Transatlantic newbie - questions.....

[SDCB432]

I posted earlier on this page about 2 way transatlantic and our schedule/plans/preference has changed and it looks like it will be one way.  Because of our preference of flying from US to Europe first, then sailing back it looks like Fall is the most typical.  Our experience with cruising has been mostly the Caribbean with one Alaska - Princess and Royal Caribbean so far (only 5 cruises under our belt so far, but retirement promises much more).

 

With all that in mind here are my questions:

1 - Is October/November rough(er) - I know to expect more movement on the transatlantic than what we have had on our past sailing, and we don't get seasick typically, but wondered what the difference would be.

 

2 - Queen Mary 2 - I like that these are through the summer months, however I wonder if they would have enough to do. We enjoy the many activities of the ships we have been on - we enjoy interactive activities. Also, with the more formal dress code, how is the overall clientele? We are more comfortable with modest/casual, with a splash of formality here and there.

 

3 - We see many from Southampton, UK, but are there others that end up in either Boston or New York?

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

There are many crossings starting in September through November that end in New York.  Princess, Holland America and NCL to name a few.  Most begin in Europe.  Again…there is a big difference between crossing the North Atlantic and the Southern Atlantic.  The North Atlantic can be rough at times.

[hallasm]

Most cruise ships are heading east fro US to Europe in March and April and west bound  again from Europe to US during September to November.

North Atlantic crossing in autumn can be rough.
My preference is south Atlantic at spring time - from Miami to Barcelona. Normally very nice weather.

I also prefer east bound voyages due to jet lag - you loose an hour at noon every second day but no jet lag when arriving into Europe.

[TheOldBear]

On 7/29/2022 at 1:22 PM, SDCB432 said:

I posted earlier on this page about 2 way transatlantic and our schedule/plans/preference has changed and it looks like it will be one way.  Because of our preference of flying from US to Europe first, then sailing back it looks like Fall is the most typical.  Our experience with cruising has been mostly the Caribbean with one Alaska - Princess and Royal Caribbean so far (only 5 cruises under our belt so far, but retirement promises much more).

 

With all that in mind here are my questions:

1 - Is October/November rough(er) - I know to expect more movement on the transatlantic than what we have had on our past sailing, and we don't get seasick typically, but wondered what the difference would be.

On our 2017 westbound crossing, QM2 was sailing through a tropical storm remnant - outer deck access was restricted (no deck 7 direct access to promenade deck; doors to the observation deck and the 'Lookout' were secured) but some hardy folks were enjoying the 80 knot sea breeze 🙂

Ship's motion was very well controlled, due to the hull shape, stabilizers and the speed reserve allowing routing to minimize movement [e.g. wind on the bow] while still maintaining the scheduled arrival time [just loafing along at 25 knots]

 

 

On 7/29/2022 at 1:22 PM, SDCB432 said:

2 - Queen Mary 2 - I like that these are through the summer months, however I wonder if they would have enough to do. We enjoy the many activities of the ships we have been on - we enjoy interactive activities. Also, with the more formal dress code, how is the overall clientele? We are more comfortable with modest/casual, with a splash of formality here and there.

The typical sea day is 'nothing to do, and not enough time to do it' - there are no go carts or bowling alleys on board, but there is a full roster of 'enrichment' lectures and other activities [ballroom dance lessons, fencing instruction, watercolor lessons...].

For a 'splash of formality' the number of 'gala' nights has been reduced to 2 nights per crossing so more of cripple than a splash.   

You may want to visit the Cunard section here for some more info - but posters on these forums are often more dress code obsessed than the actual experience on board [which is reminder to me to start practicing hand tying my bow tie for October]

 

On 7/29/2022 at 1:22 PM, SDCB432 said:

 

3 - We see many from Southampton, UK, but are there others that end up in either Boston or New York?

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

 

[spanishguy1970]

our specialty are Transatlantics, is what we enjoy doing whether is Eastbound or Westbound. We started cruising in 2009 and in all those years we have only encountered rough seas once, going in to New York, two days before we were meant to arrive. Our other cruises have been smooth sailing and one trip in particular the crossing was so smooth it was like crossing a lake. It was beautiful. Now on the rough one, it was bad, to the point that i myself got hurt, i had to wear a sling on my arm for about a month and then do physical therapy, it was a transatlantic from Venice to New York. A rogue 40 foot wave hit the ship, dishes everywhere, it was scary but then again i still love doing transatlantics :-)...

[Heidi13]

1 hour ago, Siena219 said:

Having done the spring and Fall trips many times I would never do the North Atlantic but love the southern rout and even go for swimms on most days , it beats an Airplane ride any day with great food and all. 

 

Technically the North Atlantic Ocean is everything north of the Equator, where it changes to the South Atlantic Ocean.

 

Even the furthest northern reaches of the North Atlantic when you follow the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift, when Eastbound, can be pleasant sailing. I've completed a few Eastbound Great Circle crossings with max winds of about 20 kts. Just needs the right time of year and a little luck.

[motherchic]

We have dome quite a few in April/May and October/Nov.

I would rather sail home but will do both. We sail celebrity and love it. Never had a rough water sail