How I Became a History Obsessed Cruiser on the Queen Elizabeth

I stood on the Promenade Deck of the Queen Elizabeth, watching the Statue of Liberty fade into the Manhattan skyline, and I realized I'd made the best decision of my life. Not because I'd suddenly become a "cruise person"—I'd spent years being a snobby independent traveler who thought cruising was for, well, people unlike me. But here I was, on a Cunard ship, about to spend 14 days sailing across the Atlantic while visiting some of the most historically significant ports in the world. And honestly? I was giddy about it. Let me back up. My husband Tim and I had been planning a European vacation for ages, but the traditional transatlantic flight and hotel-hopping routine felt predictable. When Tim mentioned that Cunard still operated traditional transatlantic crossings—the kind where you actually sail across the ocean instead of just flying over it—something clicked. "That's how people used to travel," he said, and suddenly I was imagining myself as a character in a David McCullough book. I threw myself into research mode, which anyone who knows me knows is my actual happy place. I discovered that the Queen Elizabeth's 14-day transatlantic itinerary wasn't just convenient; it was hi…