Help us choose one of these 3 TransAtlantic sailings later this year

[Middleager]

NCL canceled our Jan 9/2022 Panama cruise, so we’re thinking a transatlantic cruise in Nov-Dec (all from Rome to US).   We haven’t been to these ports/cities, nor on these ships.  We're recently retired and like to sightsee and learn the history/culture of the places, whereas the ship doesn't matter much.

 

There are slight differences in the ports (e.g. Getaway leaves later and goes to Valencia and Lisbon…)   Based on the itineraries, please gives us advice in choosing among those 3:

 

Dawn, 17days Nov 21-Dec 8; Rome – Tampa; start at C$1358/p;

10 ports: Rome; Florence/Pisa; Monte Carlo; Barcelona; Palma-Majorca; Granada; Seville; 5 sea days; Bermuda; Port Canaveral, Tampa

 

Getaway, 17d Dec 5-22; Rome – Miami; start at C$1508/p;

11 ports:  Rome; Florence/Pisa; Cannes; Barcelona; Valencia; Granada; Seville; Lisbon; Ponta Delgada, Azores; 4 sea days; Bermuda; Miami; 

 

Epic, 15d Nov 20 – Dec 5; Rome - New York; start at C$1,124/p;

10 ports: Rome; Florence/Pisa; Cannes; Barcelona, Cartagena, Granada, Seville; Funchal, Madeira; Ponta Delgada, Azores; 4 sea days; New York;

 

==

Maybe also to consider, for each leg before, is there something so good (we’ve been to Athens and Turkey but not Israel or others) we should take it to make a b2b cruise:

 

Dawn, 7d Nov 14-21; Venice-Rome; start C$805/p

8 ports: Venice; Dubrovnik; Corfu; Valletta, Malta; Messina; Naples; Florence/Pisa; Rome;

 

Getaway, 11d, Nov 24-Dec 5; Athens – Rome; start C$1,349/p;

Athens; Santorini; Kusadasi; Ashdod; Haifa; Limassol, Cyprus; Rhodes; Messina; Naples; Rome;

 

Epic, 9d Nov11-20; Athens – Rome; start C$1,039/p;

Athens; Istanbul; Kusadasi; Santorini; Catania; Naples; Florence/Pisa; Rome;

 

Thanks.

                                                              

[kochleffel]

Among the three TA itineraries, I like the Epic's best because of calling at both Funchal and Ponta Delgada. As a B2B it would take you to Livorno (for Florence and Pisa) twice. There are more than enough choices of things to do there, but you might prefer other ports.

 

I've cruised on the Epic twice and had a third booking for this year, but it was cancelled. However, the Epic wouldn't be my first choice for a longer cruise with a lot of sea days, because its outdoor space isn't as generous as on other ships, and interior space can seem crowded. Lack of midship elevators contributes to that impression, but it also depends somewhat on the activity patterns of the passengers; it was a problem, I thought, during a winter cruise with a very high proportion of retirees who all seemed to want to do the same things as the same times (and I am of that age myself!), but not on a Mediterranean itinerary in the spring with only one sea day. A TA is likely to have more retirees than short cruises in the same season, just because of the length. In that winter cruise, I would see more than a hundred people lining up for bingo a full hour before its scheduled start. I don't play bingo, but got closed out of some performances because the rooms had filled so far in advance. 

 

The Getaway and the Epic are large ships with a corresponding diversity of entertainment and activities. The Dawn is smaller and older but would probably be congenial, based on my experience with the Gem, which is a bit similar but not identical.

 

 

[BoundForSea]

At that time of year outdoor sun decks and activities wont be a thing, so dont make that a consideration. Wont get above 50s at MOST across the Atlantic and with a 20-40kt  relative wind across the deck the wind chill will be down right cold. We did an early Nov crossing and other than one day where it was sunny and 60 we never went outdoors. 

[SpainAlien]

We chose the Epic TA for the ports but for next April when it will be a bit warmer

 

[casofilia]

Personally I would take the Epic for all the ports.

