Crystal Cruises Offers New Wine and Microbrew Dinners in 2014

Crystal SerenityCrystal Cruises is offering four new Wine & Food-themed luxury cruises for 2014, when it will introduce new guest chef-prepared Vintage Room dinners on each of the four sailings – in Asia, the South Pacific, Trans-Atlantic, and the U.S./Caribbean – as well as a new microbrew theme on the last of the voyages.

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All of Crystal’s culinary "Experiences of Discovery" voyages include complimentary hands-on cooking classes, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, mixology lessons, and a guest chef dinner for all guests in the Crystal Dining Room. In addition, in 2014, each culinary-themed cruise will have an optional dinner for 12-14 in Crystal’s Vintage Room, with seven courses and wine pairings. The new microbrew-themed cruise will offer beer pairings, instead of wine, for the dinner, as well as craft beers and sampling throughout the voyage.  

Held on both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, the cruises will include:

•        The South Pacific: Sailing Jan. 20 from Papeete to Bora Bora, Rarotonga, Tonga, Fiji, and Auckland (overnight).
•        Asia/China: Sailing April 9 from Hong Kong (overnight) to Xiamen, Shanghai (two overnights), and Dalian, with three days ashore in Beijing included.
•        Atlantic, including Iceland and New England: Sailing Sept. 5 from London’s port of Southampton to the Channel Islands, Waterford, Dublin, Belfast, Reykjavik (overnight), Halifax, Bar Harbor, and Boston.
•        The U.S. East Coast, South, and Caribbean: Sailing Nov. 5 from New York (overnight) to Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, Turks & Caicos, Curaçao, Aruba, and Miami.

Food experts scheduled thus far include Thrainn Freyr Vigfusson, recent Icelandic Chef of the Year and Bocuse d’Or finalist; Stephen Beaumont, co-author of "The World Atlas of Beer"; Aldo Sohm, wine director at New York’s Le Bernadin restaurant; Shailesh Naidu, the only native five-star executive chef in Fiji; and Serge Dansereau, owner of Bathers’ Pavilion restaurant in New South Wales. 

“Book now” fares for the Wine & Food cruise series start at $3,515 per person, and are only guaranteed until Oct. 31. 

For more information, call 888-799-4625, or visit www.crystalcruises.com.