The invitation was beautiful, but I still hesitated, especially as the envelope arrived on April Fool's Day. Besides, if I travel on water, it is usually on something smaller than a ship proclaimed the World's Greatest Oceanliner, but, really, how could I turn down the opportunity to sail out of New York for a couple of days? On the other hand, how could I convince my other half to wear a tuxedo when he didn't even wear one to our wedding?

Nonetheless, formal gear finally packed, we headed out for what I assumed would be a fun, but not overwhelming experience. After all, in the previous few months I had visited mountain monasteries in Bhutan and seen the Taj Mahal.

That was a mistake--the Queen Mary 2 is definitely overwhelming and a lot more. She is amazing. Not only because of the size (she dwarfed the other docked ships), nor the delicious food (chateaubriand, lobster, rack of lamb......), not even the free-flowing wine and liquor. The Queen Mary 2 is truly a queen, a majestic reincarnation of past elegance with modern comfort and efficiency.

If there is a color to describe the Queen, it is golden. Not that everything was actually gold--the cabins were tastefully furnished in blond wood furniture with cream colored walls and bed coverings of cream and black, including lots of pillows and bolsters. The Grand Promenade is classic teakwood, and the wonderful library has burnished walnut bookshelves and table plus cozy window niches. But the Grand Atrium is gold and white, and the huge wall sculptures depicting either the seasons on one deck or the continents on another are made of bronze. The elegant double storied dining room is also full of crystal and gold touches.

Our spacious and very comfortable outside cabin had one of the most comfortable beds (king size!) I have ever slept in. The shower was about twice the size I expected, and there was plenty of bathroom counter space for all our stuff. I never made an appointment for the Canyon Ranch Spa, but with the bathroom amenities Canyon Ranch, I definitely felt pampered. The room was large enough for a sofa, a desk, a sitting chair and table, and spacious enough we did not have to climb over any of it. In addition to the expected TV, safe, and hairdryer, there was a refrigerator including ice bucket.

Of course, as an agent I felt obligated to learn as much about the Queen as possible. This turned out to be difficult in such a short period of time, and I must report failure at experiencing all of the public areas, plus bars and venues. We did look at the state-of-the-art disco club (G32) during the day, and walked around the casino, also during the day. We more thoroughly investigated the Chart Room with jazz, the more subdued wine bar, the popular champagne bar, the pool bar, the delightful Winter Garden...We experienced enough to soon decide our favorite place was the Commodore Club. This forward positioned piano bar has pale leather chairs, sloping windows, and a couple of excellent bartenders. No canned music here. The piano player was excellent, and obviously enjoyed himself, playing to the crowd with everyone's favorites.

In fact, forget canned music. The very enjoyable shows were performed to a live orchestra on an incredible stage that seemed to raise and lower and change to suit every type of performance. There were plenty of beautiful costumes, but glitz and glamour never got in the way of actual talent. While occasionally the singers were still finding their best pitch, the professional dancing was superb, at times even inspired.

It is the mix of old and new, history and high tech, that makes the Queen Mary 2 so unique. There is a wonderful circular promenade to walk with enlarged photos of old celebrities who sailed the first Queen Mary. Headsets are available to bring all the stories back to life. Or head to the planetarium and take an exploration of space without leaving the ship. Chairs recline to 180 degrees as the curved ceiling projects a trip through outer space. It is so realistic I felt dizzy!

Eating in an expensive restaurant or sleeping in a beautiful hotel room is a less than wonderful experience if not matched with good service. That is not a problem on the Queen Mary 2 - the staff is uniformly attentive. Sure only some of the 2000 passengers frequented the Commodore Club. Still, when we walked in for only the second time, John, the bartender, had our drinks poured before we even reached the bar!

If it was April Fools' Day, then I can only hope to be "fooled" again.