22 Nights Transatlantic Crossing Cruise

Super staff and sailing fun

Hello! I have also just returned from my first Cunard cruise and totally enjoyed my time aboard the Queen Mary to Norway from Southampton and back. The Queen Mary is an elegant ocean liner, sophisticated and opulent. The cabin was spacious with amazing facilities and luxurious bathroom toiletries. We opted for a sheltered balcony on deck 5 which was fantastic. The staff truly are amazing and go above and beyond. So many to mention from the room stewards to the waiters and waitresses. Everybody worked so hard to make the cruise such an enjoyable experience. The service was fantastic. We are in the Britannia restaurant for breakfast and dinner. Trying to recall the female Head Waitress at the Britannia restaurant - it began with an A... any help gratefully received... thank you in advance :-) If you are on the next cruise, perhaps you’ll know? Wishing all those on board an amazing experience with memories to treasure.

The only ocean liner

As an American, nothing fully prepares you; life onboard is very different. Fellow passengers are mostly older, well-dressed, and very polite and considerate. No foul language at all, no yelling, no behavior or provocative dress that you would wish you could un-see. Ballroom dancing is a major draw, couples who dance gracefully, stunning gowns, with only one who resembled a sausage bursting out of a much too short casing. Surprises: Boarding took 1 1/2 hours. Dining room options are very old-school continental, Galantine and Ballotine and many other culinary terms to learn about. Flavors are not overpowering, wine helped. The North Atlantic is a very cold place to be in March, icicles formed. The cabin creaked constantly, affecting sleep till I got used to it. The ship rolled a lot. Disco Inferno in the nightclub was random pop music, not even close to being an inferno. There was a volunteer passenger choir that rehearsed all week and sounded fantastic. Disembarkation isn't too early, you can have a proper, relaxed breakfast. There is tea-making paraphernalia in your cabin, storing it in the closet top shelf freed up counter space. Room service breakfast is complimentary, your morning coffee magically appears. In closing, if your ancestors came across for a free and better life, or if your great-grandparents ever travelled abroad before air travel, here's the closest thing. Service was outstanding and I felt very pampered.

Great Crossing With Kids

We have had a great transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2. We thought the food and entertainment was great. The ship is in very good condition for being 20 years old, except perhaps some areas of the spa, which were fine but looked a bit dated. The staff were good. We have done the trip once previously about 15 years ago, and there are some subtle changes, but all things considered we had a great time on both crossings. I didn't see a significant decline in quality over the years. We had our children with us, ages about 10 and 14, and they had a great time too. There are very few kids on these trips, but our children were made to feel welcome nonetheless. The kids club was great and not crowded at all. Our kids like things like: shopping for nice outfits, dressing for dinner, seeing an evening show, and dancing in the ballroom-- so this was great fun for them. They also enjoyed the pool, table tennis, and family time together. If your kids like these types of activities, this can be a fun trip. The outdoor activity on a crossing is a bit limited-- walking around the deck in good weather is great. There are outdoor shuffleboard and other types of courts, but the cold/wind/rain make these types of activities less desirable on all but the best days. We booked two connecting cabins for the 4 of us and it worked out great. We also had the cabin steward open the divider between the two balconies. This was much nicer than I thought it would be. Lastly we bought a drinks package for adults and children and this was very convenient and helpful too.