Reflections on our Westbound Transatlantic Voyage on Queen Mary 2

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

 

H. Jackson Brown Jr.

Queen Mary 2 Reflections 

You can get off a ship, but you cannot get off the ocean.  A transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 is a voyage of sea days – uninterrupted horizons, long walks on the promenade, quiet evenings and stunning Gala nights.  It is the type of journey that requires acceptance – both of what it is and what it is not.

 

It is not a port-hopping cruise.

It is not an entertainment marathon.

It is not an endless parade of spectacle.

 

Yet neither is it rigid, joyless or trapped in formality. The character of the voyages depends on the expectations passengers bring to it.   Do you arrive seeking distraction or depth?  The Atlantic crossing offers both quiet and activity, reflection and celebration.  It asks only that you meet it halfway and be willing to try out experiences and all the possibilities they bring.  No matter your interests, there are a huge array of things for you to do and enjoy on board QM2.

 

I never imagined I would come to love the sea or ocean crossing voyages as much as I do.  Yet the sounds of the ocean, the steady vibration of the ship’s engines, and the vastness beyond the railings have become familiar.  There is something comforting and deeply relaxing about being at sea just as there is something wondrous in learning about the amazing vessels that traverse them. 

 

To have voyaged the full transit aboard Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton - and now from Southampton to New York - feels quietly extraordinary. These westward crossings are layered with traditions and memory: Royal Mail contracts and waves of immigration, soldiers going and returning from war, and Cunard’s Canadian connections are but a few of the tales wrapped into the journey.

 

This corridor has carried hope, loss, ambition, and return for more than a century.

 

We are only the latest passengers.

 

You Can’t Step Into the Same Ocean Twice

 

Ever since our first transatlantic voyage aboard Queen Mary 2, we’ve found ourselves wondering whether the crossing feels different depending on direction. Does sailing from New York to Southampton carry a different atmosphere than heading west toward North America? Are there more Americans and Canadians on one run, and more British and Europeans on the other?

 

After multiple crossings in both directions, the only thing we can say with certainty is that no two voyages are ever the same. Some sailings lean heavily toward North America, others feel distinctly European, and often this seems to have little to do with whether the ship is eastbound or westbound. On some crossings, the evenings gravitate toward quiet conversations in the Commodore Club or Chart Room; on others, the Queen’s Room fills with ballroom dancers or G32 pulses late into the night with live music. We’ve experienced voyages where the ship settles into near - silence by eight o’clock, and others where the energy regularly carries on well past midnight.

Lately, rather than trying to define the differences between New York–Southampton and Southampton–New York, I find myself wondering whether the crew can sense what kind of voyage is about to unfold. Do they anticipate the mood based on the age or nationality of those boarding? Does the character of the crossing shift with the season, the weather, or the broader rhythms of the Atlantic itself?

 

Whatever the answer, one truth remains clear. You can step aboard the same ocean liner time and again, but you can never step into the same ocean twice. Each crossing reshapes itself through its people, its moments, and its mood - making every transatlantic voyage on Queen Mary 2 is a singular and quietly remarkable experience.

 

What’s Next?

 

Somewhere between sea days and sunset watches in the Commodore Club, we made a decision.

 

Having now crossed the Atlantic twice in both directions and hiked much of the United Kingdom - though certainly not all - we will continue westward in a different way.

 

From New York, we will make our way to Halifax, Nova Scotia. From there, we will again board VIA Rail’s Ocean to Montreal, continue along the Corridor through Ottawa to Toronto, and then settle into the rhythm of the Canadian - four nights and five days across the breadth of the country to Vancouver.

 

And then we return to the trail.

 

This year our #Hike4Birds will continue along the Trans CanadaTrail from Fort Saskatchewan – at the crossroads of the national trail – as we begin the northern arc toward Whitehorse en route to the Arctic Ocean.  Our goal is to reach the Yukon by late fall and before it is too cold and winter stops our progress. 

 

Then, if we can time it right (which is not a guaranteed possibility), we will return to Vancouver and board another Cunard vessel.  This time, we will embark on Queen Elizabeth and voyage from Vancouver to Alaska. This will be our “reward” after trekking across the UK and venturing another 2500 km on the TCT northward.

 

Our journeys will continue beyond the decks of Queen Mary 2 - see you on the way!

 

Nautical Term of the Day – Dressing Down  -  Old sails were scrubbed and treated with oil  -  or “dressed down”  -  to restore life. Over time, the term came to mean a harsh scolding aimed at “restoring discipline” or “restoring working order”.