Book a 2011 P&O Cruises holiday and wine and dine for free at Michelin starred restaurants

P&O Cruises has launched a Cruise & Dine promotion which will run from August 1 until November 30 2010.

P&O Cruises is famous for its quality of dining and choice of fine dining restaurants on its fleet of ships. It works with three iconic British chefs, each of whom have restaurants on board and who travel regularly to uphold the quality, meet and entertain the passengers as well as holding question and answer sessions, book signings, demonstrations and exclusive cookery sessions.

Gary Rhodes has Oriana Rhodes and Arcadian Rhodes - fine dining restaurants on Oriana and Arcadia.

Marco Pierre White has the Mediterranean restaurant and al fresco terrace, The White Room on Ventura as well as the authentic French brasseries, Cafe Bordeaux on Aurora and Cafe Jardin on Oceana

Michelin starred Indian chef Atul Kochhar has Sindhu on P&O Cruises newest ship, Azura serving the finest Asian-fusion cuisine for which he has won great acclaim.

As part of the P&O Cruises Early Booking Spectacular, passengers booking on one of the following cruises in 2011 on which the chefs will be travelling, could be in with a chance to win a voucher for £150 to dine at selected Gary Rhodes, Marco Pierre White and Atul Kochhar restaurants across the UK, including Rhodes 24, The Yew Tree and Benares.

For further details see www.pocruises.co.uk/cruiseanddine.

Gary Rhodes travel dates:

· Oriana cruise no.X106. May 3 Western Mediterranean
· Oriana cruise no. X115. Sep 4 Spain, Portugal & France
· Arcadia cruise no J102 March 29 Western Mediterranean
· Arcadia cruise no J106. July 21 Spitsbergen & Fjords

Marco Pierre White travel dates:

· Ventura cruise no N107 March 27 Western Mediterranean
· Aurora cruise no R107 June 20 Central Mediterranean
· Oceana cruise no E119 July 23 Western Mediterranean
· Ventura cruise no N123 Sep 3 Western Mediterranean
· Oceana cruise no E130 Nov 9 Canary Islands

Atul Kochhar travel dates:

· Azura cruise no A111 May 12 2011 Central Mediterranean
· Azura cruise no A115 July 3 2011 Baltic
· Azura cruise no A121 September 18 2011 Spain, Portugal, Morocco
· Azura cruise no A125 November 11 2011 Caribbean

Participating restaurants are:

Marco Pierre White

Marco Pierre White at The Yew Tree, Newbury
Marco Pierre White at Wheeler’s of St James, London

Atul Kochhar

Benares, Berkeley Square, London
Vatika, Wickham Vineyard, Hampshire

Gary Rhodes

Rhodes Twenty Four, Tower 42, London
Rhodes W1, Great Cumberland Place, London
Rhodes South, Christchurch Harbour Hotel, Dorset

Terms & conditions

1. To enter, once your booking has been made, please email cruiseanddine@pocruises.com with your name, address, booking reference number and choice of restaurant.
2. There are 70 vouchers available and 70 bookings will be chosen at random from all of the entries received within the period August 1 and November 20 2010. Vouchers will be issued four weeks prior to the cruise departure date.
3. Winners will be notified by December 20, 2010
4. This offer is applicable to new bookings only, made between August 1 and November 20 2010.
5. Bookings must be for the holidays listed above.
6. Travel dates of celebrity chefs are subject to change without notice
7. Winners may request which restaurant voucher they require however all restaurant bookings will be subject to availability and bookings must be made directly with the chosen restaurant.
8. Vouchers are non transferable and may not be exchanged for cash
9. Vouchers for all Gary Rhodes restaurants entitle the bearer to a set menu including glass of champagne on arrival, three course meal with glass of wine with each course, chosen by the sommelier, and coffee, for two adults
10. The £150 voucher will be offset against the total cost of the meal, additional costs over and above this amount will be payable by the individual
11. The winners will make themselves reasonably available for publicity purposes, if required.
12. The promotor is Carnival plc trading as P&O Cruises, Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton SO15 1ST

P&O Cruises on GMTV

GMTV takes to the high-seas with P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises will play host to GMTV next week, as its nationwide search for Britain’s hidden culinary talent – ‘Chefs at Sea’ – comes to a close with the four finalists battling it out on board one of the most popular ships in the fleet, Ventura. Presenter Claire Sweeney will be at the helm and P&O Cruises own culinary genius, Marco Pierre White, will be judging the live final at the end of the week.

The four finalist contestants, being chosen by GMTV viewers this week (19 – 22 July) will be boarding the ship on Saturday 24 July and sailing on a week long cruise visiting Vigo, Lisbon, La Rochelle and Brest (N019). The programme will be aired live from Ventura between 7am and 9am each morning between Monday 26 and Friday 30 July.

