Class ACT

Sailing on Queen Mary 2 is one of the most iconic voyages you can take. Julie Peasgood crosses the Atlantic in style

- Julie Peasgood

I am beside myself with excitement. A long-held dream of mine has been to sail on Queen Mary 2, and now here we are, surrounded by regal splendour, making the legendary transatlantic voyage from New York to Southampton. We are an incredible 61 different nations and 18 dogs on board, though canine companions are housed up in kennels on Deck 12; they have their own visiting and exercise area and no access to the ship’s public spaces of the ship (unless they are guide dogs). But the fact that passengers can sail on this magnificent vessel with their pooches in tow somehow makes it even more special, and I’m already coveting a border terrier named Muffin.

With seven solid days at sea this is not a cruise as such, it’s an event, and if you’re going to take this historic journey from the US to Europe (or vice-versa) then Cunard’s flagship and the last ocean liner in the world, is the one to choose.

Admittedly we are sailing in December and the Atlantic is grown-up sea; the waves are serious, substantial and gunmetal grey. But QM2 was specifically designed to withstand the most ferocious of North Atlantic storms. And as it happens, Captain Christopher Wells manages to avoid the worst of the weather and navigate us back to Southampton so safely and skilfully that there’s not so much as a ripple on our G&Ts.

Wintertime doesn’t have the monopoly on adverse weather either; you can experience Gale Force 10 winds in June but on QM2 it doesn’t even touch the sides. Its massive hull is two metres deeper than on conventional ships, it sports a pointy front (technical term) to cut through the waves, a bulbous bow which increases speed and fuel efficiency while reducing drag and, with 40 per cent more steel and 30 per cent more power than competitors, she slices smoothly through the sea.