Spicing up the conversation or adding a note of jazz during the 114-day grand world voyage next January aboard the ms Amsterdam, Holland America Line is bringing some well-known guests on board for segments of the trip.
Cruise lines invite famous guests for portions of extended itineraries such as Holland America’s grand voyage in order to generate stimulating presentations during the cruise. Frequently, the featured speakers will mingle with guests for small-group discussions.
Veteran television newsman Sam Donaldson will join the trip for several days out of Hong Kong starting April 1. Donaldson, who has been affiliated with ABC News for more than 40 years, was White House correspondent during the Carter and Reagan administrations, and he continues to host new shows for ABC. Donaldson is scheduled to present a series of lectures tied to current affairs.
Kitty Kelley, who has written top-selling biographies of several leading figures in American culture, is scheduled to sail Jan. 28 through Feb. 7 from Punta Arenas to Buenos Aires. While on board, she will discuss her popular biographies and participate in question and answer sessions. Kelley’s books include biographies on former U.S. first ladies, Nancy Reagan and Jackie Onassis, and on entertainment icons Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra.
Making the bon-voyage sendoff from Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 6 will be the musicians Doc Severinsen and his trio El Ritmo de la Vida. They will stay with the ship for five days to Panama.
Severinsen, best known as music director for The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was king of late night, has released more than 30 albums, and he has won a Grammy Award. He now resides in Mexico, where he joined with Gil Gutierrez and Pedro Cartas to create El Ritmo de la Vida. They will perform several evenings during that first week of the cruise.
The Amsterdam’s voyage promises to be a rich experience. The 114-day cruise departs Jan. 6 from Fort Lauderdale and heads to Los Angeles before exploring South America, Africa and Asia. Holland America Line will have entertainment lined up each evening and throughout the day when the ship is not visiting a port.
