First time non-Caribbean cruisers… after 11 of them!!

[Kmkub]

Hey everyone. Next month, (can’t believe I finally get to say that!) we head to Italy to help the Enchanted Princess come back to the Caribbean for the Winter.  This is some firsts for us —

 

- We’ve never been to Europe

- We’re doing our dream of a TA

- Our first time cruising somewhere not the Caribbean

 

We are jumping up and down excited!! We’ve done four cruise lines, mostly Princess.

 

So, the two big questions we have are - 1: besides the blissful absence of Caribbean music on the Lido deck everyday, are there other types of things that exist that aren’t on non-Caribbean cruises and 2: are there any major differences between experiences on a regular 7 day and a full 15-day TA?

 

Thanks for any thoughts you have,.

 

PS - the best part is that after this 20 day adventure, we will be home about 2 hours after we wake up on disembark day.

[Essiesmom]

I haven’t done one in awhile, and never on Princess.  Well, I did do a trans-pacific….  But you will have different menus every day, not a 7 day group repeated.  There should be some enrichment speakers.  But you really should be asking this on the Princess board where regulars can be more specific.  EM

[Kmkub]

1 minute ago, Essiesmom said:

I haven’t done one in awhile, and never on Princess.  Well, I did do a trans-pacific….  But you will have different menus every day, not a 7 day group repeated.  There should be some enrichment speakers.  But you really should be asking this on the Princess board where regulars can be more specific.  EM

Thanks. A non rotating menu sounds good to me. I’m hoping for more European flavors, too.

 

I considered the Princess board, but then someone comes along with, “this really should be in the ask a question forum, because TAs and European cruises tend to be similar….” Lol. It’s hard to know, sometimes,.

Edited October 15, 2023 by Kmkub

[CruiserBruce]

The obvious difference...a whole bunch more sea days...

[Kmkub]

Just now, CruiserBruce said:

The obvious difference...a whole bunch more sea days...

YES! NINE total and seven in a row on the way back. That thermal spa is singing my song…..

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Kmkub said:

Hey everyone. Next month, (can’t believe I finally get to say that!) we head to Italy to help the Enchanted Princess come back to the Caribbean for the Winter.  This is some firsts for us —

 

- We’ve never been to Europe

- We’re doing our dream of a TA

- Our first time cruising somewhere not the Caribbean

 

We are jumping up and down excited!! We’ve done four cruise lines, mostly Princess.

 

So, the two big questions we have are - 1: besides the blissful absence of Caribbean music on the Lido deck everyday, are there other types of things that exist that aren’t on non-Caribbean cruises and 2: are there any major differences between experiences on a regular 7 day and a full 15-day TA?

 

Thanks for any thoughts you have,.

 

PS - the best part is that after this 20 day adventure, we will be home about 2 hours after we wake up on disembark day.

Most importantly, congratulations on breaking out of your mold. 
The first big difference about cruises that are 3 weeks vs 1 week is that you’ll come to realize that those previous trips were just a “boat ride.”

IMO, the next big difference is that, hopefully, your cruising expectations will become more fine tuned - especially when it comes to the quality of the shipboard experience - specifically the food, service and sleep experience. 

 

That said, the somewhat two edged sword of your new adventure is that A) you’ll probably come away wanting more (and more) exotic destinations with a better quality cruise experience and B) you may find that mass market lines no longer meet your needs.
 

Yes, you may very well find that you’ll be seriously curious about doing what many Princess, HAL and Celebrity regulars eventually do: 

1) Move from the mass market to the premium/luxury lines.

2) Trade in the Caribbean for the far more interesting/enjoyable Polynesia.

3)  Start increasing your cruise lengths to a month or more.

 

Don’t worry though. As Martha Stewart always says: “It’s a good thing.”😎

[navybankerteacher]

Sounds like you are sailing from Rome (if not the longer itinerary from Barcelona to Rome, then across).  Don’t waste the opportunity to spend a few days before boarding - especially if starting from Rome - fly over early and enjoy a land stay first.  When you stop at Livorno, think about going to Lucca - a nearer lovely walled city you can see well in a day, rather than Florence which takes a long time getting to and from - and cannot really be appreciated in the few hours available.

 

 

[Kmkub]

58 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Most importantly, congratulations on breaking out of your mold. 
The first big difference about cruises that are 3 weeks vs 1 week is that you’ll come to realize that those previous trips were just a “boat ride.”

IMO, the next big difference is that, hopefully, your cruising expectations will become more fine tuned - especially when it comes to the quality of the shipboard experience - specifically the food, service and sleep experience. 

