Transatlantic Crossings

I'm not one for a lot of sea days, but my husband doesn't mind the sea days. I can only read so many books and watch so many movies. We are not concerned about the one-way flight, and my question surrounds on-board activities. If anyone who has been on a crossing can comment on daily enrichment activities, I would love to hear your opinion. I would like to know if there are enough activities to fill up the day. Has anyone seen the daily activity schedule? Thanks for any information.

We did one in October. There were daily lecturers and classes and trivia and a casino. lol I loved it. But I'm one to make my own entertainment. :)

We did one in October. There were daily lecturers and classes and trivia and a casino. lol I loved it. But I'm one to make my own entertainment. :)

Thanks. I guess I should've mentioned that I don't go to the casino.

No need. The casino comment was a joke. Sorry.

On the Maasdam TA a few years back, there were three enrichment lecture series a day- what I learned on that TA still resonate with me today. Plus some of the lecturers held special informal seminars for further Q&A and discussion. So if your "educational" travel (think of something like Exploritas - Roads Scholars - former Elderhostel), then TA's can be great experiences.

Otherwise, you are spot on - 7 days can drag on if there is nothing new on the horizon to explore on your own. I like doing a TA that was port intensive first before the long open sea portion. Our poked all over the western Mediterranean from Civitavecchia first before ending ing FLL.

Or think of a self-dsiciplined "spa" fitness program for those 7 days - set up a schedule and a "starvation" meal plan, with a few spa indulgences thrown in just like you would do at a pricy land-based resort. Except you have already paid for most of it. In fact this would be a good package for HAL to put together as an enticement for TA's and have a "leader" manage the scope of this self-contained fitness program onboard. (Without branding it by any celebrity's name).

One of the allegedly leading concerns about cruising from a marketing perspective is they are associated with "weight gain". How about a lose five pounds and lower your BP with a "Pritiken" type bootcamp week?

We did the Crown Princes 15 night transatlantic repositioning cruise in September. We too do not like lots of sea days but this cruse was just right. It went via Lerwick, three stops in Iceland, Halifax and St John’s. longest stretch at sea was 4 days. Would thoroughly recommend this cruise if it is repeated.

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an hour or so of exercise...walking/gym etc in the morning and again in the afternoon I find to be a good use of time on sea days...i have generally been disappointed in most of the HA lectures...most are experts on their subjects but stand there and read their "speech" or power point presentation and have little or no public speaking skills....remind me of a few of the worst college professors that were mind numbing boring...but every now and then you get one who is not only knowledgeable but also entertaining....

an hour or so of exercise...walking/gym etc in the morning and again in the afternoon I find to be a good use of time on sea days...i have generally been disappointed in most of the HA lectures...most are experts on their subjects but stand there and read their "speech" or power point presentation and have little or no public speaking skills....remind me of a few of the worst college professors that were mind numbing boring...but every now and then you get one who is not only knowledgeable but also entertaining....

Maybe it's just me, but lately it seems at least on my last few HAL cruises that enrichment comes to mean, "do it yourself" as some people are suggesting.

I know that a group met who were former military because I was in Crow's Nest sitting next to that group, and I think there was a women's knitting group. Hmm. I wonder if they just organized those groups on their own, or if they did something in advance to put that on the schedule? When you've been on the ships as many times as we have, the schedule seems pretty much more of the same. Maybe I should figure out some kind of special interest and suggest it on a Roll Call if we end up going. IDK. I mostly want to do this for my husband, and not so much for me. I guess I'm in a funk on this. :evilsmile:

an hour or so of exercise...walking/gym etc in the morning and again in the afternoon I find to be a good use of time on sea days...i have generally been disappointed in most of the HA lectures...most are experts on their subjects but stand there and read their "speech" or power point presentation and have little or no public speaking skills....remind me of a few of the worst college professors that were mind numbing boring...but every now and then you get one who is not only knowledgeable but also entertaining....

We must admit that two of the best lecturers we ever heard were on HAL cruises. One was a young Canadian biologist, environmentalist, teacher, adventure traveler, and great guy named Danny Catt. The other, the best lecturer and one of the smartest gentleman I have ever met was an Australian Astronomer named Alan Wright (he was traveling with his charming wife, Hillary). Both would not only give wonderful lectures, but would also spend hours just chatting with passengers about many related subjects. On the long transpacific cruise where Dr, Wright presented 9 lectures, by the 3rd lecture it was SRO in the main theater (word had gotten around the ship) and after his final lecture he got a long standing ovation.

But since those days, HAL has really cut-back their lecture program and we have been somewhat disappointed in many of the lecturers we have seen in the past few years. There are many terrific world-class lecturers that are willing to do the deed on cruises (it gets them a free cruise) but for some reason the cruise lines are not reaching out to the top people. And then you have lecturers who seem to spend nearly all their time doing lectures on ships...and seldom even bother to change a slide. We have actually cruised with one particular lecturer (who might rate a 7 on our personal scale of 1-10) on 3 cruises...and his lectures never varied (right down to the exact same power point presentations).

