First cruise line to have a children's playroom, lounge for women, gymnasium, ship's newspaper and hot and cold water in every cabin. First to offer a world cruise, introduce refrigeration at sea, launch a ship lit by electricity, provide private facilities in every passenger cabin, send an SOS signal, debut a health spa.

Cunard. From the very beginning, it was an innovator offering a true luxury experience. Among the fleet were the legendary Queen Elizabeth, the beloved and incomparable Queen Elizabeth 2, the stately Queen Mary - the latter two retired. Fast forward to 2004 and the arrival of the grand Queen Mary 2, today the world's only ocean liner offering regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton.

With enchanting spaces, lavish appointments and eye-catching art around every corner, the QM2 continues Cunard's tradition of superlatives: first planetarium at sea, cultural academy operated by the University of Oxford and suites with private lift access; first Canyon Ranch SpaClub and Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar at sea; largest ballroom at sea as well as largest library at sea, with an astonishing 10,000 volumes shelved in gleaming glass-fronted wooden bookcases.

In the beginning ...

In spite of Cunard's long and storied maritime history and shipbuilding pedigree, the early days of crossing the Atlantic Ocean were more about gritting one's teeth and bearing it than reveling in the glamor and sophistication of a luxury liner, where "getting there was half the fun" - a brilliant ad campaign originated by Cunard in the early 1950s.

In fact, one well-known curmudgeon painted an exceedingly grim picture of the journey between London and New York, describing his stateroom as an "utterly impracticable, thoroughly hopeless, and profoundly preposterous box," whose bed had a "very flat quilt, covering a very thin mattress, spread like a surgical plaster on a most inaccessible shelf."

That was Charles Dickens, recording impressions of his 1842 crossing aboard Cunard's RMS Britannia in his travelogue, "American Notes for General Circulation." And his discontent didn't end there.

Dickens described the dining room as "a long narrow apartment, not unlike a gigantic hearse with windows in the sides; having at the upper end a melancholy stove, at which three or four chilly stewards were warming their hands; while on either side, extending down its whole dreary length, was a long, long table, over each of which a rack, fixed to the low roof, and stuck full of drinking-glasses and cruet-stands, hinted dismally at rolling seas and heavy weather."

Making the crossing was fairly new in Dickens' day. It was only three years prior, in 1839, when Sir Samuel Cunard founded the British and North American Steam Packet Company (later renamed Cunard) and won a bid to carry the British Royal Mail to the U.S. and Canada. One year later, the Cunard Line introduced four steamships - including the one so thoroughly derided by Dickens - designed to make weekly transatlantic voyages with passengers and cargo. Four decades would pass before Cunard debuted its first ocean liner intended to transport passengers only - and another 130-plus years before the Queen Mary 2 arrived to offer possibly the smoothest ride of any ship while bringing guests outstanding and nearly round-the-clock entertainment.

THE CROSSING TODAY

"There are lectures, dancing, entertainment, fabulous meals," said Cunard Captain Christopher Wells. "We have 2,600 guests from around the world who are interesting. Who wouldn't want to be here?

"If I wax lyrical about an ocean crossing, it's because I love the ship, I love the sea and I love the crossing," he added.

Indeed, the entertainment for a voyage comprised of all sea days must be exciting, enriching, highly engaging and most of all, varied. QM2 entertainment manager Catherine Kennedy estimates she plans hundreds of hours of programming and activities for each crossing: live music, theater, shows, movies, dances and dancing lessons, games like trivia and bingo, sporting competitions, wine tastings and cocktail mixology sessions, workshops and theatrical productions staged by the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, stargazing shows in Illusions Planetarium, lectures and enrichment programs.

"We have enough programming to keep passengers entertained no matter how many times they repeat the crossing," said Kennedy.

A recent crossing featured several guest experts from Ancestry who offered genealogy lectures and workshops as well as special reveal sessions for a lucky few who sent their DNA samples in advance of the voyage. Christine Roussel, art historian, author and archivist at Rockefeller Center Archives, spoke on several topics, including the restoration of the Statue of Liberty and the history of the skyscraper.

Critically acclaimed author, social historian, broadcaster and historical consultant for TV and film Hallie Rubenhold offered fascinating insights about the "wild women" of Jane Austen's era and the women murdered by Jack the Ripper in 1888. Rubenhold's research into the lives of Ripper victims is now a book; "The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper" will be released in early April, 2019.

Today, a transatlantic crossing aboard the QM2 is not only half the fun - it is full-on all the fun, and without the jet lag.

CROSSING TIPS

1. Launderettes are located on various decks aboard the QM2, a real help in cutting down on the amount of clothing needed for the week-long crossing. Each is equipped with washers, dryers (and detergent), as well as iron and ironing board, and are free.

2. As Captain Wells describes, crossings can be quite "lumpy." To avoid seasickness, social host Tommi Baxter-Hill suggests cutting down on liquids and loading up on carbs. (It works.)

3. Forego the King's Court Buffet in favor of the quieter Carinthia Lounge for a light lunch with a gourmet touch accompanied by live music.

4. The wildly popular kennels with indoor playrooms and enclosed deck on Deck 12 sell out months in advance. American dogs will be relieved to find a red fire hydrant from New York City for their use; for our canine friends across the pond, a black London lamppost. Really.

PLAN YOUR TRAVELS

In addition to the Queen Mary 2, Cunard's fleet includes Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. A new ship is planned for 2022. For more information about a Cunard transatlantic crossing or other Cunard voyages, visit www.cunard.com. Cunard offers many specially themed events. Visit the website to learn more about these, including Transatlantic Fashion Week and Literature Festival of the Sea, both taking place in 2019.

(Author and travel and lifestyle writer Kathy Witt feels you should never get to the end of your bucket list; there's just too much to see and do in the world. Contact her at KathyWitt24@gmail.com, @KathyWitt.)

(c)2018 Kathy Witt

Visit Kathy Witt at www.kathywitt.com

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