Melbourne Cup fever will hit the high seas tomorrow, with 3800 people boarding P&O Cruises’ superliners Pacific Jewel and Pacific Pearl in Sydney to sail to the nation’s most famous racing event, the Melbourne Cup.
The passengers will spend three days in Melbourne enjoying the Melbourne Cup Festival, with their visit injecting hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Victorian economy.
During their six-day cruise, guests will enjoy a field of race-themed onboard activities from hat and fascinator-making classes to talks from special guest speakers, legendary Melbourne Cup jockeys Wayne Harris and Malcolm Johnston.
Both Wayne and Malcolm will also be judging onboard “Fashions on the Fields” fashion and hat parades, as passengers warm up for the Cup.
Even the ships will be dressing for the big day, wearing plenty of bunting and banners to mark the occasion, while cruise staff will wear their silks.
Racing and horse-themed movies will be shown on the top decks’ movie screens, with the ships’ chefs preparing massive Melbourne Cup cakes to mark the occasion.
On Tuesday, passengers will head to Flemington with their cup tickets and transfers included in their cruise fare.
P&O Cruises Senior Vice President Tammy Marshall said the sell-out Melbourne Cup cruises were one of the most popular offerings in the cruise line’s programs.
“Australians love their cruising and they love their sports, so these special holidays are a fantastic combination of two great passions for many people,” Ms Marshall said.
Pacific Pearl will depart Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal at 4pm on Saturday (Nov 2), while Pacific Jewel will set sail from the White Bay Cruise Terminal at the same time.
Both ships will return to Sydney on Friday November 8.
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