Hank

We have done over a dozen Transatlantic s and, frankly, nothing compares to Cunard's Queen Mary. We found there were so many interesting activities you had to pick and choose. Guest lecturers ranged from Pulitzer Prize winning authors to British cabinet ministers along with members of the Royal Academy of Drama, lectures in the Planetarium and so on. Never was bored. You have to enjoy or, at least, accept the formal atmosphere, however.

We must admit that two of the best lecturers we ever heard were on HAL cruises. One was a young Canadian biologist, environmentalist, teacher, adventure traveler, and great guy named Danny Catt. The other, the best lecturer and one of the smartest gentleman I have ever met was an Australian Astronomer named Alan Wright (he was traveling with his charming wife, Hillary). Both would not only give wonderful lectures, but would also spend hours just chatting with passengers about many related subjects. On the long transpacific cruise where Dr, Wright presented 9 lectures, by the 3rd lecture it was SRO in the main theater (word had gotten around the ship) and after his final lecture he got a long standing ovation.

 

But since those days, HAL has really cut-back their lecture program and we have been somewhat disappointed in many of the lecturers we have seen in the past few years. There are many terrific world-class lecturers that are willing to do the deed on cruises (it gets them a free cruise) but for some reason the cruise lines are not reaching out to the top people. And then you have lecturers who seem to spend nearly all their time doing lectures on ships...and seldom even bother to change a slide. We have actually cruised with one particular lecturer (who might rate a 7 on our personal scale of 1-10) on 3 cruises...and his lectures never varied (right down to the exact same power point presentations).

 

Hank

I've really noticed cut-backs and changes that are getting poor reviews. The launch of Koningsdam and the Rotterdam retrofit scathing reviews and other changes makes me wonder if the President has his eyes on the ball. I'm intrigued by Statendam, but after the Koningsdam launch and seeing all of the disappointment, I don't know that I would travel right during a new launch or right after a retro. I think if you are new to HAL and have only been on a few cruises, you probably think it's pretty good, but now it seems it's getting stale and the cutbacks becoming a lot more obvious. We'll probably book unless I muster up enough energy to plan a self-directed trip, but.... All the comments here are appreciated.

Most posts about the Koningsdam are positive. Not sure about the reviews but you have to experience it for yourself. We loved it.

On Holland there is the American Test Kitchen. Microsoft computer and Photo classes. I love T/A. Sometimes I’m so busy I forget I brought a book. You must leave your cabin then start having fun or yes you will be board.

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On Holland there is the American Test Kitchen. Microsoft computer and Photo classes. I love T/A. Sometimes I’m so busy I forget I brought a book. You must leave your cabin then start having fun or yes you will be board.

 

 

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Thanks. I'm 4 star. I've done all of the MS classes, photo classes, etc. I'm never in my room other than to change, but thanks for the comments. I remember how excited I was when I was initially sailing, but now it seems a bit stale. Maybe I can organize an interest group...I didn't think of that until someone mentioned it. I guess I'm just more of a port heavy kind of cruiser. :D

Here is something to think about:

if you are sailing to Europe, use the seas days to rest up as Europe is highly port intensive and you may be exhausted once the ports start and further, you won't have a lot of time to enjoy the ship.

if you are sailing back from Europe, you will want the seas days to recover at first and then there will be a few days left to do everything:

lunch in the Pinnacle, walk the deck a lot, Happy Hour, music in the evenings, lazy days watching the sea, cooking classes............. "the easy life" we call it.

Otherwise, it is an excellent idea to get some groups going on the Roll Call.

Thanks. I'm 4 star. I've done all of the MS classes, photo classes, etc. I'm never in my room other than to change, but thanks for the comments. I remember how excited I was when I was initially sailing, but now it seems a bit stale. Maybe I can organize an interest group...I didn't think of that until someone mentioned it. I guess I'm just more of a port heavy kind of cruiser. :D

Have you joined your roll call? Often there are like minded people that join in on activities together. We have so many activities and interests on ours that there is bound to be something to intrigue someone if they are so inclined.

There are usually things like, trivia, book club, mah jonng, sit and stitch, cribbage, bridge, etc. The list is pretty long on our cruise and varied interests.

Plus your roll call may have some roll call activities to help fill the sea days.

We had excellent lecturers on our Rotterdam TA last March and April. Truly excellent. You had to get to the showroom early as the room was packed.

Our sea days flew by.

I remember my first TA - and the fear. What the heck will I do? I enjoyed it and we've done many since then and usually tack on another cruise before or after along with either a land tour or a pre/post cruise stay in the port we are in.

You won't know until you try it. But, even DH who was not a fan of sea days enjoys them now.

Here is something to think about:

 

if you are sailing to Europe, use the seas days to rest up as Europe is highly port intensive and you may be exhausted once the ports start and further, you won't have a lot of time to enjoy the ship.

 

if you are sailing back from Europe, you will want the seas days to recover at first and then there will be a few days left to do everything:

 

lunch in the Pinnacle, walk the deck a lot, Happy Hour, music in the evenings, lazy days watching the sea, cooking classes............. "the easy life" we call it.

