Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2 is not a cruise ship. She is an ocean liner, built from the keel up to cross the North Atlantic on a schedule, and she is the only vessel in the world still doing it. At 149,215 gross tons and 1,132 feet, she is the largest ship in Cunard's fleet, and the only one with the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) designation. Her hull is thicker, her draft is deeper, and her speed is faster than any cruise ship afloat. None of that is marketing. It is engineering, and you feel it in the stability of the crossing.

I sailed QM2 out of Brooklyn and the experience is distinct from anything else I have done at sea. The Britannia Restaurant at dinner is a proper occasion. Illuminations is the only planetarium at sea. The library spans two decks and stocks thousands of books. The 2016 refit added 15 single oceanview cabins, a Britannia Club restaurant, and refreshed the Grills suites. She also has kennels on board, the only major cruise ship that does, which tells you something about the kind of crossing she was built for.

The downsides are real. QM2 is over 20 years old and some areas show their age despite the refit. The pool deck is small for a ship this size. She cannot transit the Panama Canal, which limits itineraries. And the Britannia experience, while perfectly fine, is a clear step below the Grills in food quality and service. But for the transatlantic crossing, there is no alternative, and the ship rises to that specific occasion better than anything else at sea.