Not much difference than a similar-length (in days) Caribbean cruise.
Figuring that this Thursday’s departure from Southampton to New York on the QM2 is booked solid, I looked at dates in May. For the May 15 departure, you can book an inside cabin for under $1400, and an ocean view cabin for under $1600.
That’s PPDO, right? Double that if you’re traveling alone. And don’t forget port fees, taxes, tips, etc.
My Australian hostfather’s family had the misforturne of migrating to Australia just as the Suez Canal was closing because of the Crisis. I took them six weeks and involved a stopover in South Africa.
Isn’t that about the cost of a business class airline ticket?
It’s really, really hard to get a single hull ship up to 76.5 kts.
Stranger
The Nimitz did it in 1980… The Final Countdown (1980) - IMDb
Back in the days when sea travel was the norm (since air travel was more expensive), people shared cabins. You only slept in your cabin: the rest of the day you were out of there, doing things in the rest of the ship. And (unlike cruise ships, where people are there for fun, and not just to get from point A to point B), there were multi-berth cabins, with 4 or 6 people sharing a small cabin, to get the cost of a ticket down for the less rich customers.
This Youtube video gives a not unrealistic idea of how crowded cabins were.
Yes, that’s per person, double occupancy. If the volcano problem turned into a long-term shutdown of air travel, I’m sure a lot of people would happily share a cabin.
As for the other stuff… don’t forget passenger facility charges, 9/11 security charges, taxes, checked bag charges, inflight meal charges… 
A Japanese Self Defense Force cruiser did it rather more recently.
Gotta chime in here. The Titanic was not trying to set a speed record - in fact she was doing only slightly in excess of 20 kts when she hit the iceberg, while in 1909 the Mauretania did the westbound trip at over 26 knots. Whatever sins the owners and captain of the ship committed, and there were quite a few, trying for a record was not one of them.
I will cite just about every book written about the Titanic in the last 30 or so years as the source for this bit.
I traveled across the Atlantic on the SS Batory as a child, which, I believe, was the last transatlantic ship that offered regularly-scheduled passenger service as opposed to the novelty-luxury service provided by the likes of the QM2.
I just thought I’d throw that out there because I think it’s so cool.
You’re my favorite person today.
Stranger
There were several Twilight Zone episodes on the theme, too.
You think you’re clever, do you?
Holy shit, imagine first the wake and secondly how rough that must have been … think of the jolts of doing the wave slapping on slow rollers if you are going crosswise instead of parallel :eek:
Although a couple of months ago for some odd reason I started looking up dirigibles [I think it may have been triggered by reading something about the Hindenburg?] and wondering if it might be possible to start a dirigible cruise line for crossings, I had found the floorplans for some of the dirigibles online, and was thinking it would be interesting [they had little cabins with space for 2 bunkbeds, and a couple 4 person cabins] to see if it would be able to make a profit on comfortable 2 or 3 day crossings in luxury.
I am actually considering changing from air to sea travel next time I want to go to Europe for a visit. it isn’t like I am in a hurry, and it is about like paying for 2 seats in cattle class or going business class. IIRC it is 175% for a single person in the cabin, or regular price if you share. I would simply look on CruiseCritics for a person to share the cabin with [though I admit, if the ash issue continues for a prolonged time, sharing cabins for crossing may very well become popular again]
Traveling in a wheelchair by airlines is such a damned dog and pony show lately [hell any travel by air is getting to be a dog and pony show of ridiculousness] that taking a week each way in luxurious space is looking pretty good actually. The food looks excellent, and the QM2 has a 10 000 volume library. How much time would one spend in the stateroom anyway =)
I did college with living with a total stranger my freshman year, and I survived, I think I can survive a week =) I don’t travel with anything expensive other than my laptop and I can secure it in my luggage. I am not into jewelry, furs or expensive clothing and i doubt anybody would want to steal a wheelchair or crutches.
Never a passenger but I don’t think it was that bad. The liners were offering luxury as well as speed. They couldn’t afford to always have the paying customers seasick all the time - who would eat in the flash dining rooms 
Back in the early part of the last century a rough crossing like I surmise would have been tolerated for the bonus of the bragging rights of having been on ‘the fastest crossing ever’ sort of like bragging rights for flying the Concorde. I understand the Concorde was actually pretty uncomfortable.
The Cunard Line’s RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 served as a troopship during the Falklands War in 1982, as well: Queen Elizabeth 2 - Wikipedia
Heck, I’d cheerfully share one now, if the price were a bit lower. An ocean voyage would be fun! And I don’t mind sharing a room - when I go on vacation, I normally stay in dorm-style hostels.
looking west to east is like $900 … east to west was $1200 IIRC for a windowless inside cabin on the QM2.
To be perfectly honest, pricewise that beats the hell out of business class … a total of 2 weeks of luxurious dining and hanging out in pleasing surroundings? Compare that to a 17 inch wide seat, TSA bullshit, and a tiny bag of peanuts…crammed in a sardine can with a 5 year old monster kicking the back of your seat for 8 hours, while some baby 2 rows back screams nonstop …
When do we go?
We would have to also be staying for the same amount of time between the 2 legs of the round trip - how much vacation do you get? And I get the bed closer to the bathroom =)