Themed river cruises along the waterways of Europe are certainly growing in popularity and in past blogs, I’ve discussed everything from music and Jewish heritage-themed voyages offered by a number of river cruise lines. This week however, I stumbled across the most unusual one yet – namely Cruise Trek 2013.

The clue is in the name but in case you’ve not worked it out, this is a Star Trek-themed river voyage, the aim of which is, not in this instance to seek out new worlds but to boldly go on a scenic journey along the Seine River and explore the beaches of Normandy, too. On this week-long October journey, avid Trekkies can beam aboard AMA Waterway’s AmaLegro and enjoy one of the line’s most popular itineraries, all the while mingling with fellow fans and perhaps having the opportunity to meet a few cast and crew members too. Expect Q&A sessions, autographed photos, met-and-greets and custom Cruise Trek games.

The voyage begins with an optional hotel meet-up in Geneva, followed by a private, pre-cruise tour of CERN, home of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research and one of the world’s most respected science facilities, where passengers can find out all about the world’s real-life scientific wonders on a tour led by one of the centre’s physicists, and see for themselves the world-famous Large Hadron Collider.

This year’s cruise is in fact the latest in a series of space-themed voyages hosted by Cruise Trek, who for over 20 years have been offering conventions at sea and on river, giving fans the opportunity to cruise with actors and production staff who have worked on or appeared in Star Trek, as well as a number of other sci-fi shows and films.

The AmaLegro will begin its stellar voyage in Paris, and call at the ports of Vernon, Rouen, Les Andelys and Conflans before returning to the French capital, where passengers will have the option of a hotel stay and more time to explore the sights of the city.
By Simon Brotherton
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