I Took a Cruise on The World's LAST Ocean Liner

I’ve been cruising on modern cruise ships for years but have always wanted to try a cruise on a traditional ocean liner. There’s only one ocean liner operating in the entire world so when I saw a short cruise sailing on her from my local port, I knew I had to give it a go.

I didn’t know what cruising on an ocean liner would be like. Everything I knew about ocean liners came from the early 20th century with the most famous ocean liner of all being the Titanic.

Would this cruise be like being on a modern day Titanic and would I enjoy it and fit in, if it was?

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[jaybruminator]

What is the difference between ocean liner and cruise ship

[ws]

I think this ocean liner looks far more tasteful/classy and shiplike compared to cruise ships which are just overcrowded shopping mall/adventure parks floating on water.

[chandarussell]

Now this seems more my speed. Not crowded, not a circus and not a massive shopping mall. In other words perfect. I’ve never been on a cruise because I have never liked the idea of being crammed into a large shopping mall with carnival rides and thousands of people all jostled together. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it. This is more sedate and a lot more tasteful. I might have to look at going on my first ship cruise with Cunard.

[Cruz]

I am 22 and just started making my own money, for my first vacation I am taking QM2 to Southampton to spend a few days there, and then taking QM2 back to NY. I have always been enthralled by the legacy, history of ocean liners and maritime history. Also I love vintage fashion and have an outfit for every day. This trip will be a grand slam. I don't care if everyone is way older than me, I can't wait to hear their stories. If I find anyone that is my age on the voyage voluntarily they are automatically my new best friend lol. I am no stranger to rough seas, The Great Lakes have seasoned me lol.

[tyler_bt]

I saw a comment on another video saying something along the lines of:

“Ocean Liners are purpose built to cross oceans, and keep you comfortable while doing so. Cruise Ships are Hotel/Resorts built on top of a barge that miraculously doesn’t topple over”

That’s definitely apparent here. She may be slightly worn down on her exterior (many crossings with little turnaround time or lay-up will do that) but the QM2 does it’s best to replicate the old school ocean liner experience with a modern twist. And she’ll keep you comfortable while doing so

[RWM]

I did a around-the-world cruise on the Queen Mary 2 for 3-1/2 months in 2019. I found this review to be very accurate. Emma is correct about the crew being stiff and unwieldy on formal night rules. Plan on packing some formal clothes for a cruise on ANY Cunard ship or plan on staying in your cabin for the night. With nearly everyone else being dressed up, you’ll definitely feel out of place on those nights if you’re not. This was actually my second Cunard cruise, the first being in 2017 onboard the Queen Victoria. Speaking from experience, Cunard cruises are definitely aimed at older audiences. I never saw little children or hardly any young people in their teens or twenties. A lot of the other passengers had dreamed for years of taking a luxurious Cunard cruise and had saved up for the experience. Many were retirees who were celebrating recent retirement or landmark wedding anniversaries. My chief complaint though is that there simply aren’t enough clothes washers & dryers on the ship. If you’re there for only a one-week cruise, this won’t be an issue for you, but if you’re doing a longer cruise like I was, then you’ll soon realize this deficiency. The laundry facilities aren’t on every floor and it can be quite a hike to get to one, only to find that all of the machines are in use. The laundry rooms are not available 24/7. I’m not exaggerating, but in my nearly four months on this ship, I never once found an available washing machine. They were all in continuous use. I got by with rinsing things out in my room. There is a crew-operated laundry option, but it is quite expensive. It’s alright for one or two garments, but too costly to use for a full-load of dirty laundry — plus, a ship’s Porter told me that your clothes aren’t washed separately. Frequently, other peoples clothes will be washed with your load in order to save time, water, and soap. Other than being aware of the need to pack formal clothes, they also have “themed” nights as well such as, “Roaring Twenties, ” masquerade party nights, holiday themes, etc. There are regular Cunard cruisers who absolutely love these things and purposely plan their trip so they can be onboard and dress themselves to the nines. However, you can get by with just regular formalwear on such evenings if you choose not to participate. As I said, be aware of a real bottleneck at the very small and limited laundromats on ship, but everything else in this review is spot-on. Personally, I am older and therefore like the British formality and feel onboard a Cunard cruise. You won’t find children running wild in dripping wet bathing suits, or hear cabin doors slamming, or teenagers roving around in packs. There are no rock climbing walls or wild, adrenaline activities here. Rather, it’s conservative, traditional, British elegance at sea. Afternoon tea is an absolute ‘must’. Don’t miss it or else you will have missed out on one of the biggest charms of a Cunard cruise.

