GROUND
CRUISE CONTROL
PLAY GROUND
SEA ON THE
The clichéd cruise is now a thing of the past. Here’s why you need to get on board. By Lucy Cheek.
LATTE 2016 | 99
2. YOU UNPACK JUST ONCE Travelling can be exhausting, especially when it comes to schlepping from hotel to hotel with your Samsonite in tow. A cruise allows you to dump your stuff just once. Which means you can bring more pairs of Louboutins, right?
W
hen you think of a cruise, what springs to mind? For me, it’s artery-clogging buffets, chintzy touches and sedentary, silvermopped over-70s shuffling towards the pokies. If I’m honest, I’ve also thought of it as a bit of a lazy travel option. Where’s the adventure in scooping hash browns out of a bain-marie every morning and slumping in a deck chair, stripped of the need for a map or any initiative as you’re shepherded from port to port? But all the clichés associated with cruising are becoming a thing of the past – and more Aussies are choosing to cruise than ever before. A recent report shows that Australia is the fastest-growing cruise market in the world; more than one million of us took a cruise in 2014. And when I heard that one of the world’s biggest cruise lines, P&O, were 100 | BUSINESS CHICKS LATTE
launching shiny, revamped ships targeted at younger travellers, it piqued my interest. The Pacific Eden, in particular, gloated about luxury penthouse suites, 16 buffet-free dining experiences, including Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill, a top-deck pool with private cabanas and a retractable roof, and a plush spa. Sold! I packed my best sailor stripes and seasickness tablets and headed off on a threenight cruise aboard the Pacific Eden – and, at the end of it, I’d fallen for cruises hook, line and sinker (no one was more surprised than me!). Here are 10 reasons why you should cross the gangway … 1. SPLASH ABOUT, NOT OUT Cruises are excellent value and many are all-inclusive. The fares include pretty much everything you need for an awesome trip: food, accommodation, entertainment, transport between destinations and more. Some liners even include alcohol, shore tours and flights.
3. YOU’LL NEVER BE BORED ON BOARD Most cruises offer every activity under the sun. Catch a movie or a comedy show, indulge in a facial, unwind with a yoga session, splash about in the pool or just kick back with a mojito (or three). If you fancy kicking up your heels, there are usually some killer parties on board – the Pacific Eden threw a Great Gatsby-themed bash, which was the perfect excuse to don a sparkly frock and dance till dawn. 4. THEY’RE PURE ESCAPISM As Business Chicks, we’re always on the go and having to make decisions, whether it’s about work or what to cook for dinner. With a cruise, the biggest decision you’ll have to make is whether to go for a Prosecco or a piña colada. Forget trying to find hotels in your budget, or coordinating travel from place to place … and say hello to hazy, lazy days. 5. YOU’LL WAKE UP SOMEWHERE NEW You can’t beat the thrill of throwing
CRUISE CONTROL
Cruisin’ for a boozin’: P&O’s Pacific Eden offers everything from plush restaurants and top-deck pools to glitzy parties and luxurious penthouse suites to chill out in.
open your curtains in the morning to a glittering sea and a new port. Whether you’re waking up in Cannes or Cairns, you can visit so many places in a short time – with minimum effort. 6. THEY’RE CHILD-FRIENDLY – OR CHILDFREE A cruise is the perfect holiday for families – the children will never be bored, and you can drop them off at the kids’ club while you go out for a swanky dinner. And if you’re childfree and don’t fancy sharing a hot tub with 12 children under six, childfree cruises are also available. 7. CRUISES ARE FLOATING CITIES Forget about being stranded in the middle of the ocean – most cruises have Wi-FI and satellite TV. You can pick up the toiletries you forgot to pack, go bikini shopping, get a blowdry, wash your clothes and even visit the doctor if you’ve overdosed on spicy prawns. 8. YOU’LL MEET A BUNCH OF NEW PEOPLE Before you embark, you can check out your liner’s roll call to connect with fellow
You can’t beat the thrill of throwing open your curtains in the morning to a glittering sea and a new port.
cruisers. On board, you can chat to people from all over the world at dinner or by the pool. (Your new friend might just offer you their chalet in Switzerland next time you visit Europe …) 9. FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD On cruises, there are more culinary options than you can shake a chopstick out. Forget the bogan buffet – on the Pacific Eden, I pigged out on everything from steaming baskets of dumplings to osso buco at high-end Italian. At Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill, you can feast on Sydney rock oysters
and his signature dishes of crab omelette, enoki mushroom salad with miso broth and liquorice parfait with lime syrup. Hot tip: pack something with an elasticated waistband … 10. ON THE LOVE BOAT … Romance is often in the (salty) air while at sea. There’s something about the wind whipping your hair, sunsets and endless ocean. It’s the perfect place for a honeymoon, to rekindle a relationship, re-enact a scene from The Titanic (not the one where it’s sinking, obvs), or even get married. Single? Who knows – you might just meet The One … { THE PACIFIC EDEN WILL CRUISE FROM SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, ADELAIDE, FREMANTLE AND CAIRNS IN 2016, OFFERING ITINERARIES INCLUDING THEMED SHORT BREAKS, AUSTRALIAN GETAWAYS, PACIFIC ISLAND HOLIDAYS, PAPUA NEW GUINEA EXPLORATIONS, ASIAN ADVENTURES AND MAIN EVENT CRUISES. FARES START FROM $299 PER PERSON QUAD SHARE. FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT A LICENSED TRAVEL AGENT OR P&O CRUISES ON 13 24 94, OR VISIT POCRUISES.COM.AU. }
LATTE 2016 | 101
PLAY GROUND
SEA ON THE
The clichéd cruise is now a thing of the past. Here’s why you need to get on board. By Lucy Cheek.
