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The sun was just beginning to set on the picturesque villages, green fields and old stone houses that grace the shoreline of southern England as Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 sailed out of the Solent estuary past the headlands of historic Spithead on its way into the Atlantic Ocean.

My wife Gail and I were grateful for the warm weather that allowed us to stroll the outer decks and admire the beautiful scenery that flanked our ship between the pretty Isle of Wight and the verdant south coast of England. After all, this was the last bit of terra firma we would see for the next six days as we crossed the Atlantic Ocean from Southampton to New York City.

But without any ports of call, what would we do for the better part of a week? And what kind of people should we expect to meet on a ship that was designed for ocean crossings rather than cruising?

According to our Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin, most people who choose a trans-Atlantic crossing want to experience a truly classic and historic voyage, and/or prefer the simplicity of crossing the pond by ship rather than by air.

The latter, O’Laughlin points out, have grown tired of the many hassles, delays and line-ups involved with air travel, and have discovered that sea travel provides great value. For example, the cost of a six-day crossing on the QM2 starts as low as $900, compared to $650 for an economy ticket and more than $2,000 for a business class ticket on a trans-Atlantic flight between England and North America.

As for the former group, O’Laughlin says they want to experience what it’s like to cross the Atlantic in style on a grand ocean liner the way it was done during the Golden Era of sea travel. Other passengers simply want to relive the journey their ancestors made when they immigrated to the Americas in the 19^th and early 20th centuries, or returned home from the Second World War.

Whatever their reason for sailing, passengers will find the QM2 is a destination in her own right with a décor and ambience that pays tribute to the great luxury liners of the past including the Queen Mary, Normandie, and France. For example, the QM2 has more than 5,000 pieces of art ranging from sculptures and expansive murals to oil paintings, hand-woven tapestry, a sheet bronze relief panel that graces the ship’s main lobby, and the largest ballroom at sea.

So what’s there to do aboard a luxurious liner while it gracefully crosses the ocean?

During the day, most people prefer to crawl into a deck chair with a good book and enjoy the fresh air and outdoor pool. However, since we were sailing through a patch of thick fog and light rain, we decided to stay indoors for most of the voyage. Thankfully, the QM2 has plenty of interior space and amenities including a fully covered pool area, as well as an extraordinary enrichment program with lots of great speakers, events and activities.

For example, during one day at sea we were treated to a performance of ‘The Taming of the Shrew” by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). The troupe also ran a number of interactive sessions during the cruise where they ran games and exercises about acting.

In addition, we watched several World Cup football matches in the Golden Lion Pub, played a round of golf in the ship’s golf simulator, worked out in the Canyon Ranch gymnasium, listened to classical recitals by students from the Julliard School of Music, attended several presentations by faculty from the Cunard Insights program, and watched a show about our solar system in the Illuminations Planetarium (the only one at sea).

During the evening, which is a much dressier affair on Cunard ships than most cruise lines (we had three formal nights in six days), there was a wide range of classy entertainment. For example, in just about every lounge we were treated to live music that ranged from jazz ensembles to pianists.

In the Royal Court Theatre, we were able to attend a nightly production show by the ship’s singers and dancers, or a virtuoso performance by accomplished artists like London singing sensation Emma Sinclair. And we enjoyed a number of themed party events in the Queens Room, including the Red, White & Blue Big Band Ball, and the Grand Masked Ball.

However, while the QM2 and our voyage across the Atlantic were wonderful experiences, the best was still to come.

On our final morning at 5:00 am, we joined hundreds of fellow passengers on the deck of the QM2 as we sailed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (with only 13 feet of space to spare from the top of our funnel to the bottom of the bridge) and into historic New York Harbor.

As the Statue of Liberty and skyline of Manhattan appeared over our bow, I felt a tingle go down my spine. I was looking at the same scene that had greeted millions of immigrants 100 years ago when they crossed the Atlantic in search of a new life. And more importantly to me, it was the same scene that my father had witnessed when he had sailed to New York aboard the Queen Mary at the end of the Second World War.

He had told me many stories about that crossing and how excited he was by the sight of New York when his ship finally arrived in the harbor. We had never had the opportunity to do this trip together before he passed away. But as I stood on the deck of the QM2 watching the skyline of Manhattan grow larger, I finally understood how he must have felt on that wonderful morning when he and 15,000 other soldiers were finally welcomed back home by Lady Liberty.

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