SAILING transatlantic on the QE2 is not the quickest way to get from the UK to New York but it is certainly the most stylish.
Cunard’s flagship celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, but despite the ship’s age it still competes well with the newer, bigger, vessels around today.
It takes six nights to make the journey from Southampton to the US on QE2, and it takes almost as long to get used to the fact that the only view for all of that time is nautical mile upon mile of ocean, whichever direction you look in.
Each day is long – lasting 25hrs. Clocks go back an hour each night so that, on arrival at the Big Apple, cruise passengers’ clocks are at the same time as New Yorkers.
With all that spare time, it helps to have a few pointers on how to spend it. Each morning, a list of activities is posted in each cabin.
The ship’s cinema has a double bill each day, lectures on a variety of subjects are scheduled and you find yourself doing things you never have time to do – read a book, have a swim, go to that demonstration on napkin folding, or really go for it and blow $10 on a bingo ticket.
If it’s not too windy, it’s nice to sit out on deck and watch the Atlantic Ocean go by. Even if the air is cold, the swimming pool on deck is beautifully warm.
The ship’s on-board spa is second to none. For $10 you can spend the whole day coming and going in the sauna, steam room and thalassotherapy pool, which massages and soothes different parts of the body with jets of water.
The term quick snack is unheard of on QE2. Passengers can spend every mealtime in the Lido Cafe, which serves food in a casual atmosphere, but most people prefer to eat in one of the restaurants. Lunch is a three-course meal, while dinner is a five-course affair, with formal dress required for four nights of the cruise.
There are five restaurants on the ship and which restaurant a passenger eats in is determined by their category of cabin. The food is the same standard wherever you eat, but the menus in the top restaurants, the grill rooms, have more choice.
If you find yourself peckish between meals, room service is available 24hrs a day – the midnight buffet always does a good trade – and you can also go for afternoon tea before that day’s bingo session.
After six nights at sea, news that New York is within sight is met with excitement by all on board. By 6am the passenger decks are packed with people waiting to witness the ship sail into the Hudson River, to see the sunrise over Manhattan.
First Staten Island, then the Statue of Liberty come into view, followed by Ellis Island, the former immigration centre.
It used to be the first experience travellers had of the US. Luckily, for passengers nowadays, visiting Ellis Island is only an optional exclusion.