochure call P&O Cruises on 0845 3 555 333, visit www.pocruises.co.uk or see your local ACE travel agent.
 

Having the choice of 32 different wines by the glass in TV wine expert Olly Smith’s wine bar on board P&O Cruises latest ship, Azura has been a hit with passengers with Peller Ice Cuvee, Blind River Sauvignon Blanc and Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon all proving firm favourites.

Olly Smith, said: “The Glass House really is a must for both wine lovers and for those who are dipping their toes into the wonderful world of wines for the very first time. The Glass House menu features different wines recommended with each course, all served by the glass. I am thrilled to say that the fleet house wines we blended have recently received the commended award from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 and the Porta Palo white wine also received a commended award from the International wine and spirits competition 2010.

“I have made several trips on board so far and have some planned for the rest of the year too. It has been great to chat to passengers and hear their feedback on The Glass House, host some fun wine tasting sessions and also to enjoy a glass of wine, or two, with the new friends I have been making at sea.”

Passengers are able to order ‘wine flights’ in The Glass House. A wine flight consists of three 125ml glasses of different wines so that passengers can sample wines they have not tried before, compare different wines and learn more about wine and concepts of wine tasting. The wine flights have been designed by Olly Smith. There are seven flights and each one has a different theme, for example luxury wines, wines from classic wine growing regions, wines from new wine growing regions, and Olly’s favourite wines.

The Glass House has a state of the art Enomatic wine system which enables passengers to try wines by the glass rather than having to buy an entire bottle. A bottle can be opened, then preserved by using revolutionary inert gas so it does not react to the oxygen in the air allowing the flavours and characteristics of the wide range of selected vintages to remain intact, as if the bottle had just been opened and therefore able to be enjoyed by many.

Olly will be on board:

· Cruise A014 7 night cruise departing Southampton Tuesday September 21 2010
· Cruise A017 12 night cruise departing Southampton Sunday October 17 2010

Five ships, taking in 177 ports in 55 countries, with 95 separate holidays to choose from, the new 2011/12 world cruise programme from P&O Cruises is its most expansive ever. World cruise expert P&O Cruises is offering five world cruises, 18 line voyages and 72 shorter cruise holidays, departing in 2011 and 2012. The 2011/12 world cruise brochure will be available on line at www.pocruises.co.uk or via travel agents and will be on sale from Thursday July 15 2010.

In May 2011 Adonia will be joining the P&O Cruises fleet. Adonia, the smallest ship in the P&O Cruises fleet, has been designed to offer an intimate cruise experience with small ship charm. The child-free, 700-passenger ship will be able to visit some of the ports that larger ships are unable to visit.

Adonia will offer ex- Southampton cruises between May and October , from seven to 26 nights in duration to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe featuring some smaller and off the beaten track ports of call as well as the must see destinations. These itineraries will also feature overnight calls in Athens and St. Petersburg, as well as a round Britain cruise.

In October, Adonia will reposition to the Mediterranean and offer six open-jaw Central and Eastern Mediterranean fly-cruises, departing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples. Itinerary highlights include a Christmas and New Year cruise to the Holy Land, prices start from £1,775* for the 14 night cruise departing from Southampton.

Prices for the 16 night Mediterranean maiden voyage start from £2,374* departing from Southampton in May 2011, and £1,424* cruise only, for a 14 night Central Mediterranean holiday from Trieste to Athens in December 2011. A holiday package add-on including flights is available for £99.

A 12 night around Britain cruise will depart from Southampton in July 2011 with prices starting from £1,576*.

For more information or to request a copy of the brochure call P&O Cruises on 0845 3 555 333, visit www.pocruises.co.uk or see your local ACE travel agent.
 

P&O Cruises has announced a new line up of celebrity guest speakers who will be entertaining passengers on board this summer. 

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “We have a varied array of guest speakers from the worlds of sport, music, stage, screen, broadcasting and much more. 

“We will, of course, be welcoming back some of our passenger’s favourites, but as many of our passengers travel with us regularly we will be offering new guests across the fleet.” 

