transatlantic pros and cons

[steelhead1]

We are looking at a transatlantic cruise in 2015. What are the pros and cons for transatlantic cruises in March/April vs. Oct./November?

[DrivesLikeMario]

Traveling east is harder than going west. For every 15 degrees latitude you head east, you set your clock forward an hour. This turns out to be almost every night.

 

It's not so bad at first, but after multiple days of that kind of a change, it's a bit disconcerting. I found myself staying up to 2am when I normally wouldn't and then sleeping in later in the day which made it seem like my day had been wasted sleeping. I've never had jet-lag despite many trips flying to Europe, but this was a weird experience.

 

I think weather tends to be a little warmer in the spring vs. October/November. Hurricane season doesn't officially end until Nov. 30th, so you have a greater chance of one during the Oct./Nov. time period vs. the spring.

[Pam in CA]

It depends on the itinerary. A southern itinerary will be warmer than a northern itinerary. You can pretty much count on missing a port or two on the northern route in September or October. On the other hand, it'll still be hurricane season on the southern route.

 

I prefer to take a T/A from Europe to the US because the long flight is first. Plus, at least on the southern route, the first week is usually port intensive and then you can relax at sea for a week.

 

It's really a matter if personal preference.

[Colo Cruiser]

We have done spring and fall and both direction.

Its always hard to say in the Atlantic. We have had good/bad weather both times of the year.

I agree about getting the flight out of the way first and cruising back to the US.

[Pam in CA]

Traveling east is harder than going west. For every 15 degrees latitude you head east, you set your clock forward an hour. This turns out to be almost every night.

I'd forgotten about this. We took the Diamond last May from Beijing to Whittier and at first, the hour ahead wasn't a big deal. You'd think, "Sea day. I can sleep later so why the fuss?" But the cumulative effect of losing an hour a day has you exhausted, even if you're not doing much. It really throws you off. You're right...it was really weird.

[caribill]

Traveling east is harder than going west. For every 15 degrees latitude you head east, you set your clock forward an hour. This turns out to be almost every night.

 

It's not so bad at first, but after multiple days of that kind of a change, it's a bit disconcerting.

 

RCCL handles this by moving the clock forward on east bound TAs at 12 noon instead of in the middle of the night.

 

However many people get upset that they lose an hour of awake time.

[Mom33]

We have been on a Spring TA on the southern route and had 6 smooth and sunny sea days. We were ready for rolling seas but were pleasantly surprised at how calm it was. In any case, weather is something you can't control. TA cruising is a great way to travel. :)

[DrivesLikeMario]

RCCL handles this by moving the clock forward on east bound TAs at 12 noon instead of in the middle of the night.

 

However many people get upset that they lose an hour of awake time.

 

Interesting way of doing it!

 

I'd forgotten about this. We took the Diamond last May from Beijing to Whittier and at first, the hour ahead wasn't a big deal. You'd think, "Sea day. I can sleep later so why the fuss?" But the cumulative effect of losing an hour a day has you exhausted, even if you're not doing much. It really throws you off. You're right...it was really weird.

 

Very true - it's the cumulative effect. I agree with you and others on getting the long flight done to Europe first, then sailing back to the US. That would be my preference but I wish they had more spring-like weather in the fall. :D

[caribill]

I agree with you and others on getting the long flight done to Europe first, then sailing back to the US. That would be my preference but I wish they had more spring-like weather in the fall. :D

 

A TA westbound in September has late summer weather.

 

The TAs that come back to the USA in November and even December are, in my mind, too late to have reasonably nice temperatures.

[Times Prince]

Traveling east is harder than going west. For every 15 degrees latitude you head east, you set your clock forward an hour. This turns out to be almost every night.

 

It's not so bad at first, but after multiple days of that kind of a change, it's a bit disconcerting. I found myself staying up to 2am when I normally wouldn't and then sleeping in later in the day which made it seem like my day had been wasted sleeping. I've never had jet-lag despite many trips flying to Europe, but this was a weird experience.

