Can I purchase a 1 way ticket from the US to Europe, stay a week then...

[6 of us]

I'm a terrible flyer, so I am wondering if there is anyway to take a cruise ship to Europe, stay a week or so, then take another cruise ship back to the states. Anyone know if this is possible & on what cruise line?

Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

[LHT28]

it is possible but timing is everything

Most lines go to Europe in the Spring March to June & return Sept to Nov

Cunard do have some trips from the UK during the summer months & you may find the odd line that will sail to the USA during the summer

[donaldsc]

We can not recommend TAs on CC but I would say that you need to talk to a good one.

 

DON

[rmurray847]

I'm a terrible flyer, so I am wondering if there is anyway to take a cruise ship to Europe, stay a week or so, then take another cruise ship back to the states. Anyone know if this is possible & on what cruise line?

Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it.

 

This will take a bit of research on your part (and/or a good travel agent), because most of the major cruise lines sail their ships TO Europe in late spring / early summer (we're on the Breakaway TA in less than two weeks!!). But then they don't come back to the states until fall.

 

I'm totally stepping into the unknown here, but does Cunard run a "back and forth" ship on the Atlantic. (If they do, it's likely to be quite pricey. Maybe take a cheaper cruise line in one direction?)

[Underwatr]

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 does a regular transatlantic service between about mid-May and the end of the year, with breaks between 5 days and two weeks in the schedule when it does a short voyage on one side or the other of the ocean. Most often the break between transatlantic crossings is on the order of 2 weeks since a transatlantic crossing now takes seven days (when the ship was new and fuel was cheaper they took 5 or 6 days).

 

Study a schedule for the Queen Mary 2 and you'll discover the occasions when it makes a crossing and then does a return crossing between 4 and 10 days later. This will be your best bet.

 

The other likely option will be when the lines transition their ships between Europe and the Caribbean but for the most part they'll all be moving to Europe in the Spring and to the Caribbean in the fall, so you'd need to rely on QM2 for the crossing in the counter-direction.

[Essiesmom]

This is a currest list of most of the trans Atlantic voyages for the next couple of years. Happy planning. EM

 

http://www.cruisetransatlantic.com/cruises.html

 

Here is a thread from two days ago asking the same basic question:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2618824

[Underwatr]

I happen to have entered QM2's 2018 transatlantic schedule into a spreadsheet to analyze the opportunities for a short holiday between crossings such as you're looking for. Here you go :) :

 

Eastbound 5/17/18

Westbound 6/3/18

Layover 10 days

 

Eastbound 6/10/18

Westbound 6/24/18

Layover 7 days

 

Eastbound 8/3/18

Westbound 8/19/18

Layover 9 days

 

Eastbound 10/7/18

Westbound 10/18/18

Layover 4 days

 

Eastbound 10/25/18

Westbound 11/4/18

Layover 3 days

[Underwatr]

Here's the QM2 list for 2019:

 

Eastbound 5/5/19

Westbound 5/17/19

Layover 5

 

Eastbound 6/7/19

Westbound 6/23/19

Layover 9*

 

Eastbound 7/28/19

Westbound 8/11/19

Layover 7

 

Eastbound 9/15/19

Westbound 9/26/19

Layover 4

 

Eastbound 10/18/19

Westbound 11/3/19

Layover 9*

* On these you can opt to remain on to Hamburg; the layover is 5 days to/from Hamburg

[Underwatr]

I missed the edit window but the trip beginning 8/3/18 can also be extended to/from Hamburg and the layover would be shortened to 5 days.

[Cruz-OR]

Found the following two cruises on Holland American Line:

 

July 30 - Aug 16, 2019 on the Rotterdam

Boston to Rotterdam

 

Aug 22 - Sep 9, 2019 on the Zuiderdam

Copenhagen to New York

 

This would give you 7 days in Europe (6 nights)

[marco]

Another option would be to coordinate a one way repo cruise with a one way TA sailing on the Queen Mary. Most repos are to/from a FLa port and the QM is in/out of NY, so that might pose an issue as far as getting to and from embarkation/disembarkation ports, but worth looking into..

