Spies & Their Craft: An Insider’s View on Espionage Aboard QM2

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Adventures Afloat program. In addition to Road Scholar exclusive lectures, field trips, and activities, you are invited to take advantage of activities and events offered by the cruise line that are separate from Road Scholar. Please note that routes, field trips, and excursions are subject to change as weather and sea conditions could require altering the itinerary and/or the progress of the ship, making it run late and possibly miss ports if it cannot dock. The operators reserve the right to change the itinerary and the content of field trips and excursions if/as needed due to local circumstances. This program is staffed with both a Group Leader, who will accompany us throughout the program and deal primarily with logistics, and two Study Leaders: Nigel West, intelligence historian and European Editor of the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, who will lecture and conduct field trips in London; and H. Keith Melton, intelligence historian and a founding Director of the International Spy Museum, who will lecture aboard the Queen Mary 2 and conduct field trips in Washington D.C. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: At the hotel we’ll have a 3-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 9 miles, approximately 1.5 hours. Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers a variety of choices such as eggs, bacon, sausages, hash brown, tomatoes, mushrooms, make-your-own muesli, cereals, pastries, toast, milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: We’ll gather at the hotel for a lecture by our Study Leader Nigel West, presenting an overview of the world of international intelligence.

Lunch: At the hotel we’ll have a 2-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We’ll board a motorcoach for a panoramic field trip through London, during which we’ll see significant intelligence sites including the headquarters buildings of the British intelligence services MI5 and MI6, and the former site of the US Embassy on Grosvenor Square. Nigel West will provide informative commentary aboard the motorcoach, detailing the roles and operations of these institutions. We’ll return to the hotel at the end of the field trip.

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.

Evening: At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 105 miles, approximately 3.5 hours. Walking about 2 miles, periods of standing; paved streets, gravel paths. Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll board a motorcoach and ride to Bletchley Park, the top-secret center of British codebreaking efforts during World War II, for a docent-led field trip accompanied by our Group Leader. Known as Station X among other aliases, Churchill called it the “goose that laid the golden egg and never cackled” thanks to its role in deciphering the German “Enigma” cipher. One of the achievements of those who worked at Bletchley Park was the development of the first large-scale electronic computer, called Colossus. The codebreakers were able to read huge numbers of enemy messages that helped bring the war to an end. We’ll hear tales of spies and strategic deception as we explore the exhibits housed in the park’s buildings, including the ornate Victorian mansion at the park’s heart that was headquarters to intelligence staff during the War.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like. There is a café at Bletchley in one of the former codebreaking huts.

Afternoon: We’ll have some time for independent exploration to see and do what interests us most at Bletchley Park. We’ll return to the hotel by motorcoach mid-afternoon, and remainder of the day will be free for further independent exploration in London.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 2 miles, approximately 1/2 hour. Walking about 1 mile, periods of standing; paved streets, some cobbled areas. Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We’ll board a motorcoach and ride to Westminster for a field trip to the Churchill War Rooms with our Study Leader Nigel West. It was here that Churchill’s government sheltered during the worst of the bombing during the Second World War, and the conditions of the time are faithfully recreated in this subterranean maze. The facility also houses the Churchill Museum, which brings to life the exciting story of Churchill’s life – from his childhood to his “finest hour”.

Lunch: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Afternoon: We’ll begin the afternoon with some time for independent exploration in central London. We’ll gather at the hotel before dinner for a farewell meeting with Nigel West, at which we’ll meet H Keith Melton who will be our Study Leader for the rest of the program. After the meeting, we’ll walk to our dinner venue.

Dinner: At a local restaurant we’ll have a 3-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer tomorrow.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 90 miles, approximately 3 hours. Waiting in line to embark ship.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: After checking out of the hotel, we’ll board a motorcoach to begin our transfer to the ship in port at Southampton.

Lunch: At a local restaurant en route we’ll have a 2-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We’ll board the motorcoach to complete our transfer to Southampton. Upon arrival, we’ll complete embarkation procedures and board the Queen Mary 2. Take some time to settle in and begin to familiarize yourself with the ship. When the mandatory Safety Drill is announced, we will join everyone on board in participating, so please listen for the announcement.

Dinner: In the Britannia Restaurant, choose from the extensive menu offering multiple choices for appetizers and soups, salads, entrées, and dessert as well as tea, coffee and water; other beverages available for purchase. It’s impossible not to feel special making a dramatic entrance down the grand staircase. Dining aboard the Queen Mary 2, breakfast and lunch are in the venue of your choosing. Traditional afternoon tea is served each day in the Queens Room. Road Scholars are invited to have dinner together in the Britannia Restaurant. Snacks along with juice, tea, coffee, water are available 24 hours a day at the buffet restaurants; and there is 24-hour room service.

