COVER STORY
The culinary experience is an integral part of
any event, with local cruise line P&O Cruises
leading the way in delivering exceptional
dining experiences on board its fleet. That
tradition is continuing with its new ship Pacific
Explorer, which will feature new poolside
venue Luke’s Grill, by Australian chef and
restaurateur Luke Mangan, and traditional
Neapolitan Italian pizzeria 400 Gradi from
famed Melbourne chef Johnny Di Francesco. Waterfront. Pacific Explorer will also feature
the popular Pantry – P&O Cruises’ industry
leading casual dining option. Luke’s Grill and
400 Gradi will join a range of other exciting
new offerings on Pacific Explorer including a
partnership with Sydney distillery Archie Rose
Distilling Co in the ship’s premium cocktail
bar, The Bonded Store, which will feature a
tantalising list of cocktails made with Archie
Rose’s handcrafted spirits.
Luke’s Grill will debut on the 77,000-tonne
Pacific Explorer when it joins P&O’s fleet in
June, offering al fresco dining overlooking
the pool in a modern and relaxed setting. The
venue follows Luke’s recent foray into the “fast-
casual” scene with the launch of his gourmet
burger chain, Chicken Confidential, in Sydney.
It marks Luke’s fifth outlet across the current P&O Cruises president Sture Myrmell says the
cruise line prided itself on keeping up-to-date
with new concepts and themes for its guests
and was fast becoming the trend-setter for
modern cruise dining.
“The outlets will be stylish yet relaxed while
offering premium, restaurant quality food and
service,” he says. “We think they’ll provide
the perfect end to a busy day
onboard one of our ships.”
Great food making waves
The hottest food trend this
year ‘fast-casual dining’ is
heading to sea with P&O
Cruises launching new dining
outlets from some of Australia’s
leading chefs onboard its
latest ship Pacific Explorer.
P&O fleet along with his Salt grill restaurants
across the cruise line’s existing four ships.
For a more fine dining experience onboard
Pacific Explorer, guests will be able to enjoy
a Salt grill experience with a special “Taste
of Salt” dinner at the ship’s Chef’s Table. The
seven-course degustation meal will feature
some of Luke’s land-based favourites such
as the ‘Glass’ Sydney crab omelette and
Luke’s liquorice parfait paired with matching
Australian wines.
The two new venues will complement the
new ship’s three signature onboard dining
experiences – Dragon Lady, Angelo’s and The
8 Convention & Incentive Marketing, Issue 3, 2017 www.cimmagazine.com
Having the culinary
experience taken care of
is just one of the reasons
so many event planners are taking to the
sea with P&O Cruises. The designated
conference venues onboard (Marquee seating
540 theatre-style and Black Circus seating up
to 320 theatre-style) include all audio-visual
equipment and technicians, which in addition
to the dedicated conference team in Sydney
make for a seamless experience.
Along with the thrill of taking your meeting
to sea, Pacific Explorer offers plenty of other
activities perfect for team-building such as
outdoor lawn bowls, waterslides and a water
park, making P&O Cruises the perfect partner
for all your event requirements.