Britain & Ireland to New York Transatlantic Voyage - M813B

Located on the south coast of England, Southampton served as the historic ocean liner gateway for the British Empire and the intense North Atlantic passenger trade to the U.S. and Canada. Today it is the U.K.'s - and indeed Europe's -- leading cruise port.

Best known as the homeport of Cunard's Queen Mary 2, Southampton now hosts a wide variety of cruise ships in the booming European cruise market with the principal lines being Cunard, Fred. Olsen, Royal Caribbean, P&O Cruises and Saga Cruises.

For most cruise passengers, it's the first and/or last port on a European cruise or Atlantic crossing. But New York it ain't, and the first thing you see as you approach is not the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, but a giant IKEA.

A pleasant, bustling city of around a quarter of a million inhabitants, Southampton has several areas of interest, though much of its historic medieval character was destroyed during World War II. In 1620, the Mayflower left from just outside the existing city walls, and the waterfront recalls this historic voyage. From Mayflower Park, you can enjoy watching the container ships pass en route to and from the freight terminal beyond the Western Docks, cruise ships departing from three separate locations, and excursion boats and cross-harbour ferries flitting around the port. Today, it is a modern shopping destination, business centre and university town (the University of Southampton is a major British research university; among its well-known alumni is QM2 designer Stephen Payne with a large commercial port in addition to its year-round cruise operations.

It's not somewhere you want to hang around (unless you want to pick up some flat-pack furniture), and most visiting cruise passengers will use Southampton as a gateway to nearby London (an hour and 10 minutes away by train). It is also a good starting point for the Isle of Wight (reachable by ferry) and the surrounding county of Hampshire and Wiltshire, with their numerous attractions.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

A city of endless possibilities, high energy and great diversity, New York has always been the benchmark for first-rate dining, unparalleled shopping and cultural activity. For visitors, it's an exciting city and, at times, is more than a little intimidating. New York natives always seem to be in a hurry, but with midtown traffic often at a complete standstill, it may be faster for them to walk across town than to take a bus. When you hear a foreign language, it could be international tourists -- flocking to the city in droves because of the weak dollar -- or it could be a New Yorker. It's love at first sight when the Empire State Building comes into view, and the Statue of Liberty awes even the most blase tourist. Broadway shows will wow you; browsing Bloomingdale's will amaze you. It's always possible to stumble upon an unforgettable meal -- an oven-fresh slice of the perfect pizza, Chinese food in Chinatown or a haute-cuisine dinner by candlelight. The views from the Staten Island Ferry are a knockout, and downtown nightlife will keep you busy in the city that never sleeps. You'll find Central Park smack dab in the middle of New York with many of the city's best museums on either side. Check out the Upper East Side -- particularly Madison Avenue, between 50th and 99th streets -- for high fashion. On the Upper West Side, you'll find Time-Warner Center's luxurious shops and restaurants at Columbus Circle; operas, concerts, dance and theatre at Lincoln Center; and bustling neighbourhood street life along Broadway, including Columbia University. Surrounding Manhattan are Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Many Brooklyn neighbourhoods have become as popular and chic as Manhattan's. Smart shops and trendy restaurants have spread like wildfire, drawing Manhattanites across the river for fashionable dining and serious shopping. Five Brooklyn communities that are definitely worth a look are Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Park Slope -- down from Prospect Park -- Williamsburg and Brighton Beach. The Bronx has experienced some gentrification, creating attractions beyond the Bronx Zoo, such as the New York Botanical Garden, Yankee Stadium, City Island -- which has the feel of a New England village -- and Woodlawn Cemetery -- the final resting place of Duke Ellington, George M. Cohan, Miles Davis, F. W. Woolworth, J.C. Penney and R.H. Macy. Meanwhile, Queens offers the Queens Museum of Art, memorabilia from two Worlds Fairs, a fabulous panoramic model of New York City, contemporary art at Public School No. 1 and vibrant ethnic neighbourhoods like Asian Flushing, Greek Astoria and Indian Jackson Heights. Beyond the ferry terminal, Staten Island has a cultural centre at Snug Harbor, its own zoo and a Tibetan art museum. Richmondtown also features a collection of New York City buildings, some as old as 300 years.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Liverpool is a small but thriving city that is poised to flourish, quietly but steadfastly, winning back its reputation after a half-century of struggle and economic decline. The recipe for success has been heavy investment in development and the city is now reaping the rewards of that investment in increased tourism and retail.

