My husband and I always wanted to sail across the Atlantic and into New York on the QE2. Of course we have missed that boat, but is the QM2 the same sort of experience, or would you say that there are other ships plying the route that are just as good? We want to travel in autumn of 2009. Norman Westmacott, Leeds

Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: The QM2 is the only ship that regularly sails from the UK to New York, and is the latest Cunard liner on the route, which started with Cunard¹s Britannia in 1840. The level of luxury and service onboard, which is top notch, and recreates the style and atmosphere of the historic luxury liner, won¹t disappoint you. And of course, the huge 150,000-ton vessel is kitted out with the very latest in stabilising equipment.

The crossing takes six days, and for next autumn, there are westbound runs on August 29, October 23, and November 11. Fares are from £926pp for an inside cabin, or £1,626 for a deluxe balcony. Expect to pay from £400 for a one-way flight from New York back to the UK, from Cunard (0845 678 0013, www.cunard.co.uk).

There are some transatlantic sailings that call at several ports on the way too, but I doubt this is what you are after. For example, the Crystal Symphony cruises from Dover to Boston from September 3rd to the 17th 2009.

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The itinerary takes in Invergordon, Shetland Islands, Reykjavik, Nuuk in Greenland, and Halifax. Fares start from £3,884pp, with flights back from to the UK, transfers, and 14 nights onboard in a Stateroom with Picture Window.

Contact Crystal Cruises (020 7287 9040, www.crystalcruises.co.uk).

Also, many ships operate in the Med for the summer and then migrate to the warmer waters of the Caribbean for winter. They make repositioning cruises to get between one and the other, and so you can find one-off sailings from the UK to New York, or Boston, or sometimes all the way to the Caribbean, with SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises, Regent Cruises, Seven Seas Cruises, and others. Perfectly good companies and vessels though they are, you¹ll miss that special something that comes from the regular plying of the route.

The Passenger Shipping Association¹s website (www.discover-cruises.co.uk) has a useful Cruise Finder tool, where you can find out which lines sail where and when, plus price guides and information on the ships.

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