Huh. Maybe these things change with age or I misunderstand the premise but sitting on a balcony over the Atlantic and just reading and writing for days on end sounds like a dream vacation for me. What made it unpleasant?
Transatlantic cruises tend to be re-positioning cruises. The cruise companies are moving the ships to or from the European market at the beginning or end of the European cruising season. This usually means April, early May, late October or early November. These are also times when the Atlantic tends to be chilly and the seas rough. Sitting on a balcony is often not comfortable. When I have done a couple of transatlantic cruises. On one I did have a balcony but it was only useful the first and last couple of days.
Transatlantic cruises tend to be mostly child free and most cruise lines cap capacity at about 2/3rds of a normal cruise, so there are plenty of quiet indoor places with a view of the ocean that you can use for reading.
Queen Mary 2 in particular does have its share of real crossings but I agree with your comments in general. It's not especially kid-friendly, doesn't have a lot of the accoutrements that many people expect on regular cruises, is pretty formal in terms of dress, is mostly an inside experience with a walk now and then, and is really for someone with time to burn, especially is their alternative is a business-class flight.
It's pretty chilly and windy for at least much of the year. There's plenty of outdoor space you don't need to pay a premium for if you do want to sit outside--probably with a sweater on. There is a nice promenade deck that I used daily but, in general, I didn't spend a huge amount of time outside. I found it very pleasant with lots of interesting activities and good food. I just didn't really sit around outside. (And actually didn't do as much reading as I planned with everything going on.)
