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Back to the Future Aboard the Queen Mary 2

For those who believe the golden age of ocean travel is forever gone, I have exciting news for you. A transatlantic crossing in Queens Grill on the Queen Mary 2 is a voyage back to the future.

Now in its second year, the majestic QM2 -- for the moment the largest passenger ship afloat and the only liner providing regular transatlantic service -- is a world apart from this era's glitzy cruise ships.

No ice skating rinks, rock-climbing walls or bungee trampolines on Cunard's elegant liner. No wave pool for surfing like the one coming in 2006 on the ship that will surpass the Queen in size, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas.

Instead of an ice rink, the QM2 has a planetarium which doubles as a lecture hall for experts on a variety of esoteric subjects from Oxford University. Instead of rock climbing, you can attend performances by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts -- then take part in their acting workshops.

Instead of one more of the ubiquitous Steiner spas found on just about every major cruise ship, the QM2 offers the only Canyon Ranch Spa at sea. And for those who still remember how to entertain themselves by reading, there is the QM2's handsome and well-stocked 8,000-book library -- by far the finest facility of this kind to be found on a ship.

That doesn't mean that the QM2 is lacking such state-of-the-art accoutrements as wi-fi (available in hotspots around the ship) and LCD televisions, another nice hi-tech -- and space-saving -- touch.

But the technology for the most part seems present to enhance your classic liner experience -- not to dazzle you or blow you away.

Beyond the sheer size of the QM2, what immediately strikes you as you begin to explore the ship is the decor -- glamorous yet far more (dare we say it) tasteful than that found on most of the new cruise ships. Many of the Queen Mary's public areas can best be described as elegant (when was the last time you heard that word applied to a large cruise ship).

The Queens Grill suites -- which range from the modest 506-square-foot cabin we occupied (about the size of most Manhattan efficiency apartments) up to duplexes and combinable suites that can provide up to 3,800-square-feet of unimaginable splendor -- are more than the match for anything found on small luxury cruise lines, or in the finest hotels for that matter.

A word of advice: as newcomers to these suites, we took room service at their word that we should just pick up the phone each morning to order breakfast. Two consecutive days in which our eggs arrived ready for burial-at-sea left us fairly depressed about the wonders of breakfast in bed.

Then our butler (one comes with all Queens Grill suites) implored us to let him both order and bring each day's breakfast. This greatly improved matters, and with surprisingly good late October weather enabling him to set up breakfast out on our balcony, subsequent days got off to a sunny start.

The highpoint of the crossing, however, consisted of the lunches and dinners in the Queens Grill. We understand that the grill is being redone during the QM2's November 2005 refitting (not quite sure why), and would describe the decor of this restaurant pre-renovation as elegantly understated.

But there was nothing understated about either the food, or the service. At lunch, we generally ordered from the Canyon Ranch spa cuisine menu, which offered extremely tasty daily selections that were also extremely low in calories.

At dinner, however, there was an embarrassment of riches. If you didn't find an appetizer or main course that appealed to you on the daily menu, you could always go to the backup menu of Queens Grill standards. And these two menus were further supplemented by the chef's willingness to make pretty much anything you might desire.

Want a chocolate soufflé (my favorite)? Have it for you tomorrow, sir. Want to try Crepes Suzette for desert (my wife's passion)? No problem.

From the Maitre d', who switched us to a more romantic windowside table, to his assistant (who prepared the duck a la orange at tableside) to our waiter and his two assistants, service could not have been more attentive.

Our only regret from this voyage is that food and service in the Queens Grill was so good that we could not bring ourselves to try either the specialty restaurant, Todd English, or the Chef's Galley, where you can watch the visiting celebrity chef along for the crossing prepare your meal.

Perhaps that is just as well, however, since our consideration of dining at the Chef's Galley introduced us to one of the few things on the QM2 that did not work well: the Queens Grill concierge. Not once but twice, my wife asked the concierge to find out what the celebrity chef was planning to prepare at the Chef's Galley. We never heard back, and requests for the recipes from the Chef's Galley also went ignored until the last day, when one mysteriously arrived.

But the couple of glitches we encountered during our six-day crossing were massively outweighed by the positives. Among other high-points:

• The featured singer who performed at midvoyage and again on the last night in the opulent Royal Court Theatre, Jeri Sager, who was by far the best performer we have ever encountered on a ship.
• The Chekhov performance by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts players (one of three performances by this troupe on the crossing), which compared favorably with anything we have seen on Broadway or in the West End.
• The ship's Empire Casino, a spacious gambling area with a friendly and accommodating staff, which turned out to be a most pleasant place in which to spend a few late night hours (see separate review).

We would also be remiss in not noting the very high percentage of men and women resplendent in black tie and gowns on the three formal nights of our crossing -- a wonderful bit of civility that again tends to remind one of the glamour of Atlantic crossings of an earlier era.

Is the expense of traveling Queens Grill (or Princess Grill, which is quite similar to Queens Grill but with smaller suites) worth it? Our answer would be: compared to what? If you generally seek out the least expensive air ticket to cross the Atlantic, you might well want to consider a Britannia cabin -- which at various times of the year can be a very low-cost way of sampling many of the pleasures of a transatlantic crossing.

But if you customarily book first class or business first transatlantic plane tickets, stay at the finest hotels, and dine in the top restaurants, you might find a QM2 Queens Grill or Princess Grill crossing a veritable bargain -- as well as a grand travel experience.

For in an era where the supersonic Concorde is gone, and the last vestiges of opulence and romance have been pretty much squeezed out of air travel, a QM2 Queens Grill transatlantic crossing offers a sophisticated respite from the 21st Century. It takes you -- for six glorious days -- back to the future.

--The Savvy Cruiser