One other fond memory of my trip that really clinched it for me and made me a Cunard-only cruiser is their attention to detail. In making my reservation with Cunard, they offered to handle all of my travel arrangements from Chicago to London, and back again. Upon arrival at Heathrow airport in London, I had pre-arranged for a driver and private car to meet me in the luggage retrieval area. He was there waiting for me, holding a sign with my last name on it. The chauffeur was dressed impeccably in a smart suit. He insisted on pulling my suitcase to his car — a black Jaguar saloon. I had no idea where Cunard was putting me up for the night, but it turned out to be the gorgeous Langham Hotel. The Langham is one of London’s poshest hotels. Being a foreigner, it would have been very tempting for them to stick me at a real dive and pocket the difference, but that is not the Cunard way. The next morning, a different car and driver showed up on time to drive me to the ship’s terminal in Southampton. I’m a very big American (football player), so they discreetly arranged for an even larger Mercedes saloon to meet me at hotel. The driver brought me right to the front doors of the terminal building, and the driver again insisted on pulling my suitcase all the way inside the building for me.

Of course you will pay a price for such exemplary service and accommodations, but the fact that Cunard even offers it and then executes everything so flawlessly speaks to the level of quality you can expect from them. This impeccable service also extends right through to the cruise itself. They definitely get the attention to details correct. Upon arrival that first day aboard the QM2, a complimentary bottle of champagne 🍾 in a silver bucket of ice was waiting for me in my cabin. I was so impressed with the whole overall experience that now I am an exclusive Cunard cruiser. I will only sail with Cunard. I really don’t care to cruise with anyone else because I have found exactly what I’m looking for with Cunard. I’m looking forward to my first-ever excursion onboard Queen Elizabeth, and their newest ship, Queen Anne. As an American, I love the crispness and perfect British execution of everything Cunard does to insure the complete satisfaction of each and every guest.

[drimachuck]

The QM2 is on my list not because I particularly like cruises or anything but because I like history and engineering and I really wanna go on the world's last proper ocean liner.

[ashleighelizabeth]

Notes from a lifetime of reading about ocean liners to follow:

1. They call it White Star service after the White Star Line which was the parent company of Titanic and a competitor with Cunard up until the early 30s. The lines merged during the Great Depression and were known as Cunard-White Star until the early 50s at which time the name White Star was dropped from the company name.

2. The red jacketed crew members known as "boys in buttons" are a tradition of Cunard embarkation that dates back to at least the 1920s (and probably before that time as well).

3. Just to expand on the information you gave in the video allegedly the word Posh originated with the P&O line ships that went from the UK to India. People would book cabins and deck chairs on their vessels and the most desirable were on the port side of the ship outbound and on the starboard side of the ship returning to England. People who paid for such rooms and deck chairs supposedly had their tickets stamped POSH as you said, an acronym meaning Port Outbound Starboard Home. The origin of the term is somewhat disputed however and may not be true but it is a fun story none the less.

4. Queen Mary 2 is so stable because she has a very deep draft and a bow that has a much finer entry at the waterline than the average cruise ship. In point of fact the bow is knife edged so that she may slice through the waves more efficiently. If I'm not mistaken she has two sets of side stabilizer fins as well. And while it does not affect her sea handling characteristics her hull plating is almost twice as thick as the average cruise ships hull plating. As you noted ocean liners generally have much less open deck space for their size and that space they have is considerably more sheltered than the average cruise ship. And finally Queen Mary is built for speed being able to average 30 knots as opposed to the usual 20 or so that a cruise ship can handle.

5. Queen Mary 2 is one of the last bastions of true evening wear. Guidelines and rules were quite strict for proper evening wear at one time in society especially among the upper class. The show Downton Abbey does a wonderful example of representing this as you can see that men were expected to dress for dinner in white tie and tales and the introduction of dinner jacket tuxedo and black tie was considered to be controversial and too casual for some. I for one am quite happy to hear that Ed Sheeran was denied entry to the dinning room in casual wear and to know that Cunard does NOT make exceptions for anybody and that they uphold the traditions of fine dining in elegant evening wear.

