5 sea days!!!

[sarlin]

Hi there,

 

We just booked a Transatlantic cruise!  This cruise was a Bucket List cruise for us.  The cruise has 5 sea days.  I have always loved the idea of a Transatlantic and multiple sea days.  My question is has anyone done a Transatlantic and really enjoyed multiple sea days OR really did not care for sea days at all?  

Also, what are some stratigies and Tips for enjoying these days?  What does NCL offer during those days?  Classes or programs ?

 

We will be on the Getaway, Oct. 22.  This will be our 3rd time on her.

Thanks

[www3traveler]

I love Transatlantic Crossings and Sea Days.  Your Freestyle Daily will be full of actitvities from about 8 A.M. until after midnight each day.  Pick and choose which you want or do nothing.  Lots of quiet places to read or just people watch.

 

Enjoy

[KateQ22003]

I would absolutely love this; I live for sea days!

[TSUmom]

I only wish my DH would take a TA with me.  It is on my bucket list but he keeps saying no way too many sea days.  Enjoy!!

[Turtles06]

Only five sea days?  Not enough!  🙂 

 

Enjoy!

[BigRedFan]

2 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hi there,

 

We just booked a Transatlantic cruise!  This cruise was a Bucket List cruise for us.  The cruise has 5 sea days.  I have always loved the idea of a Transatlantic and multiple sea days.  My question is has anyone done a Transatlantic and really enjoyed multiple sea days OR really did not care for sea days at all?  

Also, what are some stratigies and Tips for enjoying these days?  What does NCL offer during those days?  Classes or programs ?

 

We will be on the Getaway, Oct. 22.  This will be our 3rd time on her.

Thanks

Sea days are wonderful!  The Freestyle Daily will have numerous offerings.  My favorite thing is to go up to the Spinnaker Lounge (depending on which ship)  and read.  Beautiful panoramic windows.  Sometimes the guest entertainers may have a rehearsal so you are treated to a bit of their performances.  Enjoy!

[bluesea777]

Plenty of activities to partake - or not. The dailies are tight single spaced on sea days but double-spaced on port days, lol.

 

And it’s hard to find time to be bored!

 

 

[thedarklord]

I did a TA solo a few years back from Southampton to New York, no stops, just 7 sea days. Absolutely loved it, was so nice to be able to just relax, and not have to think about anything at all really, didn't have to even think about what I was going to do on the next port of call. There was sufficient to do that I someone still ran out of time to do everything onboard that I wanted to!
Got another TA booked from Rio -> Barcelona in a few weeks, this time with my wife. This one has 7 port days, and 7 sea days, a nice combination.

[Lakesregion]

3 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hi there,

 

We just booked a Transatlantic cruise!  This cruise was a Bucket List cruise for us.  The cruise has 5 sea days.  I have always loved the idea of a Transatlantic and multiple sea days.  My question is has anyone done a Transatlantic and really enjoyed multiple sea days OR really did not care for sea days at all?  

Also, what are some stratigies and Tips for enjoying these days?  What does NCL offer during those days?  Classes or programs ?

 

We will be on the Getaway, Oct. 22.  This will be our 3rd time on her.

Thanks

If you have already been on the Getaway then you know what a sea day is like. Off color jokes by the cruise director that struggles with English, Trivia sessions and lots of encouraged drinking. Now if you were taking Cunard across the pond, there would be enrichment lectures both morning and afternoons, a library that actually is open all day and offers a lot of books, Tea dances in the afternoon. A harpist in the center lounge at noon. Real music in every cocktail lounge of a nature that conversations do not have to be shouted and evening dancing plus a disco that is not "on-deck" but in a very comfortable area. Plus the best part zero smoking in the casino or elsewhere except one tiny out on the deck area. 

[sarahwalker2007]

we love the TA's because of the mix of sea days and port days. We have only sailed Holland America and have only done TA's. our 3 kids love sea days! lots of reading and playing in the pool. We usually hit up the games room and play games for a few hours. we also sleep in those days and have a later breakfast. Holland America offers Pickle ball which we spend hours playing with the kids. My girls loved the origami classes that Holland offered on sea days. They also spent about an hour doing school work in the crow's nest/observation lounge on sea days. We are booked for our first NCL cruise this fall and it's a TA, the kids are excited to have the water slides and ropes course and arcade none of which Holland has so I suspect that sea days will actually be pretty busy for us this go around compared to our previous 2.

