We booked into the Britannia Balcony and upgraded to Britannia Balcony Club. AFAIKT, this gave us a slightly better service level in-room, e.g. robes, slippers, higher deck: the size of the room was identical to other balconies. The real benefits were dining in the "club" area, so not waiting to tables in the main room, having one table for the entire time, with the same maîtresse d'hotel and servers, and priority embarking/disembarking. Worth the extra costs from my perspective, but only within reason.

Thanks for the info: I think I'd prefer to stick with the dedicated transatlantic service, for all the hiccups of Cunard. The ship itself is quite nice and handled the North Atlantic well, which might not be the case for ships intended for plying the Caribbean or similar closed seas. Also, as noted, the historical nature of this (i.e. leaving from UK/Europe and arriving to NYC with no stop) is actually quite nice and appears to draw a crowd that I, at least, felt more at ease with.

I would have assumed that would have made for better decorum in the buffet but apparently not.

Sail across the Atlantic
 

For the ultimate in Atlantic crossings Try a real luxury ship, The Sea Cloud Spirit. Spirit is a 125 passenger 453 ft long square rigged sailing yacht. No automatic sails here. Real sailors climb the rigging and set the sails. This is as close to a "Clipper Ship" as you will ever get!
I have made the crossing 17 times sailing in Sprit's older sister Sea Cloud, built in the 1930's.
What is there to do for 16 days? Watch the ocean, sails and leave the world behind. No casino, no dancing girls, shows or discos.
Really leave it all behind!
See you there next November!

https://www.seacloud.com/en/seacloudspirit/

Has anyone crossed on QM2 Late September Early October? I've been wanting to try out a Transatlantic Crossing as an alternative to flying for a while and found really good value on QM2 26th Sept-3rd Oct. Balcony for below Premium Economy Flight money. I hadn't planned on going for another year but I mentioned it to Mrs o and she jumped at it. Just wondering what the weather is likely to be like in North Atlantic at this traditionally (In UK) stormy beginning of Autumn.

The first time I sailed on QM2 was last October. Once you get out far in international waters it's frigid and some storms. I sailed it 3 times between October and December, and it was blustery/cold and rainy sometimes. The only time you didn't have to wear a jacket/coat was when it went to the Caribbean, but it was cold returning again.

NYC to Southampton was the best trip out of all of them. You will get a lot of information on the Titanic too and they will pinpoint the wreckage on the map on your in-room television. Hope you get the captain I had. I forgot his name, but he's Egyptian/British and I think the oldest captain they have on Cunard. He's excellent. I had him twice.

QM2 from Hamburg to NY
 

I'm booked on a QM2 transatlantic cruise from Hamburg to New York in November as the last leg on a round-the-world trip and looking forward to it. I have a few questions.

1) about what temperature do they keep public areas? I'm mostly concerned about formal nights since most of my dressier dresses are sleeveless. It's not an issue per se, but I want to figure out if I need to bring a warm shawl

2) where does the ship dock in New York? I am figuring I will stay in NYC for a night or two before taking the train home to DC and am deciding what will be convenient

3) the ship leaves from Hamburg and then stops in Southampton to board more passengers. Is one able to disembark and walk around a bit in Southampton and, if so, is that even worth doing?

4) they had a section on the dining form which asked about preference re: table size. I'm traveling alone, but I'm fairly sociable, so probably would like 6 or 8 people. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I am really looking forward to this. I took the Saint. Helena mail ship from Capetown to the UK back in 1998 and it felt like being in an Agatha Christie novel, so I'm hoping for a similar (albeit less intimate) experience.

My answers:
1) The only time you will need an extra layer is when you are walking near the outside deck and someone opens the exterior doors. It always felt warm throughout the entire ship. I would still bring a shawl/scarf (a thin one will be just fine).

2) It will dock in Brooklyn at the cruise port. I would strongly recommend taking a Cunard bus to the airport the same day and get out of that area and go to a hotel nearby the airport. It's always a zoo in the surrounding area of Brooklyn with Ubers and all the ride share taxi programs coming in. It's best to get on a bus and relax because outside is a mad house.

