By Barbara Radin Fox and Larry Fox
n 2009, guests sailing a Transatlantic Crossing aboard Cunard's
flagship ocean liner Queen Mary 2 will have an opportunity to meet
and mingle such best-selling authors and playwrights as E.L.
Doctorow, Erica Jong, Amy Bloom, John Guare and Susan Cheever. They
are among several celebrated, award-winning authors who are set to
infuse Cunard Insights, the line's top-rated onboard enrichment
program, with a dose of literary lore from April through September,
2009. Guests can look forward to engaging Q&A discussions,
lectures, book signings and readings with select titles to be
featured in the Cunard Book
Club.
"Our Transatlantic Crossing is a most storied voyage and
therefore it is quite fitting to feature these literary luminaries to
engage and delight our guests," said Carol Marlow, president of
Cunard Line. "Queen Mary 2 is the only ocean liner in the world
providing regularly scheduled service between New York and
Southampton. A Cunard voyage across the Atlantic truly epitomizes the
new Golden Age of Ocean Travel, and the addition of these renowned
authors will further enhance an experience that is already considered
one of the most thrilling journeys in the
world."
Among the authors scheduled to sail
are:
Kathryn
Harrison - April 20, 2009 (Southampton to New
York)
A prolific author, Harrison has published six novels,
three memoirs, a travelogue, a biography and a book of true crime. A
frequent reviewer for The New York Times Book Review, Harrison also
writes personal essays that have been included in many anthologies
and have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Vogue, O
Magazine, More, Bookforum and other
publications.
Oscar
Hijuelos - May 8, 2009 (New York to
Southampton)
American novelist Hijuelos is the first Hispanic to win
a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His first novel, Our House in the Last
World, was published in 1983 and received the 1985 Rome Prize,
awarded by the American Academy in Rome. His second novel, The Mambo
Kings Play Songs of Love, received the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction. It was adapted for the film The Mambo Kings in 1992 and as a
Broadway musical in
2005.
Rita
Dove - May 25, 2009 (Southampton to New
York)
An American poet and author of American Smooth, Dove was
the second African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize (1987).
From 1993 to 1995, she served as the first Black and the youngest
Poet Laureate of the United States and Poetry Consultant to the
Library of Congress. Her next book, Sonata Mulattica, will be
published in
April.
E. L.
Doctorow - May 31, 2009 (New York to
Southampton)
Doctorow is the author of several critically acclaimed
novels that blend history and social criticism. Although he had
written books for years, it was the publication of The Book of Daniel
in 1971 that earned him notoriety. His next book, Ragtime, was a
commercial and critical success. As of 2006, he held the Glucksman
Chair in American Letters at New York University. His personal papers
are held by the Fales Library at
NYU.
Erica
Jong - June 13, 2009 (Southampton to New
York)
Erica Jong is a poet, novelist and essayist best known
for her eight best-selling novels, including Fear of Flying and her
mid-life memoir Fear of Fifty. She is also the author of six
award-winning collections of poetry. She is a frequent lecturer in
the US and
abroad.
Susan
Cheever - June 25, 2009 (Southampton to New
York)
Daughter of John Cheever and sister of Benjamin Cheever,
Cheever is an author whose books include My Name is Bill - Bill
Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous, a
biography of Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Bill Wilson; Home Before
Dark, a memoir about her father, John Cheever; Note Found in a
Bottle, a memoir of her own alcoholism and recovery; Treetops: A
Memoir; as well as five novels: Looking for Work, A Handsome Man, The
Cage, Doctors and Women and Elizabeth
Cole.
Amy
Bloom - July 6, 2009 (New York to
Southampton)
An American writer, Bloom has been nominated for the
National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In
addition to novels Away and Love Invents Us, Bloom has written
articles in periodicals including The New Yorker, The New York Times
Magazine, The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, Slate and Salon.com. Her short
fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories, The O. Henry
Prize Stories and several other anthologies, and has won a National
Magazine
Award.
Brad
Gooch - July 30, 2009 (New York to
Southampton)
Gooch is an American writer and current Professor of
English at William Paterson University in New Jersey. His latest
book, Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor, will be published in
February 2009. His previous works include the acclaimed biography of
Frank O'Hara, City Poet; Godtalk: Travels in Spiritual America; three
novels; two memoirs; and collections of stories and poems. Gooch is a
recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities and Guggenheim
Fellowships.
