£4000 A HEAD!

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 291, 8 December 1937, Page 9

£4000 A HEAD!

TRAVEL IN LUXURY.

WORLD CRUISE FARES.

EMPRESS OF BRITAIN,

A lifetime ambition for many a pernor. is a trip Vound the world. A world cruise in a ship like the Canadian Pacific Railway's Empress of Britain, however, is not for the average man. When, on January 16, the vessel leaves New York she will have on board some 300 cruise passengers who have paid Amounts ranging from 2300 dollars to 16.150 dollars for the voyage.

Those fares, which also embrace Hcheduled shore excursions, represent from nearly £600 to over £4000 in New Zealand currency for each passenger. That is, in the case of the maximum far es, equivalent to about £225 a week,l or more than £31 a day! I*or that outlay the passengers, who are described as being in the "millionaire class," really have what is tantamount to private homes for the duration of the voyage. The passengers have to themselves complete suites, or "apartments" as they are called by the company, which '"chicle a bedroom, sitting room, private bathroom, bnggage room and reception hal . The Empress of Britain was built to attain a standard of luxury not likely 1o be surpassed for many years, and as a result, more space wart allotted to the individual passenger than in any other ship afloat. Finished in 1931, the vessel was built by Messrs. John Brown, of Clydebank, Glasgow (who also built the Queen Mary and are now engaged on her sister ship"), and at the time of her launching »*hc was the largest post-war product of British yards. In that respect she is superseded to-day only by the Queen Mary.

As an indication of the lavish manner in which space has been devoted to passengers, t lie Duchess vessels of the same line, of 20,000 tons, were designed to accommodate between 1500 and 1600 passengers, while the Kmpress of Britain, of 42.350 tons, is limited to a capacity of 1153 i«is9cngers. Good Turn of Speed. Speed was not sacrificed to the prime object of comfort and luxury of travel, ■n<l the liner regularly makes the passage from Southampton to Quebec in five days, with only about three and a half days in the open sea. The ship was designed for world cruising, and is so arranged that an economical *peed for cruising can ';c achieved on half-power, with one of her two engine rooms and two propellers cut off. The two outer of the vessel's four propellers are taken off before the beginning of the cruise and "hub caps'' litted.

To-day week the Empress of Britain leaves the Southern Railway Dock at Southampton, jailing the same day for New York to start a short cruise to Havana, Jamaica and Panama, embarking finally on her world cruise on January 16, also from New York. The ship will be in Auckland from the morning of April 12 until the evening of April 15, when she sails for Suva.

In New Zealand arrangements have been made for passengers to be driven around both Wellington and Auckland to the various points of interest, with luncheon at one of leading hotels in each city, and they may also avail themselves of overland trips to the scenic spots of the North Island. All l>eing well, it is hoped a call may be made at Milford Sound when en route to Wellington from Sydney.

Should the present cruise to New Zealand, which has been brought about by the conflict in the Far East, be a success, the company is optimistic of including the Dominion in subsequent world cruises. It is admitted, at the same time, that that is contingent on the impression made on the passengers by the country and the hotel and travel services placed at their disposal.