We have crossed the Atlantic dozens of times but always at 39,000 feet, so we decided it was time we tried a more relaxed means of travel and make a transatlantic crossing by ship, hence the title of this review.
Embarkation
We flew to La Guardia airport on Sunday May 10th and were met by Cunard staff who guided us to the shuttle bus that would take us to the QM-2. After 3 circuits of La Guardia airport admiring the current demolition, the driver finally took us to the quay where we had our first view of our ship.
Cabin 10115 is an inside cabin on deck 10. It is a cosy little spot situated in a quiet cul-de-sac off the main corridor, and it was set up exactly as we had asked. The walls are a pale colour and the wardrobes and closets finished in a pale wood. There is plenty of storage space. The beds were extremely comfortable with plenty of pillows and thick, luxurious duvets. Robes and slippers are provided, and there was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice-bucket on the table!
Jerel, our steward, showed us where to find the light controls, thermostat, etc. He is an excellent steward, friendly, cheerful and efficient without being obtrusive, the epitome of Cunard’s White Star service, and he kept our cabin scrupulously clean.
We didn't really see much of NYC - we were there for one reason only, and that was to board the QM-2. Having said that, we were rather disappointed with the Cunard facilities in Brooklyn and wished we could have experienced the glory days of transatlantic travel when Cunard liners tied up at their own pier (pier 54) in Lower Manhattan.
Again, as birds of passage, we saw very little of the port itself. The few parts we did see looked like working ports everywhere - containers stacked high and huge cranes to manoeuvre them on and off ships.