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The kids' club was fit for a princess -- a real princess. Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, 10, visited the "children's room" aboard the iconic CunardQueen Mary in Southampton, England, the year the ship first set sail in 1936 and reportedly had a lot of fun. Better than the palace playroom, we can only wonder.

Today, aboard the Queen Mary 2, there is a mural depicting the Cunard history of entertaining kids dating back to the mid-19th century when Samuel Cunard, the famous line's founder, brought some of his nine kids aboard, and later his grandchildren (he had 36). The line boasts the first children's playroom at sea -- aboard the Arabia in 1852, the last Cunard wooden hulled ship. Among the first animals at sea were cows for the kids' milk. (Today, the line boasts the only kennel at sea.)

The kids aboard on a recent sailing give the 21st-century Kids Zone high marks, though it is nothing like those on megaships. The Queen Mary has room for about 350 kids, said Chris Attrill, Queen Mary's youth manager, while megaships can accommodate more than 1,000.

The week I sailed from Southampton to New York there were just 22 kids onboard. One hundred were scheduled to sail back to Britain. This ship is the only liner offering regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings between New York and Southampton (22 transatlantic voyages this year from May till December), as well as cruises to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, New England and Canada. The Queen Mary has room for about 3,000 guests, some 1,200 seemingly always smiling staff and 25 four-legged guests. An especially popular feature is the 1/3-mile promenade deck, which is lined with traditional deck chairs, the perfect place for guests to stroll and chat, recreating the key social venue aboard transatlantic liners. Just inside, looking out to sea, are places to play board games, do a jigsaw puzzle, read or just daydream on a transatlantic journey with no stops.

We can just chill," said college student Marissa Morrison, 20, traveling with her family, who was doing just that in the huge Canyon Ranch (20,000 square feet) spa and health club, complete with plenty of water features. "There's no pressure to do anything." That includes keeping up with friends on social media, as internet was expensive, she said.

Such a voyage is a welcome break for busy working parents where every hour of the day is scheduled, said Claire Wiseman, a London attorney traveling with her husband and nearly 2-year-old daughter Lily. "There's no agenda," she said. "Everything is there when you want it."

The ship underwent a $132 million renovation just last year and she is sparkling from bow to stern. (A fun fact: She traveled 1.78 million miles before her refit -- about the distance to the moon and back -- four times.)

Some chose the ship after a busy week sightseeing and touring. Others hate to fly, especially now. Many families onboard who are moving back to the United States from abroad chose to cross the Atlantic "the old-fashioned way" -- as a way to spend time together and make the transition easier. Another plus: There's no limit on luggage.

"What a unique experience to give the kids," said Michael Minaudo, an Army officer moving his family back to Washington, D.C., from Belgium.

Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison (Cunard is one of Carnival's brands) notes that his family immigrated to America in 1954 aboard Cunard's Mauretania, which led to the vision of the Queen Mary 2.

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