Compare Britain’s Brilliant Art and Architecture: A Queen Mary 2 Voyage by Road Scholar vs Gems of Britain - Small Group Small Group by Insight Vacations
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| Trip |
4.5 | Great
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5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 13 days | 5 days |
| Price From | $ 4,395 | $ 2,044 |
| Price Per Day | $ 338 | $ 409 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Large ship cruise | Group tour |
| Lodging Level | Premium | Premium |
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| Countries Visited | ||
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included | Airfare included |
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| Meals Included |
12 Breakfasts, 10 Lunches, 11 Dinners |
N/A |
| Description |
Join Dr. Steven Parissien, director of the award-winning Compton Verney museum, visiting fellow at the University of Oxford, author and television contributor, for a voyage into the history and grandeur of England’s architecture and art. Delve into fascinating topics during your crossing on the magnificent Queen Mary 2 then spend four nights in Oxford to experience country manors, eccentric royal residences, outstanding museums and the architecture of the “City of Dreaming Spires.” |
This 5-Day Guided Tour ensures you see all of Britain's best gems. From a tour of William Shakespeare's hometown Stratford-Upon-Avon, a Tudor-style village nestled along a winding river, to sightseeing at a former Roman fortress in Cardiff, this tour offers something for every type of traveler. Indulge in a celebratory feast in Cardiff. In Edinburgh, visit its infamous castle with a Local Expert. Afterwards, let them guide you through the Scott Monument, the second-largest monument to a writer in the world, and the Queen’s official residence. In Bath, tour historic-but-preserved Roman thermal pools or follow in the footsteps of Jane Austen, who once called the town home, and learn about her life and literary legacy. |
Day 1: Arrival Day, New York City
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: New York Marriott Downtown
Afternoon: Arrivals continue, with free time for those who have already arrived. At 6pm we will have an Orientation in the hotel. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. This program is staffed with both a Group Leader, who will accompany us throughout the program and deal primarily with logistics, and a Study Leader who will lecture, conduct field trips and serve as an information resource on program-related topics. We will review the program theme, the up-to-date Daily Schedule and any changes, discuss safety guidelines, emergency procedures, roles and responsibilities and answer any questions you may have. We have set aside some free time in the schedule for your personal independent exploration. Please note that program activities, schedules and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner: A seated Welcome Dinner will be taken in the hotel dining room with coffee, tea and water. Other beverages are available for purchase.
Evening: Free time to settle in, relax and get a good night’s sleep for the programme ahead.
Day 2: The Frick Collection & The Queen Mary 2
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: In the hotel dining room. A breakfast buffet with a range of hot and cold items, as well as coffee, tea, water and fruit juices.
Morning: We begin our explorations of British art and architecture by investigating the world-class collection of British works at one of the world’s most impressive private galleries – hosted in a sumptuous Fifth Avenue mansion – The Frick Collection. Built in 1913 by wealthy industrialist Henry Clay Frick, today the gallery hosts works by Turner, Constable and Gainsborough among others. We then depart by motor coach for the Queen Mary 2 at 1:00pm.
Lunch: You may take a late lunch aboard the Queen Mary 2.
Afternoon: Group transfer from the hotel to the Queen Mary 2 boarding dock and embarkation on to the ship. You will then be able to take some time to unpack and familiarise yourself with the ship.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant. Delicious menus designed by Cunard’s Global Culinary Ambassador, Jean-Marie Zimmermann await you in Britannia and Britannia Club Restaurants. Make a dramatic entrance down the grand staircase into the elegant Britannia dining room and revel in the sumptuous menus and perfectly attentive service.
Evening: Free time. See a show tonight in the ballroom, or relax and watch a movie in the theatre, or perhaps wander to one of the bars for a beverage and chat. Perhaps even wander through the library, one of the best shipboard libraries available, to find a book and that perfect reading chair.
Day 3: The Georgian Revolution
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing. Select one of the King’s Court dining options on Deck 7, go down to the Britannia Restaurant or relax with breakfast in your room as you watch the televised descriptions of the day’s on board activities.
Morning: Your Study Leader begins his insights into British art and architecture with an illustrated lecture on Baroque Britain and the Georgian Revolution. We’ll examine the astonishing architectural adventurousness of late-Stuart Britain, with sublime creations ranging from Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre to London’s famed St. Paul’s Cathedral, before revealing an early Georgian period that was a constantly shifting world of dynastic change, social unrest and excessive gin drinking. It was this backdrop that was heavily reflected in the art of Britain’s first great native painter, William Hogarth.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing. Your options include the various King’s Court venues, the Britannia Restaurant, Todd English (at additional cost) or a light lunch in the Boardwalk Café if the weather permits.
