Trip Reports
Some journeys ask to be repeated. This May I crossed the Atlantic on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 for the second time, seven nights from Southampton to New York on the world's only remaining true ocean liner.
My first crossing came a few years ago, after a two-year wait and two pandemic cancellations, and I stepped ashore in Brooklyn already suspecting I would be back. What brought me back was the theatre. As a lifelong musical theatre fan, I had just attended the Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall with my colleague Anjalina, so the chance to sail on a crossing run in partnership with the Awards, part of Cunard's London Theatre at Sea programme, was too good to pass up. A week at sea with talks, performances and workshops from West End artists on board. It rather chose itself.
London Theatre at Sea: a crossing built for theatre lovers
The programme started strong and never let up. On our first day at sea, I watched Linzi Hateley in conversation; I last saw her on a London stage more than 30 years ago as the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat alongside Jason Donovan. That evening, Olivier nominee Liz Robertson performed A Little Bit of Lerner, a tribute to the work of her late husband, the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
The week rolled on in the same spirit. Frances Ruffelle and Norman Bowman premiered The Scot and the Showgirl, a funny, affectionate show about their romance told through Brigadoon, Sondheim, Bacharach and The Proclaimers. Hugh Maynard of The Lion King talked and sang through A Few of My Favourite Songs. Critic Sarah Crompton and producer Julian Bird took a clear-eyed look at the state of the industry, and a music hall singalong night ended, somewhat improbably, in a silent disco that ran into the early hours.
The Gala Evening brought The Oliviers in Concert, celebrating 50 years of the Awards with songs from West Side Story, Blood Brothers, Les Misérables and A Chorus Line. The moment I will remember longest, though, was the Great Queen Mary 2 Musicals Singalong in the Grand Lobby, guests filling the staircase and singing along to musical theatre favourites. No singing prowess needed. On the final day, Frances Ruffelle, the original Eponine in Les Misérables and daughter of the late Sylvia Young, spoke about her life and work before the stars and creatives gathered for signings and photos.
That is the thing about Queen Mary 2 crossings: each one carries its own programme. My first brought the Kingdom Choir and Royal Shakespeare Company workshops. This one belonged to the Oliviers. If a themed sailing matches one of your passions, it transforms the week.
Crossing solo, second time around
Both my crossings have been solo, and Cunard makes that easy. I requested the early 6pm sitting in the Britannia Restaurant, partly to make the 8.15pm show and partly because a shared table is the fastest way to meet fellow solo guests. On my first crossing our table grew to a lively eight; this time the daily 9.30am solos get-together in the Carinthia Lounge did the same work. Fixed dining, a full programme and a ship this sociable mean you are only ever alone by choice.
The stateroom question
First time round I sailed in an Atrium View cabin. This time I chose an Interior stateroom on Deck 5, with a kingsize bed, plenty of storage, Penhaligon's toiletries, a minibar and a TV that replayed the previous day's talks. Here is my honest second-crossing take: on a sailing this busy, the cabin is where I slept and dressed for dinner, and the ship is where I lived. Spend your budget on the grade that suits how you actually cross.
Days at sea beyond the theatre
Even without the Oliviers, the days fill themselves. Cunard's Insight Talks were a highlight again; Dr Peter Dean, an adviser on Silent Witness, spoke on forensic medicine in film and fiction, Jack the Ripper and the real story of the Elephant Man, all fascinating. Ballroom classes proved hugely popular, and there were art classes, quizzes, an extensive library, Bridge lessons in the card room and the Mareel spa. The Pavilion Pool's retractable roof keeps it open in all weathers, heavy seas permitting, and the ship's planetarium, the only one at sea, remains a wonderful oddity.
Dining held up across both crossings. The Britannia chefs adapted a gluten-free menu for our table daily on my first sailing, and beyond the main restaurant there is the Kings Court buffet, pub lunches in the Golden Lion, afternoon tea in the Queens Room and The Verandah steakhouse when a celebration calls for it.
Arriving in New York the civilised way
A crossing lands you in New York without an airport queue in sight, and with the clocks easing back an hour on most nights, without jet lag either. Queen Mary 2 docks at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, and this time I stayed two nights near One World Trade Center, a calmer base than Times Square, where I stayed after my first crossing, and perfect for exploring downtown.
Would I cross a third time?
Yes, and I am already eyeing the reverse itinerary. London Theatre at Sea returns on Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton on 20 October 2027, with a further sailing planned for October 2028. A transatlantic crossing suits travellers who love full days at sea, good conversation and a ship with real heritage. If you measure a cruise by the ports it visits, this is the wrong trip; that is exactly what its devotees love about it.
If a crossing is on your list, speak to us. I am always happy to talk Queen Mary 2, cabin grades and which sailing to choose.
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