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, kochleffel said:

The Dawn is smaller and older but would probably be congenial, based on my experience with the Gem, which is a bit similar but not identical.

I love the Gem, but the Dawn is different in two major respects — it does not have the forward-facing Spinnaker observation lounge nor the Great Outdoors, two wonderful public spaces. And on a late Fall TA, I think the former in particular would be sorely missed. 
 

OP — do you care where you end up? Big difference between NY and Florida in December.  By early December, NY should have holiday decorations and the tree in Rockefeller Center may well be lit. It’s a fun and beautiful time in the city, and a good place to spend a few days. 

[NordicExpat]

We switched over to the Epic after the Escape TA was cancelled. They both had similar itineraries, but the Epic departs almost 3 weeks later than the Escape was scheduled to. This most likely will mean cooler weather. 

We considered the Dawn because of the southernly route into Florida which should have a better chance for warmer weather. We decided against the Dawn since we prefer the bigger ships and the Epic is like going back home to us. The Getaway is the better itinerary ending in Miami, but the dates conflict with family Xmas plans.

[happy cruzer]

If I were doing the back to back option, I would do the Dawn's itinerary.

 

My first choice would be the Getaway Tranatl with 1 week or more pre cruise in Italy :0.  Great way to celebrate Christmas.

[Yinster]

Not that it should matter much but the starting point Rome is not where the port is for embarking. Civitavecchia is just over a hour by train or bus from Rome. 

 

I know you aren't too bothered with the ship's but both Epic and Getaway has a spa area. Very nice when cruising across the Atlantic

 

 

[RaftingJeremy]

I don’t know. I’m doing the Lisbon to Rio on the star in November 2022.   

[boatseller]

From those 3, Getaway, no internal debate.

It's a longer trip.

Better ports, especially if Isreal goes.

Getaway is a better ship.

Arrival in Miami.

[kochleffel]

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

he Dawn is different in two major respects — it does not have the forward-facing Spinnaker observation lounge nor the Great Outdoors, two wonderful public spaces.

 

True. I did think of those, and even if the weather is poor, the Spinnaker Lounge would be good to have.

 

8 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

At that time of year outdoor sun decks and activities wont be a thing, so dont make that a consideration.

Half the cruise is in the Mediterranean, as the first cruise in a B2B would be, but it's true that the sea days on the Epic could be a lot colder than on the other two cruises, which will take more southern routes. To my mind, that makes the crowded feeling in the Epic's public spaces a greater problem, if the demographics are what I'd expect. But I still might choose the Epic because of the ports.

[FreestyleNovice]

14 hours ago, kochleffel said:

..

 

However, the Epic wouldn't be my first choice for a longer cruise with a lot of sea days, because its outdoor space isn't as generous as on other ships, and interior space can seem crowded. Lack of midship elevators contributes to that impression, but it also depends somewhat on the activity patterns of the passengers; it was a problem, I thought, during a winter cruise with a very high proportion of retirees who all seemed to want to do the same things as the same times (and I am of that age myself!), but not on a Mediterranean itinerary in the spring with only one sea day. A TA is likely to have more retirees than short cruises in the same season, just because of the length. In that winter cruise, I would see more than a hundred people lining up for bingo a full hour before its scheduled start. I don't play bingo, but got closed out of some performances because the rooms had filled so far in advance. 

 

The Getaway and the Epic are large ships with a corresponding diversity of entertainment and activities. The Dawn is smaller and older but would probably be congenial, based on my experience with the Gem, which is a bit similar but not identical.

 

 

 

Exactly this. Did a TA on Epic and you had to fight for a seat at Shaker's or Maltings on the seadays when outside is too chilly. We've cruised multiples times on Epic and love her for her good things but I would definitely do everything to take a stroll or seat on the sheltered/lee side of the ship on Getaway vs the inwardness of Epic. Perhaps a Haven suite would make a TA on Epic more bearable. If at all being on any NCL cruiseship would be a problem heh! 