John
Guare - September 8, 2009 (New York to
Southampton)
An American playwright, Guare is best known as the
author of The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation and
Landscape of the Body. His style, which mixes comic invention with an
acute sense of the failure of human relations and aspirations, is at
once cruel and deeply
compassionate.
In 2009, Queen Mary 2 marks her fifth year of service with an
extended transatlantic season including more than 20 classic six-day
voyages between New York and Southampton, two voyages between New
York and Hamburg and two voyages between Boston and Southampton.
Cunard's iconic Transatlantic Crossing offers guests the classic
ocean travel experience with an abundance of sea days affording
guests the luxury of time to enjoy myriad leisurely, health &
wellness, gourmet dining and intellectual
pursuits.
The Cunard Insights program
introduces guests to stimulating experts and accomplished visionaries
who reflect the line's heritage of adventure and prestige. Through a
series of lectures, Q&A's, debates, social gatherings and
workshops, guests connect with personalities who have achieved
notable distinction in areas including history, world affairs,
science, politics, arts and literature. The Insights program
underscores Cunard's longstanding view that onboard entertainment
should afford guests a provocative and rewarding cerebral
experience.
For more information and to book a voyage aboard Queen Mary 2 or Queen Victoria, consult your travel agent, call toll-free 1-800-7-CUNARD or go to http://www.cunard.com.
Viking River Cruises has added 13-day Yangtze Explorer at 2-for-1
prices. This means that Viking is charging half as much for both
cruise and hotel days as it normally would. Guests may enjoy an
11-day Yangtze River cruise with two nights in Shanghai for as little
as $1,695 per person.
Yangtze Explorer passengers embark on the Viking Century Sun
-- awarded a 5-star rating by the China National Tourism office -- at
Chongqing and cruise all the way to Nanjing (or the other way around)
before they disembark and head to Shanghai for their flight home. As
they cruise, guests visit Chongqing, China's third largest city; the
Three Gorges and the Lesser Gorges; the Three Gorges Dam; the capital
of Hubei Province, Wuhan; Jingdezhen, where porcelain was first
developed centuries ago; Mt. Jiu Hua, one of four mountains sacred to
the Buddhist faith; the lovely architectural gardens at Suzhou; and
much more, including a visit to a Viking-sponsored elementary school
along the
river.
Viking Century Sun has a capacity of more than 300 guests.
Every stateroom is deluxe, with hotel-style beds, and every stateroom
has a full balcony. The food is topnotch, complete with made-to-order
cooking stations at the breakfast buffet and special Chinese dishes
designed by celebrity chef Martin Yan
For more information on Viking River Cruises, visit http://www.vikingrivercruises.com.
Holland America Line will add to its schedule of round-trip Sydney,
Australia, sailings in 2010. The line has created three
exciting14-day cruises aboard ms Volendam geared to exploring the
vast region that encompasses Australia, New Zealand and the South
Pacific.
Two cruises, departing Jan. 20 and Feb. 28, are set to spend
more time discovering the multifaceted terrain of New Zealand than
any other premium cruise, while a third, departing Jan. 6, highlights
the South Pacific’Äôs exotic beauty.
"Our 14-day, roundtrip Sydney cruises are the perfect answer
for a relaxing holiday escape," said Richard D. Meadows, CTC,
executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs, for
Holland America Line. "Travelers will pay calls to some of the most
intriguing and exciting ports throughout New Zealand, including
Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga and Auckland and the most
breathtaking islands in the South Pacific. At the same time, guests
can indulge in our five-star, award-winning service’Äîall
at an incredible
value."
Guests on board Volendam for the Jan. 6, 14-day Pacific
Treasures cruise will kick-start the year sailing through the
breathtaking vistas of the South Pacific. As the ship departs Sydney
it makes a beeline for Noumea, New Caledonia, and the heart of French
Polynesia. Here, guests will leisurely explore the
region’Äôs culture with additional calls at Mouli and Ile
des Pins, New Caledonia; Port Vila and Luganville, Vanuatu, and
Lautoka and Levuka, Fiji, before returning to
Sydney.
The 14-day New Zealand Discovery cruise, departing Jan. 20 and
Feb. 28, provides Kiwis-at-heart with a unique opportunity to explore
the diverse landscapes throughout the country. Both the north and
south islands of New Zealand, each with incredibly vibrant and lush
scenery, will be explored with six different port calls and extensive
scenic cruising in Fiordland National Park -- a UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Additionally, Holland America Line is one of the few premium
cruise lines calling at Picton, the gateway to the South Island and
the hub of Marlborough Sounds -- thriving wine
country.
