I'm back, and thinking about Transatlantic?

[bonbon663]

I'm back. Some may remember me, I was very active here this time last year before our Alaskan cruise. Well, alas, no cruise this year, but, I'm considering a transatlantic. I loved Alaska, and the whole cruise experience. So, Mom and I are thinking about another cruise next year transatlantic. What are the pros of being at sea so long? I'm trying to sell Mom on the idea.:o

[teedee]

I'm back. Some may remember me, I was very active here this time last year before our Alaskan cruise. Well, alas, no cruise this year, but, I'm considering a transatlantic. I loved Alaska, and the whole cruise experience. So, Mom and I are thinking about another cruise next year transatlantic. What are the pros of being at sea so long? I'm trying to sell Mom on the idea.:o

 

I personally love transatlantics. I'm getting ready for Constellation westbound TA in 2 months. I love the extra sea days. I love getting an extra hour to sleep for several nights (on the westbound TA's), I love the more relaxed feeling to the cruise, I love that they are usually longer cruises. They used to be wonderful bargains as well, but for 2008 they seem to have gone up a bit in price. The only downside for me is the higher airfare since you have to do a multi leg flight, or two one ways. I have found that doing it as a multi leg is generally cheaper.

 

Terri

[Druke I]

We love trans-Atlantics and trans-Pacifics too.

 

Great way to totally relax.

 

Our next one is Miami to Barcelona, with a stop at Funchal, Madeira, on Oceania's Regatta, Mar 08.

[Karynanne]

I don't see any "cons"...just the "pros". We love our sea days! Transatlantics take on a very different ambiance. Instead of a cruise...it becomes a crossing. It's leisurely...you have time to really get to know people...you completely absorb the experience.

 

Karyn

[Jimsgirl]

The down side of doing tranatlantic on Celebrity is the need to also do a long flight one way, and usually a hotel for at least one night also.

 

What to do on sea days is not a problem , there is so much going on on board the ship (on port days almost everything on board stops)

 

If you do not want a long flight then the tonly thing I can suggest is the trip I am doing. Cunard QM2 East and West transatlantic. You leave out of New York, spend 6 days getting to Southampton, a day in port, then 6 days back to New York. (there are also a few trips which do a day in Hamberg or a day in Cherbourg as well as Southampton).

 

The cost of the B2B is about the same as a cruise and a long flight to Europe, but so much more relaxing.

[rebeccalouise]

Loved my Transatlantic on the Millenium (Ft. Lauderdale- Barcelona, May 2005). 14 wonderful days- the best of which were the sea days. Probably my favorite cruise ever (with the possible exception of Alaska- that's pretty great in a different way). A TA feels like a an adventure.

 

I am doing the QM2 in August from Southampton to New York- I'll let you know how this compared to my eastbound voyage on Millenium.

[hajekfam]

We love the westbound trans - Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale so much that we are going on our 4th this December.

We did the first one after we did a Southern Caribbean and an Alaskan cruise within 6 months of each other and both were 6 ports in 7 days - we came home refreshed but tired after each. Then I noticed that we could do a 14 day cruise for the same price or a little lower as our 7 day Alaska cruise and we decided to do a transatlantic. Being the penny pincher that I am, we opted for a westbound - 6 extra hours aboard the ship. Plus on a westbound, the port intensive part is at the beginning and you have all those wonderful sea days to recouperate.

Well needless to say, that was the very first cruise that we came home from and were totally relaxed, refreshed, and well rested. We decided to do one every other year as a means of rejuvenating ourselves.

[gkm]

We love transatlantics and have 3 booked, this September, next April and another one the next September. What we do is book a round trip airfare with an open return. We use 1/2 for our westbound and the other half for our eastbound. This September we fly to London and sail back to NYC. Next spring we sail to Rome and fly back from there. It's the best way to use FF miles.:D :D :D

 

Garry

[Dale Jr]

We have a much different take on re-positioning/transatlantic cruises.

 

For us a cruise is a mode of transportation from port to port in order to see several different areas without the need to pack and travel by plane, train, car etc from town to town. In essence the ship is a floating hotel and is secondary to our goal of visiting as many areas as possible in a short time frame. We acknowledge that in exchange for the convenience of not having to pack every couple of days to travel that we will receive substantially sub-par accomodations and meals than we could have obtained on a land based vacation for a similar price level. It is a trade off we find acceptable.