Evening: At leisure. The Queen Mary 2 is a floating city. The available activities and entertainment are many and varied. You might like to see a show in the ballroom, go dancing, listen to music, watch a movie in the theatre, have a beverage and chat with new Road Scholar friends in one of the bars, or wander through the library — one of the best shipboard libraries anywhere — to find a book and curl up in that perfect reading chair.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: 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 stateroom as you watch the televised descriptions of the day’s activities aboard ship.

Morning: In our private lecture room, our Study Leader will begin our onboard lecture series exclusively for our Road Scholar group, providing enlightenment and insights into the fundamentals of spycraft.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free time. Take advantage of a variety of enrichment activities. You might attend a presentation by a guest speaker, take a class such as watercolor painting or ballroom dancing, take a dip in one of the swimming pools, or any of the many other possibilities.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy a variety of activities on board, from movies to shows or simply enjoying the ambiance of the many themed bars.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the venue of your choosing.

Morning: We’ll continue our exploration of the world of spying with our Study Leader. In today’s lecture we’ll consider the roles of Russian resident spies, and the ways in which secret spaces within Russian embassies facilitate espionage.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free Time. Weather permitting, you might like to take a leisurely stroll around the Promenade Deck and take in the fresh sea air.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. 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.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the venue of your choosing.

Morning: Our lecture series will continue, focusing this morning on the covert communications of ten Russian illegal spies living on the USA’s eastern seaboard, who were exposed in 2010 by a decade-long FBI counterintelligence operation.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free Time. Take advantage of the many educational, social and physical activities available, or simply relax in a deck chair with a view of the glistening Atlantic.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. You may wish to visit the Queen Mary 2’s beautiful theatre, home to nightly productions from stars of stage and screen alike.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the venue of your choosing.

Morning: We will gather for another illuminating lecture by our Study Leader, on the Chinese approach to intelligence collection and how this compares with the techniques and strategies of agencies such as the KGB.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free time. A perfect opportunity to visit the spellbinding planetarium show, polish your bridge skills during a tournament, or perhaps retreat to the spa for a massage.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. The Golden Lion, a traditional English pub aboard the QM2, runs a competitive pub quiz — perfect for showing off your newly gained knowledge.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the venue of your choosing.

Morning: We will gather for another fascinating lecture with our Study Leader, examining the ways in which Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists used commercially available technology for covert communications while planning the Mumbai attacks of November 2008, and how Islamic State terrorists incorporated these techniques into their attacks in Paris in November 2015.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free time. When not performing in the ship’s theatre, members of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art give you the opportunity to flex your acting muscles at daily workshops.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. The Queen Mary 2 travels with expert sommeliers, who host nightly wine tasting and appreciation events.

Activity note: Extent of walking and other activities during free time according to personal choice.

Breakfast: In the venue of your choosing.

Morning: Our Study Leader’s onboard series will conclude with an investigation of how seduction and “honey traps” have been used to manipulate assets and targets, and how these techniques have evolved into the digital age.

Lunch: In the venue of your choosing.

Afternoon: Free time. You may wish to explore the history of the Cunard Line at a unique exhibition running through the halls of the ship.

Dinner: Britannia Restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. Enjoy our last evening onboard and prepare for disembarkation in New York City in the morning.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 240 miles, approximately 4.5 hours.

Breakfast: Early in the venue of your choosing.

Morning: We'll complete disembarkation procedures at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, where we’ll board a motorcoach to begin our transfer to Washington D.C.

Lunch: At a local restaurant en route we’ll have a 2-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We’ll board the motorcoach to complete our transfer to Washington D.C. Upon arrival, we’ll check in to the hotel with some time to settle in to our rooms before a brief meeting in the hotel welcoming us to the city.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy what you like.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 4 miles, approximately 1/2 hour. Walking about 1.5 miles, periods of standing; paved streets.

Breakfast: At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers a variety of choices such as eggs, bacon, sausages, hash brown, tomatoes, mushrooms, make-your-own muesli, cereals, pastries, toast, milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: We’ll board a motorcoach and ride to L'Enfant Plaza for a field trip exploring the International Spy Museum with our Study Leader. The new facility, opened in Spring of 2019, is the only public museum in the U.S. dedicated solely to espionage and the only one in the world that provides a global perspective on the “invisible” profession.

Lunch: At a local restaurant we’ll have a 2-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We’ll continue our exploration of the International Spy Museum. Its large and extensive collection includes amazing artifacts of international espionage, many never displayed publicly before. Many of these objects are being seen by the public for the first time. The museum seeks to present the history of espionage throughout history apolitically with accurate, unbiased information. We’ll return to the hotel by motorcoach after our field trip.

Dinner: At the hotel we’ll have a 3-course plated and served meal with coffee, tea, water included; other beverages available for purchase. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet. This concludes our program.

Morning: If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!