Most cruises to New York from the UK are via Cunard. Passengers travel on either the Queen Mary or the new Queen Elizabeth. Most cruises to New York start from Southampton. Passengers often disembark at Brooklyn pier. Some cruises only allow for an overnight stay in New York, which by anyone’s standards is not nearly enough time to get a feel for the city. Some cruises allow you to book extra nights in New York because there are regular liners going in and out of Brooklyn harbour.
When you book a cruise to New York, make sure that you are not spending time at other destinations that you really want to spend in New York. People go on cruises for a variety of reasons, not least the novelty of discovering just what life can be like onboard ship. Some cruises offer a flavour of the nineteen thirties with afternoon tea served at 4pm. Most ordinary people cannot afford to book a cruise where they have a suite as this can be exorbitantly expensive compared to having a cabin on the inside of the ship or liner as they are most often called.
It takes a while for a liner to travel from Southampton to New York and passengers can be reasonably sure that they will be onboard for seven nights before they reach their destination. You need to be very fond of travelling by sea to deal with those seven nights as there is no escape from the sound of the engines and the general 24 hour running of an ocean liner. When there are no ports of call along the way you need to be able to use the ship’s amenities to the utmost, or find a way of amusing yourself a good deal of the time.
There is plenty of onboard entertainment when you travel on a Cunard liner. If you prefer something more than just passive entertainment then you can take painting classes or get involved in amateur dramatics. Occasionally there is a guest speaker to break the monotony. If you enjoy dancing then you can dance till you drop most nights on a cruise to New York. There are plenty of physical games and board games on a ship and if you are fitness conscious you can spend time in the spa or the gym in an attempt to look your best when you land.
Breakfast, lunch, high tea and dinner tend to break up the day, no sooner have you eaten one meal than it’s almost time for the next. There are onboard restaurants and plenty of opportunity for shopping while you travel. Summer cruises are more expensive than winter ones and if you don’t mind travelling at short notice, it is possible to get some really cheap deals on a cruise from Southampton to New York. You need to be careful when you book your cruise, particularly if you want to spend more than one or two nights in New York. North American cruises for example give you a night in New York, one in Boston, one in Canada and a second one in New York on the return trip, the rest of the time is spent on board.