Maritime Britain: A Transatlantic Discovery Aboard the Queen Mary 2

13 days
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4.4/5 Great
100+ reviews  
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Large Ship Cruise
This trip has been discontinue. Instead see: Wilderness Walking: The Outer Hebrides and Skye A Taste of Europe Hidden Gems of New England     With legendary sailors like Sir Francis Drake, James Cook and Horatio Nelson, Britain’s Royal Navy spanned the globe, from the South China Sea to arctic waters. Join esteemed naval historian John Harris on b...

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Overview

Trip type
Large Ship Cruise
Lodging level
Standard - 3 star
Physical level
Easy
Trip pace
Flexible schedule

Highlights

    • Cross the Atlantic with naval historian John Harris, Steward Emeritus of Christ Church, Oxford, and delve into more than three centuries of history surrounding Britain’s navy.
    • Spend a day in Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and take in the National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory and Cutty Sark.
    • From the Captain’s bridge to the engine rooms, explore the HMS Belfast, a World War II and Korean War veteran cruiser moored on the River Thames.

What's this trip about?

    This trip has been discontinue. Instead see: Wilderness Walking: The Outer Hebrides and Skye A Taste of Europe Hidden Gems of New England     With legendary sailors like Sir Francis Drake, James Cook and Horatio Nelson, Britain’s Royal Navy spanned the globe, from the South China Sea to arctic waters. Join esteemed naval historian John Harris on board the QM2 for a transatlantic journey from New York City to London, and hear stories of five hundred years of England’s nautical past, how its navy created the British Empire of yesteryear and the role of its fleet today.

Details

Itinerary focusOperator does not provide
Group sizeStandard Group - 25 + people
Age rangeNo age restrictions
Flights and transportN/A
Start CityNew York
End CityLondon

Travel Themes

  • 50 plus
  • Cultural

Destinations

  • Europe

Attractions

  • London

Activities

  • Educational/ learning
  • Historic sightseeing
  • Sailing

Trip includes

    • 11 nights of accommodations
    • 33 meals: 12 breakfasts, 9 lunches, 12 dinners
    • 6 Expert-led lectures
    • 5 Field trips
    • Learning led by expert instructors who are authorities in the field of study.
    • An experienced Group Leader attuned to the needs of Road Scholar participants.
    • Customary gratuities throughout the program that you would normally pay yourself.
    • The Road Scholar Travel Assistance Plan, which is purchased on behalf of every participant and provides 24-hour-a-day emergency assistance services coverage.
    • Taxes
    • State-of-the-art QUIETVOX listening devices

Itinerary

Travel Map

Day 1:

Meals: Dinner

Afternoon: Independent arrivals to the NY hotel. Check-in and relax before a welcome meeting and introduction by Course Director John Harris and Group Leader Sylvia Harris and a reception at 6:00pm in the hotel. This program combines the graceful ...

Day 2: Embark the Queen Mary II/ Enjoy the sight of New ...            

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Special modifications have been made to the Deck, the Quarterdeck, Boat Deck and Walrus Café to make them accessible to wheelchair users. The deck is the main passage through the ship and houses the crew's living areas.

...
Day 3: Expert lectures.  

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: A wide variety of hot and cold breakfast items is available for you to choose. There are a variety of different pancakes and waffles, French toast, eggs, sausages, English and American bacon, baked beans, mushrooms, co...

Day 4:     

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: This morning John Harris invites you to join his lecture ‘War at Sea in the Eighteenth Century and the ‘Triumph’ of Trafalgar’. This presentation considers the nature of warfare at sea in...

Day 5:    

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: Today’s programme begins with John Harris’s talk on the wide span of maritime power in ‘Britannia’s Global reach: Bases, Coaling Stations and the Gunboat’.

Lunch: On board ship.

Afternoon: Shipboard activities.

Dinner: On board ship.

Evening: Shipboard activities.

Day 6:   

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: This morning John Harris invites you to join his lecture ‘The Rise of the US Navy and the Defeat of Imperial Germany’ which will consider the unexpected consequences of World War I for th...

Day 7: 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: This morning John Harris invites you to join his lecture ‘Pearl Harbor: What was the Emperor Thinking Of?’ which will consider the risks, miscalculations and flawed assumptions that led t...

Day 8: 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: Join John Harris for his concluding talk ‘Art on Liners and Liners as Art’ where we shall consider the role of passenger ships as platforms for artistic creativity and innovation, not lea...

Day 9: 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Grafton Hotel.

Breakfast: On board ship.

Morning: Disembark at 9:00am in Southampton. A coach transfers us to the Royal Naval Dockyard Portsmouth. Explore HMS Victory, the Royal Navy's mo...

Day 10: Royal Dockyard Chatham.   

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Grafton Hotel.

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Travel by coach to Kent where we visit the The Historic Dockyard, Chatham - a stunning 80 acre site with historic buildings, museum galler...

Day 11: Thames Clipper/National Maritime Museum/Royal Gre...           

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Grafton Hotel.

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: Take the Thames Clipper to the Royal Borough of Greenwich (granted status in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee) where Maritime Greenwich is an...

Day 12: HMS Belfast              

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Radisson Blu Grafton Hotel.

Breakfast: In the hotel.

Morning: On this, the last full day of the trip, there is an escorted morning field trip. We shall leave our hotel after breakfast and proceed again to th...

