My wife and I have been on cruises with all the major lines. This cruise was magical. First --hats off to Cunard for even adding this itinerary--chasing the Northern Lights in Norway was a gamble. It was spectacular --and we had two ports cancelled as a result of storms. This ship is not a "rust bucket"--it is a beautiful and understated ship with great common areas; great staff; the best entertainment I have ever experienced anywhere; lectures from the best I have ever heard; work shops with the Royal Shakespeare Company; the Queens Room ball room dancing--and I don't dance. I will confess I picked the itinerary--not the ship. My image of Cunard was not unlike some of the negative reviews. It is impossible to overstate how wrong we{they} were . Queen Mary 2 is a treasure as are all the people who made our trip something we will never forget!!