Crossing The Atlantic In Six Days On Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Image 1: Grand Lobby ; Image 2: Hyatt Regency London Embankment View

It was the beginning of June when I spotted a last-minute fare on a crossing from Southampton to NYC that was too good to pass up, so I booked it without even thinking twice. Luckily, there were two Sheltered Balcony cabins left. We were able to secure one on Deck 5, midship, which turned out to be the perfect location and the sheltered balcony, an ideal stateroom for a transatlantic route. We booked flights to London a couple of nights ahead of the sailing and were able to tack on a few days of shopping and eating in London on the front end of the trip.

Boarding the Queen Mary 2 gave me chills as she’s an absolute stunner (and was recently renovated in 2023). The public spaces are in tip-top shape and the open decks were fabulous for daily walks, even when it was windy. We do not dress ‘formal’ very often and I’m happy to report that the vibe on the ship was much more casual than I had anticipated. They didn’t require any type of formal wear, even for the infamous Britannia Dining Room dinners.

I know that some people fear they might get bored during six days at sea, and I personally didn’t experience an ounce of boredom! There’s plenty of daily activities to keep you occupied if you wanted (we didn’t attend any) but honestly, between touring the ship and learning about its history, enjoying daily afternoon tea service (which is a highlight!), walking the decks, reading in the most gorgeous library at sea, lounging in Sir Samuels cafe, having a glass of bubbly before dinner in the Laurent-Perrier branded Champagne bar (great people watching and eavesdropping here too!), we always had something to do. We also had to keep up with work on the trip, so that took up a couple of hours a day. I’m happy to report that the Starlink wifi was excellent even mid-Atlantic and I was able to attend a Zoom and make Facetime calls to family members.

We ended up eating in two of the specialty restaurants for dinner during the week for some variety. The food in these restaurants was better quality than in the Britannia dining room. We slept very well and the cabin itself was in fabulous condition — my only complaint being the lack of charging ports near the bed for overnight phone charging. After six days at sea, we pulled into NYC early in the morning and that itself is an event and a sight to behold. Everyone heads to the bow of the ship, which has an open viewing deck. Sailing under the Verrazzano-Narrows bridge and past the Statue of Liberty is something I won’t forget anytime soon. An incredible way to cap off an amazing week at sea.

Image 1: Tea time ; Image 2: Champagne bar

Pre and Post-Cruise: We stayed at the Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment for two nights pre-cruise. Post-Cruise, we actually went straight from the Cruise Port in Brooklyn to LGA to catch a flight home.

Essentials to Bring: A week’s worth of clothes (though there is self-serve laundry on board). We didn’t pack anything too formal, but if you want to dress up, you won’t be out of place either! We brought our laptops and the Starlink wifi was surprisingly fast even smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. If I had to do it again, I might bring more warm layers. Even in the summer, it can be cold out on the decks, so you want to make sure you’re covered for cooler and even rainy weather if you want to spend time outdoors. I’m sure there are people who went a week without connectivity, but having internet was essential for us and appreciated during six days at sea. I would recommend it even if you want to just use it to stay connected to family or surf the web for a few hours each day.

The Ship: There are several dining options on board. We ate most of our meals between the included Kings Court buffet (for breakfast and lunch) and the Britannia dining room (for dinner). We also indulged in complimentary room service a few times. Afternoon tea in the Queen’s room is not to be missed and we looked forward to it every day (it’s a whole event with live piano music and a grand entrance by the servers). A couple nights we ate at specialty restaurants for an upcharge, but it was worth it for the quality of food and variety. As a wine snob, I have to say I was impressed with the ‘by the glass’ menu. It featured solid options in the $9-$15 per glass price category, with much better choices than on most American cruise lines (even though Carnival owns Cunard, it still retains its British heritage). Cocktails were also at this reasonable price point and made with care. We didn’t do any spa services or fitness classes on this trip. Instead, we opted for walking the decks as our daily exercise — there were plenty of people getting their daily steps outside as well as running/jogging laps. There was a small Casino on board, though we didn’t partake in any game play and in fact, it was empty most of the time.

My favorite spots for unwinding were Sir Samuels Café, offering delicious cappuccinos and gourmet teas (with a modest $3-$5 upcharge) along with complimentary pastries and snacks, and the Laurent-Perrier Champagne Bar, where we enjoyed a nightly glass of bubbly before dinner while watching the sea through the large glass windows. Compass Bar in the neighboring room was always packed, but if you can get a seat, they offer lovely live (soft) music and serve light nibbles (complimentary) with drinks, which is a nice touch. We had lunch one day in the infamous Golden Lion Pub (the only true British pub at sea?) which was lively and the fish and chips on point.

Entertainment and Activities: Onboard entertainment included daily activities such as trivia, history and science-related talks in the Planetarium, first-run movies (they screened Dune 1 and 2 when we were on board).... Other events like watching football (soccer) matches in the Pub, wine tastings, board games and lots of lounging and reading. It was summer, so there were some kids and teens on board but not a lot and not sure there was a whole lot to do that was kids and teen specific.

Port Calls: N/A since there were no port stops!

Additional Costs: Included in the cruise fare were meals at the Kings Court buffet and Britannia Dining room. We paid extra for: internet, gratuities, alcoholic beverages, specialty coffee drinks. Two specialty dining nights, pub lunch

I enjoyed doing the Crossing in the summer because it allowed for relatively ‘decent’ weather — no big North Atlantic storms or the need to even take sea-sickness pills (and we are prone). It also allowed for enjoying the open decks on most days — even if it was foggy (which it was!), the weather was mild and in the 50’s/60’s most days, some wind and rain, but allowed for outdoor exercise, which is something that I appreciated. Having said that, I wouldn’t hesitate to do a QM2 crossing at any time of the year because she’s a true ocean liner and built for the North Atlantic weather systems. If this is your first time taking a transatlantic cruise, you might be worried that you’ll get bored. While I can’t guarantee you won’t, I personally found plenty to keep me occupied and engaged. That’s without attending one organized activity, spa treatment, gym session, talk, movie or fitness class. We did have to keep up with work on the trip, so that accounted for some time each day on the laptop and we also filmed a lot of video for our You Tube channel. But we were never bored and if anything, used it as an opportunity to catch up on sleep and rest. However, if you want a more lively experience, you can definitely find it in the bars and even nightclubs on board. As an aside, I’ve also heard of people using the week at sea as a ‘workation’ and we witnessed plenty of remote workers setting up shop for the day, doing their zoom calls, etc. We also witnessed people using the crossing as a more civilized way to return to the US after traveling hectic Europe in high season. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same in the future if you just wanted a relaxing way to get home.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to NYC. In need of further inspiration? Check out Clara Raposo’s guide, A Modern Luxury Guide to New York City.