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'It may surprise some of you to know this is not the first time I've sung on board a ship,' Mr Gordon Sumner - aka rock god Sting - declared to an enraptured audience on the Queen Mary 2.

'One of my first-ever jobs as a professional musician was on SS Oriana.

'In the early 1970s I sang every night, until the ship's purser told me I could no longer sing as I was upsetting some of the lady passengers. So the drummer ended up singing instead. That purser's sorry now, I tell you!'

An Englishman in the port: Sting poses next to the Queen Mary 2 ahead of his recent appearance on board

I was one of the privileged passengers to enjoy an hour-long audience with Sting in the liner's Royal Court Theatre. We were docked in the Big Apple - and never had the rock star's 'Englishman in New York' sounded so appropriate.

It may indeed also surprise readers to know that an audience with Sting is now par for the course - or par for the cruise - when it comes to on-board entertainment across Cunard's magnificent fleet.

That's especially true on QM2, with her stunning 1,150-capacity theatre that rivals the best on Broadway.

Although Sting's performance was a one-off to showcase songs from his new Broadway musical, The Last Ship (plus a few classic crowd-pleasers for good measure), the gig was a good example of the calibre of on-board entertainment now offered.

You won't find any of those old cruise-line staples - obscure jazz artists, opera singers and tribute acts - on Cunard's fleet today. You're more likely to encounter music legends such as Rod Stewart, Lenny Kravitz, Carly Simon and Midge Ure. Rapper Kid Rock has done a gig on one of the ships.

In August this year, to celebrate QM2's tenth anniversary, Grammy Award-winning James Taylor performed twice in the Royal Court during an eight-day Transatlantic crossing. Taylor's association with the ship began five years ago after he discovered the benefits of her sizeable hold.

Having been forced to delay a European tour after his band's equipment was waylaid on a container ship, Taylor realised he could enjoy the leisurely pace of travel on QM2 safely accompanied by his instruments. 'It's a fascinating way to vacation,' Taylor said. 'There's something romantic about departing on a boat and seeing the water, and actually experiencing every nautical mile.

'It sort of makes a connection to another time and place.'

Of course, Cunard's liners have been attracting stars for many decades: photos showing Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor and Charlie Chaplin - to name but a few - enjoying Cunard cruises are proudly displayed on QM2.

The nice thing for today's stars is that the nature of the passengers on Cunard cruises tends to mean they are largely left to their own devices and are not hounded for autographs or 'selfies'.

And it's not just A-list stars from the music world who are signing up to perform at sea. QM2 has also been playing host to big names from Hollywood including Tilda Swinton, actor Jason Schwartzman, and directors Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola.

Next year, Cunard will celebrate its 175th anniversary - meaning there'll be more stars than ever adorning the fabulous fleet.