A writing retreat… on a cruise!
A week to work on your writing project,
with me by your side,
while crossing the Atlantic on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2,
from NYC to Southampton, UK
September 3-10, 2025
What could you accomplish if you had a whole week devoted to your project?
Get writing done while traveling and having everything taken care of for you!
Queen Mary 2: crown jewel of the Cunard fleet, the world's most luxurious transatlantic liner welcomes you with her legendary style and elegance.
Embark on a writing experience like no other, with straight-up publishing and craft advice surrounded by remarkable craftsmanship in the elegant staterooms and sumptuous restaurants and bars. Explore grand public spaces and find your secluded writing nooks.
Enjoy the indulgent on-board spa, order room service 24/7, revel in enthralling entertainment and live music, laugh and think in daily trivia quizzes, or simply relax with a book in the largest library at sea.
A week of dedicated work on your nonfiction book or proposal…
While crossing the Atlantic on a majestic and luxurious ocean liner…
With your book coach by your side…
Get a month’s worth of work (or more) done in one week! During six days at sea, you will work steadily on your book proposal or writing project with me by your side and alongside a small group of similarly focused writers! You will have daily meetings with me, and unfettered time for researching, writing, reading, and enjoying.
Event fee ($1200) + Stateroom fee ($1515-$2085 per person based on double occupancy)
Event fee includes:
A pre-trip 1:1 call to scope and create a custom plan of work
Project development, mindset, and planning tools
A daily 1:1 feedback-and-next-steps session during the 6 at-sea days of the cruise
A 1:1 post-trip call to evaluate progress and next steps
Spontaneous co-working sessions and social time
Value-added bonuses to come
Stateroom fee includes:
Not included (but our dedicated travel coordinators can assist and provide discounts where available):
Airfare
Hotels pre/post sailing in NYC or Southampton
Transportation to/from ship/hotel/airport
Travel insurance
I’m in! What do I need to do?
Register & pay your event fee by clicking the button below.
You’ll receive our travel coordinator information in your confirmation email
With our travel coordinator, choose your Stateroom
Take advantage of Cunard's discount on the airline of your choice (optional)
Choose to add additional hotel nights in NYC or London (optional)
Join the pre-event Zoom to get to know your fellow writers (TBD)
See you onboard!
I love the adventure — and stillness — of an ocean crossing to get writing done.
Amy Goldmacher is a traditionally-published nonfiction author and Author Accelerator certified nonfiction book coach. She has coached writers from book idea to polished, pitch-ready proposals and manuscripts that get agents and book deals. You can find her work on JaneFriedman.com, The Brevity Blog, Pipeline Media Group, and The New York Times, among others. She can be found on social media at @solidgoldmacher.
Amy holds a PhD in Anthropology and spent 20 years in information architecture (IA), user experience (UX), and design. Prior to that, she worked at an academic publisher in editorial, marketing, and sales departments which provided valuable industry experience. Now she writes and coaches full-time.
FAQs
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Between 4-8 writers. This is a small group so that there is plenty of 1:1 time, plenty of time to work independently, and a manageable social group size.
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We'll meet up as a group on the ship the first evening and have a group dinner. Daily, we'll meet as a group for a short session after breakfast in the morning and schedule co-writing time/locations and plan to meet for dinner or other events if desired. I'll have daily 1:1 appointments with each writer, and you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the ship’s amenities, restaurants, activities, and entertainment — and of course, you'll have plenty of time to write! You will have a custom plan of work that we will have designed together before the cruise.
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There are a limited number of solo interior cabins, as well as double-occupancy cabins at just slightly less than double-occupancy price. You can discuss your options with our dedicated travel coordinators once booking opens in mid-Jan.
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No, definitely do not make this mistake!
In order to participate in our private writing events and special events you must book directly through Karen & Dave at Travel Mate Pros. You get the advantage of a special group booking rate for passage on the ship and any other savings that come from being a part of this small group event.
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Travel Mate Pros Dave Williams and Karen Ballard bring the best airfare deals, cruise expertise, and all-around travel insight to make your voyage smooth from door-to-door.
