If you haven't guessed by some of my blogs, I am a history buff. So combine that with my interest in the golden age of ocean liners and being a card carrying Anglophile, guess what I was doing Memorial Day morning? Watching all 3 Cunard ships sail up the Mersey into Liverpool for Cunard's 175th anniversary. That is where it all started with the sailing of the original ship, Britainia to Boston back on July 4, 1840. The legacy of Cunard is staggering, some of the greatest ships to transport royalty, celebrities and perhaps your own family to our shores. My great grandfather sailed from the Austrian Adriatic port of Fiume to New York on the RMS Pannonia in 1905 and my father in law sailed from Le Harve France to New York in the RMS Aquatania(thanks ancestry.com) after WWII.
The only direct descendent of these floating palaces is the Queen Mary 2. She is the only true ocean liner in regular service. But you may say wait there are plenty of cruise ships. Yes that is the difference, they are built for cruising, the QM2 is built to cross the Atlantic at speed. While her crossings are 7 days, she could easily do it in less days. While today's modern cruise ships have plenty of activities to keep you busy outside and in. Cunard activities are more indoor focused since her main route is the North Atlantic. And they are more enriching then what is available on what the main stream cruise lines. So why should you sail on the Queen Mary 2?
1. You think you were born in the wrong era, not so long ago doing a crossing was the only way to get back and worth from Europe to America. No jet lag, just worrying about should you go to afternoon tea and do you have time for a nap before changing for dinner. And yes you will change for dinner, Formal on Cunard is old school formal. Are you a Downton Abbey fan? You can sail just like Lady Mary would have back in the day.
2. Anglophiles rejoice- Afternoon tea with scones and fingers sandwiches, have a pint at the Golden Lion with your favorite pub lunch, let the Norland trained nannies handle the kids. Plus Cunard is a favorite of the British public, so you'll have ample opportunity to meet "the locals."
3. Enrichment means more than where to shop- Cunard's Insight program is the bombs! Historians, astrologist, QM2 has a planetarium on board, royal experts, foreign policy wonks are just a sampling. Plus pick up some tips on acting from RADA or pick a book from the ship's library that contains around 8,000 volumes.
4. Ballroom Dancing QM2 has one of the largest dance floors at sea. While other lines' offer people from the tv show, you can dance the night away if you want. Sadly dance floors are sadly diminished on other ships even if you can find one that isn't in the nightclub.
5. You just want to relax- a 7 day crossing allows you to unwind and do as little or as much as you want. All you need to decide if you go Eastbound, great if you want to avoid an overnight flight to Europe or Westbound to unwind on your way home from Europe and be up on deck to see the Statue of Liberty as you enter New York, just like your ancestors may have done many years ago.
For a list of 101 things to do on the Queen Mary 2, contact me and I will get it to you.
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