"Across the
Pond" on the QM2
by Ronnie D. Miller
As I settled into my economy seat on a Continental 767 jet I new that I was in for a grand adventure. Never mind that I still had a long and grueling 11 hour flight ahead of me. The adrenaline was already racing through my body. At age 31, I was finally about to do the one thing I had dreamed about for years. I was going to board a transatlantic liner in Europe and sail for the new world!
There is only one shipping line today that offers transatlantic voyages and that is Cunard Line. That is the same Cunard Line that has been around for years. You may remember it was a Cunarder that rescued the survivors from the Titanic sinking in 1912. Today they offer weekly liner service aboard their flagship Queen Mary 2 or QM2 as she is known. It typically operates in the summer months beginning in May and ending in early September. The crossing takes 6 days and leaves from either New York City or Southampton in Great Britain traveling either eastbound or westbound.
We arrived in London after our overnight flight,cleared customs and headed to our hotel. We opted for the City Inn Westminster which is just a short walk to Parliament and is about a block from the River Thames. It is in a perfect location in a quiet neighborhood. We spent a few days in London sightseeing and soaking up the history and then headed to Victoria Coach station for the transfer down to Southampton. This is a 3 hour ride and it takes you southeast of London through the English countryside. We arrived in the historic port city of Southampton around 1pm and immediately boarded the QM2.
Our first impression of the QM2, besides that she is huge, is that she is a very traditional ocean liner. Unlike a cruise ship, the QM2 is built for the tough and sometimes rough North Atlantic waters. She is sleek and strong. We had a light lunch and then went out to explore the ship. At 5pm sharp, the great horn sounded and we slipped effortlessly away from the quay. As a light drizzle fell, I couldn't help but think of how many thousands of people before me had made this very journey. Some in the lap of luxury and others cramped way below decks in third class or steerage those many years ago. Either way I knew that in 6 days time we would be sailing past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson to our pier in New York like so many before us.
The six days aboard ship were the most relaxing and at times the most energetic that I have ever spent at sea. Some had cautioned me that 6 days at sea would be way too much. In all honesty, it was quit the opposite. I could have used 6 more! We enjoyed resting and reading on the Promenade Deck as we cut swiftly through the Atlantic. Our days were filled with lectures, films and crafts. Our nights filled with sumptuous and lengthy dinners, grand balls, theatre, music and dancing. By the fourth day I came to the realization that there just wasn't going to be enough time to do everything. I resigned myself to that fact and spent the remaining two days onboard visiting with new friends, eating way too much and relaxing. Soon it was over and on the sixth day around 5am we silently passed the Verrazano Narrows bridge and then the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. By 9am we were off the ship and on our way to the Hyatt. We spent a wonderful 2 days in New York before returning to Lubbock.
I must say that this "crossing" was by far one of the most rewarding voyages I have ever made. It is one that I will do again. There is something about reconnecting with history when you travel that somehow makes it more memorable. In your minds eye you place yourself in a different time period and wander what others experiences might have been like. You consider yourself fortunate that you were able to, even in a small way, re-live something that was so important to our own countries history. Everyone should "cross the pond" by liner at least once. It is everything it was supposed to be and so much more. As Cunard says, "getting there is half the fun!"
National Travel Systems is an American Express
Travel Services Representative
