When deciding to book this cruise, we were really just looking for an option for an extended July 4th weekend getaway while our kids were away at camp. We were pleasantly surprised to find this not only as an option, but also as a relatively inexpensive option compared to other things we were considering. It was also a very easy option as this particular cruise left from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal (just one mile from our home) instead of the QM2's usual berth at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. My wife and I had always wanted to try a cruise and as we are not necessarily "party people" a Cunard cruise appealed to us.

It should be noted that we both read in advance and also heard from those on board that this particular cruise is not typical for Cunard as it draws predominantly Americans who, like us, want to test the waters. Of the 2600 passengers on board, 2300 were Americans. That ratio is usually flipped with the majority being British and European travelers, especially for the transatlantic crossings. I mention this because one of the things that bothered us a bit was that we took the dress code seriously, as do many others. A number of our fellow Americans, however, dressed more like they were on a Carnival cruise, and ignored the dress code. Cunard did not appear to enforce it either. I do not mention this to sound snobbish - I am most comfortable in a pair of jeans or shorts and a t-shirt. We chose this cruise, however, because we wanted to "dress up" and had hoped that our fellow passengers would as well. We were told that people do respect the dress code on TA crossings and world cruises.

EMBARKATION/DISEMBARKATION: The lines at the Manhattan terminal were huge and slow-moving. We arrived at our assigned time and from what I gather, we would have been better off arriving earlier. We also heard that the Brooklyn terminal is much more efficient. Also, while the website does indicate that you can use a WHTI document instead of a passport (if you don't know what that is, then don't worry about it and ignore this comment), and Cunard had entered my WHTI doc info into the system which accepted it in lieu of a passport, the staff at the cruise terminal clearly had no idea how to handle it which delayed the process even more. Quite pleasantly, however, dropping off our luggage when we pulled up to the terminal took all of about 30 seconds and by the time we got to our cabin, it was already there. Disembarkation is a trickier matter since it is quite a task to move that many people and their luggage off in an orderly fashion. We opted for the self-disembarkation method which works only if you can move your own luggage without assistance. We were off the boat, through Customs and in a taxi in a matter of just a few minutes. Read more