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How rough are Transatlantic cruises


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We just arrived home from our first Transatlantic on Navigator. We left Miami on April 10 and took a route almost directly across to Canary Islands. I was pleasantly surprised at the seas being moderate as the captain described them. There were some swells but in my books a pretty calm sailing.

 

I found it much rougher on my cruise from San Diego to Hawaii. Also we had sunshine almost every day of the crossing and sat by the pool. Temps were low 70's...like 70 - 73

 

Here are two photos of day 4 or 5 at sea out of the 7 sea days.

 

2918034640092706180S500x500Q85.jpg

 

2254250410092706180S500x500Q85.jpg

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I did 2 crossings.

 

The first one was in June, from Gdynia, Poland to Montreal. That one had couple of rough days but nothing serious. On the rough days it was cloudy, some rain, but rest of the time it was sunny and warm.

 

The second was in late Sep/early Oct from Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale. That one was really smooth. It was almost boring..... ;) it was very sunny and very warm, mid 80s during the day.

 

There is no way to predict what you're going to get but overall I wouldn't be too concerned.

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There is no "usual" when it comes to transatlantic cruises. It will depend to some degree on the route the ship takes (northern or southern) and the month of the year, but it will depend much more on sea and weather conditions that prevail during your particular sailing and there is no way to accurately forecast those conditions far in advance. We have sailed the northern route several times between England and the US Northeast (Boston or Bayonne) and have encountered rough seas (60 foot swells on one, and waves so strong that the name of the ship was scoured off the starboard bow on another):eek: and others where the seas were smooth as glass. The ships we were on handled the heavy seas quite well and we absolutely love westbound transatlantics.

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Thanks everyone for your comments. We are sailing in late November from Barcelona to San Juan. I have some mobility issues and I just wondered if I was going to be able to spend time out of the wheelchair. When the seas are calm I am fine but rough seeas confine me to a wheelchair. Thanks again.

 

Sue

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As others have said, there is no 'normal' on any cruise. The weather plays a huge factor as for how calm (or rough) the seas may be for that cruise. How the ship is built to handle choppy waters also plays a factor in it as well. Newer ships can handle it better than the smaller, older ones. Enjoy your cruise across the pond :)

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Thanks everyone for your comments. We are sailing in late November from Barcelona to San Juan. I have some mobility issues and I just wondered if I was going to be able to spend time out of the wheelchair. When the seas are calm I am fine but rough seeas confine me to a wheelchair. Thanks again.

 

Sue

 

I did a westbound transatlantic on Jewel in early November 2008. After we left Madeira it was 6 sunny days of sailing on water as smooth as glass. It felt like were on a lake! You should be fine!

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We just arrived home from our first Transatlantic on Navigator. We left Miami on April 10 and took a route almost directly across to Canary Islands. I was pleasantly surprised at the seas being moderate as the captain described them. There were some swells but in my books a pretty calm sailing.

 

I found it much rougher on my cruise from San Diego to Hawaii. Also we had sunshine almost every day of the crossing and sat by the pool. Temps were low 70's...like 70 - 73

 

Here are two photos of day 4 or 5 at sea out of the 7 sea days.

 

2918034640092706180S500x500Q85.jpg

 

2254250410092706180S500x500Q85.jpg

 

I was on this cruise too and the seas were as described; mild waves, a significant swell a couple of days, mostly sunny days around 70 or so. Be ready for plenty of wind, partly because of the ship's speed.

 

Last year in April it was slightly rougher and cooler, but still not bad. Both of these cruises left from Miami.

 

Of course, as others have stated, weather cannot be predicted for any particular cruise; you can have a stormy crossing just as you can have (or not) storms on land.

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Thanks everyone for your comments. We are sailing in late November from Barcelona to San Juan. I have some mobility issues and I just wondered if I was going to be able to spend time out of the wheelchair. When the seas are calm I am fine but rough seeas confine me to a wheelchair. Thanks again.

 

Sue

 

Did a southern 5 years ago, it was great, and this one will be fine too (it had better be! we're on it)

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We are going on a TA exactly a year from today. I hope that we have at least one rough day at sea, as this is the first time I've been on a boat I want to actually feel the waves throwing it around. I know this might sound a bit weird to some people, but I want to experience it all

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We have been on two transatlantics spring and winter and are doing more!:)

Both were calm in the crossings! Some days water as flat as glass!

The Med is where we have experienced rough seas out in open water during the winter with !:eek:

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We are going on a TA exactly a year from today. I hope that we have at least one rough day at sea, as this is the first time I've been on a boat I want to actually feel the waves throwing it around. I know this might sound a bit weird to some people, but I want to experience it all

 

Don't feel bad, I'm the same way. If it feels like a hotel I'm bored. Not asking for really bad seas all the time but I want to see the water slosh out of the pool at least a few times. Feel the mist from the bow. I sleep best when being rocked to sleep. My first leg ever was Miami to PR and it was rough. I loved it. Walking down the halls made everyone look drunk. Also felt like I had the Freedom to myself. Almost everyone was in their cabin. I know many people hated it but after the first day it was calm. Hopefully they enjoyed the rest of the cruise.

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The problem is not in the Atlantic, it is closer to the ports of call where the weather can be unpredicatable.

 

In the Atlantic there are always stormy depressions out there, but the ocean is so big that they can plan their route ahead of time to avoid the bad weather.

 

Count the number of sea days to cross the Atlantic. If you have six, there is one day spare to allow the captain the possibility of deviating from the direct route to avoid storms. If he went straight, he could do the crossing in five days, but even with calm weather in the direct line, it gives the possibility to go slower, which is more enjoyable for the passengers by the pool.

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We were on Voyager from Barcelona to Galveston last November and the weather was fantastic. It was very smooth. We are on Adventure this November as well and I am hoping for another smooth crossing with lots of pool time! The first few days of this crossing are in the Med though so I don't know about those.

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We were on the Voyager April, 2009 Transatlantic cruise from Galveston to Southampton. We really didn't experience any rough weather or storms. I did notice swells, but no really large waves. It was a great cruise----loved the sea days! We are usually have VERY BUSY days in port and are too tired once back onboard to enjoy the ship much after dinner. We really enjoyed having leisurely days to just enjoy the ship....

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