QueenVictoria

Cunard: Timeless Elegance on the Caribbean Sea

Arguably the grandest, most magnificent ocean liner ever built, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise. Queen Mary 2 is the flagship of Cunard, whose history dates back to 1839 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria awarded Sir Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first ever license to deliver mail across the Atlantic Ocean.

While she is described as "timeless elegance", Queen Mary 2, which debuted in 2004, offers the latest luxury amenities, from the pampering services of the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub® at sea to a pool with a retractable roof, allowing it to be enjoyed in inclement weather. Queen Mary 2 also offers an award-winning intellectual and entertainment enrichment program led by prestigious experts in a variety of fields, including literature, the arts, politics, the sciences, culture, maritime history and academia.

The ship, which cost an estimated $800 million to build, is 1,132 feet long--113 feet longer than her predecessor Queen Mary, with space for 2,592 guests in lower berths and 3,056 total guest capacity, when including third and fourth berths. Her crew numbers 1,253.

Queen Mary 2 has more than 10 different restaurant and other dining venues, including the first eponymously named restaurant at sea by celebrity chef, Todd English. She also boasts the only planetarium at sea (also serving as a movie theater and lecture hall) and a casino with 12 gaming tables and 115 slot machines. There are a total of six swimming pools on the ship, including one designed especially for children. There's an authentic English pub, complete with darts, ale and traditional pub fare including cottage pie and fish and chips. Guests can dance the night away in the elegant Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea. The Royal Court Theatre, which can accommodate 977 guests, features lavish theatrical productions and guest entertainers. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy two golf simulators, paddle tennis, basketball and shuffleboard. The Zone/The Play Zone children's programs provide age group-specific activities and entertainment and even certified British nannies for the youngest guests.

During November, December and January, Queen Mary 2 offers 10-, 11- and 15-day voyages to the Caribbean, all round-trip from New York. The 15-day Festive Caribbean itinerary includes stops in Grand Turk, Tortola, St. Maarten, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Thomas; the 11-day Caribbean Delights itinerary stops in St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Grand Turk; and the 10-day Caribbean Calypso voyage calls into St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados and Grand Turk. There's also an option to extend the Caribbean Delights voyage to 17 days by adding a six-day Transatlantic Voyage from Southampton, Great Britain. Click here for more information about dates and rates.

Accommodation onboard Queen Mary 2 is lush, stylish and contemporary. Nearly three-fourths of the staterooms have private balconies. Suites, called the Grills, range in size from 506 square feet to enormous Grand Duplex apartments of up to 2,249 square feet. For her Caribbean voyages, per person rates start at $1,695 for inside rooms, while suites start at $3,955 per person. All rates are based on double occupancy and do not include government taxes and fees, air or ground transfers. Cunard's Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, which debuts in Fall 2010, also offer voyages to the Caribbean. Click here for information about fares and itineraries.

For more information about Cunard Line, consult your Travel Professional, call toll-free 1-800-7-CUNARD or go online to www.cunard.com.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Cunard

Tags: awards-main, caribbean, caribbean cruises, CaribbeanCruises, caribbeantravel, cunard, cunard cruise line, CunardCruiseLine, luxist-awards, queen elizabeth 2, queen mary 2, queen victoria, QueenElizabeth2, QueenMary2, QueenVictoria, winter-travel-awards, winter-travel-main

A Royal Billiards Table For Sale At Harrods

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

This might be one of the most beautiful billiard tables ever created. The black walnut billiard table was commissioned for Queen Victoria's Jubileee Exhibition in Manchester in 1887 and created by Orne & Sons Ltd. The cushion friezes are decorated with ribbons of quotations from Shakespeare, Tennyson, Scott and Byron embellished with over fifty species of wild flowers and native British birds. Beneath the friezes are two long and six short panels depicting numerous countries. Between the panels and above each leg are carved portraits including William of Normandy, Henry I, Henry II, Henry III, Edward I, Edward II, Edward II, Edward IV, Elizabeth of York, James I and Charles I.

The matching cupboard is shaped like a door carved with seven panels. The upper four coats of arms show Victoria during the most important stages in her reign. The central horizontal section features Victoria and Albert beside Windsor Castle and the lower section depicts the royal residences of Holyrood and Caernavon. The second section slides open to expose a game with stars and colored counters, which can be rotated to form a scoreboard. The set is at Harrod's for £1 million.

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Tags: billiards, billiards table, BilliardsTable, harrods, queen victoria, QueenVictoria

The Classicist: Brit 'Big Shot' Westley Richards

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Birmingham gunmaker Westley Richards was established in 1812 - three years before the battle of Waterloo - by founder William Westley Richards. In less than 30 years he secured a royal appointment to Queen Victoria's consort Prince Albert, and a "continuous stream of technical innovations" put the Westley Richards name firmly on the map. In addition to beautiful craftsmanship, the company introduced notable improvements in breech loading, military gunmaking and ammunition, and a Westley detachable lock is still the trade standard for many modern shotguns.

Today the firm is thriving, having just moved into new $9 million headquarters in Birmingham's old Gun Quarter to house a revamped retail operation and an ever-expanding team of in-house craftsmen. The 21,000-sq.-ft. site, converted from 19th century brick warehouse buildings, is dedicated to all aspects of the gunmaker's craft. State-of-the-art workshops, a full tannery, engraving studios and an underground shooting range are complemented by an opulent new retail showroom, stocking sporting clothes and accessories, including bespoke leathergoods, books, art and ephemera. It's designed to be the "perfect blend of expert outfitters and enthusiasts den."

A new Westley Richards gun may take anywhere upwards of 600 hours to complete – 800 for a double rifle, "unbeaten in its ability to place two shots in rapid succession precisely on target" - depending on the level of engraving required. The gunroom creates an average of 30 pieces per year, with finished rifles and shotguns dispatched internationally. From consultation to delivery, a Westley Richards handmade double rifle or shotgun will be in production for up to two years; hence the maxim "Passion and patience go hand in hand for a Westley fan." They also stock a selection of second hand guns.

Gallery: Westley Richards

Tags: Birmingham, British style, BritishStyle, Guns, Hunting, Prince Albert, PrinceAlbert, Queen Victoria, QueenVictoria, Rifle, Royal warrant, RoyalWarrant, Shotgun, Sporting, United Kingdom, UnitedKingdom, Westley Richards, WestleyRichards

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The Classicist: From the Queen to McQueen

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Men's Style, The Classicist

The history of the illustrious London luxury goods maker known today as Swaine Adeney Brigg goes back over 250 years. They've been supplying various items to Britain's Royal Family for 200 of them, and as those monarchs tend to be a traditional lot, the firm has basically remained unchanged in all that time. However, even this storied, not to say stodgy, company has decided it's time to freshen things up a bit. They recently brought in Alexander McQueen's former accessories chief Dominic Laurelli as design director to give SAB a much needed facelift.

Laurelli's first creation is the new St. James luggage collection. Laurelli tells us he drew on the understated elegance of 1920s luxury travel and the great Coco Chanel for inspiration, and says the St. James line is intended to be "synonymous with both traditional English leather goods and contemporary, modern style" (two words seldom heard around SAB). The collection is made from a durable anthracite tweed-like fabric with a water resistant backing and bridle leather detailing.

Gallery: Swaine Adeney Brigg