 

We see no reason to spend multiple days couped up at night in tiny rooms with bland banquet style meals sailing across an ocean and be staisfied with that as our vacation. We are much more active in our lifestyle than that and would be bored silly on an Atlantic crossing. This is just our opinion and as you can see from the other replies on this thread there are many people who are completely satisfied with having very little to do for several days and simply relax and eat and drink all day.

 

So in answer to your question it really depends on what you are looking to get out of your vacation as to whether you would enjoy this type of sedating cruise. For us life is simply too short to spend that many days looking out at an empty ocean when there are infinitely more exciting places to visit and spend our time.

[hugger]

However, have always been concerned about the sea's and storms. How is the ride?

We much prefer a cruise that is not port intensive.

We LOVE just being aboard the ship and the sea :)

[aaerobear]

Dale Jr,

 

You ARE kidding, right?

[Dale Jr]

Dale Jr,

 

You ARE kidding, right?

 

Nope!!!!!!!!!

 

I may be of a small minority and unlike most of you I do not take a cruise for the pure pleasure of it as I honestly don't find it that pleasurable. Mediocre food and tiny rooms are what I put up with for the convenience of not living out of a suitcase while travelling overnight to visit a different town/locale every day.

 

If the cruise ship was to be my intended destination with no ports to visit (i.e. the better part of a crossing) I definitely would not go even if it was offered for free. I would much rather stay at a land based all inclusive than a crowded ship. Simply my opinion and how can someones opinion of something be construed as being wrong.

[Druke I]

Have you considered a trans-Pacific?

 

Lots of ports on those. On our 27 night San Francisco to Sydney, we had port calls in:

 

Honolulu

Marshall Islands

Guam

Saipan

Rabaul

Vanuatu

Bisbane

 

On a 19 night trans-Pacific Osaka to Vancouver, we had port stops in:

 

Muroran

Pusan

Vladivostock

Dutch Harbor

Ketchikan

 

Very easy to mix sea days and ports.

 

Another example, Buenos Aires to Barcelona (South Atlantic), port stops:

 

Montevideo

Rio

Recife

Dakar

Funchal

Gibraltar

[Dale Jr]

Have you considered a trans-Pacific?

 

Lots of ports on those. On our 27 night San Francisco to Sydney, we had port calls in:

 

Honolulu

Marshall Islands

Guam

Saipan

Rabaul

Vanuatu

Bisbane

 

For a 27 night cruise I would want at least 20 ports or multiple days in single ports. Just a personal preference that I cruise for the ports and not the "overall ship experience".

 

I guess I was trying to point out to the OP, who is about to embark on only her second cruise, that a TransAtlantic is much different than the port intensive Alaskan cruise she was previously on and that you really have to totally enjoy just being on a ship without any stops to do a crossing. Some do and others like myself do not.

[MINIDRVR]

Hello bonbon663 - DH and I are booked for our first TA cruise Nov 8, 2008. We are doing the westbond on RCCL's new Independence..........after searching we decided on the westbond cause (like other have stated) you get the extra hour, you have the long flight behind you and leisure cruise/crossing on the return, going out of Southampton and into Ft Laud, taking the southern route (folks have said that the eastbond in the Spring cruise can have some rough weather .....and if so you cruise right along with it.....but with the westbond you travel thru it and leave it behind.......

 

Like I said MIO and will let you know next year how it went:D

[rebeccalouise]

However, have always been concerned about the sea's and storms. How is the ride?

We much prefer a cruise that is not port intensive.

We LOVE just being aboard the ship and the sea :)[/quote

 

The TAs are usually scheduled in March or April before hurricane season. The Westbounds are in the North Atlantic- where they would be least effected by hurricanes in the first place and in the second place- usually take place in November or December (with the exception of Constellation).

The North Atlantic tends to be rougher than the South Atlantic.

 

I loved being on Millenium for 6 straight sea days- in fact, when we reached land, I had grown quite fond of my little floating world. My son, 4 at the time said "Mom, I wish we could live on this ship". The feeling was mutual.

 

Am headed for the July 24th sailing on Millenium but it won't be the same as our Transatlantic adventure.

[hajekfam]

However, have always been concerned about the sea's and storms. How is the ride?

We much prefer a cruise that is not port intensive.

