Smooth sailing on rough seas

This email is part of a travelogue series I’m sending sporadically during my travels this month. Regular editions of Wishful Working will resume in January.

Since I started last week’s email with a confession, I might as well share another: I once swore I would never go on a cruise. Maybe I saw one too many headlines about norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships (I’m a bit of a germaphobe) or one too many video clips of budget cruiseliner sundecks absolutely jam-packed with drunken, sunburned vacationers. In any case, the idea of going on a cruise held no appeal.

But then I met my husband, who has dreamed of doing a transatlantic crossing since long before we met. I’ll be honest, I needed some convincing. A 6-day, 7-night cruise across the Atlantic Ocean seemed a bit like jumping into the deep end (pun intended) of cruising. 

But he told me about the ship, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and showed me pictures and videos. He promised I wouldn’t get seasick and swore that the buffet would be very classy and hygienic. Finally, he showed me a particular itinerary: The Literature Festival at Sea 2025, a voyage with many authors and journalists aboard, hosting many interesting presentations, panel discussions, and workshops.

With that, I officially ran out of excuses.

Which is how I found myself in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for the entirety of last week. We embarked from NYC on December 8 and arrived in Southampton, UK, on December 15. We had quite a lot of windy, rainy weather and rough(ish) seas, but I’m pleased to report that I got used to the motion of the ship pretty quickly (with the help of daily, precautionary meclizine/dramamine).

I won’t walk you through our daily itinerary aboard, since it would get a bit repetitive. Instead, I’ll share some highlights (photos below!):

1. Exploring the beautiful library with a reading area overlooking the bow of the ship.

2. Enjoying excellent meals in the buffet, main dining room, and pub. Dawson probably ate his fare’s worth in sashimi.

3. Afternoon tea and scones.

4. Attending the literature festival events. My favorite was a panel where authors shared about the people who influenced their careers.

5. Reading.

6. Attending a daily watercolor painting class that culminated in a casual exhibition. I really enjoyed learning watercolor techniques (I’m very much a beginner), and it was so nice to chat with other folks in the class.

7. Walking outside on deck 7.

8. Exploring the upper decks.

Each day (except for one), the clocks jumped forward one hour from noon to 1pm to account for the time zone changes. I overheard someone explain that this daytime clock shift happens so as to avoid robbing crew members (and passengers, I suppose) of an hour of sleep, which makes sense. By the end of the week, I would say I felt a very mild form of jetlag (shiplag?) from the consecutive time shifts.

The average age of passengers aboard Cunard cruises skews a bit older, but honestly, going to an art class with a bunch of septuagenarians is precisely my idea of a good time (not sarcasm). Older people elevate the vibe, tbh. And to be fair, there’s something wonderfully old school about traveling across the Atlantic on an ocean liner. It’s impossible not to imagine yourself in a different era, a time before commercial transatlantic flights. 

It’s also slightly…unsettling? Our route took us within 35 miles of the final resting place of the Titanic, a chilling reminder of the vastness and power of the ocean. But overall, we had an absolutely wonderful time. There were so many events and activities available that we never got bored, but we also took plenty of time to just relax and chill and read. The ship was beautiful, and the service was excellent.

On Monday, December 15, we disembarked in Southampton and traded our ocean liner for a more humble mode of transport. Stay tuned to hear where our rented Hyundai takes us…

See you soon,

Kara

Kara Detwiller is a writer and creative based in small-town Saskatchewan. She specializes in long-form content writing for enterprise SaaS, cybersecurity, and manufacturing clients. She is also working on her first novel, among other creative pursuits. To connect, reply to this email or find Kara on LinkedIn.