Passenger favourites on board include John Challis and Sue Holderness aka Only fools and horses, ‘Boycie & Marlene’; British actor, Sir Donald Sinden; ex-jockey, Bob Champion and retired footballer, Jack Charlton. 

New talent who will be sharing their stories and experiences include TV presenter, Nick Owen; ex Bath & England rugby union star, Gareth Chilcott; actress, Shirley Anne Field and boxing legend, Sir Henry Cooper. 

1,200 passenger ship Artemis is on a ‘maiden’ voyage of a different kind, as she set sail yesterday with P&O Cruises first female Captain, Sarah Breton, at the helm.
 

Captain Breton, from Essex, was officially welcomed as Master of the ship by P&O Cruises first female managing director, Carol Marlow. Marlow commented:
"We are delighted that Sarah Breton has been promoted to the role of Captain on board Artemis. Sarah has worked on board P&O Cruises ships for many years and truly deserves to be Master of Artemis. We wish her every success in her new role.”
 

Captain Sarah Breton said: “Growing up near the water I always loved boats and the ocean, so it really does fulfil a lifelong ambition of mine to be a Captain with P&O Cruises. It is made even more special to be Captain of the first cruise ship I ever served on, after joining P&O Cruises as third officer back in 1989.”

Sarah, now 45, has served on board Royal Princess (now Artemis), Sky Princess, Canberra, Pacific Princess (the original Love Boat), Grand Princess and Star Princess as third officer, second officer, navigator, first officer and safety officer. She was first promoted to staff captain in 2001 on the original Pacific Princess and then went on to serve onboard Coral Princess, Tahitian Princess, the new Pacific Princess, Artemis and most recently Ocean Village.

Captain Breton lives on the Essex Coast and when on leave spends her time in the garden, sailing - whenever the weather permits, and watching Six Nations rugby and Formula One motor racing.
 

Prima ballerina Darcey Bussell CBE has officially christened Azura, the latest P&O Cruises ship built exclusively for Britain. The spectacular celebrity naming ceremony, with Darcey Bussell as the ship's Godmother, took place on Saturday April 10, prior to Azura’s maiden cruise to the Mediterranean which departed today.

Widely considered to be one of the greatest ballerinas of all time, Miss Bussell danced in the “Girl Hunt” scene reminiscent of Cyd Charisse in Band Wagon and then twirled onto the top deck of the ship in a striking red Jasper Conran evening dress.

Darcey Bussell said, "It’s a great honour to be involved as Azura’s godmother. For me this is a wonderful event because I am able promote the best of dance within one evening. It’s wonderful that P&O Cruises is carrying on that theme from the old films where dance was so important.”

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow said: "Darcey embodies glamour, vitality and classical elegance, which are also reflected in Azura. We are honoured that she agreed to become Godmother. Azura has one of her three magnificent dance floors right at the heart of the ship, so with dancing a real feature, Darcey was a natural choice for Godmother and very fittingly has given Azura the best possible start in life.”

In keeping with Azura’s “back to the future” values, her naming ceremony was a departure from tradition yet captured the glamorous spirit of dance and romance. As well as Darcey’s customary champagne naming, the celebration encompassed a spectacular event with clips from the most memorable dance sequences in film history, on Azura’s new SeaScreen, along with a live dance show.

Over 1,200 guests were on board including Azura’s consultant Michelin-starred chef, Atul Kochhar; wine expert Olly Smith who has a designer wine bar on board; GMTV presenter Emma Crosby; Strictly Come Dancing stars Tom Chambers, Camilla Dallerup and Craig Revel Horwood; Angela Griffin; parliamentary candidate Esther Rantzen and comedian Johnny Vegas.

The occasion benefited three charities supported by Darcey Bussell – The Prince’s Rainforest Trust, Royal Ballet School and Sydney Dance Company.

Azura departed today on her maiden cruise to the Mediterranean, calling in Malaga, Katakolon (for tours to Olympia), Corfu, Dubrovnik, Venice, Korcula and Gibraltar before returning to Southampton on Wednesday 28 April.

