Originally Posted by TATLTAIL

Recently returned from a one-way crossing on the Queen Mary 2 (Southampton > NYC), done for my spouse's birthday. I have to say that I was very pleasantly surprised and enjoyed it far more than I thought I would (cruises aren't my thing). Once I finish up my career and we have less pressures on timings, I look forward to doing another and perhaps making this a part of our regular treks to the US. FWIW, some thoughts for those considering the passage.
High points:
- Unplugging: one week without internet connection - we didn't opt into the package - was a wonderful break from the hellscape of modern reality. I read at least a dozen books, strolled the deck listening to music on EarPods, savoured being away from it all.
- Intentionality and the "slow travel" vibe: on the whole, the crowd was anything but the usual cruise persona and enjoyed, like us, the un-rushed movement from one to another point of the crossing. It struck me as anything but the type of superficiality that I associate with the usual cruise environment.
- Different spaces to provide variety: the library, a pub-style bar, a piano/lounge bar, coffee shop, library. There were several very good piano concertos in the afternoon, meetings of different groups (e.g. GLBT, reading groups...).
- Surprisingly good wine list in the general dining areas, along with a nice selection of drinks elsewhere: the prices, while a bit higher than landslide, were not unreasonable for being in mid-atlantic.
- Well cared for and appointed gym: it was often busy, but never full, so keeping fit and healthy isn't a concern.
- The dressing code was not nearly as onerous as I had feared: I packed one suit, smart clothing and a few ties. A bit more than half did the "tuxedo/evening gown" thing on so-called gala evenings, whereas others wore suits or more formal attire then.
Low points:
- Service was spotty and generally unpolished: some staff were good, others really quite poor. Over 7 days we learned which ones to avoid, although few of them seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps Cunard pays poorly or they are at the end of contracts?
- Extra charge restaurants are not worth the expense and are better avoided: the Veranda Grill was entirely mediocre, with a shockingly bad wine list for its billing and sloppy service; the speciality space (our was billed as "South Asian", called Bamboo) was vile, the service inept at best and definitely not worth an extra euro.
- The buffet areas were absolute zoos, as if fresh meat had been thrown into a cage of wild animals. TBF, the food on offer was pretty poor there, but one can always go to a restaurant or order to cabin.
- Disembarcation in Brooklyn was a mess, taking well over 6 hours, with lines stretching well over 500m at one point. Cunard blamed US border services; US border services claimed they weren't informed of the ship's arrival.
- Cunard itself comes off as amateurish, organizationally speaking and in terms of customer service. We had no end of troubles with our booking before leaving, spent many hours on the phone resolving them time and again, and were left with the impression reminding me of Alitalia on its worst bent. The UK office fought with the US office and vice versa, there is no dedicated EU office (which leads to hiccups in booking protocols and rules for passage), and while everyone admitted that they had made mistakes, no-one took responsibility for fixing things.
A final word of advice: Upgrading to Brittania Club is something I would very much recommend this to any, as it gives dedicated table and servers, and means evenings in a quieter space without waiting in line. The maîtresse d'hôtel (Mary Jane) in our club area was very attentive and easily the best staff of all, always giving good advice on what to order or avoid. The food itself batted between acceptable and good, with reasonable variety: I keep my expectations low for such things and was generally pleased in response.