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December 30, 2025

Returning to Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 after a few years absence feels like coming home. I’ve sailed on this grand lady around fifteen times and honestly it never gets old.

She is one of a kind and truly the last ocean liner plying the seven seas today. Built in France and launched in 2004 to much fanfare, she is different than a typical cruise ship. Her hull is thicker; her lifeboats are higher; her bow is longer and more pronounced; she is more slender than a ship her length would normally be; her length is perfectly executed to offer the most stable ride; she is equipped with two sets of stabilizers instead of four; and she is fast. Fast enough to keep a repetitive schedule on the North Atlantic no matter what the sea conditions. These attributes and others are why Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a true ocean liner, specifically designed for line voyages across the North Atlantic on a year round basis. What does it mean for the average passenger? In a nutshell there is simply no better designed or more stable ship to cross the Atlantic on. It’s what she was built for after all.

I’m definitely an anomaly as I personally love rough seas and ship movement. In fact I’ve purposely booked winter crossings hoping for rough weather. Oddly enough but also reassuring is that there are many others who feel just as I do. In fact a group of us have nicknamed ourselves the Winter Crossing Club, or WCC. Over the years we have shared many crossings, some rough and others smooth as glass on QM2, her predecessor QE2, and other Cunard ships. Someone who does not fit into that category is my husband. We are going on 30 years together and although we have sailed on many many cruises together, never a crossing. He is prone to seasickness and understandably doesn’t want to subject himself to the possibility of rough seas. This has always been a bit of a thorn in my side as I enjoy crossings so much and QM2 is without question my favorite ocean liner. Of course I want him to experience every unique aspect of a QM2 crossing along my side, but the answer has always been ’no”. Well sometimes a little more explicit than just no! All that changed when I suggested a special Fashion Theme voyage that would include superstar designers Christian Siriano and Bob Mackie! Yes he was very interested as he loves fashion and then I sprung it on him … it would be on a 7-night transatlantic crossing on QM2 departing New York on October 31, 2025. After some reluctance his love of fashion overcame his anxiety of seasickness and boredom. I assured him he would be in great hands on Cunard QM2 and that honestly there is no more stable passenger ship afloat. It took some convincing but we booked! Finally after 21 years of QM2 being in service he would get to experience my favorite ship.

To be honest I was a little apprehensive myself as my previous voyage on QM2 back in March 2022 was a letdown. The world was coming out of COVID and frankly QM2 was not quite ready for prime time. She was in the worst condition I’ve ever seen her in, and frankly it was heartbreaking to see my favorite ship in such disrepair. So like with any other ship or line where things are not quite up to snuff, I put Cunard and QM2 on pause. I never write off a cruise line completely after a subpar experience as like so much in life cruise lines are cyclical. They go through periods of cutbacks and spending like so many other industries. There are also so many other variables at play from the crew and management, weather, the chef and procurement, to even the passenger mix. They all play role in the overall experience. Thankfully any concerns from the previous crossing were squashed and a fantastic crossing awaited, with one blaring exception which I will touch on later.

The adventure began with a flight on embarkation day from Miami up to New York JFK. I did not follow my own advice of never flying in the day of a cruise departure, especially for a crossing as there are no catch-up ports to fly into in case you miss the ship. We were both on a tight work schedule that didn’t allow for extra time and thankfully we encountered no issues. It’s not something I would recommend doing though. We booked a standard balcony cabin midship on Deck 8. Deck 8 is actually my favorite deck on QM2 as it’s centrally located and offers a smooth ride (very important to my husband). The downside is many cabins on Deck 8 have obstructed views by lifeboats, but with some research and experience you can minimize this. As it turns out cabin 8045 was available which I know from experience is one of the least obstructed cabins available. It turned out to be a perfect home away from home for our week at sea. I did bid for an upgrade to Princess Grill and Queens Grill but my bid was rejected. This was more of a surprise for my husband than anything else but it was wasn’t meant to be. Instead a bigger surprise awaited us in our cabin that honestly was better than the upgrade. The Hotel General Manager had seen a random social media post I made about this being my husband’s first crossing and his keen interest in fashion, so we received a special invitation to Christian Siriano’s private fashion show later in the cruise. Wow my husband was thrilled and so was I. Additionally I could not be more impressed that someone from Cunard actually read my Facebook post and took action on it. It’s this kind of attention to detail that truly makes for a memorable and special vacation.