Day 13: 

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: Full English and continental breakfast in the hotel. Some transfers may depart before breakfast.

Morning: Transfers to London Heathrow Airport terminals by private cars.

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Dates & Availability

Price From $0
Price per day$0
Last Updated: 6/9/2018

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Road Scholar.

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

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Tour Operator

Road Scholar

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Road Scholar, the not-for-profit leader in educational travel since 1975, offers 5,500 educational tours in all 50 states and 150 countries. Alongside local and renowned experts, experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural tours and study cruises to walking, biking and more.

Programs For Whatever You Love to Do:

Much more than a tour, a Road Scholar program is a true learning adventure. Whether you join us in Seattle or Santiago, Beijing or Berlin, Road Scholar programs all share four unique attributes:

--Exceptional opportunities for learning and exploration through special behind-the-scenes access to the world's most fascinating treasures, led by our passionate and knowledgeable instructors.

--The shared fellowship of learning and warm camaraderie, whether a solo traveler or with a companion.

--Comfortable accommodations and appetizing meals.

--Excellent value.

Explore Your Mind and the World:

There are no grades or tests on Road Scholar programs. All that's needed is an inquiring mind, an adventurous spirit, and the belief that learning and discovery are lifelong pursuits.

Established in 1975, Road Scholar offers participants once-in-a-lifetime experiences delivered by local and world-renowned experts. Experience in-depth and behind-the-scenes learning opportunities, from cultural excursions and study cruises to walking, biking and more.

Our Most Popular Tours:

Adventures Afloat Cruises: On these educational cruises, you’ll traverse some of the world's most spectacular waterways, offering you a convenient and rewarding way to learn and explore aboard ocean liners, riverboats and small ships.

Independent City Discoveries: Combine structured learning with independent discovery — each program includes hotel accommodations and some meals, lectures, expert-led field trips and detailed outlines for four self-guided excursions.

Grandparent Travel: Discover and explore together with your grandchild through interactive learning experiences and field trips. Both you and your grandchild will share the joy of learning with other grandparents and their grandchildren, bridging generations and opening doors to discovery and friendship.

National Parks: From Denali to the Everglades and countless beautiful, historic places in between, field trips to America’s National Parks reveal what tourists can’t see on their own, with specialized experts showing you how to track wildlife or lead you to the spot with the most awe-inspiring view.

Outdoor Adventures: From hiking in the Grand Canyon to exploring France by barge and bicycle, to sharpening your golf or tennis skills, these active programs exercise the body and the mind.

Service Learning: From tutoring school children or helping restore a crucial forest habitat for wildlife, to assisting with artifact restoration and museum curatorial work, Service Learning adventures are an opportunity to make a difference in the world.

Small Groups: Love to learn in a small-group setting? Check out this collection of programs that have 10-24 participants.

Why Road Scholar?

You Can't Beat Road Scholar's Remarkable Value: Our all-inclusive prices have no hidden costs. Compare the price of one of our programs to what it would cost to duplicate the experience on your own (if that's even possible) and you'll see what we mean by "remarkable value."

Lifelong Learning and Lifelong Friends: When you participate in a Road Scholar program, you will not only expand your mind, you will be in the company of other people who believe that learning is one of the best parts of life.

Instructors Who Inspire: Road Scholar instructors are both experts in their field and lifelong learners themselves who are excited to answer your questions, hear your opinions and share in your experience.

Solo Participants Love Our Programs: Road Scholar programs are renowned for being inclusive, warm and welcoming for solo participants. We can either match you with a roommate or, on most programs, you can choose to room on your own.

Think Outside the Tour: The educational focus of Road Scholar programs makes us completely different from a commercial travel tour. Road Scholar programs offer educational experiences that answer the what's, the why's and the how-to's.

You Go Where Others Can't: We've been offering educational experiences since 1975 and we've made connections with educators and other local "insiders" all around the world, creating learning opportunities that show you the world in a way that just can't be done on your own or on a "tour."

We've Covered All the Bases: From expert-led lectures and field trips to comfortable lodgings and meals, we handle all the details, including the ones you might not anticipate. We've taken the worry out of the planning, so you can focus on your learning experience.

Peace of Mind Through the Road Scholar Travel Assistance Plan: The Road Scholar Travel Assistance Plan, which is purchased on behalf of every participant, provides 24-hour emergency assistance in the unlikely case of a medical emergency.

Scholarships for Those in Financial Need: Each year, Road Scholar awards $250,000 in scholarships toward programs in North America for those who do not have the financial means to participate.

Our Donors: Each year, thousands of donors contribute to our Annual Fund, helping to cover the gap between the tuition we charge and the actual cost of our programs.

What they’re known for
Popular global tours with a unique focus on educational experiences for mostly senior travelers.

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Logistics

What's excluded

    • International flights
    • Personal expenses
    • Insurance
    • Passport expenses
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance alongside your travel package to safeguard against unforeseen circumstances such as medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other contingencies. It offers you peace of mind and ensures you are prepared for unexpected events that may occur before or during your journey
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on your country of origin and your country of destination. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the relevant requirements. For a handy tool that can help you quickly find the requirements, please visit this link .
Age Requirements
No age restrictions
Additional Information
Trip ID
roadscholar-MarBriRoa

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