As part of an innovative entertainment programme that has been conceived for Cunard`s new Queen Mary 2 - which enters service in January 2004 - Architectural Digest magazine will arrange for top architects and interior designers to present on-board lectures and offer private one-on-one design consultations to passengers.

The unusual Designing the Seas enrichment series will be featured on select transatlantic crossings from May to October 2004.

The designers will conduct on-board seminars in which they discuss design and decoration. Passengers can learn about building a collection, architectural history, displaying fine artwork or historic gardens, among other topics. Some will even have the opportunity to schedule a private consultation, where they can discuss specific ideas to enhance their home with the designer.

Designing the Seas` workshops will be held in Cunard ConneXions, a 10,225-square-foot learning space comprised of seven classrooms and an auditorium. The innovative facility aboard Queen Mary 2 allows Cunard to reach a wide spectrum of passengers by offering simultaneous seminars on topics from the history of Jazz to global issues to Shakespearean acting techniques.

The Architectural Digest collection of architects and designers will be published up to six months in advance of the voyage on the Datebook pages of the magazine and posted on their ArchDigest.com web site. A listing will also be featured on Cunard.com.

According to Deborah Natansohn, Cunard`s senior vice president of sales and marketing, Queen Mary 2 passengers will have the rare opportunity to gain design and style insights from world-renowned designers and architects while cruising aboard a luxury liner of world renown.

Many of the names associated with the new Architectural Digest programme have also graced the magazine`s coveted list of The World`s Top 100 Designers. Here is the listing of architects and designers by transatlantic crossing departure date:

• May 18, New York to Southampton - Renowned Interior designer Vicente Wolf, based in New York, also designs furniture, lighting, rugs, china, crystal, stemware and flatware. The Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and L`Impero restaurant in New York, winner of the 2003 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant Design, are among his projects. Currently, Wolf is designing two venues for the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel.



• June 5, Southampton to New York - Thomas Pheasant studied architecture before shifting his focus to interior design. The Thomas Pheasant Collection of furniture was introduced in 1996. Baker Furniture unveiled the Thomas Pheasant for Baker Collection in Spring 2002. The Washington, DC-based designer also has offices in Paris.



• June 19, Southampton to New York - California-native Craig Wright has a professional background in architecture, fine arts and art history. The owner of Quatrain antiques gallery in Los Angeles, he first began exploring the antique market in Europe in 1968. His celebrity clients include Michael Douglas, Dan Aykroyd and James Coburn.



• July 28, New York to Southampton - This internationally prominent designer from Ireland, who goes simply by the name Clodagh, began her career in the fashion industry. After much success as one of her country`s leading couturiers, she transitioned to architectural design. Presently she is working on the redesign of a major resort at Disney World in Florida.



• September 11, Southampton to New York - Cecil Hayes is the only Florida-based interior designer to have twice made The World`s Top 100 Designers list by Architectural Digest. Among her notable clients are actors Wesley Snipes and Samuel L. Jackson, NBA all-stars Penny Hardaway and Jamal Mashburne and Ty Law, NFL 2002 Super Bowl champion.



• October 11, New York to Southampton - Architect Hermes Mallea and interior designer Carey Malloney together form M (Group) of New York. Their focus on both disciplines has garnered them numerous accolades and the assignment to design the Architectural Digest Greenroom at the 2002 Emmy Awards.

Cunard Line has offered regularly scheduled transatlantic service between England and the U.S. since 1840. Queen Mary 2 takes over the role currently operated by her sister ship, QE2, as Cunard`s transatlantic flagship. In her inaugural year, QM2 will offer a total of 15 crossings between New York and Southampton. Other itineraries visit ports in the Caribbean, South America, Europe, Canada and New England.

Queen Mary 2 is the perfect venue to showcase award-winning designers. The largest, longest, tallest and most expensive passenger ship ever built, Cunard`s new flagship boasts handsome, traditional exterior lines complemented by stylish interiors that carry the grace and elegance of a bygone era into the future. The London-based marine interior design firms of SMC-Tillberg and designteam have created a modern vessel that recalls the grand liners of the past, with sweeping staircases, towering domed public rooms, a grand ballroom and a 360-degree Promenade Deck.

Facilities include 10 dining venues, including the only shipboard restaurant by celebrity chef Todd English, the only Canyon Ranch SpaClub at sea, the world`s first planetarium at sea, the largest ballroom at sea, the largest library at sea, and the largest wine collection at sea. The ship will also feature a Veuve Clicquot Champagne bar, several other elegant bars and showrooms, a two-story theatre, a casino, five indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs, boutiques, a pet kennel, and a children`s facility, complete with British nannies.