During the crossing it was such a pleasure to experience QM2 again for the first time in a sense. Since it was my husband’s first time I was also experiencing the ship as a first timer through his eyes. I so enjoyed pointing out all the unique design elements of QM2 that make her so special. Things like the kennels complete with New York fire hydrant and London street post. The broad interior promenades made possible by separating the funnel uptakes on the lower decks. Propeller Park on Deck 7 forward where the spare propeller blades are stored. The placement of the Britannia Restaurant midship and low to offer the smoothest ride but the design challenges it created. The Gallery walkway heading back to the Queen’s Room which actually is carved out of the second level of the Britannia Restaurant. The largest ballroom at sea the Queen’s Room. The full wrap-around promenade deck with davits that don’t block any views and real teak decking. The odd placement of G32 the ship’s two-level nightclub and why it’s called G32 (it’s the shipyard hull number designated to QM2). The centrally located King’s Court buffet restaurant and where two glass elevators once existed. The largest library at sea complete with full time Liberian. The incredible maritime art collection throughout the ship. The only Planetarium at sea (sadly not working this voyage). The Cunard walk of history located forward on Decks 2 & 3. The special hidden Bart Simpson located on the relief panel on Deck 2 and why it’s there. Ok I’ll tell. The late ship historian John Maxtone-Graham’s son is a writer and producer for The Simpsons TV show. The list goes on and on and they all play a big role as to why QM2 is one of a kind, and will go down in history as one of the greatest ocean liners of all time.

A Cunard crossing on QM2 affords the chance to dress to the nines. It’s the one of the few remaining places left on earth where you will see the majority of men wearing tuxedos on formal nights and the ladies in beautiful full-length gowns. This level of formality simply doesn’t exist anymore. It’s from a bygone era and the grand venues on QM2 are actually designed to showcase your finest attire. The fact is it’s far less formal than it used to be, and Cunard is doing its best to downplay the formality. That is a shame as I think it’s something that truly differentiates Cunard from every other run of the mill cruise line. None the less formal attire was in abundance this crossing just not as frequently as you used to see it. Gone are the days where a jacket was required every night after 6pm. I used to receive a polite tap on the shoulder more than once while enjoying a cocktail at the bar once the 6 o’clock hour was reached and I was still in my afternoon attire. It meant time to change for dinner. It never bothered me as it was simply keeping up the standards. Standards that barely exist anymore. Morning and afternoon lectures are de rigueur on Cunard and very well attended. As this was a fashion theme cruise most of the lectures revolved around fashion much to my husband’s delight, including a lecture by legendary designer Bob Mackie. Mr Mackie created most of the outfits you see Cher wearing as well as Carol Burnett back when her variety show was a weekly must-see. Afternoon tea is legendary on Cunard and not to be missed. At 4pm sharp you can expect a variety of teas, finger sandwiches, scones, and pastries all served by white gloved Cunard staff accompanied by a musical trio. It’s held in the Queen’s Room and very well attended. Also in the Queen’s Room was our private Christian Siriano fashion show. We arrived tickets in hand along with many others that had been invited. We arrived early so we could snag a good seat, and much to our surprise and delight our special tickets secured reserved seats in the front row on the runway. In fact Bob Mackie was just two seats down from me. WOW! In a million years we did not expect such VIP treatment. To my surprise I enjoyed the show immensely and fashion is not even my forte. Part of the enjoyment of this crossing was also running into the very tall and very intimidating models throughout the ship. One instance I stepped into an elevator with six of them leering down at me. I’m not easily intimated but this was an exception. I was speechless. Watching the models sort of became one of the shipboard pastimes. They stood out like a sore thumb and were striking day and night. I especially enjoyed watching the models interact with three young gentlemen in the G32 nightclub. As it turns out these three British youngsters were part of the ship’s entertainment in a band called Jack Pack. I could only imagine they felt they hit the jackpot performing on a ship that just so happened to also host 20 to 30 supermodels. Needless to say these three gentlemen will have stories to tell for many years to come!

All good things must come to and end and in the case of this crossing, that means it’s day 7 and we are arriving into Southampton. As this was an eastbound crossing that also meant we lost six hours during the course of the crossing. Cunard pushes the clock one hour forward at noon on eastbound crossings, and honestly this is the most civilized time to lose an hour. You fare much better on a westbound crossing where you gain an hour sleep almost every night. The QM2 performed like a champ this crossing and even in rough seas, high winds, and swells the movement was to a minimum. It’s just fascinating just how well she plows through rough seas with seemingly no effort. That is truly a testament to her exceptional design. Ok so that glaring exception I mentioned earlier? It concerns the cuisine. It’s one aspect of Cunard that in my opinion has become subpar. The selection and quality is just not up to the standards that it should be, and certainly not up to the standards of competing cruise lines like Celebrity and most others. There were many nights there was simply nothing that appealing, and we are not picky eaters. The truly sad thing is there was not a single memorable meal the entire voyage. Cunard you can do better! Everything else was top notch, including our wait staff, cabin stewardess, bar staff, etc etc. The cuisine was simply not up the standards of the exceptional hard working crew or the beautiful surroundings of this grand ocean liner. While it didn’t ruin our crossing, it certainly did have an impact and it’s something that needs addressing.

Once in Southampton we opted for a Cunard coach transfer into London’s Victoria Station. Our hotel (the Clermont) was connected to the station which made the transfer especially convenient. That night we dined with friends at Savoy Grill which was exceptional. I enjoyed my favorite dish Beef Wellington which is sadly no longer offered on Cunard. It was a superb way to end another memorable crossing on Cunard. So the big question is will my husband repeat the experience? The answer is probably not, but that is ok as he experienced it once and that is enough to satisfy me!

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Ernie Roller

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