A sweet cruise from MSC

MSC Cruises has a sweet offer, announcing that it has joined forces with Gerry Wilton, international chocolatier and founder of the world’s first chocolate-themed hotel, the unique Chocolate Boutique Hotel in Bournemouth, United Kingdom, and will be offering a voyage of discovery with a difference for guests on board MSC Opera from May 13 to May 23, 2012. The cruise combines visits to Northern Europe’s Baltic capitals with a “choc fest” that will transform the MSC Opera into a chocolate factory as she departs from Southampton for an 11-day cruise, visiting Amsterdam, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Copenhagen before returning to Southampton. During the four full days at sea, Wilton will host a series of four, two-hour-long chocolate classes, starting at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. These are not your typical theory classes in which the teacher holds court, but rather “hands-on” tutorials where the emphasis is on interactive fun. Passengers will learn all about the history of chocolate and the production process from bean to bar while enjoying every chocolate-filled minute. They will taste samples from all over the world, learn how to make both molded chocolates and Belgian truffles and even paint portraits of themselves û using delicious white, dark and milk Belgian chocolate – which will then be framed for them to take away. Go to http://www.msccruisesusa.com for more.