This was our first transatlantic cruise. This is one of the many "must do before I die" items on my hubby's list. We booked at a great price, which included an upgrade from an inside cabin to a balcony cabin and included airfare from London as well.
We booked our cruise 5 days before sailing, so we only had a "cabin guarantee", which meant we didn't know exactly what cabin we would be in. We flew from Orlando to NY and were met by Cunard reps at the airport and transported by bus to the ship. Once we were able to determine what cabin we were assigned to (after a small bit of confusion), embarkation was quick and efficient. We booked our Anniversary dinner reservation at Todd English just as we boarded the ship.
Every crew member we encountered as we boarded was extremely polite and pleasant. We found our cabin and were pleasantly surprised at the size and amenities provided. We were greeted with a chilled bottle of champagne in our cabin, and we toasted our departure from NY! Contrary to several reviews our "hull balcony" was just fine and the room was bright and spacious. Our room steward, Greg, was accommodating and efficient. He brought us a champagne bucket for the couple of bottles that we brought onboard and kept if full of ice throughout the cruise. It seems we were one of the very few passengers on our first transatlantic crossing.