[FreestyleNovice]

Oh and Dawn would be too small/old for my taste. Despite some new restaurants additions I would choose a mega ship over the older ships if there is a choice or if itinerary would not matter. 

 

But my only experience with the older ships are two Sky cruises. 

[qdog123]

I booked the Epic last week for the TA you describe to lock in the price before it started going up. We’ve done the TA on Epic in both directions and loved it both times. We chose it not just for the ship but also because it terminates in NY and I’ve been meaning to see the tree at Rockefeller for years but never got around to it. I considered the Dawn as we’ve been on her a couple of times (last time was the last cruise before the Covid shutdown) and we live in Tampa so it would be convenient,  but the price was a ton higher than the epic and there is not as much to do on the ship. I do have to agree with others who mentioned the Epic can get crowded if it’s sold out. Our first TA the ship was about half full so it was awesome. The last TA the ship was completely full so it was a challenge getting a seat at O’Sheehans for lunch. Otherwise we didn’t have a problem doing anything else we were looking to do. 

[Middleager]

Thanks for all the replies.  It's helpful regarding the ships.  We'd book an inside cabin and the b1g1 airfare with 2d deviation, to save money.  We'd have to see if we want to forego the b1g1 and fly a few more days earlier to Rome so we can adjust to time difference and chance to see more of Rome.  There's so much history to see. 

 

If doing b2b, the starting port is either Venice or Athens (we've been to Athens), we'd stick with b1g1 airfare with 2d deviation.  That leaves Rome in the middle of the b2b.  Would there be even enough hours to get off the ship early from Civitavecchia to go see something in Rome, or leave Rome for another trip?

 

Would love to hear more comments about the port differences (Dawn: Monte Carlo, Palma; Getaway: Cannes, Lisbon, Ponta Delgada; Epic: Cannes, Cartagena, Funchal, Ponta Delgada).  And if it's worth adding a leg for b2b.

 

19 hours ago, kochleffel said:

Among the three TA itineraries, I like the Epic's best because of calling at both Funchal and Ponta Delgada. As a B2B it would take you to Livorno (for Florence and Pisa) twice. There are more than enough choices of things to do there, but you might prefer other ports.

 

I've cruised on the Epic twice and had a third booking for this year, but it was cancelled. However, the Epic wouldn't be my first choice for a longer cruise with a lot of sea days, because its outdoor space isn't as generous as on other ships, and interior space can seem crowded. Lack of midship elevators contributes to that impression,

 

Just curious what's good about Funchal and Ponta Delgada?

 

I'd suspect the TA cruises won't be full this year, so that probably won't cause a crowded feeling.  But we'll see.

 

13 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

I love the Gem, but the Dawn is different in two major respects — it does not have the forward-facing Spinnaker observation lounge nor the Great Outdoors, two wonderful public spaces. And on a late Fall TA, I think the former in particular would be sorely missed. 
 

OP — do you care where you end up? Big difference between NY and Florida in December.  By early December, NY should have holiday decorations and the tree in Rockefeller Center may well be lit. It’s a fun and beautiful time in the city, and a good place to spend a few days. 

We've been on the Jewel and the Spinnaker is good, especially in Alaska when a ranger came on to give presentations, and other times we can view from inside on cold days.

 

At first I didn't care where we end up as we still have to fly back to Toronto.  But now knowing Epic to NY will have colder sea days is a minus, but if can see the X-mas decos that's a plus.

8 hours ago, Yinster said:

I know you aren't too bothered with the ship's but both Epic and Getaway has a spa area. Very nice when cruising across the Atlantic

Spa is nice, and our inside cabin won't get spa access.  I suppose I can look into buying  spa package/pass for the sea days. 

 

8 hours ago, RaftingJeremy said:

I’m doing the Lisbon to Rio on the star in November 2022.   

