November transatlantic

[Ntwin]

We are considering a transatlantic from Amsterdam to Florida in November 2024.

The ship is only 30,000 tons . 

Oceania Sirena 

Thoughts?

[cruisemom42]

I was on Oceania's Insignia (same size and build as Sirena) twice in the past year. It's a lovely sized ship if you like smaller ships. Obviously there are less entertainment options/venues than on larger ships. Some of the things I like about the O ships are: free specialty dining (2 specialties on Sirena-sized ships), lovely string quartet playing every evening (and at formal tea, served every afternoon). Food is subjective but the quality of the ingredients on O is difficult to fault and if you like traditiona/French dishes you are in for a treat in the GDR. (Plus they bake their bread fresh for every meal...)

 

The demographic is definitely on the older side. There is a small casino. Evening entertainment is basically one "show" each evening plus a keyboard player/singer in the lounge.

 

If you are concerned about the size of the ship and doing a TA, let me just say, as a cruiser of 50 years, that I don't think it makes much difference, given the vast size of the ocean, whether a ship is 30,000 or 150,000 tons. If there are waves you will feel some motion. All modern ships have stabilizers to minimize it but it's not always possible to eliminate it entirely.

 

 

Edited February 24 by cruisemom42

[leaveitallbehind]

We are booked on a late October - early November RCCL Odyssey for a 14-day Rome - Newark that was chosen primarily due to the logistics of when and where we will be in Italy prior to our return and the proximity of Newark to Philly.  That being said, the vessel is 168,000 GT with numerous venues to help occupy the time.  Agree that in the grand scheme of things relative to the vastness of the ocean it likely won't make much difference.  But the larger ship may handle the larger waves somewhat better in comparison.  But I would like the Ociania experience as well for the same reasons as those pointed out by @cruisemom42. 

[navybankerteacher]

We sailed Rome to Fort Lauderdale on HAL Prinsendam (sister ship of Oceania’s Sirena and Insignia) in November several years ago-  the ship handled fairly heavy seas as well as many very larger ships have.  
 

Assuming Sirena is comparable to insignia, you will find the food, service, music, and public spaces all markedly superior to what is normally found on the mass market lines’ larger ships.   There is good evening entertainment - just not the over-the-top productions on some of the larger ships.

 

It’s a great way to come home from autumn travel in Europe - we’ve made these fall crossings about ten times.

[lynncarol]

My husband talked me into a  17 day TA cruise from Copenhagen to Boston in September of 2016 on a mid-size ship. Even though I am prone to sea-sickness, only one of the days was bad. We had a balcony and out of the entire trip, only one day was it warm enough to use the balcony. The entertainment and food were good, and we really liked our table-mates at dinner but both of us decided afterwards, that 17 days was just TOO LONG for us to be on a ship. (And I had a father who was in the Navy during WWII and loved being on his ship). I am sure that on a November cruise, it will be really cold in the Atlantic so dress appropriately.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, lynncarol said:

My husband talked me into a  17 day TA cruise from Copenhagen to Boston in September of 2016 on a mid-size ship. Even though I am prone to sea-sickness, only one of the days was bad. We had a balcony and out of the entire trip, only one day was it warm enough to use the balcony. The entertainment and food were good, and we really liked our table-mates at dinner but both of us decided afterwards, that 17 days was just TOO LONG for us to be on a ship. (And I had a father who was in the Navy during WWII and loved being on his ship). I am sure that on a November cruise, it will be really cold in the Atlantic so dress appropriately.

Repositioning cruises (trans Atlantic / trans Pacific) are just that - a way to shuttle a ship from the end of one seasonal region to another new one.  Coming at the end of one peak season they typically are not in the best temperature and weather conditions, and also typically lack a lot of ports of call en route with a large number of consecutive sea days.  (Our 14 day has 5 ports, which is actually pretty many).  The plus side is they are usually very economically priced and often not at passenger capacity - both of which are nice benefits.  Easy to understand your comment of it being too long, however.  For many, this type of itinerary might be.  

 

But long itineraries that are in season and closed loop (or at least point to point within the region) would typically have a commensurate number of of ports of call during pleasant weather conditions.  The off ship opportunities and day to day activities would keep you pretty busy with more frequent changes of scenery. These are itineraries of a whole different nature and may not seem to be too long on the ship as a result. 

 

Just two completely different types of cruises.  And we like both - LOL.

Edited February 24 by leaveitallbehind

[Essiesmom]

3 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

We sailed Rome to Fort Lauderdale on HAL Prinsendam (sister ship of Oceania’s Sirena and Insignia) in November several years ago-  the ship handled fairly heavy seas as well as many very larger ships have.  
 

Assuming Sirena is comparable to insignia, you will find the food, service, music, and public spaces all markedly superior to what is normally found on the mass market lines’ larger ships.   There is good evening entertainment - just not the over-the-top productions on some of the larger ships.

 

It’s a great way to come home from autumn travel in Europe - we’ve made these fall crossings about ten times.

Prinsendam was never a sister of the R ships of Oceania.  EM

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Prinsendam was never a sister of the R ships of Oceania.  EM

So true.  We are not fans of the R ships because of the regular cabin bathrooms.  The Prinsendam, truly one of a kind was built as the Royal Viking Sun, and at the time, was one of the more luxurious ships at sea.  By the time she reached HAL (as the Prinsendam) some things had changed to accommodate more passengers, but she remained a great ship and one of our all-time favorite vessels.

 

Hank

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Essiesmom said:

Prinsendam was never a sister of the R ships of Oceania.  EM

 

Correct. Prinsendam was originally commissioned for the Royal Viking Line. The R ships (now owned by Oceania and Azamara) were all built for Renaissance Cruises in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

[navybankerteacher]

16 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Prinsendam was never a sister of the R ships of Oceania.  EM

Correct - but she was very similar in size, design and premium level service.