 

That said, the somewhat two edged sword of your new adventure is that A) you’ll probably come away wanting more (and more) exotic destinations with a better quality cruise experience and B) you may find that mass market lines no longer meet your needs.
 

Yes, you may very well find that you’ll be seriously curious about doing what many Princess, HAL and Celebrity regulars eventually do: 

1) Move from the mass market to the premium/luxury lines.

2) Trade in the Caribbean for the far more interesting/enjoyable Polynesia.

3)  Start increasing your cruise lengths to a month or more.

 

Don’t worry though. As Martha Stewart always says: “It’s a good thing.”😎

The “mold” we are breaking from is finally having the money and resources to do anything but cruise within an hour of home. That’s why all the Caribbean. If we lived in the PNW, it would be Alaska and Hawaii for sure…. Lol

 

Now that my husband can work from anywhere, longer cruises are an option. It’s freeing. He works from home, his mother’s, the mountains and oceans. 

 

I do suspect the food will be better than the standard fare you get on a Caribbean cruise, as well as the attentiveness of staff. 

 

Ty for your thoughts. They are appreciated.

[Kmkub]

25 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Sounds like you are sailing from Rome (if not the longer itinerary from Barcelona to Rome, then across).  Don’t waste the opportunity to spend a few days before boarding - especially if starting from Rome - fly over early and enjoy a land stay first.  When you stop at Livorno, think about going to Lucca - a nearer lovely walled city you can see well in a day, rather than Florence which takes a long time getting to and from - and cannot really be appreciated in the few hours available.

 

 

Thanks for the tip; We are still working out what we want to do. We do arrive in Rome on the 20th and sail on the 23rd, so a couple of days. We head back to Europe next year, so we are keeping it short this time.

 

We are mostly interested in nature and food. Seeing old buildings, ruins and paintings doesn’t do much for us. Example - the prime attraction in Gibraltar is the apes.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Kmkub

[Host Kat]

3 hours ago, Kmkub said:

... So, the two big questions we have are - 1: besides the blissful absence of Caribbean music on the Lido deck everyday, are there other types of things that exist that aren’t on non-Caribbean cruises and 2: are there any major differences between experiences on a regular 7 day and a full 15-day TA?...

 

3 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

... But you really should be asking this on the Princess board where regulars can be more specific...

 

Or the Transatlantic, Transpacific, Repositioning & Trans-Ocean Cruises forum.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, Kmkub said:

Now that my husband can work from anywhere, longer cruises are an option. It’s freeing. He works from home, his mother’s, the mountains and oceans. 

For my chance at cheerleading -- for your future -- all of Holland America's eleven ships will have StarLink (LEO) internet by the end of this year. Currently six do. Great itineraries.

[Szt]

We did our first Med cruise last year. We usually go NCL or Princess. To be honest, I think the staff has been better on our Caribbean cruises. We didn’t find the food quality much different. I did like that they had some interesting lectures on the history of ports. But I’m a history buff. I would hope, on a ta cruise with so many sea days, they up the food quality and activities. We were supposed to do one during Covid. Maybe next year. Have fun! Let us know how it goes. 

[skynight]

Differences from a week long cruise.

Demographic, more seasoned cruises with more time off. Usually older. More of an international mix.

Colder weather, pack layered clothing.

Usually choppier seas in the Atlantic than in the relatively clam Caribbean. Carry sea sick meds you may require them.

Not much sitting around the pools during the day. Not much live deck music.

Usually informational/educational lectures.

More sea days. Daytime activities probably will include trivia, bingo(cost), open casino on sea days, maybe line and ballroom dancing sessions, the annoying art sales. Watch out for advertised 'activities' which are really sales pitches. These are usually run by the spa or the shops on board.

Evening shows each night. Lounges with live musicians, Crooner's, Take Five, Crown Grill Bar will be very popular.

As you approach warmer waters there may be a deck party.

Fewer passengers that consume more alcohol than they can handle.

 

I started out doing 7 day cruises. Once I retired and experienced longer cruises I really didn't go back. There is lots to see out there besides the Caribbean. 

[chrysalis]

with lots of time zone crossings you will have many 25 hour days.....

