Copyright © by May DeLory
Flash This!
Transatlantic Crossing special from Cunard! Fares from only $999.* for 7 days. Also Europe on sale. 2014 World Voyages itinerary available for viewing. New York, NY to Southampton, UK or the reverse. www.cunard.com Call (800) 728-6273
The Ritz-Carlton New York, Battery Park
Linger longer in New York City with a Complimentary Night. Valid through December 31, 2013 Starting at $445 USD per night. Extend your stay on The Ritz-Carlton Club® Level and enjoy one complimentary night. www.ritzcarlton.com
Yes, it is possible to live like a Queen, or a Princess – if only for a little while — if you are on the high seas with Cunard. (Elizabeth Taylor loved taking her pooch on Cunard because of the special attention afforded to both people and pets.) https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/fleet/kennel_info
Queens Grill or Princess Grill accommodation affords many luxuries, including your own Grills’ concierge, priority embarkation with separate Grill check-in, Frette linens and duvet, turn-down evening service with pillow chocolates, personalised Cunard stationary, fruit basket and bottled water in your suite and replenished daily or as needed, exclusive Grills’ areas, and dining in the Princess Grills’ Restaurant.
One benefit to booking a Grill Suite (approximate 381 sq. feet) is the opportunity of dining at any time between 6:30 pm or 8:30 pm. Canyon Ranch Spa cuisine selections are available in the Princess Grill Restaurant. Cuisine on Cunard is of the highest order; but, nowadays many people opt for lighter fair or spa cuisine. Canyon Ranch Spa dining selections are exceptional. You’ll find braised leek salad, or lollo rosso and fennel salad, or crab and mango salad as an appetizer, and stuffed mediterranean chicken or any number of delicious dining selections as an entrée. Dessert offerings will doubtless remind one of a pastry shop in Paris, France. Of course Cunard spells luxury from tip to stern…but Grill Suite accommodation ups the ante for a truly memorable Transatlantic journey.
The beauty of sailing with the longest ship at sea, Queen Mary 2 – an ocean liner capable of withstanding the fierce lashings of an angry Atlantic sea — is that there is very little chance of repetition in covering ground aboard ship. There is always something new and exciting to do and new people to meet on Queen Mary 2. Public spaces are enormous, glamorous, and lined with valuable works of art. The newly installed Cultural Enrichment Programmes have proven to be a huge success for Cunard. P. D. James, one of the world’s leading authors of detective fiction is giving a talk on the June 17, 2012 QM2 Transatlantic Voyage. Acting class is available onboard with London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). Begun in 1904, RADA brought many of the stage’s brightest talents, including Vivien Lee (Gone with the Wind), Charles Laughton (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), and Sir John Gielgud (Broadway’s Hamlet) to world attention.
Queen Mary 2 Princess Grill Suite
The original Queen Mary was described by Hollywood film star Cary Grant as the eighth wonder of the world. Grant timed his sailings to coincide with the Queen Mary’s Atlantic schedule. There are no ports of call during a Transatlantic Crossing (New York to Southampton or the reverse voyage) which allows for the opportunity to immerse oneself in the Golden Age of Ocean Travel as heralded by Cunard for nearly 170-years. Traditionally, Cunard’s Transatlantic Crossing is six days; but in 2010 there will now be the choice of six or seven days. Queen Mary 2 was named by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll in January 2004 and entered service on January 12th the same year. By the time Queen Mary 2 sailed the Atlantic 104 times — a journey for which she was especially built — and made calls to 115 ports in 45 countries, she celebrated five-years of service.
Juilliard Jazz School
The world’s most eligible bachelor — albeit of royal blood — stunned the world in 1936 with his announcement that he himself intended to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. It is said that the Windsors ultimately put the seal of approval on how best to cross the Atlantic. On the Windsors first voyage aboard Cunard 150 pieces of monogrammed Louis Vuitton luggage set the stage for chic ocean voyages. By the time the 1950s rolled around, Cunard offered the Windsors their own main deck suite in order to make storage of their excessive luggage demands easier on staff.
