At sea

Waking up after eight solid hours of sleep, my dad and I were greeted by a spectacular sunrise from our stateroom balcony. Cruising at a gentle 15 knots a few dozen miles off the Frisian Islands, we began our day at sea with a visit to the gym – far better equipped than the online reviews had suggested. With two rowing machines and a full suite of Technogym gear (the same brand as my local Nordic Wellness, by the way), I felt instantly at home, and it was fun to introduce my dad to some of my favourite machines.

Afterwards, we joined the transatlantic tradition of walking laps on the promenade deck, taking in the morning light glinting off the waves. By 8 a.m., breakfast was served in the Queen’s Grill, where Cunard lived up to its reputation with perfect Eggs Royale and strong Italian coffee.

Changed into swimwear, we headed back to the aft deck pool on deck 7, where I managed to log 500 metres of swimming before settling into the rhythm of shipboard life. Between dips in the pool, browsing in the library on deck 8, and a stop at the Commodore Club for a bit of conversation, the hours passed easily until our Churchill enrichment lecture in the ship’s planetarium by historian Andrew J. Baker.

Some passengers say they would fear boredom on a full transatlantic crossing – but judging from this day alone, I doubt my dad or I would feel that way.