Pictures of the naming celebrations are available at www.pocruisespresspictures.com.

About Azura Key features

• 18 single staterooms – the first single staterooms in the P&O Cruises fleet
• Sindhu – an Indian fine dining restaurant by Atul Kochhar
• The Glass House – a new concept in wine bars with tasting sessions hosted by TV wine expert Olly Smith
• SeaScreen – an open air cinema by the Aqua Pool
• The Retreat* – a secluded on deck spa area with private cabanas for al-fresco massages and personal waiter service
• The Atrium dance floor – the first Atrium dance floor at sea
• Game On – a dedicated electronic games room
• Noddy and Mr. Bump on board
• Spa staterooms
• Family friendly
• Cost £380 million

Itineraries Azura is based in Southampton between April and October, offering holidays of between two and 16 nights duration in the Mediterranean, Baltic and Canary Isles. 15 night fly-cruise holidays from Barbados are offered throughout the winter. About P&O Cruises P&O Cruises can trace its roots back to 1837 when the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company was awarded the lucrative Admiralty contract to carry mail to the Iberian Peninsula and beyond. Today P&O Cruises combines innovation, professionalism and unrivalled experience on its fleet of seven ships dedicated to the British market. Building on this wealth of knowledge and experience, Ventura was launched in April 2008 and will be followed by Azura in 2010 and Adonia in 2011. P&O Cruises offers passengers the most stylish and contemporary holidays afloat with destinations including the Caribbean, South America, Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Atlantic islands and round the world cruises. About Darcey Bussell CBE Darcey Bussell was born in London on the 27th April 1969. She attended the Arts Educational School at the Barbican, had a flair for dance and so at the relatively late age of 13 she auditioned and won a place at the Royal Ballet School at White Lodge. She signed up for lessons with the legendary Svetlana Beriosova during her summer holidays and in 1985, aged 16, Darcey was accepted at the Royal Ballet's Upper School. While she was still at school, the late Kenneth MacMillan noticed her exceptional technique and in 1988 he gave her the leading role in his ballet ‘The Prince Of The Pagodas’, causing her to move to The Royal Ballet. A year later in December 1989, on the opening night of the show she was promoted to Principal, at the time the youngest ballerina to be given this honour. A full-length portrait of her by the artist Allen Jones RA, commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery, was unveiled on 23 May 1994. She was created an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1995 New Year Honours List and subsequently a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2006 Birthday Honours list. In 2006 Darcey announced her retirement as a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet. She stayed with the company as a “guest principal artist” and on June 8, 2007 Darcey officially retired from ballet with a final performance of MacMillan’s song of the Earth. It was performed at the Royal Opera House and was broadcast on BBC 2.
Darcey recently teamed up with Welsh opera sensation Katherine Jenkins with whom she put on a musical called Viva La Diva, which paid tribute to the stars who have inspired them. Darcey Bussell is married and has two daughters and now lives in Australia.

P&O Cruises will offer fly-cruise holidays in the Mediterranean in 2011. The development comes with the introduction of 710 passenger ship Adonia, joining the fleet in May 2011. Full details of Adonia will be released in the P&O Cruises 2011/12 brochure, and her cruises can be booked from Tuesday April 27, 2010.P&O Cruises, managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “Adonia is an exciting introduction to our fleet and one that enables us to diversify the range of cruise destinations that we offer".

“She is a small ship and her size enables her to visit off the beaten track destinations and lesser known ports of call. Adonia will be our pathfinder ship, but she will, of course offer our tried and tested P&O Cruises experience,

“We know that many of our passengers prefer a cruise experience exclusively for adults and also the intimate atmosphere and sense of camaraderie that comes with a smaller ship. Adonia will fit the bill perfectly and we are confident that she is going to be a much-loved addition to the P&O Cruises fleet.”

Adonia’s main restaurant will be the Pacific dining room and there will be two further Select dining venues*, Italian ‘Sorrento’ and a steakhouse named the Ocean Grill. There will also be a buffet restaurant, with some al fresco dining and a barbecue area out on the Lido deck.