[sarahwalker2007]

2 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

If you have already been on the Getaway then you know what a sea day is like. Off color jokes by the cruise director that struggles with English, Trivia sessions and lots of encouraged drinking. Now if you were taking Cunard across the pond, there would be enrichment lectures both morning and afternoons, a library that actually is open all day and offers a lot of books, Tea dances in the afternoon. A harpist in the center lounge at noon. Real music in every cocktail lounge of a nature that conversations do not have to be shouted and evening dancing plus a disco that is not "on-deck" but in a very comfortable area. Plus the best part zero smoking in the casino or elsewhere except one tiny out on the deck area. 

This sounds similar to Holland America, we are nervous about NCL and it's more party atmosphere but couldn't pass up this itinerary of 8 port days with the TA. 

[fredflint]

For a TA I would not recommend NCL our last cruise had one Enrichment lecturer that could not even spell check their slides.  He was just unprepared and not very good, we assumed that the original person had to cancel  at the last minute.  Then someone said  "Wait I have an uncle that is a retired geologist and he went to Brazil when he was young, I bet he will do it for just a free cruise".  That was the person who did out lectures.  

[KeithJenner]

I have done two transatlantics, one was 7 days and the other 10 days. Neither included any port days at all.

 

Plenty to do. I loved them.

[PTC DAWG]

45 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

If you have already been on the Getaway then you know what a sea day is like. Off color jokes by the cruise director that struggles with English, Trivia sessions and lots of encouraged drinking. Now if you were taking Cunard across the pond, there would be enrichment lectures both morning and afternoons, a library that actually is open all day and offers a lot of books, Tea dances in the afternoon. A harpist in the center lounge at noon. Real music in every cocktail lounge of a nature that conversations do not have to be shouted and evening dancing plus a disco that is not "on-deck" but in a very comfortable area. Plus the best part zero smoking in the casino or elsewhere except one tiny out on the deck area. 

I’m thinking you’re a blast at parties. 

[mking8288]

On our bucket list to do T/A on a "routine" basis ahead ... not easy while you are still in the rat race earning take-home pays, haha.  Got one locked on the maritime radar on short notice since we have 200% flexibility and plenty of flight options to/from JFK to just about anywhere.  This one in question "only" has 4 full sea days in between ports, unless the ship skipped Bermuda while crossing en route.

 

Gives us a chance to load up the Fire HD tablet with all the Kindle books & readings, enough there to last for weeks, plus offline video contents.  Can't see ourselves being bored on sea days and there's always the fitness center or gym to take off some calories ... and, get to experience all the rotating dining menu (MDR) options.  Just enough specialty dining credits & vouchers.   

 

Besides, these sailings aren't going to be packed full at 95% occupancies anytime soon ... I don't believe they ever do, unless it's an inaugural sailing.  

[itsnotjustme]

33 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

not easy while you are still in the rat race earning take-home pays, haha

I am pulling this ff with a 16-day TA.  We will depart on a Wed night, and return Tuesday evening, 1 day short of 3 weeks later.  This itinerary has 8 ports of call, one of which is an overnight, and 6 sea days.  I can find a sea day relaxing and restful after a full day port of call.

 

Three factors help make this feasible while I am still working:  

 

1) I took almost no vacation during the heart of the pandemic, and I am near my max allowed vacation balance. 

 

2) My company allows us to earn/bank comp time (up to 20 hours).  This allows me to work more pre-cruise which helps keep up with the workload, as has the added side-benefit of reducing the vacation I use during the cruise.

 

3) My work hours have flexibility.  While I leave Wednesday evening, by working extra from the preceding Friday into Wednesday morning, I will have worked 40 hours for the departure week. Similar on the return week, I can make up a portion of the two days missed on Wed -Thu-Fri.

 

In net, what would require 116 hours vacation on a standard inflexible 8-hour per day schedule (20+40+40+16) can be accomplished in 74 hours vacation (0+20+40+14).

