Considering Transatlantic May 2024. Any advice?

[luckybecky]

We are considering the 20 night Philipsburg to Lisbon transatlantic in May 2024. The itinerary looks amazing with many ports in the Caribbean that we have never been to, plus three stops in the Azores. This cruise would be a huge splurge on our budget. I'm interested in thoughts anyone may have about this kind of small ship travel.

 

We have only done one other small ship cruise, on the Paul Gauguin. That ship is about 300-350 passengers, so larger than the World Voyager. Otherwise, we have only cruised on large mass market lines. Our favorite is Celebrity, but we aren't ashamed of traveling on inexpensive lines like Carnival for great value -- and they sail out of our home port of Galveston.

 

One of the things I like about the big mass market ships is the variety of activities on board. We enjoy the casino and nightly shows. Obviously I understand that cruising on Atlas will be a very different experience. I'm curious about those differences. We will have a solid week of sea days if we do this cruise, plus a couple more sea days at the end. What is a typical sea day like? What kinds of activities, if any, are offered?

 

We are active travelers and don't really spend of lot of time lying around the pool or spa. How would we spend our week of sea days?

 

Also, any thoughts about a Horizon cabin versus Veranda? I understand that the Horizon is larger, but only has a window that opens. I'd love the extra space, but not sure I would like just having a window as opposed to a true balcony. I REALLY like to have a balcony when we cruise. Would the trade off be worth it to have the extra living space in the Horizon stateroom?

 

Any comments on these questions or any other thoughts you might have for us as newbies to this kind of travel would be welcome. TIA!

[njcruiser2007]

My husband and I are booked on this cruise.  We are very excited.  We have not sailed on such a small ship before.  We are booked in the Horizon cabin and think having an open window and more space in the room will suit us.  The deck is steps away if we want to be outside.  There are alot of sea days and my husband also wonders if he will enjoy them.  We do like to lay by the pool and hang out so I don't think it will be a problem.  The description of this ship does not include many daily activities or large shows.  I think it's mostly musical performances which we enjoy.  Hopefully you will join us on this adventure.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I can't comment on Atlas, but I wanted to post one big plus that I see on the itinerary you have described: three stops in the Azores.  Most transatlantic cruises make one stop, either at Ponta Delgada in the Azores or in Madeira – because those are the ports that can accommodate large ships.  I assume you are stopping in Ponta Delgada, but the other two stops will be at smaller Azores islands.  That is something you wouldn't get on a large ship. and the contrast of those different islands are what turns this from a tourist trip into cultural immersion.  So if the onboard entertainment disappoints, balance that with the ability to visit smaller [but also very interesting] ports.

[Mrs f.]

I am also looking at this cruise. Atlas is totally new to me. We always travel Oceania.   Honestly for me having maybe 10 sea days with no activities doesn't make up for 3 ports in Azores.  We like trivia, guest speakers,  needlework  and such. As of now I'll hold off booking. Also concerned about the unhappiness customers face with lack of communication from Atlas before cruise.  

[Bigdogwon]

We just returned from a Polar cruise of thirteen days  on World Voyager, the main thing to consider here is that these ship are purposely built for Expedition cruising, not Ocean cruising.  We absolutely loved the ship and all the crew, food, drinks etc.  We had one day of trivia, cooking demonstration and the crew show.  On one day we had a bbq on the pool deck which was a nice change even though it was to cold for us. We did an engine room tour which was very enlightening given the ships "green" contribution to the area in which it travels.  The lectures from the expedition team gave us another choice of things to do.  Mostly people played board/card games, books were read and people drank copius amounts of red wine. (not my choice).

 

The down side to us having many days at sea would be lack of entertainment, which included a piano player (he was very good, but only if he would not sing) The "new" cruise director had a great voice and the out going cruise director was very funny (aka Elvis impersonation).  We missed the fact the TV did not have any documentaries only movies.  No news channels etc. (which is a good thing in my book). The internet probably would be better on a Transatlantic, it was not so great around Svalbard.  

 

If I where to take a transatlantic I would be more inclined to take a slightly larger ship, with more dining and things to do.

 

The restaurant serves "regional meals" French, Portuguese, Italian etc.  The food was very good but by no means gourmet as well as the service, not five star but a solid 3-4.

 

The "gym" and spa was very limited treadmills, free weights very small.  We never saw anyone working out or using the spa relaxation room which was a waste of space.  The two women in the spa giving mostly massages were very good.

 

We are considering ATLAS for a Greenland/Iceland cruise next year, there pricing is very competitive and we enjoy the closeness of the crew and passengers.

 

ATLAS would definelty would be our choice for EXPEDITION cruising, and for port intensive cruising in the Mediterranean or Caribbean but not for many days at sea or for a crossing.

 

These observations are only mine/ours yours may vary.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2023 by Bigdogwon

[luckybecky]

Thanks everyone for the comments. Lots of excellent information. Bigdogwon thanks especially for your detailed comments about your recent cruise. 

 

We are truly undecided. I love the many Caribbean island stops -- and long port times -- as well as the 3 stops in the Azores. But as I already mentioned, this would be a huge expense on our budget, more than we typically spend on land or sea vacations. And, we would want to spend some time in Portugal at the end of the cruise. We have not been there before.

 

And to add more to mull over, our daughter is getting married in February, putting additional considerations on the budget.

 

We are continuing to mull our options. One possibility might be to do only the Caribbean portion of the cruise. 

 

Thanks again for all your comments. We have a lot to think about. 🙂

[Spudd]

On 9/17/2023 at 6:58 PM, luckybecky said:

Thanks everyone for the comments. Lots of excellent information. Bigdogwon thanks especially for your detailed comments about your recent cruise. 

 

We are truly undecided. I love the many Caribbean island stops -- and long port times -- as well as the 3 stops in the Azores. But as I already mentioned, this would be a huge expense on our budget, more than we typically spend on land or sea vacations. And, we would want to spend some time in Portugal at the end of the cruise. We have not been there before.

 

And to add more to mull over, our daughter is getting married in February, putting additional considerations on the budget.

 

We are continuing to mull our options. One possibility might be to do only the Caribbean portion of the cruise. 

 

Thanks again for all your comments. We have a lot to think about. 🙂

I just thought I'd mention that I got an ad email today advertising the 13 night portion of this and it starts at $2499 per guest. Not sure if that's a big drop from what you were seeing but it seems pretty cheap to me!