[Maliceless]

The physical difference between an ocean liner and cruise ship relates to the hull; one is much deeper while the other is more flat bottomed; one is meant for crossing oceans and cutting through big swells, while the other is meant for slower movement and calm seas. The QM2 has stabilizing wings that extend from the hull in rough waters. I love this Ship.

[MacAdvisor]

When my family and I took the Queen Mary 2 from New York (really New Jersey) to Southhampton and the ship pulled away from the dock, the four of us were standing on our balcony waving goodbye to absolutely no one. However, the weird thing was it *felt* like the dock was pulling away from us because the ship felt completely still. I never felt a single bit of movement while onboard. The feeling was the world was passing us by and we were standing still. Seriously, it is a remarkable feeling.

[ChristianH.]

You have absolutely sold me on the idea of taking a cruise on the QM2. I am 51, so I guess I fall squarely into the age range of an average cruiser and a QM2 cruiser. And to be honest, I’ve always wanted to cruise like they did in the early days of fancy dress and posh styles. I am always looking for an excuse to wear my tuxedo!

[ianleaver]

Absolutely love the formal nights and especially the style of Cunard.

[macscotsman]

My wife and I were married on the Queen Mary 1 in Long Beach California 47 years ago. Nothing but fond memories of that ship through all the years we have visited it since. However your descriptions and experiences on QM2 leave me more envious than I can describe. There is no chance we will ever get to experience it ourselves so I sincerely hope you take another trip on the QM2 someday.

[TheWhiteDragon]

I've heard that there's a few ocean liners operating in Japan, but since they operate up and down the Japanese archipelago, they're often referred to as "ferries" instead of ocean liners. I had no idea there was still one operating in the West still. I've always had a romantic view of Trans-Atlantic/Trans-Pacific ocean liners. It's slower, sure, but much more comfortable than being packed into a plane like a tin of sardines.

[pectenmaximus]

I’ve taken the QM2 transatlantic twice. It was one of the best things I have ever done, and I can’t recommend it enough. I try to tell anyone remotely interested in having invigorating and unique life experiences to do it, and I am going to go again as soon as I can.

[mariecloutier]

Just wanted to say, this video helped inspire me and my husband to take our first ever cruise, on the QM2, and we had such a great time. so thank you so much for this! it was unforgettable and we hope to go again another time. we loved dressing up and the formality of it was really an appeal for us. i didn't know cruises could still be like this! we adored the ship and had such a great experience.

[thomasthomas]

Good to know that this style of ocean travel has not completely disappeared.
Your videos are always highly interesting and wonderfully entertaining.
Well done.

[Lderuddere]

We sailed from NY to Hamburg on the QM2 back in 2019 when we moved from the US to Belgium and we needed to move our Bernese. I didn't want to put her in the cargo hold of a plane alone as she was an older dog and not used to travel, so this seemed like the best alternative. At the time, the prices for the kennels were $800 for a small dog (or 2x$800 for a cat as they have to use one kennel for a litterbox) and $1000 for a large lower kennel. If you have a very large dog, it will likely take 2 lower kennels (our dog and the goldens on board all needed 2 lower kennels). So it did actually cost about the same price for our dog as it did for my husband and I for a 9 day transatlantic. I feel like airlines should start recognizing how much money pet owners are willing to spend on their pets and start offering their own kennels in the back of the cabin or something for long haul flights. Overall I would say it was worth it though and the kennel masters were amazing. I don't remember the exact opening and closing times, but the kennels were accessible from about 8am to 8pm with breaks for the staff at lunch and early dinner times. Most of the other passengers with dogs were either relocating like us, or were retired people who had homes or family on both continents and had done the trip many times. One of the dogs on our trip was actually recognized by the captain at the Captain's night as one of the most well travelled passengers.

[Aldrastar]

i did not know cruise ship YouTube channels were a thing until today, i am delighted by this new development.

[markpekrul]

I have no desire to travel on a cruise ship, but doing an Atlantic crossing on this ocean liner is on my bucket list. The formality is fine - I think it reinforces the notion that by taking Cunard and this ship in particular you're taking part in a grand and storied tradition. Minus the icebergs, torpedoes, mines, Swedish liners, etc....