For entertainment, Adonia will have eight bars, including P&O Cruises signature ‘Crow’s Nest’ observation lounge; Andersons, the familiar club-style lounge bar; and Raffles, which will also offer a coffee shop menu throughout the day with pastries, chocolates, hot drinks and afternoon tea.

Adonia will also feature The Curzon Lounge, where passengers can enjoy a drink with a sea view during the day, and by night enjoy a performance by the Headliners theatre company, concerts, dancing, or after dinner speakers.

There will be the signature Oasis Spa, offering a range of treatments and therapies including Aromasoul massages and body scrubs, Aromatherapy, and reflexology. There is also a well equipped gym with panoramic sea views.

Adonia’s well appointed cabins will feature Egyptian cotton linen, tea and coffee making facilities so popular with British passengers, and over 75% of the cabins will have a private balcony.

“She will celebrate all those things our regular passengers love about cruising with us – a classic dance floor, Crow’s Nest observation lounge, formal nights, classical music recitals, guest speakers, silver service dining and a dedicated card room. Loyal cruisers and those new to cruising alike will be charmed by the refined P&O Cruises experience Adonia will offer.”

Adonia’s cruises will feature ‘Spotlight’ – a new programme of events for passengers wanting to learn a skill, develop their knowledge or find hobbies. Talks and interactive workshops will be offered on subjects as such as history, current affairs, the natural world, dance, art and gastronomy. All are delivered by experts in their field, some including familiar TV personalities.

The ship will be based in Southampton between May and October 2011, offering cruises from seven to 26 nights in duration to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. The itineraries will feature overnight calls in Athens and St. Petersburg, as well as a round Britain cruise.

In October, Adonia will reposition to the Mediterranean and offer six open-jaw Central and Eastern Mediterranean fly-cruises, departing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples. Itinerary highlights include a Christmas and New Year cruise to the Holy Land.

Prices on Adonia start from £1,924** for the 16 night Western Mediterranean maiden cruise from Southampton in May 2011, £899 for a seven night ex-Southampton Norwegian Fjords cruise, and £1,399 cruise only, for a 14 night Central Mediterranean holiday from Trieste to Athens in December 2011. A holiday package add-on with flights is available for £99.

“We are also delighted to be introducing a number of new destinations for our passengers next year, as well as a number not visited since the days of P&O Cruises Victoria.” continued Marlow.

New ports of call for Adonia are:
 

• Bourgas, Bulgaria
• Flekkefjord, Norway
• Foynes, Ireland
• Jersey, UK
• Koper, Slovenia
• Liverpool, UK
• Sassnitz, Germany
• Savona, Italy
• Zadar, Croatia

Ports of call that are being reintroduced – in some instances after more than 30 years - on Adonia’s itineraries, are:
 

• Alta, Norway
• Antalya, Turkey
• Ashdod, Israel
• Bodo, Norway
• Bodrum, Turkey
• Catania, Italy
• Gythion, Greece
• Haifa, Israel
• Huelva, Spain
• Izmir, Turkey
• Patmos, Greece
• Port Mahon, Spain
• Salerno, Italy
• Samos, Greece
• Tangiers, Morocco
• Trieste, Italy
• Volos, Greece
• Waterford, Ireland

Early bird savings are available for bookings made by 30 June 2010. Double savings are offered on balcony cabins, with savings up to £800 per couple for a 14 night cruise, and also on all cabin grades on two of Adonia’s fly-cruise holidays in October 2011 and January 2012.

Free car parking is available on all of Adonia’s cruises from Southampton, and on board spending money of between £50 and £250 per cabin is also available (amount depending on duration).

For more information or to request a copy of the brochure call P&O Cruises on 0845 3 555 333, visit www.pocruises.co.uk or see your travel agent.

Marco Pierre White will be travelling on board P&O Cruises superliner Ventura at various dates throughout the year and will be offering the chance for passengers to get up close and personal. Marco, who has a fine dining restaurant, The White Room, on Ventura, will be hosting cookery sessions for groups of up to eight adults and children in the theatre kitchen on board. The interactive sessions will involve participants joining Marco as he creates a series of Mediterranean dishes, including several fish dishes and sauces. Marco will also answer questions about the recipes, techniques and ingredients as well as giving away some tips of the trade from the man dubbed "the godfather of modern cooking".

