A few questions

I am in the middle of planning my husband's and my 30th anniversary Around the World trip for late August/September.

As of yesterday, I planned on doing going west through Asia but today I found an incredible deal on the QM2 from NYC to Southampton and now I am thinking about changing the trip and going east instead. A bonus would be being able to visit our daughter in Amsterdam for a couple of days post cruise.

Several questions:

* We only travel with carry ons. I am pretty darn good at packing but I am not wanting to bring a suit nor long dresses. Will we stick out or will have to pack them?

* Will we be bored with so many sea days? Or will it just be restful before the rest of the trip?

* It seems like sheltered balconies are good for a TA but being so close to the water line, does that bother people? Personally, we like balconies with clear glass to look out on the water. Would an obstructed balcony be better? Only two choices available except for those big suites.

* Inside - does anyone ever book these?

Never have been on Cunard in our 75+ cruises but I have talked to friends who really think they offer a great experience. Thoughts?

We have three weeks for the trip and part of me says forget about the cruise because that would take up a week right there.

Of course only you can answer the last question. On your concerns:

- Formal. Yes it is. Yes you can do the Kings Court Buffet and sequester yourselves or perhaps be a bit creative. You can ship a small suitcase with formalwear home upon arrival in Southampton or follow some suggestions on other threads on this forum (for ladies, simple black pants with sparkly top and shawl (handy when traveling anyway) and for men, black pants and jacket of light, packable fabric, white shirt and tie)

- Cabin - we love the sheltered cabins and it's nice being closer to the waterline on a crossing (more stable too). They ARE darker than the glass fronted balconies, but it's fine for us. They're wonderfully convenient to all the public rooms on 2,3 and 7. The obstructed view cabins on 8 can be a great deal - especially the ones between the boats - but those are certainly booked by now.

- What to do. A recent poster scanned his daily programmes in his "proper crossing" thread which should give you some idea. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=56144079&postcount=31

Realize that crossings have been Cunard's bread and butter for over 175 years, and they excel at booking interesting lecturers and providing rewarding sea day activities. Also, the QM2 was built for this voyage, and has extensive interior space to host the events. But, of course, what looks interesting to one person can be boring to another.

As you can see from my sig, we're fans.

What a very good idea. Trans Atlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2 are the best. First of all she is the only Transatlantic Liner in service, and she will handle the Atlantic like a champ. There will be plenty to keep you busy day and night. They have the best speakers I have seen on any ship. They also have a planetarium, and excellent theatre, a great library, and places you can play card games, or events to attend with other guests. In fact you will find many more activities than you can possibly fit in.

There are places to eat where you can go during the day in casual clothes including the Main Dining Rooms for breakfast and lunch, the Kings Court, Sir Samuel's, The Carinthia Lounge and the Golden lion pub. In the evening the Kings Court serves dinner. And there is always room service.But like Mark said, if you can pack some dressy clothes suitable for dinner, you will magnify your chances of having fun

One suggestion I have is to look into the White Star Luggage service Cunard offers. I have used it for years and swear by it. If you can pack a few dressy clothes in a bag, you can have it shipped to the ship, and home again for a reasonable amount. I wear 'British' bankers shirts, which are anything but white, They look great casual or with a tie. I also like to wear Blazers, and have several that pack easily and are wrinkle resistant A nice pair of dark trousers go with it. There are steam irons on board to keep the pants crisp . Ladies do well with basic black pants, dressy tops and scarves.

You will enjoy traveling on this great ocean liner. You will not feel crowded at all, and that is one of its greatest charms. The sheltered balconies are pleasant in good weather, if you get one ask for the port side as you will be in the sun eastbound.

Since this is a special occasion for you, my advice would be to splurge a bit and really enjoy the trip, but I warn you Queen Mary can be habit forming.

Enjoy

You do an around the world trip with carry-ons? How many days do you have for this in total?

