Cross the Atlantic in comfort and style
Check out the plays and the planetarium during Queen Mary 2’s transatlantic cruise
I’ve just returned from one of my favourite experiences at sea: crossing the Atlantic Ocean aboard Cunard’s (cruise.center/cunard) massive flagship, Queen Mary 2. Although it sails “regular” cruises to places like the Caribbean, Canada and New England and Northern Europe (not to mention a stunning annual World Cruise), Queen Mary 2’s bread-and-butter is the weeklong transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton, or reverse.
At 1,132 feet in length, the 2,691-guest Queen Mary 2 is the only modern ocean liner in the world. Designed and built to tackle the rugged North Atlantic, it is a marvel of engineering, knifing through heavy seas at up to 30 knots. The average cruise ship makes between 18 and 21 knots.
The thrill of the Cunard crossing is having a week of uninterrupted sea days. That probably sounds like a lot. It isn’t: you’ll finish your crossing wishing for seven more.
How to keep busy on Queen Mary 2? Take your pick. A roster of amazing lecturers accompanies each crossing. Some are celebrities you’ll recognize. Others are experts in their field. All are equally engaging.
There is also an on-board planetarium for science buffs. Plays and production shows are held in afternoons and evenings. Live music permeates throughout the ship, including some of the best jazz at sea. White-gloved afternoon tea, with all the requisite scones and clotted cream, is offered daily in the largest ballroom at sea. Pub trivia and delicious pub lunches are offered daily in the Golden Lion Pub.
You can even take actual, honest-to-gosh fencing lessons on-board and dance the night away in style with the grand balls held every other evening in the Queens Room.
You can cross the Atlantic in everything from economical inside staterooms to the ship’s lavish Princess Grill and Queens Grill accommodations. I had a sheltered balcony stateroom on my crossing (wonderful because it is protected from much of the weather), though my personal Cunard fantasy involves scraping together enough money for one of the Queen’s Grill Royal Suites. They’re not the largest on-board (that award goes to the stunning, two-level Grand Duplexes at the stern), but they are situated all the way at the front of the ship and offer the same views that the officers on the bridge enjoy.
Cunard is totally dialed-in to this experience. This was my fifth voyage on-board Queen Mary 2, and I was pleased to discover plenty of new touches throughout the ship as it celebrates 15 years in service.
The Champagne Bar has been revamped through a new partnership with Laurent-Perrier. The Chart Room now offers two distinct menus of navigation-based cocktails — one for daytime and the other for night, swapped out at 3 p.m. daily.
The quality of cuisine in the Britannia Dining Room, and throughout the vessel, seems to have been bumped up a notch from my last crossing two years ago. The Steakhouse at the Veranda, Queen Mary 2’s specialty restaurant, is now an American-themed venue that works (and tastes!) better than previous incarnations. Cunard is also adding more specialty crossings. In addition to the already-popular Transatlantic Fashion Week, World Space Week and National Symphony Orchestra crossings, Cunard also introduces its Dance the Atlantic with the English National Ballet (Aug. 11); Literature Festival at Sea (Nov. 10); London Theatre at Sea (May 13, 2020); and Cunard’s first-ever Transatlantic Music Week (Oct. 23, 2020).
Queen Mary 2 carries the weight of 179 years of Cunard maritime history proudly for future generations to experience and enjoy. This isn’t just cruise; it’s a crossing. A magical crossing, at that.
Happy cruising.
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