We tried a Transatlantic last year (April 2013) to avoid jet lag. We did get some of the same experience as described above, but then we were ready to go once in Europe. My son lives in The Netherlands, so we've been trying various ways of compensating so that we don't get there and collapse for a few days, like we do with a flight across the pond. We also tried flying to London then taking a short 7 day cruise - doing little more than relaxing and napping for most of the week. We then get prime time for visiting our son and his family.

 

Our cruise was great, but really cold the last couple of days (weather in the low 40's F.) One other thing is that if you have a balcony on the port side of the ship going eastward, it is in shade most of the time. So choice of cabin can be a factor.

 

One other thing - Princess EZAir can get some good rates for flights (ours was even on special), and you can, when booking, arrange to come back a couple of weeks later without any fare penalty. Just change the return date when you are booking and choosing flights.

 

We are considering doing it again.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Times Prince
added note about air

[r2d2inltd2]

We have done multiple transatlantic crossings in both spring and fall. I love the springtime crossing because I don't sleep late and twenty-three hour days work well. We also have daylight later in the evening. In October it can be dark by 5 PM. Our crossings have all been on the southern route to the Med. The only North Atlantic was in December on the QEII. It was cold but smooth. The worst was in July LeHavre to NYC when we sailed into 60mph winds for four days. It was extremely uncomfortable and we were not allowed on deck because of the danger of being blown overboard. Apparent winds on deck were close to 90 mph. We will be on the Ruby again next month and can't wait.

[Grego]

It depends on the itinerary. A southern itinerary will be warmer than a northern itinerary. You can pretty much count on missing a port or two on the northern route in September or October. On the other hand, it'll still be hurricane season on the southern route.

 

I prefer to take a T/A from Europe to the US because the long flight is first. Plus, at least on the southern route, the first week is usually port intensive and then you can relax at sea for a week.

 

It's really a matter if personal preference.

 

I agree. Leaving from Europe in October gives the benefit of the ports first and the sea days last allowing for easier time change adjustments. Going over is easier if you can stay awake as much as possible on the flight and going to bed when the natives do. We are looking forward to our T/A from Venice to FLL on the new Regal Princess.

[susancruzs]

Definitely a personal decision, I've always taken TAs in the Fall. I live in the Midwest so I rarely cruise in Spring or Summer because that is when our weather is great! :)

 

I've only sailed east once prefer sailing back to the US. I'm sailing Southampton to FLL this year and next year Barcelona to Tampa. I was lucky on my northern route TA, we didn't miss a single port, got to Iceland and Greenland but that is not always the case.

[Hlitner]

From our point of view there is no "Con" on a TA (or Trans Pacific) cruise. But, we are among those that love the long lazy sea days. If you get bored on a sea day then a TA is probably not for you.

 

Hank

[Camelia-]

Having done both spring and fall I must say that my preference is probably the spring transatlantic. I love the "feel" of it..love seeing Europe in the Spring..love the longer days..love the bounce in the air as the warmer weather approaches and best of all I love coming home to find flowers blooming and summer ahead!!

 

When I did the fall TA a few years ago, though the seas were calm, the ports had a bittersweet feel to them..we happened to be the last cruiseship of the season and many places didn't even bother opening..and the ports had that atmosphere you find at off season resorts when things are closed down for the year and you can only imagine the hustle and bustle of what was. Now..many people prefer that..lol..there is a plus to being able to enjoy a place without all the trappings that tourists are provided continuously. Lastly, at the end of a fall TA I have a long winter ahead and that just brings me down..especially at this moment when a long hard winter is almost behind me..now if I lived in Florida I might think differently of course!!