3) Yes, you can walk around and they have a special bus for those who want to go to the mall too. I would recommend getting off if you haven't been there before. I actually enjoyed myself. If you're into Titanic history I would definitely check that town out. Very interesting.

4) I've had solo (2 seater tables) in the main dining room and had no problem. I sat alone also in the princess grill restaurant. You shouldn't have any problem sitting with a group of people or simply alone.

Just a warning ⚠️ The clientele on the Hamburg to Southampton leg will not be of the same caliber, so expect to deal with rude older people from Germany and party type people from the UK and Germany. Those short cruises are "booze cruises" if you know what I mean.

Thanks. I go to/from NYC at least twice a year and pretty much always do so on Amtrak. I figure on spending two nights in the city and going to the theatre and visiting with friends. It looks like a short walk to the F Train, which will take me to Herald Square.

I wouldn't characterize Hamburg to New York as a short booze cruise. It's 9 nights. I don't think they sell the leg from Hamburg to Southampton itself.

You didn't indicate you would be spending time in NYC. Also, you stated that part of your cruise is going from Hamburg to Southampton. That's the booze cruise. Not your entire journey. All those people will be getting off in Southampton. Cunard sells that itinerary separately for the booze cruises. It's usually 3-4 nights.

Last year I went on back to back QM2 cruises, like 4-5 Cunard cruises on QM2 in different classes and also their Caribbean cruise and I'm very knowledgeable of the inner workings. Your cruise from Germany will have some terrible people. The worst cruise I've ever been on. Of course your experience could be different. But people showing up with no shoes or socks, totally barefoot for breakfast is unacceptable. And people that can't say excuse me is ridiculous. I will never cruise from Germany again, it was that bad. Good luck.

I said I'd be spending a night of two in NYC before taking the train to DC.

I answered all your questions, maybe another poster can come along with additional information.

I've just completed QM2 Southampton to NYC 26th Sept-3rd October so the experience is fresh. It's the only crossing/cruise we've ever taken, so it's from that perspective that I answer. I can't comment on the Germany-UK Section but there were several German PAX and they were all lovely.
So here goes.
1. It's t-shirt and shorts temperature inside everywhere except the pool on deck 13 which always felt hot and sticky.Outside was much cooler.
2. The ship docks next to the ferry (100m) in Red Hook Brooklyn and PAX can get a free ferry ride by scanning a QR code or it's $4.50. we went outside walked 50m and hailed an Uber. For 2 of us the price of $65 was barely more expensive that 2 bus fares and no waiting around for the bus to fill up.
3. I'm not sure how long you stop in Southampton but I'm guessing it's most of a day. I think they have an itinerary to visit Stonehenge and some other stuff. You'll need to get a cab or Uber at the port because it's not realistically walkable, well it is if you don't mind 10-15 mins walk to get out of the dock.I don't know Southampton but probably wouldn't bother. I'm not sure you'll be able to disembark but it *should* be possible. Our cruise carried on to Canada and passengers continuing on did go out for a day in NYC
4. We dined in Britannia Restaurant just once. It was the first "Gala" night and we had Dressed as advised in Tux and Evening Dress. It was the least enjoyable meal we had. We were seated next to 2 others who didn't even attempt to converse with us at all. The Kings Court (Buffet) on deck 7 is where we had almost all our meals although I'd recommend a light lunch in the Carinthia Lounge also deck 7 as it has amazing white chocolate .... No mustn't think about those.... We did have better experiences being sociable in both the Kings Court and Carinthia Lounges.

It was an amazing experience, a bit of a throwback to the past, in only a good way. I'm sure you'll love it.

Thanks for your perspective. It looks like they've assigned me to a 6 person table so I hope they'll be at least one amiable person.

Unfortunately the NYC ferry system is fairly useless to me, since it can only get you to the east side of Manhattan. But there are a couple of ways to get to the Westside using public transit.

I've done this crossing multiple times with a friend and have always asked for a table for 6 or 8. We very much enjoyed getting to know our dining companions each time. Obviously, a table for 6 is a bit more limited, but it'll also be easier to talk with everyone vs a larger table for 8.