Fortunately for cruise passengers, much of Liverpool's redevelopment and revitalization projects have taken place in the city centre, alongside the waterfront where cruise ships dock. Serving as prime examples, the revitalized Albert Dock houses numerous restaurants and attractions -- like the Beatles Story -- and the adjacent billion-pound Liverpool One retail park is the U.K.'s largest open-air retail complex.

In terms of infrastructure dedicated specifically to cruising, in 2013, the city began a feasibility study on the Cunard Building -- one of the elegant edifices making up the "Three Graces" on Liverpool's Pier Head waterfront -- for use as the new Liverpool Cruise Terminal in 2015. Also in 2013, Liverpool achieved "turnaround status" -- allowing cruises to start and end at the city's docks. This combination of the potential new cruise terminal, along with Liverpool's moves to woo passenger vessels back signals a strong commitment by the city to continue its long, rich maritime history.

Liverpool's favourable position on the River Mersey, along with its direct canal and railway links to the industrial Midlands allowed it to develop as a major international trading port as early as the 17th century. In the early 20th century, shipbuilding yards and docks stretched for miles along both banks, and more than 100 passenger ships were Liverpool-registered. In the days before air travel, these passenger liner companies such as Cunard and Canadian Pacific carried millions of immigrants to new lives in North America, while a host of other steamship lines connected Liverpool with South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

And the history of Liverpool's shipping success is reflected in its architecture. At Pier Head, just prior to WWI, Cunard Line began construction on its brand-new headquarters. The third of the Three Graces was completed in 1916, standing between the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board building (now called the Port of Liverpool Building) and the Royal Liver Building.

Just inland from Pier Head other shipping line headquarters, mercantile trading companies and civic buildings create an architectural legacy. The city boasts some 2,500 grade listed (historic) buildings and 250 public monuments. The Albert Dock alone (built in 1848), makes up Britain's largest group of Grade I listed buildings.

Conveniently, nearly everything of interest to the visitor is within a 10- to 30-minute walk or a short train under or boat ride across the River Mersey. And cruise passengers arriving in the city will find a warm welcome from Liverpudlians who are enjoying renewed confidence that their city has overcome the difficulties of its recent past.

Liverpool is a small but thriving city that is poised to flourish, quietly but steadfastly, winning back its reputation after a half-century of struggle and economic decline. The recipe for success has been heavy investment in development and the city is now reaping the rewards of that investment in increased tourism and retail.

Fortunately for cruise passengers, much of Liverpool's redevelopment and revitalization projects have taken place in the city centre, alongside the waterfront where cruise ships dock. Serving as prime examples, the revitalized Albert Dock houses numerous restaurants and attractions -- like the Beatles Story -- and the adjacent billion-pound Liverpool One retail park is the U.K.'s largest open-air retail complex.

In terms of infrastructure dedicated specifically to cruising, in 2013, the city began a feasibility study on the Cunard Building -- one of the elegant edifices making up the "Three Graces" on Liverpool's Pier Head waterfront -- for use as the new Liverpool Cruise Terminal in 2015. Also in 2013, Liverpool achieved "turnaround status" -- allowing cruises to start and end at the city's docks. This combination of the potential new cruise terminal, along with Liverpool's moves to woo passenger vessels back signals a strong commitment by the city to continue its long, rich maritime history.

Liverpool's favourable position on the River Mersey, along with its direct canal and railway links to the industrial Midlands allowed it to develop as a major international trading port as early as the 17th century. In the early 20th century, shipbuilding yards and docks stretched for miles along both banks, and more than 100 passenger ships were Liverpool-registered. In the days before air travel, these passenger liner companies such as Cunard and Canadian Pacific carried millions of immigrants to new lives in North America, while a host of other steamship lines connected Liverpool with South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

And the history of Liverpool's shipping success is reflected in its architecture. At Pier Head, just prior to WWI, Cunard Line began construction on its brand-new headquarters. The third of the Three Graces was completed in 1916, standing between the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board building (now called the Port of Liverpool Building) and the Royal Liver Building.

