Nautical but nice

I HAD never really contemplated the idea of a cruise before, so I was encouraged when the captain informed me: "Remember, this is a crossing, not a cruise".

And what a crossing.

I had flown out to New York to join the Queen Mary 2, the biggest (151,400 tons), longest (1,132ft/342metres or 41 London buses), tallest (236ft/72m or the height of a 23-storey building), widest (135ft/41m) and most expensive passenger ship in history (£540 million)

And I had made the most of my one-night stopover in the Big Apple.

During my brief visit to the city that never sleeps, I watched baseball in a sunny Central Park, strolled down Broadway to the bright lights of Times Square, admired the magnificent architecture of Grand Central Station, and queued for an elevator to take me to the observatory on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building which dominates midtown Manhattan.

From the top you can apparently see up to 55 miles on a clear day. But, unfortunately, I had forgotten my glasses.

Back at street level, I slaked my thirst at the Heartland Brewery bar on 5th Avenue, next to the Empire State (I can recommend a pint of Cornhusker).

The next day, after a cracking night in one of New York's ubiquitous Irish bars, I joined the ship at Pier 90 on the Hudson River.

The QM2 was berthed close to the USS Intrepid, a Second World War aircraft carrier which now houses a sea-air-space museum. Its decks are covered with all sorts of aircraft including the famous spy plane, the Blackbird, and even has a berth for Concorde. The submarine USS Growler is also tied up on the carrier's starboard side.

Leaving New York by ship was very impressive. The silver spire of the Chrysler building glistened in the fading light as the QM2 gracefully eased its way down the Hudson, as dusk fell on the marvellous Manhattan skyline.

Passengers observed a moment's silence as we passed by the monument to those who died on 9/11 at the World Trade Center.

Passing close to Ellis Island, where the immigrants from Europe arrived to start a new life in America, the ship steamed by the Statue of Liberty who, according to the commentary supplied by cruise director Brian Price, has size 101 feet.

The ship passed beneath the rush-hour traffic on the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and was soon out to sea.

My stateroom on this stylish vessel was the height of luxury.

Apart from the bottle of champagne chilling in the ice bucket I had my own balcony, complete with sun-loungers and table, a king-size bed, interactive TV, sofa, coffee table, separate dressing room with walk-in wardrobe, bathroom with shower and whirlpool bath, and a bar with a fridge which was replenished daily. Nautical, but nice.

I was welcomed aboard by Sudakar, who hails from Madras. "Hello, I'm Sudakar, pronounced like the singer, Neil, and I am your butler." Butler? This was getting better and better. I even had a concierge to plump up my pillows each evening.

The restaurants on this luxurious leviathan were superb with first class food amid sumptuous surroundings. The Britannia Restaurant was magnificent at nearly three storeys high and evoked memories of classic ocean liner restaurants with its sweeping central staircase.

My designated dining table was in the regal Queens Grill. But I also dined at the Todd English restaurant, which serves Mediterranean cuisine, on number eight of the ship's 17 decks. Buffet lunches were served at the Kings Court where I enjoyed Asian food at The Lotus and British fare at The Carvery. There was also an Italian restaurant at Kings Court as well as the Chef's Galley (where celebrity chef Govind Armstrong gave a live demonstration of the meal preparation). You certainly can't starve on the QM2.

To burn off excess calories, the Canyon Ranch Spa Club has a fitness class schedule running throughout the voyage, with about six free classes a day.

If you don't want to get fat, you can get fit in the well-equipped gym, open from 6am to 8pm each day. Or if you fancy some fresh air, take a walk (or jog) around the promenade deck which has the longest jogging track at sea. One lap is just over one-third of a mile. But be careful not to knock over fellow passengers when out for a run.

I booked a head, neck and shoulder massage at Canyon Ranch. I was nervous about my first massage, but my masseur, Tony, managed to ease away the aches and pains of a working life spent hunched over a keyboard. The rest of the facilities of the club were also available and I relaxed in the amazing aqua therapy pool which featured neck fountains, a deluge waterfall, air tub and body massage jet benches. In the thermal suite I sweated out toxins in the herbal sauna and aromatic steam room before cooling off at the ice fountain where I chilled out by smearing myself with crushed ice.

Keeping nearly 2,500 passengers entertained on a six-day voyage may seem an onerous task, but there was so much to do that it was difficulty to fit it all in.

While on board I attended a fascinating lecture on the Battle of Culloden by Dr Tony Pollard, of television's Two Men In A Trench fame. Up to four different lectures were held each day by academics such as Professor Anthony Grayling.

Terry Waite also delivered lectures during my journey. The former hostage's talks on his five-year incarceration in Beirut were an inspiration.

If any of the lectures were missed, they were recorded and shown on the ship's own TV station, so I could watch them on my stateroom TV. A breakfast show kept me up-to-date with the day's events.

On day three of the 3,080-mile voyage we were crossing the Grand Banks, off Newfoundland. The sea was incredibly calm, prompting Captain Paul Wright to remark: "The weather's so good I'm not sure we're on the right ocean".

I enjoyed the sunshine on deck in one of the heated Jacuzzi whirlpools.

The QM2 has eight whirlpools and five swimming pools.

I managed to catch one of the many productions at the Royal Court Theatre and was impressed with Rock@theOpera. The colourful show combined opera with contemporary rock music.

Amazingly, the ship also has the world's first floating planetarium with shows four times a day. Out of this world.

The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art performed plays and workshops. There were balls in the two-tier Queens Room, with the largest dance floor at sea, dance classes, art classes, wine tasting, cinema and blackjack tournaments (I managed to lose $100 at blackjack in the Empire Casino). The list of entertainment was endless.

There was just so much to do and explore, it was a shame there were only 23 hours in the day. Yes, 23 - we lost one hour each day as the ship adjusted to the time zones as it headed eastward towards Southampton.

The QM2 is a ship of superlatives, although if anyone asked me if I liked cruising, I would probably say: "It's not for me".

But a crossing on the Queen Mary 2? That's a different matter.

Travelfacts: Richard travelled courtesy of Cunard (phone 0845 071 0300 or contact www.cunard.co.uk). Rail travel was provided by transpennine express (www.tpexpress.co.uk) and GNER (www.gner.co.uk) or phone National Rail Enquiries on 08457 48 49 50).

Updated: 15:36 Friday, May 06, 2005