 

Camelia

[DrivesLikeMario]

...When I did the fall TA a few years ago, though the seas were calm, the ports had a bittersweet feel to them..we happened to be the last cruiseship of the season and many places didn't even bother opening..and the ports had that atmosphere you find at off season resorts when things are closed down for the year and you can only imagine the hustle and bustle of what was. Now..many people prefer that..lol..there is a plus to being able to enjoy a place without all the trappings that tourists are provided continuously. Lastly, at the end of a fall TA I have a long winter ahead and that just brings me down..especially at this moment when a long hard winter is almost behind me..now if I lived in Florida I might think differently of course!!

 

Camelia

 

OMG, Camelia, you hit the nail on the head with Europe in the fall. That's exactly how it feels!

[loma linda ca a & j]

Having done both spring and fall I must say that my preference is probably the spring transatlantic. I love the "feel" of it..love seeing Europe in the Spring..love the longer days..love the bounce in the air as the warmer weather approaches and best of all I love coming home to find flowers blooming and summer ahead!!

 

/quote]

this is the way i feel about spring - was on land tour of france in may 2001 -

have only only done one TA - fall 2008 & it was magnificent but am really

looking forward to next year's regal spring crossing as we shall be able to go

to keukenhof from rotterdam on april 28 to see lots of flowers - know that all

the tulips might not still be there but am sure everything will be gorgeous !! :)

plus we'll be well rested from our cruise & ready for 10 days on land in

copenhagen & sweden - even if it is a little chilly in early may, we'll just wear

a sweatshirt or light jacket - we prefer cooler temps when traveling -

i almost fainted twice in rome in early sept 2008 from the humidity :eek:

 

since we are retired we can rest for a few days when arriving back home

after the various flights probably on icelandair

 

however, we can justify any vacation plans any time of the year

cuz we love to travel and try to be flexible ! ;)

Edited March 27, 2014 by loma linda ca a & j

[Grammyluvs]

We did the May TA on the Emerald last year. We had cool, windy weather from Day 1 going across. Missed our port in the Azores because of bad weather and ended up with 8 full days at sea. No worries.....loved it. Ironically, the warmest weather we had the whole cruise was in St. Petersburg...go figure. You never know. I live in the south and one thing we dread during the summer and fall months are hurricanes. That would be a major deterrent to me to doing a TA in the Fall. WE LOVE sea days so the more the merrier.

[caribill]

When I did the fall TA a few years ago, though the seas were calm, the ports had a bittersweet feel to them..we happened to be the last cruiseship of the season and many places didn't even bother opening..and the ports had that atmosphere you find at off season resorts when things are closed down for the year and you can only imagine the hustle and bustle of what was.

 

Seems that you took the segment before the TA along with the TA.

 

The fall TAs we have taken have been just the TAs themselves. Unique itineraries to northern ports seldom visited by cruise ships (think Greenland, Iceland, etc.) and we have found the ports we visted as welcoming as mainland Europe ports in the middle of summer.

 

Also, we have taken them in September or early October, not later in the year.

Edited March 28, 2014 by caribill

[Bill B]

The best solution is to become a pirate - commandeer the ship and continue east... circumnavigating the earth. You will get all your sleep 'back' during a 48-hr. day in the middle of the Pacific when you cross the international dateline. ;)

[skf]

We have done TA's in both directions (Nooo...not all at once), usually April or Sept/ Oct. The weather can be cool but we haven't been uncomfortable. We do bring our warm water-repellent jackets...needed them in the hail in Edinburgh & Le Havre.

It is, as Pam states, kinda nice to arrive in New York in our local time zone.

Steve & Pete

[Camelia-]

Seems that you took the segment before the TA along with the TA.

 

The fall TAs we have taken have been just the TAs themselves. Unique itineraries to northern ports seldom visited by cruise ships (think Greenland, Iceland, etc.) and we have found the ports we visted as welcoming as mainland Europe ports in the middle of summer.

 

Also, we have taken them in September or early October, not later in the year.

 

Perhaps that might have made the difference and we stopped in Italy, France and Madeira before the crossing. Still loved it..but I did note the difference in the air for some reason.

 

Camelia