Marco Pierre White said “Cooking is a philosophy, not a recipe, so for me it is all about passing on the knowledge I have and about using good ingredients to create simple and flavoursome dishes which can be easily recreated at home. These sessions have been a great success with the grown ups so we felt it was right and proper for the children to have a chance to shine in the kitchen, learn about the provenance of food and how to create some simple, fun dishes.”

The Marco Pierre White Heaven's Kitchen and Kids' Kitchen sessions will cost £75 per adult and £20 per child and are bookable on the following cruises*:

N004 – departing Friday 12 February 2010

N014 – departing Saturday 5 June 2010

N017 – departing Saturday 3 July 2010

For more information or to book a P&O Cruises holiday visit www.pocruises.co.uk.

P&O Cruises is bucking the industry trend towards ever larger vessels by introducing a ship to its fleet that will accommodate just 710 passengers and will be able to visit the “off the beaten track” destinations that are inaccessible to some of the bigger ships of today.

The new ship will be named Adonia and will join the fleet in May 2011, to become the smallest of P&O Cruises seven ships. Along with Arcadia she will be an adult only ship.

Built in 2001, more than three-quarters of her 355 well-appointed cabins have balconies. Adonia's public rooms will have a traditional feel and feature wood panelling, leather armchairs and fine artwork. She will have an extensive library with over 4,000 titles and a grand lounge with an intricately inlaid wooden dance floor and stage to host a range of entertainment, from after dinner speakers to shows by P&O Cruises Headliners Theatre Company.

Adonia will also have the signature P&O Cruises features of a forward Crow’s Nest observation lounge with a nautical feel, and Anderson’s, a centrally located traditional club style lounge bar.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow said:

“I am delighted to announce this great news in response to our passengers’ comments to me that some prefer smaller ships. The addition of Adonia will deliver an elegant and welcoming ship with real small ship charm. She will offer a truly intimate and traditional cruise experience, yet with all the comforts you would expect from a modern vessel. With this size of ship our passengers will be able to get to know their fellow cruisers and crew easily as they travel to some of the most intriguing destinations on the map.

“Whilst larger ships have their own appeal, with the spectrum of bars, dining and entertainment choices they can offer, others really enjoy a smaller ship, with its more intimate ambience. No other cruise line offers this breadth of choice specifically for the British cruiser.”

Adonia's itineraries and fares will be announced in Spring 2010. For more information see www.pocruises.co.uk.

Ends
 

The final cruise of P&O Cruises Artemis went on sale at 10am this morning,and sold out in just 17 minutes.
 

The Artemis Farewell Voyage departs from Southampton on 12 April 2011, for one final 14 night voyage visiting Gibraltar, Alicante, Palma, Sorrento, Rome (from Civitavecchia), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Southampton.

The cruise will include a special jazz and classical Music Festival at Sea,commemorative memorabilia, surprise guest entertainers and passengers will enjoy champagne sailaways. Prices started from £1,100 per person based ontwo sharing.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow said: “This is the fastest selling farewell voyage I have ever known. It is fantastic to see how much Artemis is loved by our passengers, and to know that her final send-offwill be a truly memorable experience. I hope to join our passengers onboard for what will be a very special cruise, giving passengers and crewthe chance to bid farewell to a dear friend and remember happy times onboard.”

ENDS

Top Ballerina to take centre stage at bottle smashing ceremony for Azura
 

One of the world’s best loved ballerinas, Darcey Bussell, will be Godmother to the latest and most sophisticated addition to the P&O Cruises fleet, the 115,000 ton ship, Azura.

Former Royal Ballet principal dancer Darcey, now resident in Sydney, Australia, will fly back to Britain next Spring with her family for Azura’s glittering naming ceremony, but exact details of the occasion are being kept a closely guarded secret until the day.