I saw that too.  For this time I like the Italy, Spain ports in those 3 sailings from Rome.  Maybe will do more Portugal later.  I like to go to Brazil (still have visa good to 2022.Mar), but it's iffy for ships to go to Brazil this year due to the pandemic situation there.

 

8 hours ago, boatseller said:

From those 3, Getaway, no internal debate.

It's a longer trip.

Better ports, especially if Isreal goes.

Getaway is a better ship.

Arrival in Miami.

As a Christian, I'd love to see Israel.  I know, it takes many more days to properly see enough, but maybe a glimpse to start.

Let me check my lottery tickets to see if we might be able to do the b2b.

 

Thanks.

[Yinster]

7 hours ago, Middleager said:

That leaves Rome in the middle of the b2b.  Would there be even enough hours to get off the ship early from Civitavecchia to go see something in Rome, or leave Rome for another trip?

 

Spa is nice, and our inside cabin won't get spa access.  I suppose I can look into buying  spa package/pass for the sea days. 

If you never seen Rome, then I would leave it for a standalone trip. Otherwise it will feel rushed.

 

Day spas passes are rarely. Not impossible but if they sell all their week passes then it is highly unlikely they will sell day passes.

[Turtles06]

13 hours ago, Middleager said:

If doing b2b, the starting port is either Venice or Athens (we've been to Athens), we'd stick with b1g1 airfare with 2d deviation.  That leaves Rome in the middle of the b2b.  Would there be even enough hours to get off the ship early from Civitavecchia to go see something in Rome, or leave Rome for another trip?

 

If you use a good private tour company (like Romeinlimo.com or others recommended over in the Italy/Port of Call forum), and with the caveat that I don't know when you need to be back on board, you should have time for a whirlwind tour of some of Rome, or even spend time at a particular site (e.g., the Vatican Museums, seeing the Sistine Chapel).  I stress the word whirlwind.  Rome is an amazing city, best seen on its own separate visit when you are not rushing to and from a ship.  But you could still have an enjoyable day in between your cruises if that's what you want to do.  We did it once on a Med cruise and I don't regret it; we had a wonderful day.  (We've since returned for a multi-day visit, and would have been back last year but for the pandemic).

 

There's good info over in the Italy forum about spending a day in Rome during a port call to Civitavecchia.

 

 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Turtles06

[kochleffel]

19 hours ago, Middleager said:

Just curious what's good about Funchal and Ponta Delgada?

Partly that I know I will never get there any other way.

Funchal: Madeira wine. It's made by a unique process that involves aging in hot conditions (artificial for the cheap ones, in sheds in the sun for the better quality, originally on the deck of a ship for a long voyage).

Ponta Delgada: the synagogue. It's not fantastically old (1836), but it was the first built in Portugal after the expulsion of Jews in 1496.

 

20 hours ago, Middleager said:

I'd suspect the TA cruises won't be full this year, so that probably won't cause a crowded feeling. 

If the cruises deliberately restrict capacity, crowding definitely won't be a problem. If lack of customers causes it, they'll probably keep lowering fares to reach whatever capacity they're allowed, so the question is what number that will be.

[kochleffel]

Cannes: are you by any chance an admirer of Matisse? From Cannes it's possible to visit the Chapelle du Rosaire, which he designed late in his life, at Vence, inland from Cannes. However, standard tours don't go there, because the capacity is limited -- both inside the chapel and for parking. It requires renting a car, using a rideshare service, or commissioning a private tour.

[jaapie]

1 hour ago, kochleffel said:

Cannes: are you by any chance an admirer of Matisse? From Cannes it's possible to visit the Chapelle du Rosaire, which he designed late in his life, at Vence, inland from Cannes. However, standard tours don't go there, because the capacity is limited -- both inside the chapel and for parking. It requires renting a car, using a rideshare service, or commissioning a private tour.

Consider visiting Antibes from Cannes. We used to live in Antibes and love it, just a 15 minute train ride from Cannes to Antibes. Right in the center of Antibes is a Picasso museum, but just wandering the alleys of old town Antibes is wonderful.