 

Otherwise, it is an excellent idea to get some groups going on the Roll Call.

Yes. I think having a combination of port heavy days and then the long sea days back to the states might be the way to go.

We've taken transatlantics twice, and frankly, there are activities to keep you busy if you like. I'm not one for the casino, or trivia, but there are guest lectures and cooking shows. I think on this past trip, the 49 day Atlantic Adventure, I saw some cutbacks but my love of reading saved the day(s). Sometimes I was bored, unfortunately, since the cruise repeated some of the cooking shows, and considered a movie in the showroom at night to be "entertainment" occasionally. Good thing it was port intensive when we finally got to Europe. The 6 days at sea on the way back felt very long. I was ready to go home. I probably should have taken a flight.

Most posts about the Koningsdam are positive. Not sure about the reviews but you have to experience it for yourself. We loved it.

I was a little concerned about Koningsdam after reading all of the CC reviews. In terms of it's reviews and compared to other HAL ships, it's one of the lower rated. Many of the negative reviews. had to do with the small staterooms. I think once you've been sailing for awhile, you just hate to lower your expectations. I'm really not one to complain, and it probably seems like I might be. I'm just trying to get a sense from others on some out of the box thinking on what to do on these long transatlantic voyages....maybe things I have not thought of.

We've taken transatlantics twice, and frankly, there are activities to keep you busy if you like. I'm not one for the casino, or trivia, but there are guest lectures and cooking shows. I think on this past trip, the 49 day Atlantic Adventure, I saw some cutbacks but my love of reading saved the day(s). Sometimes I was bored, unfortunately, since the cruise repeated some of the cooking shows, and considered a movie in the showroom at night to be "entertainment" occasionally. Good thing it was port intensive when we finally got to Europe. The 6 days at sea on the way back felt very long. I was ready to go home. I probably should have taken a flight.

Good feedback. I'm really going to think about this. I know myself, and I'm with you on "getting home". I might have to start out with the transatlantic on the front end looking forward to bashing around in Europe or the other ports.

My husband is an occasional cruise lecturer and we will be doing our first Transatlantic next month. We have been on cruises with rather poor lecturers and an occasional good one (including Jim McParland). There does not seem to be a very good feedback mechanism so someone who is willing to go anywhere anytime may get lots of gigs, whether or not their lectures are any good. We have run into a couple of lecturers who seem to have a very steady diet of lecture opportunities yet were not very good--poor Powerpoint presentations, script read verbatim, poor presentation skills. Even though he seems to be fairly well received, my husband occasionally goes a year or more without being offered an assignment.

HAL used to have lecturers on all of their Panama Canal cruises--we did quite a few of those. But, those no longer have lecturers and neither do many other fairly long cruises. I doubt lecturers will be eliminated from Transatlantic and Transpacific cruises since they have so many sea days or from Grand Voyages. Otherwise, don't count on it. More cost cutting.

My husband is an occasional cruise lecturer and we will be doing our first Transatlantic next month. We have been on cruises with rather poor lecturers and an occasional good one (including Jim McParland). There does not seem to be a very good feedback mechanism so someone who is willing to go anywhere anytime may get lots of gigs, whether or not their lectures are any good. We have run into a couple of lecturers who seem to have a very steady diet of lecture opportunities yet were not very good--poor Powerpoint presentations, script read verbatim, poor presentation skills. Even though he seems to be fairly well received, my husband occasionally goes a year or more without being offered an assignment.

 

HAL used to have lecturers on all of their Panama Canal cruises--we did quite a few of those. But, those no longer have lecturers and neither do many other fairly long cruises. I doubt lecturers will be eliminated from Transatlantic and Transpacific cruises since they have so many sea days or from Grand Voyages. Otherwise, don't count on it. More cost cutting.

Yes. I think I agree with you. I am leaning toward organizing a Roll Call special interest group; not just the usual Roll Call M&G group. Thanks for all of the great input. I'm sure it's pretty obvious that I'm getting sort of burned out on the cruising but my husband still loves it!!

Yes. I think I agree with you. I am leaning toward organizing a Roll Call special interest group; not just the usual Roll Call M&G group. Thanks for all of the great input. I'm sure it's pretty obvious that I'm getting sort of burned out on the cruising but my husband still loves it!!

Maybe sailing a different line would be an idea to consider. There are so many, perhaps you need something "new and improved" to bring back the fun of cruising.

Maybe sailing a different line would be an idea to consider. There are so many, perhaps you need something "new and improved" to bring back the fun of cruising.

I think I'm ready...my husband on the other hand ;) I know a few reviewers jumped ship (just a bit of humor). Thanks for the input.

TA's are the best ways to get around those lost "jet lag" days.. Currently undoing a recent land-based trip to Switzerland - those 3-4 jet lag days are pretty much wasted at both ends of airplane trips, which make the 7 day at-sea days look like the far better choice because you ease into the time changes.

If I had my perfect travel budget, it would now include limos to the airport, luggage direct, and first class air travel ..... or TA's to get to European cities.