Between the two New Zealand Discovery cruises, departing Feb.
3, Volendam will also sail a 14-day Sydney-to-Auckland
itinerary.
Fares begin at just $1,599 per person, double occupancy, for
the 14-day Pacific Treasures cruise and the 14-day New Zealand
Discovery cruise. A 34-day Australia Circumnavigation cruise,
departing March 14, will spend two days sailing the coastline of the
Great Barrier Reef during daylight hours. Fares for this 34-day
voyage begin at $4,599. Additionally, fares for the 26-day Australia
and South Pacific cruise from Sydney to Vancouver, British Columbia,
departing April 17, begin at $2,699. Volendam will sail both the
34-day Australia Circumnavigation and 26-day Australia and South
Pacific
itineraries.
Holland America Line is offering a new cruise-and-fly package
on select 2009 Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand sailings
that includes airfare between Los Angeles, Calif., and Sydney,
Australia. Guests
booking air-inclusive Asia and South Pacific cruises on the
line’Äôs ms Volendam and ms Amsterdam starting in
September will fly on the new Air Qantas A380 Airbus, the largest
commercial aircraft in the world, either to or from Sydney, depending
on the itinerary. Segments of the Grand Australia, New Zealand and
South Pacific voyages also are eligible for the
offer.
The A380 air promotion is available on two segments of
Amsterdam’Äôs Grand Australia, New Zealand and South
Pacific Voyage. On the first segment, guests are able to embark in
three ports ’Äî Vancouver, British Columbia, Sept. 27;
Seattle, Wash., Sept. 26, and Los Angeles, Sept. 30 ’ making it 31 to
35 days. While on board, guests will sail throughout French
Polynesia, American Samoa, Fiji, the Cook Islands and Tahiti before
heading to Australia and disembarking in Sydney. Highlights include
crossing the International Date Line and overnight stays at Papeete,
Tahiti; Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and
Sydney.
Amsterdam will then depart Nov. 1 on a 32-day segment from
Sydney to Los Angeles. With eight calls throughout New Zealand,
guests will feel like honorary Kiwis before they sail to Tonga,
Western Samoa and the islands of
Hawaii.
Those interested in a Far East adventure can set sail Oct. 26
on Volendam's 41-day China, Southeast Asia and Great Barrier Reef
Collectors Voyage that journeys from Hong Kong to Sydney. The
itinerary includes some of Asia Pacific’Äôs best-known
destinations, and overnights in Shanghai, China, and Bangkok,
Thailand, allow guests to thoroughly explore the cities.
Volendam also will sail a 14-day Australia and New Zealand
cruise departing Sydney Dec. 6. With eight port calls in New Zealand,
guests will have the opportunity to explore the incredible Fiordland
National Park before debarking in
Auckland.
Air-inclusive fares, begin at just $2,499 per person, double
occupancy for the 14-day package, $2,399 for the 15-day package,
$3,999 for the 27-day package, $4,599 for the 31-day package, $4,699
for the 32-day package, $4,999 for the 34-day package, $4,999 for the
35-day package, and $4,299 for the 41-day
package.
Air add-on fares are available from additional U.S. gateways
from only $200
additional.
For a cruise brochure or for more information on Holland America Line voyages, consult a professional travel agent, call 1-800-522-3399 or visit http://www.hollandamerica.com.
Most cruise ship passengers are aware that behind the scenes of their
relaxing cruise vacation there’Äôs a bustle of activity to
deliver an excellent experience, but few have gotten an up-close look
at these inner workings. This will change in November
with the debut of Ruby Princess as Princess Cruises introduces an
industry first, The Ultimate Ship Tour, an exclusive opportunity to
experience an array of back of house areas that are key to a ship's
daily
operations.
This pioneering concept will give passengers the unique
opportunity to explore beyond the public areas with visits to the
ship’Äôs engine control room, medical center, print shop,
laundry, photo lab, bridge and other spaces for a rare insider's view
of many areas typically seen only by the ship’Äôs
crew. Participants will also
receive a variety of themed mementos at many of the stops along the
route.
"This tour is really the ultimate opportunity for some of our
passengers to get a very unique view of the new Ruby Princess, and
meet some of the ship's senior officers in their working
environment," said Jan Swartz, Princess senior vice
president. Space is limited
for the tour, which will be available for $150 per person, and can be
reserved onboard at the Passenger Services Desk. Following its debut aboard
Ruby Princess, the program will be introduced aboard all Princess
ships.