Jackie from the Shandon Travel Cruise Centre tells us about her transatlantic crossing on board the Cunard Line's iconic Queen Mary 2:

"I was truly honoured to be given the opportunity of sailing transatlantic on the Queen Mary 2 in October 2015. We flew from Cork to Gatwick, took the 2 hour train to Southampton (which I had pre-booked) and we boarded very quickly in time for lunch. The cabins are elegant with large comfortable beds, beautiful soft linen and plenty of wardrobe space. We had a balcony, which was lovely- but you don't use it very much on this route.

The first thing I learned was this is not a cruise and Queen Mary 2 is not a Cruise Ship. It is a crossing on an Ocean Liner. She is the only purpose-built liner for the transatlantic route and has four stabilisers- compared to just two in other ships. This was to come in very handy two days into my trip!

The ship is truly beautiful and oozes "Britishness" but surprisingly not in an old fashioned or snobbish way. There is fantastic historical memorabilia all over the ship- sure to delight the marine and art lover. There is a complete mix of clientele on board and whilst indeed the majority onboard were over 60, there were many younger passengers; business people, couples celebrating anniversaries and groups of friends celebrating birthdays.

This crossing is definitely a bucket list experience. This is especially true for the Irish, as our history is filled with ancestors took this journey to make a new life in America.

The main dining room, the Brittania restaurant, serves superb three-course meals for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is very good there too, even though most mornings we went to the Kings Court buffet. Kings Court had everything and anything you would want for breakfast. We also ate on one night in the speciality restaurant by celebrity chef Todd English and the food and attention to detail was spectacular- well worth the extra money.

There is also a Pub, the Golden Lion, which serves pub grub. This is included in your Full Board rate There is also an Asian-themed speciality dining experience but we didn't try this out. The on-board Afternoon Tea is a must, served at 3.30pm daily with traditional sandwiches, scones and pastries by the white gloved waitors - very Downton Abbey!

Prices on board are not over the top: $5 for a beer, $8 for a mixed drink (eg. vodka and coke) and $7-$9 for a glass of wine. However, there is a 15% service charge on everything.

So my big worry on this cruise was what would I wear. We had three formal nights on this crossing. It can vary from two- four depending on what's going on that week and I have to admit I loved getting all dressed up. You don't have to bring a full-on ball gown although there were a few. Most ladies had glamorous cocktail or maxi dresses that one would wear to a wedding or ball.

Men are required to wear dark suits and ties or tuxedos on the formal nights, and dinner jackets on the non formal nights. Daytime was very casual, there were many tracksuits floating about- although it is nice to be smart during the day. I would recommend passengers bring a warm jacket/hoodie for walking around on deck in the daytime.

My other worry was seasickness. I had my Stugeron tablets packed and they served me well. On day three we experienced an unusal high swell with 30ft waves and the boat rocked heavily. However I never felt sick. Most people went with it and we had fun around the ship. This is where the four stabilisers came in handy, clever thinking Mr Cunard! This swell was not a common occurance and even the officers were saying they hadn't had it that bad in a long time. My feeling was that if I got through that (I used to be sick on the Swansea-Cork ferries) then I would have no problem selling the Transatlantic route to the seasoned cruiser.

Since returning, many people have said to me "Oh no, I would be bored on it" or "it would drive me mad not being able to get off". I have to say neither of these were an issue. There are so many activities; workshops, lectures, recitals, classes etc on daily that there is always something to do. There is a Planetarium with daily cosmic shows, a very large library and a huge Spa and Gymnasium. You will never be bored. And of course at night there are great shows- a beautiful ballroom with a live band and dancing. There is also a nightclub where we spent many a night.

This crossing gives you the opportunity to really experience the ship, to relax on its many decks and to meet and talk to guests with very interesting backrounds. You don't get this on a standard cruise where you are on and off the ship each day.

The highlight of the trip was waking up at 5am the morning we were docking in New York and going up on deck to watch her sail into the harbour past the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan. Maybe it was the tiredness, but I found it to be very emotional. We all kept the cold out with blankets and I couldn't help thinking of the many immigrants seeing that sight for the first time. The sun rose over the city and after one last hearty breakfast,  sadly it was time to disembark. 

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If you would like more information on the transatlantic crossing, or on the many cruises we offer worldwide, please call the Shandon Travel Cruise Centre on 021 427 7094 or email info@shandontravel.ie.