Afternoon: Free time to enjoy a variety of shipboard-enrichment activities. Consider taking a class such as watercolour painting or ballroom dancing, enjoying one of the ship's swimming pools, and more.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time. You may choose to enjoy a show in the ship’s theatre, practice your dance steps in the ballroom or simply return to your stateroom and enjoy one of the movies screened on the ship’s TV.
Day 4: The Golden Age of British Painting
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: Settle in with your Study Leader as we discuss Neoclassicism and the Golden Age of British Painting. Between the creation of the Royal Academy and the advent of Neoclassicism British artists developed an appropriately grand and aspirational palette with which to express their increasing wealth and self-confidence, allowing painters like Reynolds, Gainsborough and Ramsay to flourish.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing.
Afternoon: Free time. Choose from among the incredible variety of onboard activities, before joining your Group Leader and Study Leader for a welcome cocktail party.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time. Enjoy a variety of shipboard-enrichment activities, including many kinds of evening entertainment featuring dancing, music and more.
Day 5: King George IV: Patron of the Arts
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: This morning we look at the fascinating figure of George IV. George was often regarded as the finest patron of the arts ever to sit on the throne and the colour, fun and eclecticism of the Regency period was epitomised by his larger-than-life persona. British art and architecture reached triumphant new heights during his reign and innovation was rife, however George himself was to deteriorate into an object of vicious satire.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing.
Afternoon: Free time to take advantage of the many educational, social and physical activities available on board, or simple to relax in one of the deck chairs with a view of the glistening Atlantic.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time.
Day 6: The Gothic Revival & The Pre-Raphaelites
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: Today we’ll examine a period of innovation, reflection and turbulence in early Victorian Britain as the Gothic Revival of the 1830s and the rise of the Pre-Raphaelites changed the way in which Victorians looked at the world. However, artists began to struggle with reconciling the benefits of mass-production in the process of artistic creation, leading to influential critics such as John Ruskin and William Morris beginning to question the benefits of the Industrial Revolution and yearning for a simpler time.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing.
Afternoon: Free time. You can grab a ticket for this afternoon’s planetarium show, polish your bridge skills during a tournament, or perhaps retreat to the spa for a massage.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time.
Day 7: Victoria & Albert
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: Discover just how important Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were in shaping the cultural heritage of Britain, from grand building programs to patronage of the arts. We’ll examine Victorian architecture such as the Houses of Parliament and the “Cathedrals of the Steam Age” – Britain’s beautiful Victorian railway stations. We’ll also look at how the monarchy influenced the Victorian art world, and how some artists deliberately looked in the other direction and became increasingly fascinated with the everyday life and experiences of the common man.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing.
Afternoon: Free for shipboard activities.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time.
Day 8: The Country House in Modern Times
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Queen Mary II.
Breakfast: Breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: Your Study Leader will lead a final session as you prepare to disembark and begin learning about the art and architecture of Britain first hand. Today we look at Georgian & Victorian Oxford. We’ll discuss the innate aesthetic conservatism of this University City and explore the history of the great country houses that England is justifiably famous for.
Lunch: Lunch on board in the venue of your choosing.
Afternoon: Free time to prepare for disembarkation, and perhaps enjoy a final few activities on board.
Dinner: Taken in the Britannia Restaurant.
Evening: Free time to enjoy your last evening on board ship.
Day 9: Disembarkation & Transfer to Oxford: Basildon Park
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel
Breakfast: Early breakfast on board in the venue of your choosing.
Morning: We depart the Queen Mary 2 and make our way to the motor coach for our transfer to Oxford. En route we will visit the National Trust’s Basildon Park, a Georgian mansion set in landscaped parkland and a major location for the filming of Downton Abbey. The house has been painstakingly restored by its current tenants and today appears much as it would have during the 18th Century.
Lunch: Lunch will be taken in an historic English pub.
Afternoon: The transfer continues, before we check in and have time to relax before dinner.
Dinner: In the hotel.
Evening: Free time. Your Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions should you wish to further explore Oxford.
Day 10: Georgian Oxford & The Ashmolean Museum
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Accommodation: Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel
Activity note: Walking up to three hours on paved streets. Rest stops available.
Breakfast: In the hotel.