“I am so excited, honoured and, at the same time, somewhat filled with trepidation to be Godmother to Azura, as I know how significant the ceremony is viewed by the ship’s captain and crew”, said Darcey Bussell.

“Darcey Bussell epitomises glamour, sophistication and elegance, all qualities we have strived to achieve in Azura” said P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow. “Azura will offer the service, quality and entertainment associated with cruising at its very best and as dance will play a key part in this, it is entirely fitting for Darcey to give Azura the best possible start in life.”

Over 1,200 invited guests will witness the naming ceremony on Azura’s top deck in Southampton Docks on Saturday, April 10, prior to the vessel’s maiden voyage, a 16 night cruise to the Central Mediterranean, which includes calls to Malaga, Corfu, Dubrovnik and Venice.

The stylish superliner will carry up to 3,100 passengers and 1226 crew, and boasts a dance floor in the centre of the spectacular atrium, 10 restaurants, including Sindhu, created by the first Indian chef to be awarded a coveted Michelin star, Atul Kochhar. A state of the art health and beauty spa with an open-air spa terrace; a giant cinema SeaScreen showing British film classics; a 750 seat live show theatre and separate nightclubs, plus a full range of daytime activities including sports courts, whirlpool spas and fully equipped gym, dance and art classes all offer non-stop entertainment.
The naming ceremony will benefit three international charities personally chosen by Darcey Bussell - Sydney Dance Company, the Royal Ballet School and the Prince’s Rainforest Project.
 

P&O Cruises will launch The Pacific Pearl cruise liner in Auckland and the vessel will be based in the city. The Pacific Pearl will be launched on December 19 next year.

The 63,500 tonne vessel will be able to carry 1800 passengers. This is the first time the company has launched a vessel in New Zealand. The cruise liner business has been expanding rapidly in New Zealand.

Ports of Auckland handled 69 cruise ships in the year to June 30. It will continue to handle cruise ships while no longer owning Queens Wharf and expects the number of arrivals to fall to 63 or 64 ships this season due to the economic downturn.

But when the wharf is redeveloped and economies recover the cruise ship business is expected to grow. "I think the sky is the only limit, you will see a boom in the industry going forward. We are welcoming new facilities in Auckland," Ports of Auckland managing director Jens Madsen said in September.

P&O Cruises, the only cruise line to have three Michelin starred chefs, will have Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar travelling on board in 2010. The chefs will visit their restaurants at sea on a selection of cruises throughout next year.
 

The celebrated chefs will take part in cooking demonstrations, lessons, Q&A sessions and book signings whilst on board, in addition to spending timewith their teams in the galley and in the restaurant with passengers.

In April 2005 Gary Rhodes opened his first fine dining restaurant at sea onboard P&O Cruises adults-only superliner Arcadia. Arcadian Rhodes offerspassengers Gary’s famous style of traditional British cuisine with a moderntwist. Dishes include white onion and pea risotto with seared scallops,chocolate and coffee mousse, hot chocolate cappuccino and white chocolateice cream. Passengers dining in Arcadian Rhodes are charged a £15 perperson cover charge* for a four course menu.

In December 2006 Gary Rhodes opened his second fine dining restaurant at sea, Oriana Rhodes, on board P&O Cruises family friendly superliner Oriana.The cuisine is similar to that in Arcadian Rhodes and the same cover chargeapplies. The most popular drink in both Arcadian Rhodes and Oriana Rhodes is Gary’sown specialty cocktail Sloe Royale, made of Chapel Down English sparklingwine and Gordon’s Sloe Gin.

Gary Rhodes will be on board during the following itineraries:

Arcadia 15-night cruise departing 19 June 2010, J008. Ports of callinclude Zeebrugge, Amsterdam, Oslo, Stavanger, Flaam, cruise inSognefjord, Olden, cruise in Nordfjord, Trondheim, Akureyri andReykjavik. Prices from £1,709 per person.

Arcadia 13-night cruise departing 2 November 2010, J019. Ports ofcall include Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Alicanteand Gibraltar. Prices from £949 per person.