LATTE 2016 | 99
2. YOU UNPACK JUST ONCE Travelling can be exhausting, especially when it comes to schlepping from hotel to hotel with your Samsonite in tow. A cruise allows you to dump your stuff just once. Which means you can bring more pairs of Louboutins, right?
W
hen you think of a cruise, what springs to mind? For me, it’s artery-clogging buffets, chintzy touches and sedentary, silvermopped over-70s shuffling towards the pokies. If I’m honest, I’ve also thought of it as a bit of a lazy travel option. Where’s the adventure in scooping hash browns out of a bain-marie every morning and slumping in a deck chair, stripped of the need for a map or any initiative as you’re shepherded from port to port? But all the clichés associated with cruising are becoming a thing of the past – and more Aussies are choosing to cruise than ever before. A recent report shows that Australia is the fastest-growing cruise market in the world; more than one million of us took a cruise in 2014. And when I heard that one of the world’s biggest cruise lines, P&O, were 100 | BUSINESS CHICKS LATTE
launching shiny, revamped ships targeted at younger travellers, it piqued my interest. The Pacific Eden, in particular, gloated about luxury penthouse suites, 16 buffet-free dining experiences, including Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill, a top-deck pool with private cabanas and a retractable roof, and a plush spa. Sold! I packed my best sailor stripes and seasickness tablets and headed off on a threenight cruise aboard the Pacific Eden – and, at the end of it, I’d fallen for cruises hook, line and sinker (no one was more surprised than me!). Here are 10 reasons why you should cross the gangway … 1. SPLASH ABOUT, NOT OUT Cruises are excellent value and many are all-inclusive. The fares include pretty much everything you need for an awesome trip: food, accommodation, entertainment, transport between destinations and more. Some liners even include alcohol, shore tours and flights.
3. YOU’LL NEVER BE BORED ON BOARD Most cruises offer every activity under the sun. Catch a movie or a comedy show, indulge in a facial, unwind with a yoga session, splash about in the pool or just kick back with a mojito (or three). If you fancy kicking up your heels, there are usually some killer parties on board – the Pacific Eden threw a Great Gatsby-themed bash, which was the perfect excuse to don a sparkly frock and dance till dawn. 4. THEY’RE PURE ESCAPISM As Business Chicks, we’re always on the go and having to make decisions, whether it’s about work or what to cook for dinner. With a cruise, the biggest decision you’ll have to make is whether to go for a Prosecco or a piña colada. Forget trying to find hotels in your budget, or coordinating travel from place to place … and say hello to hazy, lazy days. 5. YOU’LL WAKE UP SOMEWHERE NEW You can’t beat the thrill of throwing
CRUISE CONTROL
Cruisin’ for a boozin’: P&O’s Pacific Eden offers everything from plush restaurants and top-deck pools to glitzy parties and luxurious penthouse suites to chill out in.
open your curtains in the morning to a glittering sea and a new port. Whether you’re waking up in Cannes or Cairns, you can visit so many places in a short time – with minimum effort. 6. THEY’RE CHILD-FRIENDLY – OR CHILDFREE A cruise is the perfect holiday for families – the children will never be bored, and you can drop them off at the kids’ club while you go out for a swanky dinner. And if you’re childfree and don’t fancy sharing a hot tub with 12 children under six, childfree cruises are also available. 7. CRUISES ARE FLOATING CITIES Forget about being stranded in the middle of the ocean – most cruises have Wi-FI and satellite TV. You can pick up the toiletries you forgot to pack, go bikini shopping, get a blowdry, wash your clothes and even visit the doctor if you’ve overdosed on spicy prawns. 8. YOU’LL MEET A BUNCH OF NEW PEOPLE Before you embark, you can check out your liner’s roll call to connect with fellow
You can’t beat the thrill of throwing open your curtains in the morning to a glittering sea and a new port.
cruisers. On board, you can chat to people from all over the world at dinner or by the pool. (Your new friend might just offer you their chalet in Switzerland next time you visit Europe …) 9. FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD On cruises, there are more culinary options than you can shake a chopstick out. Forget the bogan buffet – on the Pacific Eden, I pigged out on everything from steaming baskets of dumplings to osso buco at high-end Italian. At Luke Mangan’s Salt Grill, you can feast on Sydney rock oysters
and his signature dishes of crab omelette, enoki mushroom salad with miso broth and liquorice parfait with lime syrup. Hot tip: pack something with an elasticated waistband … 10. ON THE LOVE BOAT … Romance is often in the (salty) air while at sea. There’s something about the wind whipping your hair, sunsets and endless ocean. It’s the perfect place for a honeymoon, to rekindle a relationship, re-enact a scene from The Titanic (not the one where it’s sinking, obvs), or even get married. Single? Who knows – you might just meet The One … { THE PACIFIC EDEN WILL CRUISE FROM SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, ADELAIDE, FREMANTLE AND CAIRNS IN 2016, OFFERING ITINERARIES INCLUDING THEMED SHORT BREAKS, AUSTRALIAN GETAWAYS, PACIFIC ISLAND HOLIDAYS, PAPUA NEW GUINEA EXPLORATIONS, ASIAN ADVENTURES AND MAIN EVENT CRUISES. FARES START FROM $299 PER PERSON QUAD SHARE. FOR MORE INFO, CONTACT A LICENSED TRAVEL AGENT OR P&O CRUISES ON 13 24 94, OR VISIT POCRUISES.COM.AU. }
LATTE 2016 | 101
