Transatlantic Oceania question

[Tarheelbelle]

I am considering a transatlantic repositioning cruise this November on Oceania. Any of you that have done this, I would love to hear from you re: pros and cons.
Thanks!

[HowardB]

Hi - I am not sure if you are asking about the pros and cons of a transatlantic vs. a port intensive cruise, or the pros and cons of Oceania vs. another cruise line. Since there are plenty of posts that address the latter, I will address the former.

I have been on two t/a trips - one with Oceania this past march, and an earlier on on Windstar. I will be on the Regatta in November from Lisbon to Miami. I jave not been on any other cruises.

Cons of a transatlantic -

The obvious con of a t/a is that there are few port stops. Both of the November Oceania t/a's have only one stop. If you like the portdays, and want to explore destinations, but are so-so on the sea days, the t/a is not for you.

I guess another con could be the weather. That really is luck of the draw, but I suppose there is potential for rougher seas out in the ocaen than in the Med. or Carib.

Pros of a transatlantic -

You get much more time to enjoy the facilities of the ship. Oceania schedules a fair amount of activities throughout the day, which you can participate or not as you please. There will not be any conflicts between spending time in port vs. on the ship.

There is a much more relaxed pace on sea days.

You get to socialize much more with fellow passengers on t/a's.

The cost is much cheaper - both for the cruise itself and because you are not spending anything in ports.

There is a good chance the ship will be less full on a t/a. Although the Oceania ships do not feel crowded even at capacity, when there are fewere passengers it is easier to get reservations in the alternative resaurants, and it is just nice to have a little more room in general.

I would highly recommend the Oceania transatlantic.

[desirod]

I will be on the Regatta in November from Lisbon to Miami. I jave not been on any other cruises.




I too will be on this voyage and in Portugal for a few days before.

[DREUX]

Oh Tarheelbelle,

I think you might find it a little difficult to be ON TWO CRUISES AT THE SAME TIME. Your post says you will be on the NCL Dawn leaving on 11/20. The two Oceania T/A crossings leave Europe on 11/17 and 11/27. Dump the Dawn sailing and do yourself a favor and book on Oceania (Regatta of Insignia), you won't regret it! Pardon the bit of sarcasm or maybe you can do something the rest of would find a bit difficult. I will be sailing on the 11/27 T/A from Barcelona to Rio on the Insignia.

Happy sailing

[garykool81]

We will also be onboard Regatta for her 10-night transatlantic out of Lisbon for Miami on November 17, 2005. We're looking forward to meeting everyone and having a wonderful cruise. I can't wait :-)

[lizf]

We'll be joining you all on the Regatta, 11/17 cruise out of Lisbon. We have two nights (one day) in Lisbon prior. Really wondering how and if we'll like that many straight sea days. Hope so. Anyone else booking next March going the other way? We're thinking............ just a bit leery of commiting before we get this one in and afraid if we wait it will be too late.

[Ask4Jay]

Hi Lizf -
We are going, as you can see below our signature.
Our idean of cruising is being on a ship that's moving long distance. Itineray, meaning places vistited, are down the list somewhere. We took our first cruise ever last December to the Western Caribbean. Got off the ship once, in Cozumel, just to take some pictures of the ship from the shore. A day at anchor docked is a day wasted. Hey, to each his/her own.
On September 4 we'll cross the Atlantic on Norwegian Jewel west-bound, in March on Regatte eastbound.

On both ships we have a small balcony cabin looking aft.
If you decide to go, please stay in touch.

[lizf]

Juergen-
I definitely will let you know if we decide to go. We were loyal NCL cruisers for over 10 trips and just got tired of the same old, same old and decided to branch out and we landed right here on Oceania. We are already getting quite comfortable being around the Oceania cruisers and don't feel it will be much of an adjustment. We started to try Radisson, but I just didn't ever feel comfortable on their chat boards. Don't know why. I'll be anxious to hear about the NCL Jewel if we do get to meet you.
We should be deciding within the next week.