I Skipped the Flight Home and Took the Queen Mary 2 Instead

🌊 Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing review: I expected old, stuffy and rickety. Here's what 7 days from Southampton to New York was really like. After months cruising Europe — the Mediterranean, the British Isles, Norway and Iceland — I needed to get back to America without a long-haul flight. The only ship that fit my schedule was Cunard's Queen Mary 2: 7 days, no ports, lower port fees and taxes, and a sunrise arrival past the Statue of Liberty. That's an excursion in itself. 🗽 I was worried it would be old and noisy, the crowd would be too fancy, and I didn't own nearly enough sequin ballroom gowns to fit in. I was wrong. The Queen Mary 2 is elegant without feeling pretentious — white-glove afternoon tea, the most stunning library I've ever seen, puzzle tables by the windows, lectures, a Titanic virtual reality experience, and even kennels for passengers sailing with their dogs. 🐕 In this Cunard Queen Mary 2 review: ➤ How I found this transatlantic crossing using Cruise Plum ➤ Why an inside cabin makes sense on an ocean crossing ➤ What a solo inside cabin costs compared to flying ➤ The Queen Mary 2 dress code (no trainers at dinner!) ➤ The 1920s vibe, pets on board, and my watercolor "masterpiece" 🎨 ➤ Why I'll take cruising over flying every time 🎬 WATCH NEXT ➤ Cruise Plum Tutorial — how I search every cruise line at once →    • 💻 The BEST Cruise Search Tool You’ve Never...   ➤ My Harrowing Transpacific Crossing →    • Harrowing Transpacific Journey on Discover...   ➤ Why I Live On Cruise Ships →    • Why I Live On Cruise Ships   🧭 CONNECT + COMMUNITY ▶️ YouTube Membership →    / @livingoncruisecontrol   ⓕ Facebook Page → https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... ⭐ Star Princess 2026/2027 FB Group →   / 1164071521929221   ☀️ Sun Princess 2026–2027 FB Group →   / 824496840358572   🏔️ Alaska Sailing FB Group →   / 4354863298111990   📷 Instagram →   / livingoncruisecontrol   🛍️ Amazon Storefront → https://www.amazon.com/shop/livingonc... 💌 Cruise Control Postcards → https://www.jotform.com/form/26095553... ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Queen Mary 2: not what I expected 0:34 Getting home from Europe without flying 1:29 How I found this crossing on Cruise Plum 2:44 7 days, no ports, lower fees 3:00 Statue of Liberty at sunrise 3:21 My expectations of Cunard 4:35 Checking in from Alaska 5:02 First impressions: elegant, not stuffy 5:52 Pets on board the Queen Mary 2 6:24 The food and friends on board 6:53 Watercolor class (and my Statue of Liberty) 8:07 Smooth seas and why an inside cabin works 8:57 Cruising vs. flying: cost and jet lag 10:23 Queen Mary 2 dress code 11:10 The 1920s vibe on board 11:49 Library, puzzles and lectures 13:02 Titanic virtual reality experience 13:18 Arriving in New York + final verdict 14:08 Bonus: my art career is over As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. #QueenMary2 #Cunard #TransatlanticCruise