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05/07/2007 Entry: "Come Cruise with Me"

I am taking to the sea again, and invite all of you to join me.

Well, some of you. It’s a very small ship, Seabourn Pride. If you have ever researched cruise ships you’ll know that the Seabourn line has some of the smallest (can I say intimate?) cruise ships at sea. They are actually large yachts. They are also among the most luxurious. The Pride has only 104 staterooms, all of them suites, many with balconies, and every amenity you can think of -- Egyptian cotton linens, fine soaps and toiletries by Hermès, Bijan and L'Occitane. The ship has a spa, wi-fi internet access. You get the picture.

This is a domestic cruise, down the Eastern seaboard, dubbed Colonial Harvest, which means you won’t have an arduous flight to Europe or Asia before you can enjoy the luxury of the ship. (Remember the old line, “See America first.”) The 12-day trip begins on Friday, October 19, in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the famous fishing port near Boston. Lobster and clams anyone? Then we sail to Newport, Rhode Island, where I, for one, will be spending the day going on house tours. Besides the famous Gilded Age “summer cottages” built by the likes of the Vanderbilts, Carnegies, and Melons, Newport boasts more colonial homes to visit than any other city in the country. That’s why so much fine Colonial-era and early American furniture was made there.

Next is Philadelphia, with its wonderful Reading Terminal Market full of Amish specialties, not to mention the South Philly Italian section where you’ll find me eating a Philly cheese-steak sandwich, and tagging along on the complimentary “Shopping with the Chef” excursion. Baltimore equals Chesapeake Bay crabs and Maryland crab cakes. Norfork, Virginia, is our gateway to Colonial Williamsburg, not to mention Virginia ham. In Charleston, South Carolina; Seabourn has another special free excursion planned. I have always wanted to go to Savannah, Georgia, to see this famously gracious city and it’s antebellum homes. Port Canaveral, Florida, is our final U.S. port – you know, Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. Then, on Wednesday, October 31, we land in Nassau, in the Bahamas.

Colonial Harvest, of course, means food. Why else would they ask me to be your host? Food is my window into history and culture. That’s why I write books that put recipes into cultural/historical context. And so, not only will you be enjoying marvelous regional foods at all our ports, but chef Charlie Palmer (of Aureole fame) has designed the on-board dining, and I will be doing a cooking demonstration with an historical subtext, giving my slide lecture on New York City food that is now so popular on the museum and library lecture circuit, and hosting dinners every night. As a little bonus, you’ll receive a personalized, autographed copy of my last book, the heavily illustrated coffee-table tome, “Arthur Schwartz’s New York City Food: An opinionated history with legendary recipes.”

There is a big price reduction for this cruise, too. The brochure price starts at $9,765.
Book with me and the price starts at $4,883 per person, double occupancy, a 50 percent reduction. That includes everything. Open bars. Champagne. Caviar. No tipping. No one is going to ask you to sign a tab for a glass of wine or a cocktail. On other ships, I’ve had to pay for bottled water. No joke.

To learn more about Seabourn, Seabourn Pride and this very cruise, go to the Seabourn web site. You can book through Seabourn directly, or get personal attention from my friends at Alice Travel. This particular cruise information can be found on their Celebrity Escorted Travel pages. Or, you can call them at 800-229-2542. Or, call your own favorite travel agent.