24 Hours on Queen Mary 2: A Guide to a Day at Sea on the World’s Last Ocean Liner

Queen Mary 2 is the last transatlantic ocean liner in the world, sailing the classic eight-day route between Southampton and New York. I made the westbound crossing as part of the Nomad Cruise, a floating conference that this time was all about AI, and spent one full day at sea trying to see as much of the ship as possible. Twenty-four hours is nowhere near long enough to see everything, but it gives you a good idea of what a crossing is like.

This guide covers what a day at sea involves, what the cheapest cabin is like, what there is to do, what to wear, what food and drink cost, and what actually makes an ocean liner different from a cruise ship.

What a day at sea on Queen Mary 2 is like

Every day on board you get a printed programme listing everything that’s happening, and there’s a lot. One side covers 6am to 4pm, and the other covers the late afternoon and evening. At 10am on my day alone there were five different things to choose from, with two more starting at 10:15: a live acupuncture demonstration, a watch showcase, dance fitness with the show company manager, morning mimosas and a watercolour art class, alongside trivia.

The programme is far too much to plan around, so I didn’t try. I carried it with me all day and, whenever I had a gap, looked up what was on and chose whatever appealed most.

What the cheapest cabin on Queen Mary 2 is like

The cheapest cabins on Queen Mary 2 are inside twins with no window. The pillows and bedding feel quite plush, there’s plenty of storage overhead, in the wardrobes and by the beds, and you get bedside lamps, a desk with a telephone and charging ports, a TV that shows the ship’s position, a hairdryer, tea and coffee, a safe, life jackets and a minibar fridge. There was also a small complimentary bottle of sparkling wine on arrival. A nice touch is the magnetic “do not disturb” and “make up my room” signs that stick to the outside of the door.

The bathroom is a good size, with lovely towels, plenty of space for your things and nice soap. The shower is very decent, with good pressure, properly hot water and nice-smelling shower gel.

The main drawback is the air conditioning. The unit blows constantly, and you can only choose hot or cold, not how strong it is. In my cabin it pushed air straight down onto the bed, and after two nights I had a cold, so I moved the bed out of the way.

The big advantage of an inside cabin is its position. Having no window means you’re in the middle of the ship, and that makes a real difference in bad weather. During my crossing we had winds of over 90mph one night. I slept straight through, while people in balcony cabins told me the next morning that they’d been woken at 3 or 4am by the banging and crashing of the waves.

Things to do on Queen Mary 2

Talks in the Royal Court Theatre. The main theatre hosts talks during the day. On my day there was one on astronomy, including the first ever photograph of a planet orbiting another star, and in the afternoon a talk full of stories from film and theatre, such as how Sean Connery nearly didn’t become James Bond.

Trivia. If you love a quiz, there’s morning trivia in the Carinthia Lounge. After a confident start, I lost my way a bit, and finished with 7 out of 20 on my own.

Darts. Darts was really good fun. The game I played was simple: everyone throws for a number, and if you hit someone else’s number, they lose a life.

Bridge lessons. Bridge lessons for beginners and intermediate players are on the programme, but they’re popular. The beginner’s lesson I wanted to go to was completely full.

Art, the casino and jigsaws. The Clarendon Fine Art gallery is worth a look, with pieces that include artwork from the Montreux Jazz Festival. The casino has blackjack, poker and roulette. There are also tables of board games and jigsaws, where people do a bit and leave it for the next person to carry on.

Ship history. Cunard are rightly proud of their famous passengers, including President Eisenhower, Noël Coward, Ella Fitzgerald, Dame Vera Lynn, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin, and Walt Disney. There’s also a display of plaques and memorabilia from the places Queen Mary 2 has visited.

Other things on the programme on my day included morning aerobics in the Queens Room, a talk on the history of the watchmaker Bremont and a “burn fat fast” session.

Pools, gym and spa

There’s a lot of outdoor space for sport and recreation, but on a windy crossing it isn’t always open. On my day, deck seven was shut and the outdoor pools and jacuzzis were closed, and even once we were allowed outside it was far too windy to film out there. When that happens, the Pavilion on deck 12 is the place to go, with an indoor pool, a jacuzzi and table tennis.

The gym is a decent size, with loads of cardio machines, a small free-weights area and some weight machines. The spa next door has saunas, jacuzzis and all kinds of treatments.

Food and drink on Queen Mary 2

You can eat anywhere from the buffet to the Britannia Restaurant for fine dining. The main dining room is a lovely space, spread over several levels, with three on its upper part alone, and it’s serene, pristine and elegant. Lunch and dinner were both lovely, but if you have a big appetite like mine you may find dinner isn’t enough. The buffet stays open late, so you can always top up afterwards.

Drinks aren’t cheap. A gin and tonic in a lounge cost me $20, so that was my first and last of those, and I went to the pub for a pint instead.

The Queen Mary 2 dress code

The dress code matters on this ship. In the evening, smart attire is absolutely required in the bars and restaurants, and if you’re not dressed for it you can’t go into many of them. I wore a suit for the evening, starting at the Commodore Club at the front of the ship.

Evening entertainment

My evening was mostly about music, starting with lovely piano music in a lounge. The main show was Linda Gentille’s “Back to Broadway”, a high-energy mix of Broadway and pop classics, comedy and memory tricks. She was very talented and quite funny. Around the ship I found a relaxed, low-key set from a musician playing a 22-string guitar, and the night finished with Irish music in the English pub.

Gaining an hour on a westbound crossing

One of my favourite things about sailing from Southampton to New York is that you gain an hour almost every day as the ship crosses the time zones. In practice, that means you can go to bed late, still get up at a normal time and have plenty of energy for the day.

Ocean liner vs cruise ship: what’s the difference?

Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner rather than a cruise ship, and according to AI there are three main differences:

1. Point-to-point travel: ocean liners are designed to take you from one place to another, rather than stopping off along the way like cruise ships.
2. Speed: because of that, they’re faster than regular cruise ships, with powerful engines.
3. Stability: they’re built to cope better in rough water.

The third one showed during my crossing. With winds of over 90mph, Queen Mary 2 just powered through, and in the big swell the next day the ship barely rocked.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed being on Queen Mary 2, and I really enjoyed doing this iconic journey. For what it is, I’d 100% recommend it.

You can watch the full day on board in the video on YouTube: 24 Hours on the World’s Last Ocean Liner (Queen Mary 2).