Transatlantic Voyage to Southampton, England

We began our voyage from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We took the Long Island Railroad from New Hyde Park to the Barclays Center and took a two-mile Uber ride to the terminal to avoid massive traffic in New York City. The ship that we sailed on was the Cunard Queen Mary Two.

The ship began sailing at 5:00 p.m. on a clear and cold day with a beautiful sunset. The spectacular views included the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty, and Governors Island. We headed underneath the Verrazano Bridge (the ship only clears the bridge’s lower deck by several feet) and out into the Atlantic Ocean. An NYPD police boat followed behind, and a police helicopter flew overhead.

We spent eight nights and seven full days without any land or ships in sight. We encountered two days of rough seas, but the rest were otherwise choppy and sometimes very smooth.

The Queen Mary 2 is considered an ocean liner, meaning that it is made for ocean voyages and is very stable, regardless of sea conditions. To our surprise, the outside temperature during the day remained in the 50-degree Fahrenheit range. However, the weather varied from foggy, windy, and misty to hints of sun on some days. Our stateroom was on deck 11 out of 13 decks at the ship’s center. We were told this would be the best location for less motion, but ultimately we found that being on a lower deck had the least motion at the ship’s center.

Our onboard accommodations were equivalent to a five-star hotel. The ship provided complimentary Penhaligon toiletries, which are well known in England, and bathrobes. We had an outside balcony with two chairs, which were refreshing on a nice day. Also, a stateroom steward made up our room during the day and turned down our beds each night.

I was concerned about being bored these seven days but was pleasantly surprised. The ship provided a daily printed program starting at 6:00 a.m. and ending after midnight; it listed the entertainment and activities for each day.

The Queen Mary Two has five pools; the pool on deck 12 has a retractable dome for all types of weather. There is also a full fitness center, a spa with a salon, a casino, an extensive library, several jacuzzis inside and out, 11 bars and lounges, excellent dining venues, complimentary 24-hour room service, and the only planetarium found at sea.

The highlight of each day was afternoon tea at 3:30 p.m. located in the largest ballroom at sea called the Queens Room. There was a string quartet, harpist, cocktail pianist, and approximately 30 elegantly dressed servers. The men and women who serve the tea have a special presentation before the service begins. There are three courses for afternoon tea: the first course was petite sandwiches, the next were the scones (my favorite), and then were the pastries.

Every evening at 8:15 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., there was a show in the Royal Court Theater. The two noteworthy shows we saw featured the Royal Court Theater Company performing musical productions similar to Broadway shows. Another evening show featured a very funny British comedian, Phil Melbourne. The Queen Mary 2 has two full orchestras, and most lounges offer live music at night.

During the day, my favorite activity was a line dancing class and a Zumba class. There was also a daily ballroom dance class with a professional dance couple. When the weather cooperated, my husband Jonathan and I walked outside around the deck. Three times around, the running/walking deck equals one mile. Walking around the ship with a never-ending ocean view was exhilarating.

The onboard nightclub, G32, offers a DJ and a live band named Changez; we spent several nights there after dinner. The band alternated between the Queens Room and the G32. They played a variety of popular dance music. Also, we enjoyed the performance of the Blackthorn Irish Folk duo at the Golden Lion Pub. This venue was a typical British pub and served a wide selection of British beers, ciders, and other British specialties.

Every day at noon, the Captain would give a navigational announcement. It would include the position of the ship, the current weather, and the condition of the present and future seas. He also mentioned something unusual, but made sense. Since we were going to England and there was a five-hour time change ahead of Eastern Standard Time, we had to set our clocks one hour forward for five of the eight days at noon, and it became a little confusing for the meal services. Lunch would be too soon after breakfast, and tea time would be too soon after lunch. The westbound crossing is seemingly easier because the clocks are turned back one hour at 2:00 a.m. for five mornings.

We arrived at Southampton, England, early on a Saturday morning. We disembarked at 7:00 a.m. and shared a taxi with one of our new friends to the train station. The station was about two miles from the terminal. We planned to spend one night in London and fly back to New York from the London Heathrow Airport the next day. 

The ride to London via the Southwestern Train Line takes about one and a half hours, with no changes and no reservations necessary. Many of the people from the ship proceed to other European countries for vacation after the ocean crossing, and interestingly enough, there is no limit on the amount of luggage that can be taken on this ship. The train we took ended at the Waterloo station, right in the center of London. 

We stayed at a London Marriott Hotel in the Kensington area, which is a short underground ride from Waterloo Station, and a direct connection to Heathrow Airport without any changes.  

We thoroughly enjoyed the transatlantic ocean crossing and look forward to taking the reverse voyage back to New York very soon.