There is no getting away from the fact that the Queen Mary 2 is a lovely ship. Sailing aboard her across the Atlantic represents a level of luxury that is a genuine step above any cruise line Jeff and I had sailed to that point. I will attempt to capture the high points — and some of the negatives, few though they were — but make no mistake: there is so much luxury associated with sailing aboard QM2 that one article can’t possibly capture it all.

The fact that QM2 is fundamentally different from most other cruise ships is evident before you board. She was designed from the keel up as an open-ocean vessel. Her deep draft enables a more stable ride at top speed through rough Atlantic waters. Other cruise ships can and do make the transatlantic crossing, but they can’t provide the same level of comfort, and some of their facilities and public areas become impractical in stormy weather. QM2 was built for this. Everything else follows from that.

By the Numbers

Boarding and Public Spaces

QM2’s elegance begins the moment you board and doesn’t end until you leave. Passengers enter on Deck 3 into a multi-level atrium that has been significantly improved since the ship’s 2016 Remastering. Two central elevators that previously cluttered the Grand Lobby were removed, opening the space into a proper soaring atrium with art deco styling — a starburst-patterned carpet, a baby grand piano, and the sense of arrival that the original configuration never quite achieved. Deck 3’s main hallway is two decks in height, giving the feeling of a fine English manor. The designers achieved this by creating a mid-deck toward the aft to house the photo gallery and art gallery, with the full two-deck layout resuming at the Britannia restaurant. The layout takes a moment to understand, but once you do, the logic is satisfying.

The public rooms throughout the ship carry the same quality of design. The Chart Room — a nautically themed lounge with comfortable seating along a row of sea-facing windows — became our preferred retreat in the afternoons. The Golden Lion is an English-style sports pub that was packed every evening without exception; whoever manages the atmosphere in that room has earned a commendation. The Carinthia Lounge, which replaced the Winter Garden in the 2016 refit, is a more refined retreat named after two of Cunard’s historical ships — a quieter alternative to the pub energy of the Golden Lion. The library deserves its own mention: the largest collection of books available to borrow on any ship at sea, housed in solid wood cabinets designed to keep volumes on their shelves in rough weather, with bow-facing seats that give you the Atlantic as a reading backdrop. Jeff visited twice. I visited more.

The Ballroom

The best thing on the ship for me was the ballroom — a real ballroom with a real dance floor, the largest on any ship at sea. Jeff and I took full advantage of it, to the point that by the end of the crossing we both had sore muscles and blisters we were wearing as evidence. The ballroom offered prerecorded dance music every evening, followed most nights by live music from the QM2 orchestra. On one occasion the pool band played Rat Pack tunes, which was unexpectedly wonderful to dance to. The prerecorded sessions covered a range of styles from waltzes to swing; the orchestra nights were the evenings we stayed longest.

QM2 also offers dance hosts — a tradition I had not encountered in person despite three Holland America sailings, though anyone who has seen the film Out to Sea knows exactly what they are. Four elderly gentlemen worked diligently each evening to ensure every unaccompanied lady got her share of dances. Their dedication was not in question. Their technical proficiency was somewhat more variable. I didn’t hear any complaints from the ladies.

Entertainment

The shows aboard QM2 are on par with the better mainstream cruise lines in both quality and variety — at least the ones we made it to, which, given the ballroom, were fewer than planned. The production shows were strong, supplemented by a comedian, a vocalist, and a concert pianist who performed three separate recitals. The pianist was exceptional. Music throughout the ship ran continuously and at a high standard: a string quartet offered classical selections several times daily, the ship’s orchestra ranged from big band to Dixieland jazz across different venues, and a pianist covered the main lobby and several of the bars. The pool deck had the obligatory Caribbean reggae band. Activities conspicuously absent from the pool deck schedule included the belly flop contest and the best bicep competition. I did not miss them.

Illuminations is a venue unique to QM2 and worth knowing about. It serves as a lecture hall during the day — a meaningful program of academic and enrichment talks is offered on every crossing, drawing on a roster of visiting scholars, authors, and experts — and at night converts to the only planetarium at sea. A domed screen descends from the ceiling; the seats below are configured to recline, allowing comfortable viewing of IMAX-scale presentations. Several different shows were offered during our Atlantic crossing.

