San Francisco, Chicago New York - Westbound

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Perhaps wake up early on your last morning onboard to greet the statue of Liberty as Cunard Queen Mary 2 glides past and eases into the Brooklyn Cruise terminal. You will arrive refreshed and in tune with local time ready to step of your ship after breakfast and enjoy a full day exploring all that Manhattan has to offer. Overnight hotel stay.

A further two-nights' hotel stay. Wander around Central Park and go shopping on 5th Avenue to take advantage of the exchange rate and the lower prices. Visit Battery Park at the Southern tip of Manhattan and take some photos of the Statue of Liberty. If you have time - hop on a boat tour via the Statue of Liberty to the museum on Ellis Island. Finally visit Times Square at night before seeing a show on Broadway.

Make your own way to Penn Station (under Madison Square Garden) to board the Amtrak Lakeshore limited service at 1540 for an overnight train journey to Chicago in a private sleeper roomette on full-board.

Disembark the train in the morning at 0944 to spend the morning as leisure in Chicago. (Take your hand luggage with you and arrange with the porter to have your main luggage transferred to the afternoon train). There is lots to see and do in Chicago: - go to the beach , shops on the Magnificent Mile, stare at the reflections in the giant Cloud Gate stainless steel bean sculpture or stand on the glass Ledge 103 floors up in the Willis Tower(formerly Sears Tower), the tallest building in the US. You can enjoy a fine dining experience with a view in the Signature Room on 95th Floor of the John Hancock Building. Route 66 starts in Chicago at the Buckingham Fountain, and there is the amazing elevated CTA metro system which defines the central Loop area of Downtown Chicago. Embark the Amtrak California Zephyr service at 1400 and spend two nights' on board the train in a sleeper roomette on full-board.

The first part of the journey takes you through Omaha and the Great Plains onto Nebraska. Then you start your descent up the Rockies the mile high city of Denver. The train crosses the continental divide in the Moffat Tunnel which is 6.5 miles long. The Fraser River cuts a swathe through the Arapahoe National Forest and Fraser Canyon. Then it’s on to Colorado through Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs where the infamous gunslinger Doc Holliday is buried. The train then passes through Salt Lake City in Utah and crosses the Nevada state line just after Reno. The train arrives at Emeryville where an Amtrak shuttle bus will take you into San Francisco to a central point on the Embarcadero in Fisherman's Wharf.

The Train arrives into Emeryville station at 1700 where you will transfer on the Amtrak coach service to take you into central San Francisco. From there make your own way to your hotel for three nights' stay. Take the famous cable car nearby over the hill to Fishermans Wharf - a world class tourist destination. Here you will find Pier 39 a huge entertainment, dining and shopping experience and Fishermans Wharf where there are lots of bars, fishing boats and restaurants. Enjoy a free boat trip to Alcatraz and you will also see a magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Perhaps visit Golden Gate Park where you will find the carousel, a huge conservatory, a huge botanical garden, a Japanese tea garden and a buffalo paddock among other attractions. You can walk through to the Dutch Windmill on the coast and have a marvellous lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For a more local feel visit the Castro and hippy Haight Ashbury.

Make your own way to San Francisco airport for your overnight flight home to the UK.