When is a cruise not a cruise?

It might seem like a daft question to even consider, but ponder this. What is often called a transatlantic cruise is not a cruise at all; it's actually an ocean crossing.

Why so? On the traditional Atlantic run between Southampton and New York, there are no ports of call whatsoever. The weather can be terrible in June, and a complete flat calm in December. You take your chances as you spend some seven or eight nights, romping purposefully across the Atlantic. There are no sun splashed stopping points to amuse and distract you; it's just you, the open ocean, and 2700 or so of your new best friends,

Saying that crossing and cruising are the same thing is like saying that the same is true about football and rugby, simply because both are team sports, played with a ball, on a field. But no one would really beleive that. Thus it is with crossing and cruising.

So; what do you get from a crossing, as compared to a cruise?

Quite simply, the ultimate leisure of time. With no ports of call, your sea days become a blank canvas, to fill in as you will. Sleep in each day, or maybe take up a painting class. Meet new friends, and reconnect with old ones. Take in some lunchtime jazz, or maybe just spend a half day slumming around the spa in your bathrobe.

You can take an hour or more over a five course lunch, or feast your ears on top quality on board lectures. Read a book or three, or maybe just spend an hour or so staring out at the quietly rolling ocean. It's a quite dreamy, surreal voyage,and one of the few travel experiences that allows you to truly unwind. You can shop and play the tables, or enjoy afternoon tea. And you can repeat it all again, day after day.

Top tips: Cunard's elegant, enigmatic Queen Mary 2 is the omnly vessel offering regular transatlantic sailings. She's big, beautiful and quite formal so, if you love dressing up at night, then this is definitely the ship for you.

And be sure to be on deck when the ship sails in or out of New York. The sight of that magnificent, steel and glass skyline will stay with you long after you actually leave it behind.