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Out of sight of land for days, lounging on the deck of a ship crossing the ocean, you can feel blissfully suspended in time and space. Time expands, stress dissolves. The parties and laughter stretch toward dawn.

No matter - you can sleep until noon. Or watch the sunrise from your balcony before going for a jog.

That's why famed Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli prefers to cross the Atlantic for a concert tour by ship when she can fit it into her schedule. She has never liked flying and explains that the pressurization and dry air on a plane leave her throat constricted; it can take her days to regain her voice for the coloratura arias that are her forte.

The week at sea provides a relaxing respite from her busy life to practise and experiment with new performances. On trips from the Continent to New York aboard Silversea Cruises, she has delighted her fellow passengers by performing new repertoire in the intimate theatre on board.

But you don't have to be a celebrity to savour a crossing. An increasing number of travellers are shunning the hassle and crowding of air travel to go the old-fashioned way. It was, after all, the ship line Cunard that coined the phrase "getting there is half the fun."

Torontonian Honor Nivin is a recent recruit after yet another frustrating air experience this summer. Returning from a trip to Norway with a connection at London's Heathrow Airport, the flight turned into a nightmare. "Delayed or cancelled flights due to poor weather caused a ripple effect and tempers were flaring." When she finally did get to Toronto, hours late, her baggage was nowhere to be found.

So she did some research and "found there are a lot of people out there who go by sea because they absolutely hate to climb on a plane."

For her most recent trip to Europe, she chose to take the Queen Mary 2 for the return portion.

"If time is not a problem, what you pay for a very good accommodation on a ship with all your meals and entertainment is equivalent to a business-class airfare," she says. "I like that."

So popular are the days at sea without the interruption of ports that liners now regularly extend their crossings to a full seven days from the four that an ocean liner is capable of doing.

And what days they are. Modern ships are floating cities, with gourmet restaurants, pampering spas, sports, theatres, casinos and a wide variety of active or relaxing options to amuse passengers. They are also as well-connected, with the latest Internet tools and cellular devices - but without the traffic and hassles.

"I could have been as busy as I wanted, but I didn't care to gamble or do many of the other things that were offered," Nivin says. "I wanted to just walk the decks and enjoy the sea. They were so organized. The food was wonderful." It's certainly a change from cramped quarters and reheated meals.

Rather than being stuffed into a tube beside other wracked souls, your evening tablemates will be on their best behaviour. Friendships flourish in a way long lost among the jet set. Gala evenings on regularly scheduled crossings such as Cunard's feature cocktail receptions and glittering formal dress that have all but disappeared from celebrations ashore. Smaller ships, including the Windstar sailing vessels, feature low-key casual crossings. Many globetrotting liners, including those of Holland America, Seabourn, Princess and Royal Caribbean, cross the pond twice a year, spring and fall, to move to Caribbean waters for the winter and Europe or Asia for the summer. These popular cruises sell out quickly.

However, there is more than nostalgia for the great age of crossing the pond that makes going by ship appealing; there are a growing number of practical reasons as well.

Take the ever-tightening restrictions on checked baggage and carry-ons. For business travellers such as interior decorators or art dealers on buying trips, as well as tourists who want to buy souvenirs overseas, a ship offers a respite from the overweight charges that airlines routinely place on anything more than 50 kilograms. As long as it will fit in the hold, it can go by ship.

Cunard's rule: "There is no restriction for reasonable amounts of luggage on board the ship." The line will even arrange to carry household furnishings for employees being transferred to or from North America.

And if you want to bring Rover along, a ship is also the way to go. Air Canada has banned pets on passenger planes - even in the cargo hold - and several foreign carriers are following suit. By contrast, Cunard Line has always had kennels on its ships and staff to feed and take the dogs for a walk on deck.

Indeed, there is a trade-off in terms of time. While a flight from New York to England takes about seven hours, a crossing by ship can take six or seven days.

But at least modern ships have all but neutralized one of the drawbacks of crossing by sea: weather. The motion of the ocean has been greatly reduced by the sheer size of newer vessels. They can cut through the waves rather than pitch around on top of them, and technologies such as stabilizers and counterbalancing systems keep modern ships generally riding as smoothly as any Airbus aircraft.

Whatever the itinerary, they all recall an elegant era of ocean liner travel and offer all the amenities and shipboard activities, including enrichment programs and top-quality entertainment, found on shorter voyages.

Nivin has already booked another crossing on the Queen Mary 2 out of New York to Southampton, England. "If you can afford to do six or even eight days at sea, this is a great way to go," the retired teacher says. "I still believe getting there is half the fun."

Crossing in style:

Unlike the years before jet travel, regular transatlantic crossings are now mainly a spring through fall phenomenon.

Cunard, which is the only line with a regular schedule of Atlantic crossings, starts its season in April and runs through October. Fares for six-day trips on the Queen Mary 2 between New York and Southampton, England, start at about $1,199 a person (http://www.cunard.com).

However, in January there is a unique opportunity to do a crossing aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2, which will be decommissioned next year to become a floating hotel in Dubai. As part of its gala farewell schedule, a seven-day cruise leaves Southampton on Jan. 6 and is priced from about $1,399 a person.

Next year, 15 cruise lines will offer spring and fall transatlantic repositioning crossings to move their ships between the Caribbean and Europe, as well as several crossings of the Pacific. The options are on 50 ships, in a wide range of sizes:

SeaDream Yacht Club's two 100-passenger ships will both be doing 12-day cruises from the Caribbean to Spain in April, with early booking fares from $3,099 a person (http://www.seadreamyachtclub.com).

Silversea Cruises is offering a 15-day combination Caribbean cruise and Atlantic crossing in April on a 300-passenger ship and is offering fares at 40 per cent off the brochure rates, from about $4,700 a person

(http://www.silversea.com).

Celebrity Cruises is sending its 1,800-passenger Century on a 14-day trip from Miami to Amsterdam in April at fares starting at about $1,200 a person

(http://www.celebritycruises.com).

Carnival Cruises will send its 3,400-passenger Carnival

Freedom from Miami to Rome in April with fares for a 14-day trip starting at $699 a person (http://www.carnival.com).

Next September, Crystal Cruises is offering a unique North Atlantic crossing that will take it to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Greenland and Halifax. Fares are from about $4,900

(http://www.crystalcruises.com).

And across the Pacific, Regent Seven Seas is offering a 23-day crossing from San Francisco to Auckland in January that is priced from about $9,000 a person (http://www.rssc.com).