Using Cunard for Transatlantic Relocation?

In 2004, I moved away from my hometown of Fort Wayne, IN, on my own for the first time in my life--to London. London became my first home away from home--a huge leap for me from growing up in semi-rural Indiana to the great world city of London! I lived and studied in London for the next 3 years (I studied at King's College London, where my career in craniofacial genetics and embryology research began). Three years were not enough time for me to live in and experience London, IMHO, and it was very sad for me to leave London at the end of my term there. To this day, I have an insatiable desire to move back to London one day. In January 2016, I made my first return visit to London since I lived there, and it made me only more determined to move back there one day.

Looking back to that time, I wish I had considered using Cunard's former flagship QE2 to take me across the pond when I moved to London, instead of taking the usual, forgettable flight that I did. That would have been quite an experience!

I'm currently working in Denver, but will be moving in about a year and a half to yet another position--somewhere on Earth. (Since 2004, I have moved frequently--London from 2004-2007, then San Francisco 2007-2012, Calgary 2012-2015, now Denver.)

If I do get the opportunity to move back to London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom (eg, get a position in my alma mater King's College London or some other place there relating to my craniofacial research work), I am seriously considering the possibility of taking Cunard's QM2 on the transatlantic NYC-Southampton run as my means of relocation. QM2 now has single oceanview staterooms (perfect for me, a bachelor). The transatlantic voyage would be a relaxing, civilised, adventurous alternative to the cramped overnight flight in an economy seat (as much as I love BA and their 747s over any other airline I've flown transatlantic).

Of course, if I end up with the opportunity to move across the pond this way, I will need to get rid of most of my stuff (including my car, IKEA furniture, any bulky items, and most other stuff of mine that is not of any historical or other significant value to me), and just take a few suitcases with (and maybe a handful of boxes of important stuff, either as freight on the ship or shipped ahead). Once I get rid of most everything, I will have to get from Denver to NYC somehow, then get to the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn. What is the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn like? From what photos I've seen of it, it looks like a big white warehouse or shed, but I cannot see whether the ship is boarded via elevated gangway (like a jetway) or from the ground level. How would I get there from a NYC airport (if I flew in) or railway station (if I took Amtrak to NYC)?

Have any of you ever used Cunard (or others) to relocate across the pond? What are your experiences with that?

You can take a taxi or Uber From JFK or LGA to Brooklyn port. There is no steep elevation leading to or on gangway.

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... Once I get rid of most everything, I will have to get from Denver to NYC somehow, then get to the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn. What is the Cunard terminal in Brooklyn like? From what photos I've seen of it, it looks like a big white warehouse or shed, but I cannot see whether the ship is boarded via elevated gangway (like a jetway) or from the ground level. How would I get there from a NYC airport (if I flew in) or railway station (if I took Amtrak to NYC)?

 

Have any of you ever used Cunard (or others) to relocate across the pond? What are your experiences with that?

With respect to Cunard, I know nothing. However, from an early age I was moving with my family from one continent to another, and then as an adult I worked with the US Army all my career and had many friends/acquaintances who regularly went through the relocation routine. From that perspective, I would say that you are making one bad assumption: that you need to or should want to have your "stuff" with you when you cross the big pond. By all means, take the ship across! Then go find a place to live. Get to know your new neighborhood. By that time the "stuff" that you couldn't part with in Colorado will be waiting for you someplace in London and the shipping agent will be contacting you to find where to deliver these goods... I get it that you will downsize, as it were, when you make this hoped for move. But moving companies are quite capable of bundling multiple smallish shipments together into one shipping container all headed for the same destination. Leave it to the professionals, don't try to carry everything with you.

Best of luck with your continuing adventure!

Stan

I met people on board who were relocating from Germany to the US. However, their employer handled the shipping of their belongings. You are free to have the porters handle as many suitcases as you wish, but you will find the storage space in your stateroom to be limited. You can put a couple of empty suitcases under your bed, but as to the full ones, probably room for only a few in the single stateroom. The Brooklyn terminal is indeed a big shed, nothing fancy. There are elevators and escalators plus some long ramps, so no stairs. But there is a lot of walking involved. Take taxi or Uber from the airport or your hotel, or a car service such as Dial 7.

Back in the '70's, my wife and I moved back to the US from Scotland, where I was working in the offshore industry. The company allowed us a shipping container for our household goods, but there was never a guarantee on how soon the container would be shipped. We decided that instead of the airline ticket they bought, we would cross on the QE2. This was, as you say, more enjoyable than a flight, and gave us advantages on getting "immediate needs" of household goods in a timely fashion. The QE2 allowed 2-3 suitcases per person in the cabin, 2 steamer trunks per person in the baggage room, and I think it was 50 cubic feet per person in the cargo hold. Sadly, now the only remaining liner, the QM2, doesn't offer a baggage room nor a cargo hold.

I haven't been single for over 40 years, but I can't imagine tossing my whole life and travelling with just the few suitcases that would be "comfortable" to cram into a cabin. Air freight, or even surface freight for furniture can be your friend.

Depending on how much "stuff" you have with you, a taxi would probably not be the best choice for transport in NYC, I would recommend a car service, where you can reserve a mini-van or SUV to have enough room.

At the terminal, baggage is dropped off at street level, and will be delivered to your cabin. Carry-ons must fit through an x-ray belt exactly like at the airport, so the sizes are comparable. Boarding is via a covered gangway that is one or two stories up from street level, usually accessed via long switchback ramps. (Haven't been to Red Hook Terminal)

Have any of you ever used Cunard (or others) to relocate across the pond? What are your experiences with that?

Yes, my family relocated via the QM2 from California to Scotland in the fall of last year.

We rented a small SUV and drove from California to New York taking about 2-3 weeks visiting family along the way, and dropped the luggage off at the terminal before taking the empty car to the rental check in at JFK. ...Then a taxi back to the ship. We had about 500 lbs worth of luggage in our QM2 cabin for our family of 4 moving house across the pond. 8 large suitcases, and several hand carry backpacks. On the QM2 you can take as much luggage on board as you want, as long as you can fit it in your cabin. We had them remove the small table and chair in the cabin to allow for more room to stack luggage.

On one crossing I actually brought along my road bike, tucking it underneath one of the beds.

We are now doing the return on the Dec 15th crossing. But this time since we know exactly where we are heading, we are shipping 250lbs worth of stuff back to California, to make our journey a bit lighter.

whyohwhyoh

Thanks for your ideas and suggestions!

I definitely plan to downsize dramatically if I make this move in future. In this case, I would get rid of my car (no need to drive in London or anywhere in the UK or Europe), all my household furniture, appliances, electrical goods and electronics, and kitchen stuff, and slim down on clothes; basically unload everything that can be replaced. What little is left over (such as medical records, a few special books, my medical artifacts and antiques collection, and a few other items of historical value to my life) could easily be packed up in boxes to be put in a surface shipping container (bulk shipping as some replies suggested) for transshipment separately from me. In the meantime, I would just carry what luggage I could easily handle and travel to NYC and get on the ship. Upon arrival and settling in, I would indeed need to look for a domicile, whilst waiting for my (little remaining) stuff to catch up. IKEA and other appropriate domestics stores would serve me well for stocking my new home in London or wherever in the UK.