 

This will help shepherd my vacation for more fabulous trips in the future including two 7-day back to back cruises from Greece.

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

If you have already been on the Getaway then you know what a sea day is like. Off color jokes by the cruise director that struggles with English, Trivia sessions and lots of encouraged drinking. Now if you were taking Cunard across the pond, there would be enrichment lectures both morning and afternoons, a library that actually is open all day and offers a lot of books, Tea dances in the afternoon. A harpist in the center lounge at noon. Real music in every cocktail lounge of a nature that conversations do not have to be shouted and evening dancing plus a disco that is not "on-deck" but in a very comfortable area. Plus the best part zero smoking in the casino or elsewhere except one tiny out on the deck area. 

Now, as to your actual question, sea days are the best! In September, we had two days in Orlando and one day in Miami which turned into three sea days for us, plus the real four sea days that we had. A nine day cruise where seven of the days were sea days. Oh my, it was glorious! We danced between thermal suite, the Haven Sun Deck, and our aft-facing balcony. The time went by so quickly! I could have had another ten sea days and been ok. 

 

On our Dec/Jan cruise, we had a two day stop in Orlando too, which were also treated as sea days. We had three additional sea days on our eight day cruise. Again, every sea day (real or not) was delightful, full of leisure activities, and just perfectly serene. I would take all the sea days in the world on a NCL ship. 

 

As others have said, on a real sea day, NCL provides plenty of mindless activity - trivia, dance classes, balloon animals (actually, kind of fun), and music in intimate settings. I skip all that (except the balloons), and do a routine that consists of a couple morning hours in the thermal suite (a must purchase on a trans-Atlantic, I'd think), lunch, nap, balcony time, maybe some sun deck time if it's not too hot, more thermal suite, dinner, show). Repeat on the next sea day! And, perhaps, include a stroll of the Waterfront a couple times. 

 

If one likes to strut around like a peacock in their penguin suit, then perhaps Cunard is for you. Or, if you want to relive the good ole days of steerage, racism, homophobia, and misogny, then perhaps Cunard is good for you. For me, I'll take NCL where entertainment is good, if not stellar, meals aren't stodgy affairs with staff doting on you like you're their master, and you can go anywhere on the ship after 6 PM without that penguin suit on. Cruises ought to be multicultural affairs where anyone is welcomed, good English, or not. I enjoy speaking with people from different cultures to learn about their world. How it's different than mine, and hopefully sharing in a delightful shared tradition. But...there goes me enjoying culture again! 

 

 

[cruiseny4life]

15 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

I am pulling this ff with a 16-day TA.  We will depart on a Wed night, and return Tuesday evening, 1 day short of 3 weeks later.  This itinerary has 8 ports of call, one of which is an overnight, and 6 sea days.  I can find a sea day relaxing and restful after a full day port of call.

 

Three factors help make this feasible while I am still working:  

 

1) I took almost no vacation during the heart of the pandemic, and I am near my max allowed vacation balance. 

 

2) My company allows us to earn/bank comp time (up to 20 hours).  This allows me to work more pre-cruise which helps keep up with the workload, as has the added side-benefit of reducing the vacation I use during the cruise.

 

3) My work hours have flexibility.  While I leave Wednesday evening, by working extra from the preceding Friday into Wednesday morning, I will have worked 40 hours for the departure week. Similar on the return week, I can make up a portion of the two days missed on Wed -Thu-Fri.

 

In net, what would require 116 hours vacation on a standard inflexible 8-hour per day schedule (20+40+40+16) can be accomplished in 74 hours vacation (0+20+40+14).

 

This will help shepherd my vacation for more fabulous trips in the future including two 7-day back to back cruises from Greece.

