I crossed from Southampton to NYC with my family of 3 on the Queen Mary 2 in June 2019. Amazing experience, and one we hope to repeat sometime. I'd found a 57%

I crossed from Southampton to NYC with my family of 3 on the Queen Mary 2 in June 2019. Amazing experience, and one we hope to repeat sometime. I'd found a 57% sale on cabins right after Christmas 2018, and even with upgrading to have an ocean facing balcony, that room for the three of us was 25% cheaper than three transatlantic airline tickets, including our flight to Southampton and from NYC to our final destination. We were moving, so being able to bring as much luggage as we could handle also mean no extra baggage charges. Cunard has slowed their crossings to 7 nights at sea, since most passengers cross for the experience. The ship's Internet connection was more expensive and slower than I thought the price was worth, so I didn't bother. It was super nice to have time for reflection on my previous work assignment before arriving and starting the next---and all with no jetlag. I spent some time working offline on a personal python project in one of the lounges. Also read a book on creativity and another about the changing international monetary order from the ship's library---said to be the largest library on the open oceans. One of the people lecturing in their auditorium/planetarium was a former chief counsel for the NSA (though I can't recall his name), lecturing on surveillance; fascinating Q&A with the audience afterwards (Asked what he fears most when kicking back with friends around a campfire, he said he fears the dissolution of nation-states). Other passengers with cruise line experience said that the QM2 is different---their kids program and entertainment options are minimal compared to cruise ships, but then again, the QM2 is built to cross the north Atlantic comfortably, and her cruising speed, or 2/3s of maximum speed, matched the top speeds of most cruise ships. Cunard requires formal dress in all but one restaurant and in public spaces on the ship after 18:00 each evening, alternating formal and black-tie, with tuxes available to rent. My wife, my son, and I had a blast dressing up and 'going out in the town' in the middle of the North Atlantic. So, if you watch for a good sale, it can be a very reasonable week of vacation, or an actual transatlantic move.