Morning: Today we explore Oxford, the “city of dreaming spires”. We’ll begin at the Ashmolean, Oxford University’s repository of the arts and Britain’s oldest museum, before exploring how the city’s architecture developed throughout its history – from the colleges of the University to the terraces of the poor.
Lunch: Taken in a local restaurant.
Afternoon: We continue our exploration with a walk around the architectural sites of this magnificent city. Expect to see the Clarendon Building, the Radcliffe Camera and a selection of the colleges that made Oxford a famous seat of learning.
Dinner: In the hotel.
Evening: Free time, or enjoy an optional walk with your Study Leader to some of Oxford’s historic pubs. The pub is a very British institution and treated as much more than just a place to drink; it was in public houses that free thinkers, radicals and intellectuals met to let innovation flow as freely as the beer.
Day 11: Compton Verney & Upton House
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Accommodation: Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel
Breakfast: In the hotel.
Morning: This morning we board the motor coach and make our way to Compton Verney, a former Georgian mansion turned national art gallery. The building is a Grade I listed house built in the early 18th Century and its current interiors were originally designed by influential neo-classicist architect Robert Adam.
Lunch: Taken at Compton Verney.
Afternoon: We continue on to the National Trust’s Upton House. Home to one of the finest private art collections in Britain, Upton House itself has had a long and storied history – as well as expansive and beguiling gardens.
Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions and give directions.
Evening: Free time.
Day 12: Victorian Oxford
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Accommodation: Oxford Spires Four Pillars Hotel
Activity note: Walking up to three hours.
Breakfast: In the hotel.
Morning: Free time.
Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.
Afternoon: For our last afternoon in Oxford we’ll enjoy a walking exploration of the stone and brick delights of the city. From Butterfield’s Keble College to Park Town and North Parade we’ll examine an era when, briefly, Oxford led the world in architectural innovation.
Dinner: Farewell dinner in the hotel.
Evening: Free time.
Day 13: Program Concludes, Oxford
Meals: Breakfast
Breakfast: In the hotel. Some participants may depart prior to breakfast.
Morning: Transfer to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for onward flights. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future.
Day 1: London & Medieval York
At 07:15, meet your Travel Director at the trip hotel in London and depart for Stratford-upon-Avon. Visit the birthplace of William Shakespeare and admire the architecture of this pretty town nestled beside the River Avon. Head north to historic York and walk inside the city walls see to the topsy-turvy Shambles, a picturesque street with warped overhanging timber-framed houses. Admire the glorious York Minster, which is the largest medieval church in northern Europe. In the evening, enjoy a Welcome Dinner and the chance to get to know your fellow travellers.
Day 2: Over the Border to Edinburgh
Pass the ruined Jedburgh Abbey, en route to Edinburgh. Your Local Expert will show you Edinburgh Castle, home to the Honours of Scotland. At the end of the Royal Mile see the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of Her Majesty, the Queen. Cross over to Princes Street, passing the Sir Walter Scott Monument, to explore the elegant 18th century New Town with its classical Adam facades. In the evening, select departures will attend The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo - a colourful mix of pipes and drums, dance and display, set against the floodlit backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.
Day 3: The Lake District and Liverpool
Journey via Gretna Green, where many eloping English couples have married, and join in an amusing ceremony. Continue to the beautiful English Lake District where there is time at leisure to explore on your own. Why not choose the Optional Excursion of a cruise on Windermere and steam train ride? There really is no better way to admire the incredible scenery of rugged mountain and secluded bays. Continue to lively Liverpool, home of The Beatles, for an orientation.
Day 4: Roman Chester and Cardiff
Visit the former Roman fortress town of Chester. Walk along part of the city walls, see the Eastgate Clock, Chester Cathedral, remains of the Roman Amphitheatre and the unique black and white shopping arcades known as the ‘Rows.’ After time to explore, cross into Wales and head for the capital Cardiff for an orientation of the port city, on the River Taff. This evening indulge in a dinner of local ingredients, produced sustainably.
Day 5: Bath, Stonehenge and London
Cross the Severn Bridge back into England and travel to the City of Bath, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built above one of Britain's thermal, mineral springs. Explore Bath with Insight Choice. Choose to visit its incredibly well-preserved Roman Baths or alternatively, step into the world of an esteemed author on a private before the crowds visit to the Jane Austen Museum. Travel across Salisbury Plain to visit the pre-historic and mysterious Stonehenge, where the strange and awe-inspiring monoliths are reputed to be up to 5,000 years old. Your journey concludes upon arrival at the trip hotel in London.