Haute cuisine teacher and chef, Rosemary Shrager, of Ladette to Lady and Soapstar Superchef, will be mentoring the budding chefs and guiding them through a series of fun food tasks on board and on shore as they test their culinary credentials against each other live at sea.

P&O Cruises passengers will have the chance to get involved as they vote for their two favourites in a theatre ‘cook-off’ mid-cruise. The two finalists will then go head to head in the final challenge – cooking Marco Pierre White’s signature dish for him and the Captain on the Captain’s table.

The winner will receive a Caribbean cruise on Ventura, for themselves and their family, and a private cooking masterclass with Marco Pierre White on board.

P&O Cruises managing director, Carol Marlow, said: “P&O Cruises is renowned for fine dining and exceptional quality of food on board, so we are delighted to be hosting this GMTV programme on board Ventura.

“She is the perfect ship for this competition – as the dining options on board are so rich and varied – from authentic Spanish tapas, exotic Asian and Oriental, to fresh and colourful Mediterranean fine dining from Marco Pierre White.

“Throughout the week we’ll be supporting the contestants as they learn about everything from pastry to shell-fish. We look forward to seeing who comes out on top and to welcoming them and their family back on board later this year.”

Olly Smith onboard P&O Azura 2010

All on board for a wine-tastic time!

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

Sample wine flights below:

Flight 1: Exotic Whites £9.95

A flight of three widely differing exotically flavoured wines.

Peller, Niagara Ice Cuvée NV, Canada
Ever tasted a wine from Canada before? Peller Icewine Cuvée is blended from the juice of naturally frozen grapes that have been picked in the middle of a cold Canadian winter. A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir honey coated fizz with subtle richness and a surprisingly dry finish.

Château Saint Ferréol Viognier 2007, Vin de Pays d’Oc, France
Viognier kicked off its career in the Rhône Valley in France and has made great strides. Peachy, fl oral touches, exotic notes of sweet tropical fruit. Sip it and behold the life and tang, it’s like electric apricots with real verve and a trace of vanilla creaminess.

Beblenheim Gewurztraminer Dom Trapet 2005, Alsace, France
Flamboyant, fun and unmistakable! This wine smells of orangey marmalade with lemon Turkish delight, elderflower and lychee floating around like an air display of tropical fruits. Off-dry with luscious fruit and some proper zing to balance.

Flight 5: Beginner’s Luck £7.95

A bit of simple fun if you’re up for spreading your wings in the world of wine or just dipping a toe in at the edge! Welcome aboard!

Alois Lageder Biodynamic Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio 2008 Italy
Pinot Grigio is very popular with us Brits, but this is Pinot Grigio like no other. It’s so delicious and accomplished it deserves a knighthood - rich, pure, creamy, complex, layered and excellent.

Château Sainte Marguerite Grande Reserve Rosé 2008, Provence, France
There is no drink that says “holiday” quite as much as a cool glass of rosé. And this is not just any old rosé. This is an absolute stonker. It’s all about floral aromas (think roses) and strawberry freshness. It comes from Provence, made from organic grapes and feels like pure summertime in a glass.

Perez Cruz Cabernet Sauvignon 2007, Maipo Valley, Chile
Seriously packed with blackcurrant fruitiness and a lively minty streak, it’s fleshy, smooth and generous mouthful of yum!

For more information or to request a copy of the brochure call Travel Advisors UK Linited on 01246 555777,or visit www.chatsworthtravel.co.uk, click here to search over 15,000 cruises on our cruise search.

P&O Cruises offers even more value with The Early Booking Spectacular

P&O Cruises offers even more value with The Early Booking Spectacular

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 Travel Advisors UK Linited on 01246 555777,or visit www.chatsworthtravel.co.uk, click here to search over 15,000 cruises on our cruise search.

You should be aware of this!

This is pretty good advice.

Ever wonder what is on your magnetic hotel room key card?

Answer:
A. Customer's name
B. Customer's partial home address
C. Hotel room number
D. Check-in date and out dates
E. Customer's credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the hotel scanner.. An employee can take a hand full of cards home and using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop computer and go shopping at your expense.

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until an employee reissues the card to the next hotel guest. At that time, the new guest's information is electronically 'overwritten' on the card and the previous guest's information is erased in the overwriting process.

But until the card is rewritten for the next guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR INFORMATION ON IT!

The bottom line is: Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them. NEVER leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER turn them into the front desk when you check out of a room. They will not charge you for the card (it's illegal) and you'll be sure you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card reader.

For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you still have the card key in your pocket, do not put it in an airport waste basket. Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up, especially through the electronic information strip!

If you have a small magnet, pass it across the magnetic strip several times. Then try it in the door, it will not work. It erases everything on the card.

Information courtesy of: Metropolitan Police Service.