Transatlantic Cruises Aboard Queen Mary 2

What Makes Queen Mary 2 Different from Every Other Ship at Sea?

Queen Mary 2 is the world’s only ocean liner — purpose-built for the North Atlantic crossing rather than converted from a cruise ship. That distinction matters more than it sounds. Her hull is deeper, her engines more powerful and her stabilisers heavier than any comparable vessel, because she was designed from the keel up to handle the open Atlantic in all seasons. If you want to cross the Atlantic by sea, this is the ship that was built for exactly that.

The crossing itself runs from 7 to 34 nights depending on the itinerary, with a median voyage of around 18 nights. Most sailings are one-way, trading between the UK and North America, so you will typically need to plan a return leg — and our team can arrange the flight home, along with hotels on either side, so it becomes a complete transatlantic holiday rather than just a cruise.

Where Does Queen Mary 2 Sail To and From?

For an overview of all transatlantic sailings, the routes span the full width of the North Atlantic. Queen Mary 2 embarks and disembarks at several ports across the UK and North America — the mix of turnaround ports is one of the most practical aspects of booking a crossing rather than a round trip.

UK Departure Ports

Southampton is the primary UK home port, handling the majority of Queen Mary 2’s Atlantic crossings. Most of Britain can reach Southampton by road or rail without needing to fly, which makes it one of the few ocean voyages where you can genuinely board without an airport at either end — on the round-trip sailings, at least. Liverpool also features as a departure port, offering an option for guests in the north of England. If you are sailing from Southampton, our team can arrange a 2027 departure with transfers, parking or a hotel the night before, depending on what suits you.

North American and European Ports

On the North American side, New York is the principal turnaround port — the classic endpoint of the classic crossing. Quebec City features on select sailings, offering a different Atlantic arc. Hamburg appears on a number of itineraries too, providing an option for guests beginning or ending their journey in northern Germany. Where a sailing ends outside the UK, our team can sort the flights home and any hotel nights you need.

If you are specifically looking for Queen Mary 2 sailings to or from New York, that page narrows the results to that particular route. For sailings departing from the UK more broadly, or departing from the United States, those pages filter by embarkation side.

What Is It Actually Like on Board?

Queen Mary 2 carries features that no other ship at sea can match. Illuminations — the first planetarium at sea — hosts stargazing shows alongside cinema screenings, concerts and lectures, giving the long sea days a programme worth looking forward to. The Queens Room is the ship’s signature ballroom, with nightly dancing and afternoon tea served in the grand tradition. The Royal Court Theatre stages West End-calibre productions, and six speciality restaurants mean there is real choice for every dinner.

The ship’s scale means the crossing never feels like a voyage of endurance. Days at sea are genuinely full — the Illuminations planetarium alone is worth planning your evening around — and the formal nights in the Queens Room are part of the QM2 experience that passengers talk about long after they disembark.

Which Cabin Should You Choose on Queen Mary 2?

Queen Mary 2 organises its accommodation into distinct classes, each with its own restaurant and service level. The four grades below run from the most accessible to the most spacious — full details and deck plans are on the Queen Mary 2 cabins and deck plans page.

• Britannia Inside cabin HB (14.8 m²) — the only inside cabin with a view of the ship’s atrium, making it brighter and more open than a standard inside room. Sleeps 2.
• Britannia Solo cabin KB (16.5 m²) — designed for solo travellers with no single supplement applied, giving full Britannia-class comfort for one person.
• Britannia Balcony cabin BU with covered loggia (25 m²) — a sheltered loggia rather than an open balcony, so you get fresh air and sea views even in Atlantic weather. Sleeps 2.
• Queens Grill Grand Duplex Suite Q1 (208.9 m²) — a maisonette suite spanning 2 storeys, with more than 200 m² of private living space — more than twice the size of any other Queens Grill suite on board. Sleeps 2.

What Fare Types Does Cunard Offer?

Cunard offers several fare tiers on Queen Mary 2 crossings, and the right one depends on how much flexibility you want and how far in advance you are booking.

The Cunard Fare is available on all sailings and comes with your choice of stateroom number, priority consideration for upgrades, a low 15% deposit, flexible balance payment terms, the ability to amend your booking up to the balance due date, and complimentary shuttle buses at ports. Variants of the Cunard Fare include options bundled with on-board credit and drinks, coach transfers, or car parking at Southampton — so you can match the fare to how you are travelling to the ship.

The Saver Fare is designed for later bookers who want the lowest possible price and are happy to pay in full at booking in exchange for a pre-allocated stateroom. If the dates suit and the cabin grade is less important than the price, it is worth considering.

Our experts can walk you through the differences before you commit, so you are not discovering the terms after you have paid. Fare types such as these can include promotional offers that change throughout the year — call us and we will check what is current.

How Much Does a Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing Cost?

Fares start at £445 pp* — that is for a Cunard sailing aboard Queen Mary 2, per person based on 2 sharing. On select departures, prices are reduced from the previously listed fare for that cabin grade, with discounts of up to 33% available on one sailing; most reduced fares are closer to 1% off, so the headline figure reflects a single outlier rather than a page-wide sale. The range across all itineraries is wide, because voyage length, cabin grade and fare tier all affect the price significantly. Our team can match you to the right combination rather than leaving you to work it out from the listings alone.

There are also a small number of all-inclusive sailings in the programme for guests who prefer to know the full cost upfront.

Current Deals and Offers on Queen Mary 2

Cunard releases promotional fare types throughout the year — including last-minute offers, fare types bundled with extras such as on-board credit and drinks, and savings on selected cabin grades. The availability and terms of these offers change regularly, so the most reliable way to know what is current is to speak to one of our cruise experts or search the live sailings above. Booking through Cruise1st means you have a specialist checking those options on your behalf rather than navigating them alone on the cruise line’s own site.

Make It a Complete Holiday

Around 41% of Queen Mary 2’s transatlantic sailings depart from UK ports, where many guests can travel to the ship by road or rail and need no flight at all. The remaining sailings either embark abroad or end at a foreign port — and on those, you will need to arrange the outbound or return journey. As a specialist, Cruise1st can add flights, hotels, transfers, tours, train travel and insurance to your booking as a Cruise1st Package or a fully custom arrangement. Nothing is left as a loose end for you to solve separately.

We are ABTA and ATOL protected, and rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot from over 7,000 reviews. If you want to talk through the options before booking, our cruise experts are on the phone to help.

Other Transatlantic and Cunard Options Worth Knowing

If Queen Mary 2 is not the right fit — or you want to compare before deciding — there are related options available. Cunard sailings from Southampton covers the full Cunard programme from that port, including shorter voyages. Transatlantic cruises in 2027 spans the whole market for that year, including other lines. Princess transatlantic cruises offers an alternative if you are open to a different fleet. And if you are looking at all cruises more broadly, our full search covers every line and region we sell.

*Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing, and are subject to change. This price is not kept up to date and therefore does not reflect live pricing and availability. Prices and any discounts shown were checked on 14 October 2026.

Where a discount is shown, it is a reduction from the price previously listed for that cabin grade on that sailing, not a comparison between cabin grades or against a brochure rate. Discounts and prices shown are not kept up to date: the reduction available now may be smaller, or may have ended, and prices may have changed.