Royal treatment
All aboard Queen Mary 2, the iconic ship that sails from Brooklyn to England
DAUNTED, I walked up the gangway of the Queen Mary 2 last fall. Its hulking figure floated alongside Brooklyn’s coastline. Cunard’s ocean liner was about to embark on a transatlantic journey from Red Hook to Southampton, England — my first ever, and its 15th since a $132 million redo last year.
The massive ship, 14 decks high and 151,800 tons, with a capacity of 2,961 passengers, was an intimidating sight. The journey ahead also loomed. Would the weeklong traverse, mostly crossing the North Atlantic, prove too long to endure?
In addition to new furniture and art, the 2016 makeover added 50 staterooms to the 1,355-room liner. My home for eight nights was cozy, with a dreamy bed, desk, loveseat and table ($829 per person for double occupancy; Cunard.com). I enjoyed my balcony, checking on the state of the sea and sky first thing so I knew whether to expect a fair or foul day.
The atmosphere on the ship is mellow by day, as passengers sun themselves on royal blue deck chairs or walk laps to keep those capillaries a-flowing. Among other amenities, there are two pools, a shuffleboard court, a Champagne lounge, a casino and an art gallery. The QM2 also carries the world’s only kennels at sea. There’s also the beautiful library, where bookcases have glass doors to protect the volumes.
Each morning, I perused the delightfully named Daily Programme, a printout delivered to the rooms that lists the day’s lectures, concerts and entertainment. (Burt Bacharach singalong, anyone?) Passengers have free rein to explore the upper decks, including the control room where the captain actually steers the ship. Every day at noon, without fail, bells blare as the midshipman announces QM2’s approximate location; it’s also a reminder to set your watch ahead an hour as you cruise through time zones.
Although time seems suspended over the Atlantic, meal times are set in stone and a strict dress code — jackets for men! — is mandatory after 5 p.m. Cunard regulars go all out in silk evening gowns and glittering jewelry, as if off to an awards show instead of the ship’s tiered restaurant, Brittania. Pricier staterooms afford access to other eateries, where solicitous waiters bow and scrape before the various Mr. and Mrs. Mountjoys, placing silverware with an exaggerated solemnity that would make “Downton Abbey’s” starchy butler Carson mutter, “Really now!”
As the ship approached the English coast, a trio of dolphins dove in formation in front of the ship; seagulls hovered above the mast. I reluctantly disembarked. Buses took passengers into London, or to the airport. It was time to go home — the fast way.
New York-Southampton sailings depart on May 15, May 31 and June 15.