Needing a break a decided to book a westbound transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2. It lived up to my heightened expectation. I loved the ship in almost every way. It's beautiful with great public rooms. I especially loved the Chart Room and the Commodore club. Accommodations were fine. I spent more to get a glass balcony and was very happy I did. We had many days of great weather and was able to sit out, drink my coffee and enjoy the ocean views. While the rooms aren't large, they were perfectly adequate. The staff did a great job keeping it clean. In fact the service in the entire ship was top notch.I was surprised by the high quality of the food. Despite serving over 1000 at a time, the quality remained high. I'm a vegetarian and was pleased that there was always two and sometimes three options for entrees. Entertainment was great. In one trip I heard classical, jazz, swing, harp and more. And all the musicians were great. But the real treat was seeing Roger Daltrey live. He was not announced but played twice, once in the theatre and once in the pub. It will be hard to top that!I enjoyed running on the deck and the fitness centre. Although I was surprised there were surcharges for fitness classes. I also enjoyed the lectures, they were a nice way to spend an hour.The only real surprise for me, as a first timer, was the amount we could feel the motion of the ship. The seas were not rough but one day there was a lot of movement and I even got a little sea sick. It's just a point for anyone else who is a first timer!