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A World Cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
By Michael Russell

For twenty-five years the Queen Elizabeth 2 has been circling the globe, nobody knows their way around the world like she does. 2007 is her Silver Jubilee and she'll be visiting more of the world than ever on her Silver Jubilee World Cruise; 41 great cities and 25 nations on five continents in 108 days. She's became the international symbol of luxury travel and at virtually every stop along her way, she'll be welcomed with all the fanfare of a celebrity.

The full 108-day cruise will start from New York City on Jan 8 2007, returning to New York on April 22. Two alternatives are available for those on the West Coast of the USA. One leaving Los Angeles and ending in New York City in 94 days; the other leaving San Francisco ending in New York in 92 days. Whether you book the full 108 day cruise or merely a portion, you'll have chance to see the major highlights along the way, with multi-day tours to such sights as Beijing and the Great Wall of China. And you'll be sure to enjoy the days you spend on board, as the QE2 is practically a "City at Sea" with all the amenities you could need for an extended voyage.

The Queen Elizabeth 2 will sail from New York City to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and two days later will call in at Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Then it's on to Puerto Moin, Costa Rica with a side trip available to visit the Braulio Carillo National Park. Here there's an aerial tram that glides silently and easily above the jungle canopy - there's no hiking required!

Next is the passage through the Panama Canal and north to Acapulco, then on to Los Angeles and San Francisco to take on those who will be joining the cruise from these ports. Four days later, you are in Honolulu, Hawaii. The next day a tour of the Haleakala Crater on Maui, followed by four days at sea crossing the South Pacific to Papeete in Tahiti and later Moorea. Another four days at sea to the Kingdom of Tonga, named the Friendly Islands by Captain Cook, not that much has changed over the intervening centuries. On to Suva in Fiji, where passengers will have the opportunity to sample the ceremonial drink kava, made from the root of the pepper tree.

Next on the cruise is New Zealand with visits to the ports of Auckland, Wellington and lastly the picturesque town of Christchurch, a nostalgic recreation of an English college town on the South Island with ivy-covered brick homes, manicured gardens and even a river Avon. From New Zealand she turns North to Hobart, Tasmania with a side trip to the Bonorong Wildlife Park, where one might catch a glimpse of the rare Tasmanian Devil.

Melbourne is the first of four ports of call in Australia. One of the side trips here will be a ride on the historic steam train "Puffing Billy", finishing with a lunch at a Yarra Glen vineyard. Next up is Sydney with its famous Opera House. After a brief stop in Brisbane there will be a two-day respite at the seaside resort of Yorkey's Knob outside Cairns. You might even learn how to throw a boomerang at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park.

Leaving Australia the next port of call is Rabaul in Papua New Guinea and then five days at sea before docking at Yokohama, Japan. In Japan's second city you'll have the opportunity to tour the old Imperial Palace, home of the ruling dynasty for 140 years. Leaving Japan after a stop in Kyoto to see The Golden Pavilion, a two-day cruise will end with a stay in Shanghai. Here the passengers will be given the option of excursions inland to Beijing's Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the 400-year-old Wu Gardens. After two days in Hong Kong, the beautiful and peaceful beaches of Da Nang will be a welcome change in Vietnam.

After a two day visit to Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand, the QE2 will cruise for two days to Singapore and then across the Indian Ocean to Colombo in Sri Lanka, the former Ceylon. A short tour of Kandy is on the menu here. Here also is the beginning of an optional multi-day adventure to Jaipur and the Taj Mahal before rejoining the QE2 in Mumbai. Those who elect to stay with the ship will be visiting Cochin, India next. Once a major stop on the Spice Route, this old port city predates Roman times. One can walk along streets lined with 15th century Portuguese house and step into an ancient synagogue; the local Jewish community dates back over 2000 years.

Next port is Mumbai, formerly called Bombay. Here one can take a tour of Bollywood, the center of the Indian film industry. After the passengers who left the ship in Columbo come aboard again, the ship is off to Port Victoria in the Seychelles followed by Port Louis in Mauritius. A one day stop in Durban, South Africa, will be followed by two days in Cape Town, South Africa's capital at the foot of Table Mountain. Here a tour is available of the countryside of Stellenbosch with its famous vineyards, Dutch gabled houses and an old fashioned trading post.

From here the QE2 will steer north as it cruises to Walvis Bay, Namibia. Six days cruising the South Atlantic and crossing the Equator before tying up at Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, with a quick visit to Funchal, Madeira the following day. Three days later, The Queen Elizabeth 2 will tie up in Southampton. The port where the Mayflower set sail from centuries ago, it's now Britain's premier seaport and has an historic harbor. A tour will be available for the medieval Salisbury Cathedral. A last the QE2 steers west across the North Atlantic and finally ties up at its homeport for this tour, New York City, after 108 days at sea.

So ends a once in a lifetime world cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2, celebrating her Silver Jubilee.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Tourism

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