We LOVE just being aboard the ship and the sea :)

hugger -

We have had great weather on all three of our Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale crossings. It is a southern route so the seas were pretty calm and the temps were good. Celebrity has three ships doing crossings from the Med to Florida or the Caribbean, and only one doing a northern crossing (the Constellation which is earlier.

The captain will do as much as he can to avoid bad weather. Our 2005 crossing was several hours late arriving in Ft Lauderdale, because of Delta and Epsilon - we were in between the two and they kept the ship at a slower speed so that we could stay in calm waters.

There is plenty to do on the ship on sea days - it's actually a time to indulge and pamper yourself.

[wiselindag]

Dear Hajekfam,

 

We just booked the December 2 Millie sailing today and I'm psyched. This will be my 22nd cruise, but my first TA. Of course there's no predicting the weather, but I am curious as to what the temperature was like on your sailings. It's too early to thinking about packing (and we have an Alaska cruise coming up next month so I should be thinking about that), but it's nice to look ahead.

 

Thanks for any information you, or anyone else can supply on this question.

 

Linda

[bostom]

We have a much different take on re-positioning/transatlantic cruises.

 

Indeed you do...but some of the premises you cite are questionable to me, to say the least. It must be the coffee talking...

 

For us a cruise is a mode of transportation from port to port in order to see several different areas without the need to pack and travel by plane, train, car etc from town to town. In essence the ship is a floating hotel and is secondary to our goal of visiting as many areas as possible in a short time frame. We acknowledge that in exchange for the convenience of not having to pack every couple of days to travel that we will receive substantially sub-par accomodations and meals than we could have obtained on a land based vacation for a similar price level. It is a trade off we find acceptable.

 

"Help me out here", as Phil Donahue used to say. Where are you going? You've found comparable (i.e. transportation, all meals, and accomodations not to mention those other activities you might or might not wish to partake of but which are nonetheless there for your "active lifestyles" like, say, rock-climbing on RCCL or fitness activities on every ship) prices on travel to places like Asia, Europe, or Latin America? Looking, for instance, at the prices for a three star hotel this summer in London, I see that 200 pounds ($400 US) seems the norm; none costs less than 100 pounds sterling and - remember, it's $200 a night - is somewhere I'd stay (in terms of location or quality) and I don't have very high standards. Most major European cities' costs are comparable. Latin America and Asia can offer somewhat better prices for lodging and food but those savings are offset to some degree by higher transportation costs.

 

And - again, budgets vary - but as to "sub-par" "tiny rooms" by comparison to what? Perhaps, at the very bottom of the scale on some ships, but with suites on a Celebrity transatlantic which compare favorably in appearance to those in a very good hotel (and offering far more and better personal service) going for about $200 pp per day (and perfectly nice cabins for $100 pp per day more or less; considerably less - there's a transatlantic next year for $75 pp per day, outside)...even a two week crossing w/air (12 days at sea, 2 travel days) in a Sky Suite or FV category cabin can cost as little as, say, $3000 for two weeks. A crossing on the new Queen Mary is frequently discounted to the $900 pp range for a 180 sq. ft inside cabin - not grand but hardly shabby and $150/day per person before return air - again, something that's often discounted by the line. Neither's an insubstantial price, to be sure, but with r/t air US-Europe at $1000 pp or more in the spring, summer, and fall; 12 nights hotel @ $200/nt; and food costs limited (and they would be very limited...) to $50 pp per diem, you'll have spent $5600 before you take a drink, buy a cup of coffee or have a beer, enter a museum, ride an intercity train (much less a TGV or Trans-Europe Express) or even rode the subway. Again, your experience may vary, but apples for apples, these comparisons seem fair to me. To my mind, the value is on the cruise, not with independent travel.

 

We see no reason to spend multiple days couped up at night in tiny rooms with bland banquet style meals sailing across an ocean and be staisfied with that as our vacation. We are much more active in our lifestyle than that and would be bored silly on an Atlantic crossing. This is just our opinion and as you can see from the other replies on this thread there are many people who are completely satisfied with having very little to do for several days and simply relax and eat and drink all day.

 

So in answer to your question it really depends on what you are looking to get out of your vacation as to whether you would enjoy this type of sedating cruise. For us life is simply too short to spend that many days looking out at an empty ocean when there are infinitely more exciting places to visit and spend our time.

