The Last Cruise by Kate Christensen

A chance for a Maine farmer's wife to enjoy a luxury cruise with a travel writer friend turns into the worst vacation possible or does it?
Christine really needs to get away for a bit and what better way than the final voyage of a luxury cruise ship going from L.A. to Hawaii. Name all of your vacation fears and they happen on this trip - disgruntled employees about to be fired, bad weather, disease, fire. The mainstay of this story is the difference between the haves (wealthy patrons of the arts and other travelers) and the have-nots (the crew and those who have been hired to perform or write about the trip). The other backstory is about finding a second chance for love and happiness. If any good can come out of all this seagoing drama it is in the truth that emerges after the hardship really begins and the way the main characters see themselves and their lives after. Don't read this if you have booked a cruise anywhere!