A transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2 is a step back in time to a more glamorous era, says Annabelle Thorpe

NEW  YORK city. The name alone evokes images of glamour and excitement; cocktails at the top of the Rockefeller Centre, skating in Central Park, shopping on Fifth Avenue.
A trip to the Big Apple is a unique experience, but arriving in the city by sea - rather than by air - can transform it into a-once-in-a-lifetime experience.

There is something glamorous about a transatlantic cruise, and a voyage on Cunard's Queen Mary 2 means the journey is just as memorable as the destination itself.

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LUXURY AT EVERY TURN
The Queen Mary 2 is the grandest ocean liner ever built, following in the great tradition of Cunard liners that first began sailing between New York and England in 1840. Cunard is still the only company to offer scheduled transatlantic crossings all year round, and when the Queen Mary 2 was launched in 2004 it instantly became an icon. It is a ship of superlatives, boasting the largest library at sea, the most extensive wine cellar afloat, the first planetarium on a cruise liner and the only onboard Canyon Ranch spa in the world. It offers luxury at every turn; in the 14 bars and lounges and the 10 restaurants that are dotted around the 13 opulent decks.

SOOTHE AWAY YOUR STRESSES
Once you've chosen to sail on the QM2, the only difficult decision is which way to do the journey. Fly to New York, spend a few giddy days in the city and then relax and recuperate on a peaceful cruise back to the UK? Or start your trip by boarding the ship in Southampton, and let six days at sea soothe away your stresses and strains before arriving in the Big Apple in serious style? Either option is available, with prices that include one-way flights from seven UK airports - and all meals and entertainments while on board.

DO AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE AS YOU LIKE
The beauty of a transatlantic cruise is that it gives you enough time to truly experience all that the QM2 has to offer.

Itineraries are either six or seven days, and with no ports of call between Southampton and New York, there's the chance to really relax, take a step back from the hectic pace of modern life and do as much or as little as you like.

Spend days catching up on reading, lazing on the sun deck, or take the chance to try something you've always longed to do. RADA-hosted acting classes, watercolour tuition by award winning artists, lectures on oceanography and astronomy by leading professors; each day offers the chance to learn something new, as the vast ocean drifts past.

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OLD FASHIONED GLAMOUR
It's as the sun sets that the QM2 really exudes the old-fashioned glamour for which it is famous. This is a ship where cocktail dresses and sleek evening suits are still derigueur;
where a glass of fizz in the Veuve Clicquot bar is the only way to start the night. Dinner might be Asian-fusion cuisine at Lotus, or classic Mediterranean dishes at Todd English, the eponymous restaurant of the award-winning Boston-based chef.

Evenings can go on well into the night on the QM2, whether catching a play at the Royal Court theatre or taking to the floor in the G32 nightclub.

ARRIVE FEELING RELAXED
To really be ready to take on one of world's most effervescent cities, it's essential to arrive feeling relaxed and full of energy. One of the best ways to spend the last day of the cruise, before arriving in New York, is to visit the Canyon Ranch spa where trained therapists specialising in Ayurvedic therapies, Thai massage or soothing body wraps will make sure that you leave the ship looking and feeling a million dollars.

SHARE NEW EXPERIENCES
A trip on the Queen Mary 2 is something that stays with you long after you have returned home; the feeling of being cocooned in absolute luxury, far away from the realities of everyday life.

It's a chance to make new friends from countries all around the world, and to share new experiences with them - and, best of all, to feel as though you have taken a step back in time to a more refined, more glamorous era.

*Cunard (0845 071 0300/ www.wearecunard.com) offers scheduled sailings on the QM2 from Southampton to New York, with scheduled return flights, or outward-bound flights and return sailings from New York to Southampton. Book before February 28 and save £300pp (www.cunard.co.uk/sale).