Oriana 12-night cruise departing 11 July 2010, X011. Ports of callinclude Copenhagen, Nynashamn, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Zeebrugge. Prices from £1,295 per person.

Oriana 7-night cruise departing 27 August 2010, X015. Ports of call include Corunna, Bilbao, Le Verdon, Brest and St. Peter Port. Prices from £759 per person.

The White Room is the creation of British culinary legend Marco Pierre White and Ventura’s signature fine dining restaurant. While delivering Marco’s finest classic Mediterranean cuisine, The White Room providespassengers with sweeping panoramic views and the option of dining under the stars in the evening, with the nearby Metropolis bar serving as a pre-dinner meeting point. Inspired by the ‘cuisine of the sun’ - simple, colourful dishes created with fresh herbs and produce infusing sunshine flavours. Sample dishes include salad of chicory and pear with Gorgonzola cheese, fillet of Turbot with citrus fruits, and fresh fruits in Prosecco jelly with passion fruit syrup. The cover charge for dinner is £15.00* per person and £7.50* per child.

Oceana’s Café Jardin’s restaurant serves Marco Pierre White dishes as does Aurora’s Café Bordeaux. Both menus serve classic Mediterranean dishes which have been given the Marco treatment especially for passengers on board. Dishes on the current menus include quail’s eggs Hollandaise, Marco’s confit de Canard and a French lemon tart. Cover charges for dinner in both Café Jardin and Café Bordeaux are from £4.99* per person.

Marco Pierre White will be on board during the following itineraries:

Aurora 12-night cruise departing 19 April 2010, R002X. Ports of call include Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Cadiz, Lisbon and Vigo. Prices from £1,048 per person.

Oceana 14-night cruise departing 15 May 2010, E011. Ports of call include Gibraltar, Cartagena, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Monte Carlo,Barcelona and Cadiz. Price from £1,139 per person.

Ventura 7-night cruise departing 5 June 2010, N014. Ports of call include Corunna, Bilbao, La Pallice, Brest and St. Peter Port. Prices from £721 per person.

Ventura 14-night cruise departing 3 July 2010, N017. Ports of call include Barcelona, Cannes, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Palma, Valencia and Gibraltar. Prices from £1,329 per person.

Oceana 14-night cruise departing 2 October 2010, E021. Ports of call include Gibraltar, Cartagena, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Cadiz. Prices from £1,158 per person.

Ventura 14-night cruise departing 22 October 2010, N027. Ports of call include Tenerife, Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Barbados (from flights back to UK). Prices from £1,090 per person.

Sindhu is the creation of Michelin starred Indian chef Atul Kochhar and will be one of Azura’s three select dining restaurants. Sindhu will offer modern Indian cuisine with a British twist, celebrating Britain’s love of Indian food and P&O Cruises long-standing affiliation with India. Diners will be able to sample a fusion of British and Indian cuisine whilst watching chefs in action in the theatre style galley.

Sindhu will offer dishes such as Crab Masala with Crab Claws and Vermicelli Biriyani and Five Spiced Chocolate Pudding with Tarragon.

Atul Kochhar will be on board during the following itineraries:

Azura 16-night cruise departing 12 April 2010, A004. Ports of call include Malaga, Katakolon, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Venice, Korcula and Gibraltar. Prices from £1,481 per person.

Azura 16-night cruise departing 23 July 2010, A010. Ports of call include Malaga, Katakolon, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Venice, Korcula and Gibraltar. Prices from £1,799 per person.

Azura 12-night cruise departing 8 August 2010, A011. Ports of call include Madeira, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Lisbon and Vigo. Prices from £1,329 per person.

Azura 7-night cruise departing 21 September 2010, A014. Ports of call include Dublin, Cobh, Bilbao and Brest. Prices from £692 per person.

Azura 15-fly night cruise departing 4 February 2011, A103. Ports of call include Barbados, Curacao, Aruba, Catalina Island, Tortola, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Grenada. Prices from £1,375 per person.

All prices are based on two people sharing an inside cabin, including all meals, entertainment and on board facilities.