Just inland from Pier Head other shipping line headquarters, mercantile trading companies and civic buildings create an architectural legacy. The city boasts some 2,500 grade listed (historic) buildings and 250 public monuments. The Albert Dock alone (built in 1848), makes up Britain's largest group of Grade I listed buildings.

Conveniently, nearly everything of interest to the visitor is within a 10- to 30-minute walk or a short train under or boat ride across the River Mersey. And cruise passengers arriving in the city will find a warm welcome from Liverpudlians who are enjoying renewed confidence that their city has overcome the difficulties of its recent past.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Dominated by a mighty neo-gothic cathedral, Cobh -- pronounced "Cove" -- lies on the Great Island, one of three islands in Cork harbour linked by roads and bridges. The small town is the gateway to County Cork and has one of the world's largest natural harbours. Originally called Queenstown to commemorate a visit in 1849 by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, Cobh has a sprinkling of brightly coloured houses and steep, winding streets leading to the centre. However, the centre itself is quite flat with a waterside park and varied selection of bars, shops, cafes and restaurants. Monuments -- to sporting legends, Antarctic explorers, emigrants and Maritime tragedies, including the sinking of the Lusitania and the Titanic -- are everywhere you look. This town has a sad history. It was the last port of call of the Titanic on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in 1912; a museum opened in 2012 to commemorate the voyage's centenary. It was also where many victims and survivors from the Lusitania tragedy were brought ashore. For thousands of mostly penniless emigrants, Cobh was the last sight of their homeland as they left to build a new life, especially in the famine years of 1844 to 1848. Although some thrived and prospered, many more died on the journey in the terrible travelling conditions of the time. Cobh developed as a popular seaside resort in the early 19th century, and the town's fame was further boosted in 1838 when the first transatlantic steamer, Sirius, crossed to America in 18 days. Nowadays, Cobh is always busy with visitors; about 60 cruise ships call on the port each year.

Relax and enjoy the facilities and entertainment onboard your ship. If the weather is good take some sun and sunbathe on the pool deck. Otherwise explore below deck the wide range of activities that will be available during the day. Perhaps you prefer to find a quiet spot and catch up on your reading.

Located on the south coast of England, Southampton served as the historic ocean liner gateway for the British Empire and the intense North Atlantic passenger trade to the U.S. and Canada. Today it is the U.K.'s - and indeed Europe's -- leading cruise port.

Best known as the homeport of Cunard's Queen Mary 2, Southampton now hosts a wide variety of cruise ships in the booming European cruise market with the principal lines being Cunard, Fred. Olsen, Royal Caribbean, P&O Cruises and Saga Cruises.

For most cruise passengers, it's the first and/or last port on a European cruise or Atlantic crossing. But New York it ain't, and the first thing you see as you approach is not the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building, but a giant IKEA.

A pleasant, bustling city of around a quarter of a million inhabitants, Southampton has several areas of interest, though much of its historic medieval character was destroyed during World War II. In 1620, the Mayflower left from just outside the existing city walls, and the waterfront recalls this historic voyage. From Mayflower Park, you can enjoy watching the container ships pass en route to and from the freight terminal beyond the Western Docks, cruise ships departing from three separate locations, and excursion boats and cross-harbour ferries flitting around the port. Today, it is a modern shopping destination, business centre and university town (the University of Southampton is a major British research university; among its well-known alumni is QM2 designer Stephen Payne with a large commercial port in addition to its year-round cruise operations.

It's not somewhere you want to hang around (unless you want to pick up some flat-pack furniture), and most visiting cruise passengers will use Southampton as a gateway to nearby London (an hour and 10 minutes away by train). It is also a good starting point for the Isle of Wight (reachable by ferry) and the surrounding county of Hampshire and Wiltshire, with their numerous attractions.