Pacific Dawn Celebrates Birthday

Australia’s first superliner, Pacific Dawn, will celebrate her first birthday on 7 November with the launch of onboard coffee appreciation courses, exclusively available from November.

As she blows out her first candle, P&O Cruises will introduce a mixture of hands-on coffee demonstrations and interactive lectures on each cruise, which will be tailored to educate passengers on the fundamentals of creating and enjoying quality coffee.

Nestlé Professional’s National Barista Ryan Spinoglio has spent the past six months in intensive training with five P&O Cruises’ crew members, tutoring them on all facets of the coffee industry from plantation to processing, through delivery and presentation.

Mr Spinoglio, an experienced barista of more than 13 years who heads the Nestlé Professional Coffee Training and Appreciation program, has been working with the P&O Cruises’ team passing on his knowledge and expertise to ships’ coffee connoisseurs.

“It’s easy to make coffee, but it takes dedication, passion and practice to master the technique of creating great espresso coffee. After putting the P&O Cruises’ coffee ambassadors through their paces, they will now be able to pass on the skills required to craft the perfect espresso,” Mr Spinoglio said.

The newly appointed coffee ambassadors will educate passengers on coffee bean origins, the different varieties and tastes of beans available, blends to suite the Australian palate and how to correctly store and extract coffee.

“What’s on top of the coffee is not as important as the flavour of the coffee. When the coffee has been made with the best ingredients and the special care of a talented barista, the look of the coffee should reinforce the care that went into making it.”

The five coffee ambassadors showed off their newly acquired skills in a coffee master event held on Sunday 12 October, where they competed against each another to unveil the ultimate P&O Cruises coffee aficionado.

Winner Nicole Dobbyn, from Auckland, is eager to pass on the trade secrets learnt from Mr Spinoglio, to teach passengers how to handcraft the perfect cup of coffee.

‘It was an honour to be picked out of a team of great coffee makers and I’m excited to pass on the knowledge and lessons I have learnt from Ryan to show passengers the techniques needed to craft the perfect cup of coffee to appeal to their individual tastes.”

Pacific Dawn features 11 decks with two swimming pools, a choice of five evening dining areas, nine bars and lounges, “The Dome” entertainment area, a two-storey show lounge and fitness centre.  

For more information and bookings contact a licensed travel agent or P&O Cruises on 13 24 69 or visit www.pocruises.com.au

Official Press Release P&O Cruises Australia dated 3rd November 2008.