Mystery and murder on the Seven Seas

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines and Saga Ocean Cruises are both planning murder mystery cruises for 2015 - with the involvement of the Duchess of Northumberland and the help of crime writer Ruth Rendell.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines' Boudicca

Fred. Olsen Cruise Line’s Boudicca will embark on a Poison, Murder & Mystery Cruise on 10 July. Setting sail from Rosyth, Scotland, the vessel will call in at ports at Leixoes (for Oporto, Portugal), Funchal (Madeira), Santa Cruz (Tenerife), Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), Lisbon (Portugal) and Newcastle (UK). During the voyage a staged murder will occur and it is down to the passengers to piece together the clues to identify the perpetrator.

The themed cruise is the result of a creative collaboration between Mr Fred Olsen Senior and the Duchess of Northumberland. This event will be the largest participative murder mystery event ever held on a cruise ship, and will be officially witnessed by Guinness World Records.

The cruise will be themed around the subjects of poison and mystery with plays, talks and special tours on offer, besides the murder mystery that starts as soon as guests board the ship and culminates in a ‘Grand Finale’ at Alnwick Castle, home of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Guest speakers include Peter Dean, Her Majesty’s Coroner for Essex and a former forensic medical examiner with Scotland Yard; Dr Dan Jones, a poison historian and archaeologist; and Dr Mark Siddall, curator of The Power of Poison’ exhibition at The American Museum of Natural History.

Meanwhile, Saga are also planning a murder mystery on a cruise sailing from Southampton on 6 May.  Saga Sapphire's Baltic Treasures itinerary has the ship call in to ports at Rønne (Denmark), Stockholm (Sweden), Helsinki (Finland), St Petersburg (Russia), Tallinn (Estonia), Saaremaa (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Warnemünde (Germany) and Ijmuiden (The Netherlands) together with two transits of the Kiel Canal during the voyage.

On-board will be crime novelist Ruth Rendell who will be hosting a Q&A session. Undercover experts will also be on hand to show guests how to fight real-life villains in the tradition of Rendell's Detective Chief Inspector Wexford. This new-found knowledge will be put to the test with an interactive murder mystery to solve. Each passenger will receive a signed copy of Rendell’s most recent novel The Girl Next Door.

(Photo credit to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines)

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Celebrities at sea: Cunard unveil famous guest speaker line-up for 2015

Cunard Line have unveiled their roster of high-calibre guest speakers for selected 2015 voyages on board Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. 2015 marks the cruise line’s 175th anniversary and the line-up is a fitting one for such a landmark year.

Sir Jackie Stewart OBE

On 30 January, three-times F1 World Champion Sir Jackie Stewart OBE will board Queen Mary 2 for a 22-night sailing from Dubai to Hong Kong. Awarded an OBE in 1972 and knighted by the Queen in 2001, Sir Jackie will be hosting a talk and Q&A session about his illustrious career.

Shirley Jones

Academy Award winning actress Shirley Jones - David Cassidy's "mother" in The Partridge Family – will board Queen Victoria for a 15-night voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on 2 February. She will be accompanied by her husband, actor and comedian Marty Ingels. Passengers  will have the opportunity to meet the actress at a book signing, as well at two Q&A sessions and screenings of her films.

Nicholas Owen

On 10 May BBC news presenter, Nicholas Owen will board Queen Mary 2 for a seven-night Eastbound Transatlantic crossing from New York to Southampton. He will host two talks, with the first discussing how the monarchy works in the modern world and the second discussing whether newspapers have a role in modern society.

Peter Snow CBE

Journalist and broadcaster Peter Snow CBE will be on board Queen Victoria for a special 6-night 175th anniversary voyage from Southampton on 22 May.

The Right Honourable Professor Lord Robert Winston

On 16 June The Right Honourable Professor Lord Robert Winston will board Queen Elizabeth for a 14-night cruise to Spain and Italy from Southampton. Lord Winston will present three talks whilst on-board including, ‘How did Renaissance painters portray disease?’, ‘The burgeoning threat of technology’ and ‘The extinction of the human being’.

The Right Honourable David Blunkett MP

The Right Honourable David Blunkett MP will board Queen Victoria for a 14-night voyage from Rome to Venice on 12 September. As the first person with sight loss to hold senior office in government in modern times Blunkett will deliver two talks during the cruise including, ‘Reflections on growing up without sight’ and ‘Life in the bear pit’.

Pam Ayres MBE

Last but by no means least, writer and presenter Pam Ayres MBE will sail on the 17-night voyage on-board Queen Elizabeth to Venice and the Adriatic from Southampton on 21 October.

(Photographs courtesy of Cunard Line)

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