 

There're more than few loaded - and subjective - phrases there: "sedated" is not an accurate descriptor of any of the half-dozen transatlantic cruises I've taken; of course, opinions vary, but perhaps, with the time to relax and "simply...spend...days looking out at an empty ocean" you might come to appreciate an alternative point of view: that indeed life is too short not to take some time out and try to make sense of it rather than rushing to and fro as we do the rest of the year.

 

As to the "goal" of visiting "as many places as possible in a short time frame" on a vacation - what's the point, exactly? - to say you've been there? To put pins on the map? How can anyone have more than the most superficial appreciation of a place in the time a ship's in port? Rome wasn't built in a day and frankly, can't be seen in one either, especially from the seat of a tour bus that met the ship in Civitavecchia. There's more to Paris than driving down the Champs Elysee or walking across the square in front of St Mark's in Venice or to Sydney than looking at the Opera House. I've loved these cities, but as destinations to savored - in depth - and not as an 8 hour stop.

 

Knowing a place, much like knowing oneself, takes time.

[TravelerThom]

I like TAs; doing two this year. Dale jr's preferences do not match mine, but bonbon663 was asking for people's opinions, and Dale jr was kind enough to point out what are down sides for his tastes. Having different tastes is not wrong [it would be a pretty boring world if we all thought exactly alike].

[excitedofharpenden]

It's interesting to read the thoughts of others on this subject, especially as I am doing my first TA later in the year and would agree that it is a matter of opinion on whether you'd enjoy the experience or not.

 

The other thing that comes to mind is the difference between a true "crossing" and those that visit more ports along the way. Our trip later in the year has three sea days together, another two mixed with ports at the end and visits a total of six stops on the way in 12 days. Different from having five or six continuous days at sea. You might like to consider that too.

This is just our opinion and as you can see from the other replies on this thread there are many people who are completely satisfied with having very little to do for several days and simply relax and eat and drink all day.

Perhaps I am being over sensitive, but that statement is rather presumptuous, don't you think? I didn't see any comments from previous posters to suggest they were going to eat and drink all day and don't think this gives a fair reflection to the OP considering all the other activities onboard.

 

If you like the idea of relaxing at sea with the activities available on the ship and being able to say you have crossed the Atlantic, I say go for it.

 

Phil

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

If you like the idea of relaxing at sea with the activities available on the ship and being able to say you have crossed the Atlantic, I say go for it.

 

Phil

 

 

 

 

Totally agree with the above comment. We have done 14 TA's and have 4 more booked as we use it as a form of transport between our properties but I certainly would not hesitate to book a TA as my annual vacation because as Phil and other posters have said :- You can do as much or as little as you want on Sea days, depending on how you feel that paticular day.

 

John.

[Dale Jr]

I like TAs; doing two this year. Dale jr's preferences do not match mine, but bonbon663 was asking for people's opinions, and Dale jr was kind enough to point out what are down sides for his tastes. Having different tastes is not wrong (it would be a pretty boring world if we all thought exactly alike).

 

Thank-you. At least you understand where I'm coming from.

 

It amazes me that so many people on this board don't understand the definition of the word opinion and are so quick to ridicule someone for their opinions.

 

From Webster's:

 

opinion: a view, judgment, or appraisal formed in the mind about a particular matter

[Susan-M]

It amazes me that so many people on this board don't understand the definition of the word opinion and are so quick to ridicule someone for their opinions.

 

 

Hi Dale, It seemed to me that you took this approach in your first post on this thread by using phrases such as "bored silly", "sedating cruise " and "completely satisfied with having very little to do for several days and simply relax and eat and drink all day". While I prefer port intensive cruises, the thought of a TA intrigues me for the experience of crossing the Atlantic by water. I understand what you are saying and why you feel the way you do....just surprised at how it came across.

[warmwinds]

Those of you who have taken TA's - have you ever seen any exciting sea life? I'm sure you've seen lots of dolphins (or do you out that far?)...I guess that's my question, are there giant squid bobbing to the surface, any sea birds out that far...or have you seen pretty much just ocean (not that there's anything wrong with that)?

 

And I do see Dale's point - we also like sea days, but we love our port days, too - we look for a balance.

 

I would also fear that if I got seasick (which I am very prone to do) - I would have no opportunity to place my feet on land for days on end - that is very scary to me. At least when I've been really sick in the past it's been "Ok, tomorrow we'll be in port, you'll feel better".