The long flight of stairs inside the Queen Mary II is lined with red carpet. In the late morning there is a yawning emptiness. Suddenly, however, Meryl Streep steps out of the elevator, surrounded by an entourage of assistants, make-up people and a camera team. She smiles at the passengers for a moment before disappearing to her film set.
A trip on the last ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, which regularly connects America with the old continent. It is not a cruise, but a crossing, as everyone on board emphasizes – a week without stress, driving and everyday life, even with the appearance of a movie star.
A week without emails, internet and WhatsApp messages – roaming on the high seas is too expensive. The days glide like a movie, interrupted by three-course menus, lectures by astronauts, British tea ceremonies such as those at the English royal family and lavish gala balls.
The attraction of a crossing has also arrived in Hollywood. On board Steven Soderbergh shoots the film “Let Them All Talk” with Streep in the leading role. Sometimes you need to take a look at the first-class restaurant, where the wealthy passengers step in as extras and act as if they are eating undisturbed while Streep is discussing with her co-star Emma Chan.
Everyone can contribute as an extra
Any passenger who declares himself ready can act as an extra in a scene. The comedy “Let Them All Talk” will bring life on board to the big screen this spring. At least probably. The streaming service HBO Max bought the rights – whether there will also be cinema broadcasts is still open.
The Queen Mary 2 is the only passenger ship in the world that operates as an ocean cruiser. It is the largest, most expensive ocean liner ever built. It cost $ 300,000 per passenger bed. As an ocean cruiser, 40 percent more steel was used on it than on conventional ships. A particularly deep keel stabilizes them even in rough seas. On board: a planetarium, five pools, 15 restaurants and bars, a ballroom, a theater, a casino and a library with 8000 volumes.
The crossing is luxurious and has its price – but is relatively affordable. If you do not have a balcony and take an inner cabin and do not drive in the high season as in July, you can stay under a thousand euros per person – including food and non-alcoholic drinks as well as an extensive entertainment program.
In the past, ships were the only means of transport between Europe and the new continent, America. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants even made the passage on wooden beds in the third grade only once in their lives. It served as a gateway to a better life.
What many forget: Until well into the 1950s, even business people and tourists mainly traveled back and forth between the USA and Europe by ship. And celebrated the trip in bulk and with bowling parties and elegant balls – the lavish tradition to which the Queen Mary 2 continues.
Timeless British elegance
"For me there is only one way to get back from New York," says Captain Aseem Hashmi. He is standing on the bridge behind his instrument panel. It is green in the operating room. No coincidence: Green is the color where people stay awake and focused the longest. Hashmi himself is the first to admit: “You are stuck on the ship. And you can do as much or as little as you want. This is not a rushed lifestyle, but timeless British elegance – the essence of Keep calm and carry on. ”
At the same time, the young climate activist Greta Thunberg crosses the Atlantic – on a sailing yacht with zero emissions. But at least: The seven-day crossing with 2500 passengers and 1300 crew members on the Queen Mary 2 has a significantly lower carbon footprint per capita than a transatlantic flight. Bonus: You are also not among the 5000 passengers who attack small ports such as Venice, Capri or Cozumel from the cruise ships.
Jetlag takes care of itself on board a cruiser. On board, the clock is turned one hour every day at noon – also a slow approach to the old continent. Day after day, you experience how far the distance you actually walk is. Initially, seagulls and even butterflies fly next to the ship, in the middle of the trip you may be lucky to see dolphins or a whale.
Nothing has been in sight since the Queen Mary left the Newfoundland coast, not even fishing trawlers. If you look at the white-blue spray outside for hours, you understand how great the distance between America and Europe is, how much the mentalities and customs differ. For four days of the voyage, the Queen Mary 2 is completely cut off from civilization – only on the first and last two days of the crossing can a helicopter reach the ship in an emergency and evacuate a patient if necessary.
Guests with a wide variety of motifs
Hashmi himself originally learned to be a pilot – he also loved the quick arrival. A round of layoffs at British Airways put an end to his dream and he quickly switched to seafaring. The training as a captain even led him through a behavioral school for the finishing touches. Because a captain is not only responsible for safety and reaching the destination, he also always acts as the top host on board: "On land I always have to pull together the first few days, not greeting everyone personally in every supermarket aisle," laughs Hashmi.