 

 

[1965]

We'll be on your cruise but are boarding in Barcelona on Nov. 12 for 26 days. We've done many trans Atlantics. We enjoy sea days. Lots to do or blissfully do nothing. I take a couple of books. I don't have an e-reader. I enjoy the art auctions. I never ever buy but enjoy the experience, lectures, movies under the stars. There are various classes, bingo, crafts, games, & trivia. We've experienced great weather & rough weather. We've been to all the ports except one on this cruise. We love the history, culture, architecture, cobbled streets of Europe. Have a wonderful cruise & soak it all in. ♡♡♡

[Lady Arwen]

We’ve sailed, with many different cruiselines,  38 Caribbean cruises.  Then a few years ago we retired and sailed to the Mediterranean and then we sailed the  Norwegian fjords and then Europe.  We’ve never been back to the  Caribbean and we have no interest to do so.

 

Be warned, once you sail longer, port intensive cruises, you’ll be hooked!  We’ve sailed two TAs on HAL and loved them both.  Do everything they offer each day or do nothing, it’s up to you.  We were never bored!  Have a wonderful cruise!

[phabric]

I found the port talks on the ships - 

 

- Caribbean all about shopping in Island stores, nothing about the Islands

 

- Europe talks on the different ports, sometimes it might be 2 ports together 

[Kmkub]

2 hours ago, chrysalis said:

with lots of time zone crossings you will have many 25 hour days.....

 

 

YES! It’s why we chose Westbound instead of Eastbound. 

[LACruiser88]

We also will be boarding in Barcelona for the 26 day trip back to Ft Lauderdale. 

 

Have you checked out the Roll Call for the TA portion?  It is quite active with planned activities thanks to @Ombud and @RUNMOTOR.

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 hours ago, Kmkub said:

Thanks. A non rotating menu sounds good to me. I’m hoping for more European flavors, too.

 

You “hope” it will not be a rotating menu. Not sure what is the usual rotation for your chosen line. But, whatever it is, you’ll still be looking at relatively mediocre quality.

This can be an issue for folks used to short cruises when they get repeat menus in a long cruise and keep getting disappointed.

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

You “hope” it will not be a rotating menu. Not sure what is the usual rotation for your chosen line. But, whatever it is, you’ll still be looking at relatively mediocre quality.

This can be an issue for folks used to short cruises when they get repeat menus in a long cruise and keep getting disappointed.

Believe the OP is on the 15 day Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. It's a single voyage. I never experienced Princess' DR menus repeating on long single voyages as they do on b2bs. It will not be two 7 day menus back to back. Some menu items probably will repeat. Between the DR, casual dining, specialty dining and the large World Fresh Marketplace there will be lots of options.  

[Kmkub]

9 minutes ago, skynight said:

Believe the OP is on the 15 day Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. It's a single voyage. I never experienced Princess' DR menus repeating on long single voyages as they do on b2bs. It will not be two 7 day menus back to back. Some menu items probably will repeat. Between the DR, casual dining, specialty dining and the large World Fresh Marketplace there will be lots of options.  

That’s the cruise. Thanks! Good to know. We’ve been on Enchanted and loved it, but definitely happy about the O’Malleys replacement.  

 

 

[DCThunder]

Once the TA portion starts, there is also a very good probability of some matinee solo shows featuring the principal singers who are part of the ship's singers and dancers.  

[Incognito1]

On 10/15/2023 at 7:33 PM, Kmkub said:

Thanks for the tip; We are still working out what we want to do. We do arrive in Rome on the 20th and sail on the 23rd, so a couple of days. We head back to Europe next year, so we are keeping it short this time.

 

We are mostly interested in nature and food. Seeing old buildings, ruins and paintings doesn’t do much for us. Example - the prime attraction in Gibraltar is the apes.

For the apes, be on the EARLIEST possible tour. Don't do it on your own -- the reason is that there are TWO lines to get in; one for the tours, one for everyone else. Our experience was that once people started arriving in substantial numbers, the apes headed for a feeding area that's inaccessible.  There is a separate payment if you want to walk the nature preserve (where most of them are).  Make sure your tour ticket includes that.

 

There is a beautiful botanical garden next to the cable car.  We spent more time there than at the Rock (and it's free).

 

For Rome, take a look around Romewise.com -- she's also very responsive to any questions you have.

 

 

[Kmkub]

2 hours ago, Incognito1 said:

For the apes, be on the EARLIEST possible tour. Don't do it on your own -- the reason is that there are TWO lines to get in; one for the tours, one for everyone else. Our experience was that once people started arriving in substantial numbers, the apes headed for a feeding area that's inaccessible.  There is a separate payment if you want to walk the nature preserve (where most of them are).  Make sure your tour ticket includes that.

 

There is a beautiful botanical garden next to the cable car.  We spent more time there than at the Rock (and it's free).

 

For Rome, take a look around Romewise.com -- she's also very responsive to any questions you have.

 

 

We have a private cab for Gibraltar, which includes seeing the apes! TY