My answers in the same order as your questions:

*Yes you will need a suit/dress - you can bring a dark suit and one single dress and wear it for seven nights straight, but you will need one.

* No, you will not be bored. See here for daily programmes: http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-dailyprograms.html

*Sheltered balconies aren't close to the water line, in fact they are one deck higher (Deck 4) than the boat deck (Deck 3) of a regular cruise ship. I would go for an inside cabin on Deck 6, midships, but that's just my personal preference. QM2 has a wonderful Promenade Deck on Deck 7 (i.e. the liner's boat deck) with proper wooden deck chairs and the King's Court for tea nearby.

*That would be me and Mrs. Shuffleboard. An ocean view cabin is also a good option. Note that insides don't have a couch and a smaller TV. But on a seven day run I hardly ever feel like watching TV. If you go for an inside, I would set aside a bit of money for extras like a spa pass or a few drinks at the Commodore Club (they come with a view!).

That said: Do not expect a cruise ship, QM2 is a liner and the North Atlantic can be a stormy and/or rainy place. There are no waterslides, no ziplines and there is certainly no bleedin' ice rink! There are, however, nice traditional things like shuffleboard, excellent bars, afternoon tea and excellent lectures. All in all it is a proper ship that will carry you to your destination in a safe and comfortable way.

If you go through to Amsterdam, I'd recommend you to take the Stena Line ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland, it's the largest ferry in the world. Also do visit the most venerable SS Rotterdam in Rotterdam. They named an entire city after this fabulous ship!

... The sheltered balconies are pleasant in good weather, if you get one ask for the port side as you will be in the sun eastbound. ...

Bigmike911, lots of good advice in your complete post. But I think you probably meant to suggest asking for the starboard side in order to increase the chances of getting sun on a sheltered balcony during an eastbound crossing.

I attempted this several years ago. Cunard was not part of the plans (I crossed the Atlantic on a freighter) but my trans-Pacific was on the Crystal Harmony and I needed to be concerned about formal nights. My solution was a black blazer sold by Travelsmith which paired with black slacks was effectively a black suit. I could wear the blazer on trains and other parts of the journey and had everything I needed for formal nights just adding a proper shirt and tie.

Roy

You don't need a suit or dress onboard but you'd be limited in the areas of the ship you should be in if you're not in accordance with the evening's dress code. As an example, men need to wear a jacket on the "informal" nights. You can use the buffet and a couple of lounges/bars without needing to meet the dress code but per Cunard that's pretty much it.

For the full experience you should be prepared to meet the dress code.

* We only travel with carry ons. I am pretty darn good at packing but I am not wanting to bring a suit nor long dresses. Will we stick out or will have to pack them?

It is not a matter of sticking out. It is a matter of being treated as third class citizen in the evenings without access to various parts of the ship. Think Titanic here; its not just a movie and the treatment does translate to today's access around any Cunard ship. Why waste money (cheap as the fare is) and your precious vacation time subjecting yourself to such treatment - just because you do not wish to pack certain items of clothes.

Re. Outside vs. inside cabins.

We have done both and much prefer inside. It is dark in afternoon if a nap is needed. Frankly, we spent very little time in the cabins.

Wear a blue suit to fly in (and yes, you'll even be treated better during the flights according to flight attendants). And pack a decent pair of grey trousers. 2-3 ties. Two dress shirts. You can mix and match the three throughout the crossing, add a tie on formal nights. And be fine. No one will notice if you are dressed. They will notice you aren't. The idea that you HAVE to wear "formal wear" on formal nights is.... nonsense. It's never been the dress code. Dark suit/jacket/tie is fine. Always has been.

BTW Cunard on board laundry service is fast and reasonable in cost, too.

Bigmike911, lots of good advice in your complete post. But I think you probably meant to suggest asking for the starboard side in order to increase the chances of getting sun on a sheltered balcony during an eastbound crossing.

Probably so John, but my dyslexia is always getting in my way. Thanks for the correction, Mike.