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Jaunted Interviews / Men in Uniform / Cruise Travel / Cunard / Ships / Queen Victoria / Norway Travel / → All Tags

This is the Man Who Drops the 12-Ton Anchors from Cunard's 'Queen Victoria'

When you think about the people who make a cruise ship run, who comes to mind? The captain...maybe the head chef and cruise director, right? Well, with about 1,000 crew onboard Cunard's Queen Victoria, there's so many others in the shadows, all responsible for making your vacation an awesome one. And over the next two weeks, we'd like to introduce you to them.

Today, meet Richard, Third Officer on the Queen Victoria's bridge.

You're looking at a future Cunard ship captain here. Richard, from the Isle of Wight, may be in charge of dropping anchor and inspecting the lifeboats, but he's got his eye on the helm. Believe it or not, this man in officer's whites is only 21 years old.

"I've got at least twenty more years [before captain]," he admits, but Richard's been at sea since 16, working his way up from cargo ships to the Seven Seas Mariner and finally to right here, where we're standing with an envious view overlooking the Norwegian port of Bergen.

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Big Ash Problems / Volcanoes / Travel Alerts / Weather / Cruise Travel / Cunard / → All Tags

An Immediate Solution for Getting from the UK to the USA: A Transatlantic Cruise

...Well, it's definitely more immediate than waiting out the ashy mess you've got with the airlines. If you're trapped in the UK and you need to get to the USA as soon as possible, then we've got a solution for you, provided you're willing to throw some money at the problem.

Luckily for millions of stranded airline passengers, the world hasn't completely given up on big ship travel, and the majesty of them all: Cunard's Queen Mary 2 ship leaves Wednesday from just outside of London for a 7-day transatlantic crossing to New York. Considering how airlines might not be able to get you out on a flight for 8 or more days, and you've still got to stay in a hotel, paying British pounds, the Queen Mary crossing could be the brightest idea yet.

Cabins are still available for her April 22-29 sailing from Southampton, starting from $1,024 per person, all-inclusive for the full week. That's like two nights in some 4-star London hotels, especially with the price gouging. If your company wants you back in the States no matter what and needs your arrival date confirmed, this would be the way to go for an expense-accounted mini-vacation.

Related Stories:
· Westbound Transatlantic Crossing [Cunard]
· Volcano Ash Can't Stop John Cleese; Actor Takes $5,100 Taxi Ride [Jaunted]
· Cruise Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: Queen Mary 2 in NY Harbor by Jaunted]

Cruising With Celebs / Erica Jong / Queen Mary 2 / → All Tags

Got a Fear of Flying? Cruise With Erica Jong!

It's zipless: Set sail with feminist legend Erica Jong (author of Fear of Flying, which is not about aviophobia) and Cunard this June on the Queen Mary 2 between Southampton and New York.

The cruise is part of the Literature and Liners series, which promises lectures, Q&As and book signings, although we haven't been able to find any kind of specific itinerary or idea of what the price would be (if any) to add this onto your trip. Jong, a poet and author whose most famous work addressed female sexuality through the unhappily married character of Isadora Wing, is one of several authors invited aboard Cunard in this new program, which also includes poet Rita Dove and novelist E.L. Doctorow.

Set sail with Jong on June 13 and you can participate in the other onboard enrichment on the same trip, Oxford University Press' "Science at Sea." How studious and balanced of you!

Related Stories:
· Cunard Insights [cunard.com]
· Five Reasons We Might Actually Take A Cruise In 2009 [Jaunted]
· Cruising with Celebs coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: njron]

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QE2 Captain Apparently Not Ready For Retirement

The noble ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 made its final stop in its home port of Southampton today, after colliding with a sandbar at around 5:30 am this morning. After being dragged off the underwater obstacle and participating in Armistice Day festivities, the QE2 set course for Dubai, where it will be docked next to an artificial island as a five-star hotel.

One of the passengers said the ship herself didn't want to retire:

She didn't want to come in. That's the opinion of quite a few of us on board. She doesn't want to go to Dubai and we don't want her to go.

But we're more likely to cast a suspicious eye on Captain Ian McNaught, who, in an interview from the bridge with NPR, likened his 20-plus-year career on the QE2 to a marriage:

It's a little like being married really, I think. To be honest, it's a little bit of a love-hate relationship, and happily there are more days when I love her than I hate her.

Crashing her into a sandbar must be a bad day, then.

Related Stories:
· QE2 Sets Sail On Farewell Voyage [NPR]
· QE2 Runs Aground on Final Stop [AFP, via Google]
· Cruises coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of the QE2 in Sydney: Wikipedia]

Celeb Travel / Cruises / Helen Mirren / → All Tags

All Aboard! Helen Mirren's Big, Big Boat

Dame Helen Mirren helped christen a boat in Southampton, England yesterday. The Ventura, which carries 3,600 passengers, 11 restaurant and a full theater, is the largest cruise ship in Britain right now, and it took a full team of Royal Marines to, at Mirren's signal, ceremoniously break a giant champagne bottle against its hull.

Mirren returned to England for the event from Reno, where she has been filming "Love Ranch," a movie based on the true story of a married couple who open a legal brothel together. Joe Pesci plays her husband and business partner, but her real-life husband Taylor Hackford is directing.

Ironically, this week is the 96th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, which departed from Southampton on its maiden voyage but would never make it to New York.

Related Stories:
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Cruises coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ICYDK]

Celeb Travel / → All Tags

Scarlett Johansson's Southampton Wedding Plans?

While filming The Nanny Diaries in various New York locales recently, Scarlett Johansson shacked up in Southampton for a few days during shooting. Oh, the difficult life of stars!

One would expect Scarlett to rent out a pad with some friends, but nothing doing: She stayed at the Southampton Inn. With 90 rooms boasting "Tempur-Pedic" matressess (you know, you've seen the infomercial), it's just a quick ride from Coopers Beach. We wonder if the Inn's reputation for hosting weddings had anything to do with Scarlett's selection...

Related stories:
Scarlett Johansson in Long Island [Lovetripper]