P&O Cruises Announces the Biggest Comedy Festival at Sea
P&O Cruises will give Kiwis a good reason to laugh out loud with the launch of ‘The Big Laugh' - a first-of-its-kind Comedy Festival at Sea onboard Pacific Jewel in August 2018.
Nine big-name Kiwi and Aussie comics including Cal Wilson, Brendhan Lovegrove and Heath Franklin will deliver 22 shows and a combined 1,000 minutes of jokes at the jam-packed three night festival.
The announcement comes as P&O Cruises launches its biggest ever season of comedy, comprising nine dedicated comedy cruises departing Auckland in 2018 and 2019.
This year P&O will carry 45,000 Kiwis on 22 roundtrip cruises as part of its record New Zealand cruise season which runs for six months from March 21 to August 23 and is expected to contribute around $25 million into the local economy through guest and crew spending, provedoring and port charges.
P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the introduction of the biggest comedy festival at sea aimed to build on New Zealand's growing interest in comedy on land and at sea.
"P&O Cruises loves comedy as much as our guests do and it's been a hugely successful part of our itineraries, with 650 shows now performed across our fleets each year. That's nearly two comedy shows a day – a figure to rival comedy stores around the world," Mr Myrmell said.
"We're always looking at ways we can push the boundaries on what our guests can continue to expect from our onboard entertainment. ‘The Big Laugh' will serve up many different types of comedy genres every day and night, from big marquee performances right through to intimate gigs in our many stylish bars and lounges. There really will be something for everyone."
Today P&O Cruises offers a wide range of comedy performances from Comedy Workshops, Comedy Gala Shows, the Comedy Gong Show where guest performers get judged by the audience, and Cocktails and Comedy, an intimate show to be enjoyed as the sun goes down.
"Since 2009 we've delivered 99 dedicated comedy cruises with over 600 comedians, delivering more than 30,000 jokes and entertaining over 170,000 guests. By the end of 2019, we'll have carried out close to 200 comedy cruises making P&O the biggest provider of comedy in New Zealand and Australia," said Mr Myrmell.
‘The Big Laugh' on the Pacific Jewel departs Auckland on August 3, 2018. Fares start from $476.30 per person quad share.
For more information, visit pocruises.co.nz, call 0800 78 0716 or see a licensed travel agent.
*subject to availability, conditions apply
Media information, please contact:
Lindsay Stanley
Eleven PR
M: 0212 884411
E: lindsay.stanley@elevenpr.co.nz
Lyndsey Gordon
P&O Cruises
M: +61 466 170 047