Once you register for the event, your confirmation email will include next steps to organizing and booking your travel.
Need to know more before you register? Contact karenballard@travelmation.net to schedule a call.
Karen & Dave will help you choose your stateroom, book hotel nights before and after the crossing, arrange air travel and airport transfers.
Travel Mate Pros are part of one of the largest umbrella agencies in the country, Travelmation, giving access to discounts and perks you won’t find anywhere else!
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We recommend taking this time for yourself and your project! This time is intended for you to focus on your project (while enjoying the finer things in life). Fill your cup away from your regular life for a week!
If you want to share a cabin with another writer on the retreat, contact me or the travel coordinator.
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Check out Cunard’s “what to pack” guide.
On my last trip with Cunard, I wore jeans every day with a sweater/sweatshirt over a tshirt and a scarf around my neck because I was chilly. For the dressier evenings, I wore linen separates or dark jeans and a sweater.
Staterooms have outlets for UK and US plugs.
You can bring a curling iron/flatiron. Your stateroom will have a blowdryer. Other heat-generating appliances are not recommended as they may overload and break.
There are limited public outlets for laptops in lounges, classrooms and the library.
Onboard laundry and drycleaning services are available for an extra charge.
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For your ship fare, a passenger cancellation or a single name change, can be made outside of the penalty period. Once the penalty period comes into effect, there are penalties for cancelations and name changes. The cancellation schedule will be provided before you make your deposit. Travel Cancellation/Medical insurance can be purchased to cover such fees to protect the passenger from monetary loss—ask Travel Mate Pros when you book.
You can cancel and receive a full refund of your event fee (less payment processing fees) up until 120 days prior to sailing by contacting me.
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Cunard may sell out of cabins! We do not have a block of rooms held because of the small group size. This is just the nature of cruise travel, not a sales tactic. We recommend reserving your cabin with a deposit ASAP.
There is a sale Jan 15 - Feb 5 that will provide some extra OnBoard Credit as well as being able to be combined with the current sale pricing that Cunard is offering. Sale price is based on category of cabin and availability.
Contact karenballard@travelmation.net for current pricing and availability!
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It’s like being in a luxury hotel while traveling from the coast of England to NYC with no stops.
There is a casino if you’re into that kind of thing. Cunard focuses on special guest lectures, dancing, live music, trivia quizzes, shipwide scavenger hunts, the Planetarium, the LIBRARY!, and a relaxed, leisurely vibe.
My favorite place was the pub for the meals (included) and quiet space to write or read.
The ship is very stable, but if there are rough seas you’ll feel a rocking motion.
I recommend having Dramamine (or similar) on hand if you’re worried about seasickness. There is a sundry shop on board as well as a medical facility should you need seasickness supplies. But honestly, it is not like sailing on a small boat!
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The ship carries up to 2,620 passengers so most people on the ship will be regular passengers, not part of our group.
We’ll use WhatsApp or a group text to be in contact with each other while on board, and we’ll also make arrangements for specific times and places so we can find each other.
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Cunard’s internet package prices are here.
We’ll set up a WhatsApp or SMS text group, and we’ll have a schedule with meeting plans so we’ll know where and when to find each each other on the ship.
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Please check your passport expiration date. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months past your departure date for the last country you visit—so at least until March 2026. If it’s sooner than that, start the renewal process now!
US passport holders (and others!) need an Electronic Travel Authorization before traveling: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
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Add your name to the waitlist for future cruise writing retreats: https://www.amygoldmacher.com/cruise-retreat-waitlist
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Please email me your question(s) at amy@amygoldmacher.com or use the contact form.
What do you need to go on this cruise writing retreat?
You DON'T need a degree in writing (or anything else!)
You DON'T need previous publication credits
You DON’T need a manuscript in progress (but you can have one!)
You WILL work on your writing project
You WILL get a session with me before and after the cruise for planning and progress tracking
You WILL have sessions with me during the cruise (and social time!)
You WON’T be reading and providing feedback on others’ work (though there may be discussion of topics pertinent to the group)
You WILL have an unforgettable experience!