[6 of us]

I happen to have entered QM2's 2018 transatlantic schedule into a spreadsheet to analyze the opportunities for a short holiday between crossings such as you're looking for. Here you go :) :

 

Eastbound 5/17/18

Westbound 6/3/18

Layover 10 days

 

Eastbound 6/10/18

Westbound 6/24/18

Layover 7 days

 

Eastbound 8/3/18

Westbound 8/19/18

Layover 9 days

 

Eastbound 10/7/18

Westbound 10/18/18

Layover 4 days

 

Eastbound 10/25/18

Westbound 11/4/18

Layover 3 days

 

 

WOW, this is so helpful. Would you happen to have 2019, that is when we want to go. I appreciate this so much. Thank you.

[Essiesmom]

WOW, this is so helpful. Would you happen to have 2019, that is when we want to go. I appreciate this so much. Thank you.

 

 

2019 is in post. #8. EM

[6 of us]

This is all very helpful. Thank you so much.

[Hlitner]

We recently responded to another similar post and the answer to the OP's question is Yes :). And we have done it quite a few times (not because we won't fly...but because we prefer cruises). We normally will use a repositioning cruise one-way and handle the return voyage by booking the Queen Mary 2. There are many options so if you look at the various cruise combinations you can vary the cruises to give you more or less time in Europe. Keep in mind that most repositioning cruises begin (or end) in Florida...and the Queen Mary 2 generally cruises between Southampton and NYC (Red Hook Cruise Terminal).

 

Hank

[Velvetwater]

Go for it.

 

We are the same with flying and have pondered doing it the other way round.

 

If you are in Europe for a week or so and hate flying I strongly urge you to check out our trains. You can get from London to Paris in 2 hours and Paris to Barcelona in 6....and many more. Trains are comfy with restaurant cars and allsorts.

 

We love European train travel!

[SRF]

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 does a regular transatlantic service between about mid-May and the end of the year, with breaks between 5 days and two weeks in the schedule when it does a short voyage on one side or the other of the ocean. Most often the break between transatlantic crossings is on the order of 2 weeks since a transatlantic crossing now takes seven days (when the ship was new and fuel was cheaper they took 5 or 6 days).

 

Study a schedule for the Queen Mary 2 and you'll discover the occasions when it makes a crossing and then does a return crossing between 4 and 10 days later. This will be your best bet.

 

The other likely option will be when the lines transition their ships between Europe and the Caribbean but for the most part they'll all be moving to Europe in the Spring and to the Caribbean in the fall, so you'd need to rely on QM2 for the crossing in the counter-direction.

 

A friend of mine is doing this.

 

QM over and flight back.

[Blasnif]

We are cruising to Barcelona, staying two months and then flying back. Since most Repositioning cruises are sending ships toward peak demand, most ships are going the same way at the same time. The only way to do so cost-effectively would be to take the last cruise of the season TO Barcelona, and then the first cruise of the next season FROM Barcelona about four months later. Vacation time might be a problem.

[Underwatr]

Four months in the EU puts you in violation of the Schengen Visa permissions. You would need to remain outside of the Schengen area (e.g., travel to the UK or the eastern Adriatic) for a cumulative time of at least a month to keep your time in the Schengen Area under three months.

[SPacificbound]

Take a look at Cunard's Queen Mary 2. You would need to check her schedule carefully to make sure that is what you want to do.

Queen Mary 2 does "crossings", there are no ports but Southampton and NYC on regular crossings of 7 nights.

 

If you time it right most of the cruise lines that call on the US have repositioning cruises, to Europe in Spring and back to US in Fall. That way you would get more than 7 days of sea days and no ports.

 

A repositioning cruise one way and Queen Mary 2 the other.

 

I really, really don't like flying so have used Queen Mary 2 several times this way.