Dining

Dining on QM2 is structured differently from any other cruise ship, and understanding the system before you board is important. Your dining assignment is tied directly to your cabin category. It is not a flexible arrangement — it is a hierarchy, and Cunard is unapologetic about it.

Jeff and I sailed in Britannia Club, which turned out to be the right choice. We dined in the smaller and more intimate of the two Britannia Club rooms, at a table for two with a view of the Atlantic. The open seating system — same table, same service team, dine whenever we chose — is the best combination of structured and flexible dining I have experienced on any ship. Our waiter learned our preferences within the first two meals and adjusted accordingly without being asked. This extends to breakfast and lunch in the Britannia Club as well, which most passengers don’t realize when they book.

A note on The Verandah, which replaced the Todd English specialty restaurant in the 2016 refit: Jeff is a self-described foodie who opted not to try Todd English when we sailed because the à la carte pricing could easily run three figures before wine. He has noted, with some regularity since, that this was probably a mistake. The Verandah’s fixed-price structure — approximately $35 per person for dinner — removes that concern entirely. It is now one of the better values in specialty dining at sea, and considerably more approachable than its predecessor.

The Dress Code

QM2 enforces a tiered nightly dress code in all restaurants after 6pm: Formal, Semi-Formal, and Elegant Casual, rotated across the crossing and communicated in advance and through the daily program. This is not theater — it is enforced, and the King’s Court buffet exists as a genuine alternative for those who prefer not to comply on a given evening. Jeff and I dressed for dinner every night. For passengers accustomed to the relentless informalization of modern cruise lines, QM2’s standard comes as either a relief or a surprise. We found it a relief.

Other Highlights

Illuminations and Lectures

The enrichment program on a transatlantic crossing is one of QM2’s most distinctive features and one of the least advertised. Sea days — of which there are several on an Atlantic crossing — are filled with substantive lectures from visiting scholars, authors, historians, and subject matter experts across a range of topics. These are not spa seminars or shopping talks. They are proper presentations in a proper lecture hall, and the quality is consistently high. The planetarium program runs alongside them in the evenings.

The Spa and Fitness

The Canyon Ranch Spa is well-appointed and covers the full complement of treatments. The fitness center is somewhat smaller than expected for a ship this size, and it shows — it was packed during peak hours on sea days, and getting a productive workout required either patience or early mornings. Jeff managed twice; I managed once, which tells you something about how we each chose to spend our sea days.

A Note on Salesmanship

One of the most genuinely pleasant aspects of a QM2 crossing — and one that is harder to quantify than anything else in this review — is the absence of aggressive upselling. Most cruise ships today maintain a near-constant low-grade sales pressure: specialty coffee packages, water packages, Bingo announcements over the intercom, shore excursion pitches at every turn. Cunard takes every opportunity to offer its own packages and upgrades, but they do so discreetly. There are no intercom announcements for Bingo. There are no staff stationed at corridor junctions with clipboards. The ship simply goes about its business and trusts that passengers who want something will find it. After years of Caribbean cruising, the silence was conspicuous and welcome.

The Negatives

I promised honesty, and here it is — though there is genuinely little to report. The bars were somewhat limited in their spirits selection. I like a martini, and despite QM2 offering a martini mixology class — which I attended — they lacked the ingredients for a Washington Apple Martini. The traditional apple martini I ended up with was quite good, but the gap between a ship that runs a mixology class and a ship that stocks for one was noticeable. The champagne bar offered Veuve Clicquot exclusively, at various price points. Veuve Clicquot is excellent champagne; a single-producer champagne bar on a ship with 2,700 passengers will inevitably narrow the field for some guests.

The public restroom situation was genuinely surprising. For a ship of QM2’s size, the number of accessible public restrooms is smaller than comparable vessels, and they are not always easy to find. The saving grace is that despite their scarcity, there was never a wait. I have no explanation for this and am simply reporting it as fact.

Both complaints are minor. Neither diminished the crossing in any meaningful way, and I am aware that a review with complaints this small is itself a form of recommendation.