I wasn’t surprised Cunard’s Grills Accommodation was awarded for 2009 by Berlitz top rankings for “Best Overall Food” & “Best Overall Service” with a five-star Berlitz rating among the Top Ten Large Cruise Ships. Additional information on Cunard is available in the 2009 Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships compiled by Douglas Ward a world-renowned cruise authority and president of Maritime Evaluations Group. Every moment my daughter and I spent in our Grills Accommodation felt like a lavish hotel room. We both can recall exactly how surprised and relieved we were to see multiple his/her cupboards and walk-in closet. But the walk-out private terrace with classic Cunard lounge chairs was the icing on the cake. Freedom of the seas! Cool breezes and invigorating sea air. We also weren’t surprised that Canyon Ranch SpaClub was voted one of the “Top Ten Spas” by Berlitz. It all makes for an affair to remember. Dining in the Todd English restaurant was perfection, as were all the dining options on Queen Mary 2. Everywhere we turned there was another surprise and/or treat to be enjoyed. Of course, White Glove Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room tops it all for relaxing in royal style in the afternoon.
Spa in high seas style
There is a spa treatment called 18-Carats given at the only Canyon Ranch SpaClub® at sea aboard the Queen Mary 2 ocean liner you’ll doubtless want to experience. Canyon Ranch SpaClub® not only sets the gold standard in fitness, health and wellness treatments and programmes but also offers a massage ritual using real gold. After a run with my daughter on the ship’s open-air promenade deck around the longest ship ever built (3 laps = 1.1 miles), I visited the 20,000-square foot state-of-the-art spa and health club facilities with wraparound ocean views for my 80-minutes 18-Carats Body Scrub. Chinese used gold in 2500 BC for medicinal purposes and the ancient Egyptians ingested gold in various forms for mental and bodily purification. The minute gold flecks in the salve were effortlessly massaged over my body in long strokes. A twenty-minute soak in a Jacuzzi with special soft water left my joints limber. My skin was dewy and looked kissed by the sun due to the real gold treatment. Another day I indulged in the Canyon Ranch Thai Massage where arms and legs were gently eased this way and that way. It felt wonderful to be prodded and molded by expert hands and fingers. Pressure points were located on my body followed by long and deep strokes along body energy channels for cross-fiber friction massage. Another treatment I booked was the Canyon Stone Massage where smooth heated stones are placed at various important juncture points along the body to induce mind-numbing relaxation. QM2 serves Canyon Ranch SpaClub® cuisine, and has introduced single-occupancy fares for solo travelers on some voyages. Next trip I’m after the Rasul Ceremony Canyon Ranch signature treatment using Middle Eastern medicinal mud and steam therapy performed in an exotic tiled steam chamber for singles or couples. 1-800-7-CUNARD WWW.CUNARD.COM Canyon Ranch SpaClub® 800-742-9000 WWW.CANYONRANCH.COM
The Cunard Line sponsors many charitable events. Spring 2009 saw Cunard Line sponsor Stars for a Cause, a celebrity-designed jewellery, fashion and accessories collection auction preview aboard the Transatlantic Crossing New York City to Southampton, England. Bonhams & Butterfields held the Stars For A Cause charity auction in Los Angeles the 28th of May 2009. The jewellery collection was designed by a Hollywood Who’s-Who and worn by international stars Goldie Hawn and William Shatner among other Hollywood celebrities.
Cunard, and Camp Brooklyn — founded by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz – made it possible for more than 60 children to have lunch in the QM2′s formidable Britannia restaurant, tour the QM2, and attend Camp Brooklyn’s annual fundraiser reception held in the Queens Room aboard the Queen Mary 2.
Now you’ll be able to be married on a Cunard voyage beginning April 2012! Let celebrity chef Todd English design the Cunard reception menu. On land honeymoon at The Ritz London! Or get married in one of many other Cunard destinations.
McNaught & Chef, Todd English
See you on the high seas!
The famous Queens Grill Suite upgrades. http://bit.ly/trwpvt
http://www.cunard.com/ Telephone 1-800-7-CUNARD
http://www.cunard.com/Documents/Transatlantic/101ThingsToDo.pdf
Transatlantic Journey of a different kind for this couple. http://www.offshoresailing.com/blog/?p=1055
