October is just a month full of crazy in my world.
My husband celebrates his birthday just over a week after our son, so I always feel like I am hitting it in survival mode. His gift is often an after thought and every year I feel a bit more guilty.
However, this time I genuinely think I got my life sorted(ish) with the help of Captain Cook Cruises. I took the husband out for a night of fine dining and…yes…even some romance. I have taken a couple of cruises with these guys, and I have never been disappointed. Check out a lunch cruise we took last year here.
Our dinner view.
But this one was a little different.
You see, it was DARK. People; I kid you not…It was NIGHT TIME.
You know when you become parents that the night time is generally reserved for sitting in a hunched up position on someone’s bed, rubbing backs, filling drink bottles, and/or squawking at kids to get back into their beds? Then, when they are finally asleep, you crawl on the couch and moan about the ‘old’ days when you had a life?
It was so fantastic to get glammed up, kiss the kids goodbye and walk out the door, leaving them in the loving arms of their great Aunt.
Getting on board with Captain Cook Cruises is incredibly easy, and I love the fact that everything is taken care of for you. The food is absolutely restaurant quality, there is no queuing at bars, no debating about whether to move on to a different place, no head scratching about where on earth is even ‘cool’ nowadays; everything is laid out for you with food, drinks, table service and the night cruise has live music and a dance floor. I did not have to think for anyone else but myself, and my biggest dilemma of the evening was deciding between beef or chicken.
Booking online is simple and there are loads of options to suit your schedule or budget. There is even whale watching cruises, private charters, high teas; loads of fantastic ways to see the harbour and beyond. There is also special event cruises; I would have LOVED to get on board with a group of girls for the Melbourne Cup Cruise (but..well…kids), and it would be an incredible way to spend Christmas Day with your family and NO cooking!
We were lucky enough to be given a Captain’s Dinner for two (for the purposes of reviewing) and this left from Circular Quauy right on 7pm (times are subject to change, so make sure you check this out). The sun was still setting and we had fantastic views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and of course the big cruise ships that are so incredible to watch manoeuvre out of the harbour. Food service is fast, so grab that menu and start deciding. If you think you might be up for a few drinks, check out the drinks packages (prices vary depending on your cruise; around *$29/ $39 pp). This must be purchased online before boarding; otherwise, you can just run a table tab like normal.
Entree had 4 choices, but I am a sucker for salmon and it was light, well sized and a great start to our evening.
Main has salmon, duck, beef fillet, chicken and a vegetarian salad; I went the beef and was super happy with this decision. It was cooked perfectly and the jus was incredible.
Dessert saw us split ways; I (of course) went for the chocolate roche – it was AMAZING and I really wanted to lick the plate, but, you know, public and all. The husband went for the flourless cake, and whilst he liked it, he kept stealing tastes of mine.
The wine was wet, cold and regularly poured elegantly into my glass. I was NOT complaining. Delish.
We even danced.
I am talking the old, waltzy, “pretend we have some clue what we are doing” dancing. But it felt so good and was genuine fun. The band played all the golden oldies; I was in my element as all the words to “Lady in Red” and “Dancing Queen” just fell out my mouth.
The end of the night eventually arrived, but it was 3 1/2 quality hours on board.
3 1/2 glorious hours.
Thank you Captain Cook Cruises; I love what you do and I happily recommend your cruises to locals or anyone who is visiting this sparkling city!
Lock a fabulous cruise down here. If you are a little flexible, you can grab some great last minute specials!
Or pop over to Facebook and check them out.
Photo credit to “Happy Medium Photo Co.” (Camperdown), who have photographers on board. We simply had to purchase this shot with the Opera House behind us for only $12!
* Bar packages vary between cruises so do check this online.