I need your job...or at least your company's PTO policies! 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hi there, We just booked a Transatlantic cruise!  This cruise was a Bucket List cruise for us.  The cruise has 5 sea days.  I have always loved the idea of a Transatlantic and multiple sea days.  My question is has anyone done a Transatlantic and really enjoyed multiple sea days OR really did not care for sea days at all?  Also, what are some strategies and Tips for enjoying these days?  What does NCL offer during those days?  Classes or programs ? We will be on the Getaway, Oct. 22.  This will be our 3rd time on her. Thanks

When we first started cruising, we used to do TA a lot. They used to be straight shot, 6 day cruises between London and New York. Those were on true ocean liners, designed for the crossing, not cruise ships. And we treated them like a relaxing land-based vacations. Sleep in late. A lovely brunch. High tea in the grand ballroom with a harpist. Dinner. And an evening drink listening to a string quartet. We would sail off season, and the North Atlantic was not the best in terms of weather... but on a sunny day, we could rent wooden loungers, set up by the pool attendant. There was no streaming wifi back then, so you really just disconnected and relaxed. 

 

Fast forward to present day... The crossings have become excessively long and do not provide value to us... a lot of time to be away from our business. Now, we do shorter cruises of 5 or 7 days multiple times a year and spend some port days on the ship (yeah,,, we'll get off the ship and walk through the port shops for an hours... but not a full blown excursion). Multiple sea days is fine for us. Back in the "old days", we would get 2 page printed copies of the London Times and New York Times... and would spend the afternoon reading the news... now we just pull open a browser and scan multiple news sites.... we're not trying to pack the day from waking to bedtime with activities. And don't mind spending a few hours a day, bundled up, on the Waterfront watching the ocean and snoozing. 

[Joesantos]

5 hours ago, sarlin said:

Hi there,

 

We just booked a Transatlantic cruise!  This cruise was a Bucket List cruise for us.  The cruise has 5 sea days.  I have always loved the idea of a Transatlantic and multiple sea days.  My question is has anyone done a Transatlantic and really enjoyed multiple sea days OR really did not care for sea days at all?  

Also, what are some stratigies and Tips for enjoying these days?  What does NCL offer during those days?  Classes or programs ?

 

We will be on the Getaway, Oct. 22.  This will be our 3rd time on her.

Thanks

We really enjoyed our 1 transatlantic on RCL back in fall of 2018! But luckily we had an amazing activity staff person Talita who had us dance with Zumba and other bands! Best part is extra hours sleep every couple of days. We did our own land tour in Portugal Italy and Poland and wound up in Barcelona for the cruise back home to the States!

We returned from a cruise on the getaway in January and it was 12 nights of wonderful live bands and dancing opportunities.

We’ve been looking into that same transatlantic too!

I’m pretty sure NCL will have enough activity based on all our previous cruises as we’re platinum and close to sapphire soon! Definitely using the laundry freebie for us

[kayjaypea42]

How's the wifi on a transatlantic? Has anyone taken one with Starlink installed? TAs are long and I can foresee taking a transatlantic back after a European vacay to unwind while working. (So I can take all my days off for the actual European vacay but still enjoy the ocean, drinks, and nightlife...)

Edited February 20, 2023 by kayjaypea42

[sarlin]

Thank you all for your ideas and thoughts.  I am looking forward to this cruise.  I pulled the trigger a little fast before I considered the reality of the sea days.  I'm very excited and I think we will be just fine.  

Happy Sailing 🙂

 

[crazycatlady82]

We might be the minority but our cruise on the Star ended up having 5 sea days…and that was too many for us on a ship that size. If we wanted to play cards in the afternoon, it was hard to find a table by a bar. We do have 4 sea days on the Prima but we did that on purpose, as it is a new ship that my husband wanted to try. 

[casofilia]

@sarlin

 

If you would like some TA Freestyle dailies for sea days drop me a line and I will copy some for you.

 

Mike

casofilia @ xtra . co . nz

[sarahwalker2007]

2 hours ago, kayjaypea42 said:

How's the wifi on a transatlantic? Has anyone taken one with Starlink installed? TAs are long and I can foresee taking a transatlantic back after a European vacay to unwind while working. (So I can take all my days off for the actual European vacay but still enjoy the ocean, drinks, and nightlife...)

our two TA's on Holland didn't have starlink but wifi was good and steady. my husband had to work most days for several hours in the early morning and had 3 nights of zoom calls in the very middle of the Atlantic. he kept his mic and video off and typed his answers/responses/ideas but the video and audio for everyone else was just fine. There was only one afternoon where he had trouble downloading a large PDF but it came through eventually.