Fly from the UK to San Francisco for an overnight hotel stay close to Union Square. The hotel is ideally located close to the central San Francisco shopping area, including the world famous cable car right at the corner.

A further two nights' hotel stay. Take the famous cable car nearby over the hill to Fishermans Wharf - a world class tourist destination. Here you will find Pier 39 a huge entertainment, dining and shopping experience and Fishermans Wharf where there are lots of bars, fishing boats and restaurants. Enjoy a free boat trip to Alcatraz and you will also see a magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Perhaps visit Golden Gate Park where you will find the carousel, a huge conservatory, a huge botanical garden, a Japanese tea garden and a buffalo paddock among other attractions. You can walk through to the Dutch Windmill on the coast and have a marvellous lunch overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For a more local feel visit the Castro and hippy Haight Ashbury.

Make your way to the Amtrak Ferry Building Office centrally located at the junction of Market Street and the Embarcadero in San Francisco to board the Coach at 07:50 for a 30 minute drive to the train terminus at Emeryville for your Amtrak California Zephyr train service to Chicago. Spend two-nights' on board the train in a sleeper roomette on full-board. Pack an overnight bag for the three night journey and check your main luggage into the baggage car. Embark the California Zephyr at 09:10 for a two night journey across the Rockies to Chicago. The train crosses the Nevada state line just before Reno and passes through Salt Lake City in Utah. Then its on to Colorado through Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs where the infamous gunslinger Doc Holliday is buried. The Fraser River cuts a swathe through the Arapahoe National Forest and Fraser Canyon. The train crosses the continental divide in the Moffat Tunnel which is 6.5 miles long. Just past Denver (the mile high city) the train drops down to the start of the great plains into Nebraska and onto Omaha.

The final part of the journey takes you though Iowa and into Illinois to the metropolis of Chicago - America's third largest city, arriving at 1450 where you will have the afternoon to spend at leisure. Amtrak will automatically transfer your main luggage between trains. Perhaps shop on the Magnificent Mile, stare at the reflections in the giant -Cloud Gate- stainless steel bean sculpture or stand on the glass -Ledge- 103 floors up in the Willis Tower - the tallest building in the US. The Lakeshore Limited train departs at 21:30 for an overnight journey via the Great Lakes to Manhattan. Spend overnight on board the train in a sleeper roomette on full-board.

Arrive into Penn station at 1835 and walk across the street to spend three-nights in the four-star New Yorker Hotel (or similar). Perhaps visit Macys Department Store just a couple of doors away or enjoy the panoramic views of New York from the top of the Empire State Building as the sun sets over the horizon and the lights twinkle on. Enjoy a stroll through central Park and go shopping on 5th Avenue to take advantage of the exchange rate and the lower prices. Have wander up to Times Square nearby, visit Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, the Ground Zero memorial, Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty.

Transfer to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to embark the magnificent Queen Mary 2. Enjoy the sail-away party from New York at 1700 next to the Terrace Pool as the ship inches under the Verazzano Narrows Bridge on her way out to sea and across the Atlantic back to the UK.

Relax and make the most of the myriad of facilities available on board the ship, from fantastic entertainment to delicious and diverse dining options.

Disembark the ship after breakfast.