In the bar “Commodore Club” in the bow of the QM2, a young member of Soderbergh's film crew sits at the counter late in the evening. He shouldn't reveal anything about the plot in the film. But so much: “Streep plays a bestselling author who wants to come to terms with herself on this crossing. She is traveling with two friends and wants to bring old times back to life. And Gemma Chan plays a young literary agent who falls head over heels in love with the author's nephew. ”
Even in real life, a wide variety of motifs wash the individual guests aboard the cruiser. To experience a move from America to Germany nautical miles for nautical miles – this idea drives some passengers aboard Queen Mary 2: Jake Brown is heading towards Europe with his wife Jenny and daughters Holly, 4, and Darcy, 2.
They move from Portland, Oregon to Herzogenaurach, where Jenny starts a job. "We even thought of taking the train from Portland to New York to the ship," laughs Brown, "but it takes too long." The family enjoys the crossing but misses the Internet: "At least I'm reading a book for the first time in years, ”laughs Jake.
“We are obsessed with this ship”
Anna Patrizia Cullans, 63, booked the trip together with a friend – the two Australians make the “three queens” – three trips in a row on three different Cunard ships. But the crossing brings back wistful memories for Cullans: As a five-year-old, she emigrated to Australia from Genoa on the steamer Angelina Lauro.
Back when she waved goodbye, she saw her beloved grandmother for the last time. The family's complete savings had just been enough for the simple passage. It was only ten years later that the mother alone could afford a ticket to visit her family. "I never saw my beloved grandmother in Treviso myself," recalls Cullans.
Among the crew members of Queen Mary 2, Richard and Karen Kearns are much more famous than Meryl Streep or Emma Chan. The two of them have crossed the Atlantic 90 times on the ship and adjusted their clock by an hour 450 times. Because they have already spent more than 900 days on board, their photo hangs large in the crew quarters – this ensures that everyone recognizes the VIPs personally. The couple from North Carolina have spent four full months on board each year for six years and commute between New York and Southhampton.
“We are obsessed with this ship. It's like our summer house, ”says Richard Kearns. He is a tax advisor and is in high season from March to April. Many crew members are now like family for the two 70-year-olds, they see them more often than their own son. Most are on board non-stop for nine months and communicate with their families on social media. "
"Stewart Joseph became a father two days ago and proudly showed us the photos – and shared his grief of not being with his family." If anything, the American couple has only one complaint on board: "The ship is not as British as it could be. Passengers repeatedly disregard the dress code and come in jeans for dinner. It ruins the atmosphere. ”
Nobody drives directly to the resting place of the Titanic
The Titanic represents the high point and the low point in the history of Atlantic traffic. The unsinkable ship capsized on its maiden voyage when an iceberg slashed the side of the ship. The Cunard ship Carpathia changed course to collect the survivors from the lifeboats. Captain Hashmi has permanently marked the exact place where the Titanic sank with a cross on his nautical chart. “The guests regularly ask me when we will get past the place of the accident.” On the night of the third day at 11:30 p.m. the time has come – we are passing the bow at 26 knots – out of respect for the deceased, no one drives directly over the resting place of the Titanic.
“Tatatam, tatatam, tatatamtamtam”, Strauß ’Radetzki March marches loudly through the Brittania Restaurant. Led by head chef Klaus Kremer, the chefs march through the room, crowned by their white, freshly starched hoods. If you mentally transported that back to the TV in your parents' living room, you hit the bull's eye: Kremer used to cook on the TV dream ship, the Vistafjord. But now he spends almost all of his time on the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2.
For many, the formal dinners are the highlight of the day, followed by a ball. Dining for four hours every evening for two hours with the same four couples is entertaining – you get to know each other better every evening. Jaqueline works as security staff at a private school in London – and is an ardent fan of Brexit. Bob, the 82-year-old real estate agent with German roots from Arizona, explains that he has to sell a house again after the trip.
Then there is Step, who worked on oil platforms in Australia and now organizes trivia puzzle rounds for fun. Ship's head chef Kremer crosses the table. A freshly flamed Baked Alaska ice cream bomb is served. The entire ship applauds.
This reportage was made possible with the support of the Cunard Line.