Australia’s first literature cruise is a gamble that paid off

We could be sitting anywhere on a dusty, sun-baked African veld as we listen, spellbound, to one of the world’s great storytellers describe the time he asked for chicken for lunch, only for a local woman to seize one at her feet and wring its neck.

Sue Williams chats on stage with Alexander McCall Smith.

He was struck not only by the simple act, but also by the dynamo carrying it out. And there we have it: the inspiration for Mma Precious Ramotswe – the Botswana star of what became the multi-million-selling novel The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

Alexander McCall Smith chuckles, and the 1000-odd passengers in his audience on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth cruising between Sydney and Hobart, absolutely charmed, laugh along with him.

It’s been a brave gamble, Australia’s first literature cruise, but it paid off handsomely. “It worked out very well,” says Cunard entertainment director Sally Sagoe. “All the talks and workshops were absolutely full and the atmosphere on the ship was buzzing all the time.”

McCall Smith, the writer of some 120 books and as personable as he is talented, proves the perfect choice as the headline act, with other local authors including Fiona McIntosh, Anita Heiss, Graeme Simsion, Nick McKenzie, Elizabeth Stanley, and yours truly.

Writer Fiona McIntosh.

For us writers, it’s an amazing treat to be surrounded by keen book-lovers and give talks and workshops about how to write memoir, historical fiction and travel for those who want to write, and tell the inside stories of our trade. And for the readers, with books always in their hands on board instead of the usual phones, there are equal measures of enthusiasm.

“I love cruising, but it makes it even more special to be travelling with people who all have the same interest in books and writing,” says primary school teacher Ann McDonald, 71, who flew in from Adelaide for the trip.

“This is my fifth cruise but my first themed cruise. It means you always have a common thread to talk about – which book you’re reading, which you’ve enjoyed most, and so on. I love it.”

Retired Sunshine Coast surgeon Kevin Feely, 67, agrees. “I would say it’s been a huge success. It’s a great idea. I’ve so enjoyed the cross-section of writers and hearing about writing from their perspective.”

Specialty cruise veteran, Sydneysider Sandra Newman, 71, who’s been on culinary and Elvis cruises before, also loved the emphasis on books. “The writers were fabulous,” she says.

The packed Fiona McIntosh session aboard Queen Elizabeth.

Themed cruises are, of course, nothing new in the travel industry, but Australians seem to be just discovering them. “They’re now getting more airtime in the Australian market than before,” says Joe O’Sullivan, of cruise specialist Cruise Traveller. “The cruise companies use them to attract new people who mightn’t normally choose to cruise.

“We have gardening cruises in Australia, with shore tours of gardens, and culinary cruises, and then out of Memphis there’s Elvis cruises and jazz around New Orleans, while one of the bigger general themes that’s growing is adventure and expedition cruises around the Arctic Circle and Antarctica.”

Acclaimed chef Matt Moran onboard for a Cunard Australian Culinary Cruise.

Among the specialty cruises on offer for 2025 are Cunard’s Mediterranean Voyage du Vin for wine lovers, the Transatlantic Fashion Week, the original Literature Festival at Sea aboard Queen Mary 2 and Dance the Atlantic from New York to Southampton for dance aficionados.

MSC Cruises similarly has foodie cruises, with shore excursions visiting favourite restaurants and wineries and cooking workshops, and up to 11 different restaurants on board.

There’s also Fred Olsen’s Northern Lights cruises; Atlas Ocean Voyages’ solar eclipse and epicurean-themed voyages; Hebridean Island Cruises in Scotland offer walking-themed cruises, wildlife, history and heritage; American Cruise Lines have Mississippi River cruises, highlighting the cotton plantation history and Civil War battlefields; and from Holland America there’s a Glaciers & Volcanoes trip from Alaska to Hawaii, an Alaska-Arctic Circle Solstice and a Voyage of the Vikings.

Loyal (and royal) readership...Cunard Queen Elizabeth.

On a lighter note, Princess Cruises will host another The Love Boat Celebration at Sea, with original TV cast members and vow-renewal ceremonies. Actor Jill Whelan, who played Vicki Stubing, the daughter of Captain Stubing, in the show, says: “Sailing with our fans brings us so much joy and this cruise will undoubtedly be a special reunion, taking us back to where it all began – on a Princess Cruise.”

THE DETAILS

Cunard’s 12-day Mediterranean Voyage du Vin, October 13-24, from $2099 a person. Cunard’s 8-day Transatlantic Fashion Week October 31-November 7, from $1399 a person. Cunard’s eight-day Literature Festival at Sea, December 8-15 from $1299 a person. Cunard’s eight-day Dance the Atlantic, August 8-15 from $2349 a person. See cunard.com.au
Princess Cruises’ seven-day The Love Boat Celebration at Sea, November 16- 22, from $1654 a person. See princess.com
American Cruise Lines’ nine-day Music Cities Cruise all year round from $US3795 ($5988) a person. See americancruiselines.com

The writer was a guest of Cunard.