Literary-themed cruises with famous writers are apparently a thing now.
I know what you’re thinking: “In this economy/pandemic/apocalypse?” The answer, of course, being “When else?”
Today I learned that, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the publication of Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn will be hosting a Gone Girl-themed cruise, along the Danube. The eight-day trip will take victims passengers “Gillian Flynn and 150 of her fans” from Budapest to Deggendorf, and will feature a book-signing, a Q&A, and you know, the thrill of being on a cruise with Gillian Flynn. Or as the Avalon Waterways website puts it:
To hear about her twisted narratives while you wind and bend your way through craggy cliffs, terraced vineyards and culture-rich villages from Budapest to Vienna and beyond, discovering the Old World in new ways. It’s a killer opportunity to spend a week sailing on a Suite Ship with the “Killer Queen.” You will experience two, exclusive on-ship events with your celebrity host, plus you will have the opportunity to share the entire vacation experience with Gillian Flynn.
“I will be selecting both by raffle and by means and opportunity a special passenger to murder!,” Flynn promised on Twitter. It costs $3,399.
And it turns out that this is not the first cruise to sell people the chance to be trapped on a boat with a famous writer (or rather, to force a famous writer to be trapped on a boat with them). Avalon Waterways’ 2022 Storyteller Series also includes trips with Candace Bushnell, Cheryl Strayed, Christopher Moore, and um, Sister Hazel. Silversea’s Tale of Tales World Cruise 2022 included trips with Paul Theroux and Pico Iyer. And in December, Cunard is reprising its Literature Festival at Sea, a seven day trip on the Queen Mary 2 with writers including Bernardine Evaristo, Ian Rankin and Maggie O’Farrell, and “bookish delights around every corner.” Pamela Paul will also be on this cruise, if you for any reason feel that you would like to be confined in the middle of the ocean with her for a week this holiday season. Bon voyage!
