So far, I've crossed the Atlantic three times on the Queen Mary 2; the first was the April sailing from Southampton to New York in 2012 (solo), the second, the May sailing from New York to Southampton in 2014 with my wife, and the third, the October sailing back to New York in 2014 (solo). I hate flying and I love the QM2, so this will remain my one and only way of crossing the Atlantic. Because I'll be doing this on a relatively regular basis, I'll probably always book an inside stateroom (cabin). It's good value and there's always the possibility of a free upgrade to an outside cabin with a balcony. In general, however, I'm not that bothered. I spend very little time in my cabin except to sleep and check my emails. Most of the time, I walk the decks, explore the ship, take loads of photographs, and enjoy the marvelous sea air. I also never eat in the restaurant but prefer the self-service instead. The food is truly excellent and I don't have to wear formal attire. I prefer jeans. As for the ship and the crossing in general, there aren't enough superlatives to describe the experience. It's simply a wonderful way to travel and switch off for 7 or 8 days. The crew are excellent; always very smart, very polite, very helpful and very professional. I do, however, have one major complaint which is more to do with the passengers than the crew:

The problem in question is to do with passenger hygiene. Far too many passengers ignore the request to use tongs when picking up bread or other items of food. I've often seen people picking bread up with their hands and then putting it back if they don't like the look of it. I've politely reprimanded passengers myself about this over the years and I've also reported it to the stewards, but it keeps on happening and it's a sure-fire way of spreading germs. It's a very bad habit, and I believe that the crew should take a much firmer stance on the matter. Hygiene is of extra importance when a few thousands people have to spend several days with each other in relatively close quarters. The ship is so large that the only time you realize that there are so many people on board is during meal times, but this is when germs are passed on. Many of the passengers are elderly and often catch colds quite easily, so it's imperative that strict hygiene rules are observed. It's all a matter of education. Wealth doesn't automatically go hand-in-hand with a good upbringing and good hygiene. The ship needs to be more aware of this.

All in all, though, to travel on a liner of the QM2's standard is an unforgettable experience and is certainly not out of the reach of most people's pockets. An inside cabin is excellent value and very comfortable indeed. I don't usually like confined spaces, but I'm okay with the inside cabins on the ship. Like I said, I only use it for sleeping and checking my emails, and occasionally to take a brief nap. I usually take a cabin on Deck 6 towards the stern on the other side to the children's play area, but it doesn't really matter. The ship has excellent stabilizers, so it's often not even noticeable that the ship is at sea. But to be on the safe side, the higher you go above sea level, the more you'll feel the movement of the ship. It's all a matter of personal preference. I'll be going back to Europe in May, so I'll see you on board. I'm the one who's always taking photographs.