We were tired of taking planes to Europe. So we booked a passage om the QM2 to Hamburg from Brooklyn. We used Uber to get to Pier 3 in the Brooklyn Red Hook neighborhood and did our check-in to the Queen Mary 2, an ocean liner, not a cruise ship as the crew will quickly point out. Rather than repeat all the interesting technical details about the ship, I suggest a visit to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Queen_Mary_2
We had a room with a full unobstructed balcony. But whenever it rained, it got wet, so we didn’t use it much. Other options were an inside room, a balcony obstructed by lifeboats, or a sheltered balcony. The latter is twice as deep as a regular balcony and does not get wet. But you have to stand up to see the ocean. This is what we would choose in the future. There are many other ways on the ship to enjoy an ocean view.
There are lots of ways besides just relaxing to enjoy the ship. There were lectures on hurricanes and tornado and with a Mayo Clinic doctor, a talk on staying healthy while traveling. Each night and a show in the theater. We especially enjoyed the Barricade Boys from Le Miz and a Katie Clarke piano show. First run movies were shown, and the ships “planetarium” hosted IMAX science movies. The ship’s library was extensive, and we used the excellent health club daily as well as walking quickly around the deck in the morning – 3 times is a mile.