I'm back, and thinking about Transatlantic?

[Druke I]

I don't recall seeing any giant squid, but have seen whales, porpoises, dolphins, flying fish, etc.

 

Reference birds, not only sea birds, but land birds that seemingly are hitchhiking on the ship!

 

What I find neat is when you see a Naval battle group or task force "steaming" off in the distance. Seeing other ships on the seas can be fun, particularly if it is another passenger ship, and they salute each other with their whistles (horns).

 

Being seasick certainly is problematic - I've only been seasick once, on the little Golden Odyssey, a 10,000 tonner, trying to outrun the back end of a typhoon in the China Sea. We had green water over the bridge, screws out of the water, and I'm told the inclinometer was pegged!

[LPast50]

My Mom & I are taking our 1st TA next Spring on the Constellation:p . We're looking forward to some relaxation & some time for everything on the sea days. It will be nice to NOT BE rushed!! The ports are places we've always wanted to go & look forward to seeing Paris again.

I say try it...if you don't like a TA...don't do it again. I don't think you'll be bored:)

[rebeccalouise]

If someone just wants to use the ship as a means of travel- then perhaps they should sail on the cheapest line that does the same itinerary.

 

I really think Celebrity is lovely and with the horrible exchange rate right now- buying a cruise with US dollars certainly takes the sting out of it.

[bobbyleduck]

I want to address a few issues regarding a TA cruise for those who are looking at the cost angle. We booked our first TA cruise, yesterday. As you can see at the bottom of this post, we will be sailing aboard Millenium this December and I'm eagerly looking forward to the trip. This will be our fifth cruise and second aboard a Millenium Class ship, having just sailed through the Panama Canal aboard Infinity last March.

 

We booked this cruise for a number of reasons, including the chance to cruise with friends we met aboard Infinity (you all know who you are), the opportunity to do a Trans Atlantic cruise (with 5 consecutive days at sea), the chance to visit a few places we've never been (Spain, the Canary Islands and Haiti), as well as the cost of the trip.

 

Right now, we couldn't do a land based vacation of this type for the cost. We are paying $226 each for round trip flight from Portland, OR to Fort Lauderdale. Our cruise (14 nights) and flight from Miami to Barcelona is $1,205.88 each (doesn't count $125 onboard credit), plus gratuities (about $290).

 

We will spend three nights in Fort Lauderdale (2 before and 1 after), because we loved the place when we were there for three days last March (before our Panama Canal cruise). Costs (hotel, food and transportation) for those three nights will be less than $500 for the two of us.

 

I estimate that it will cost us about $3,700 for our 19 days of vacation. That is less than $100 each.

 

We took a 14 day, land based, trip to Europe 5 1/4 years ago (when $.90 bought 1 Euro, unlike today when it takes about $1.45 to buy 1 Euro), and it cost $2,700. We ate exactly three meals that were equal to what we get aboard a Millenium Class ship, and our airfare from Portland to Paris was only $440 each. We stayed in two star hotels in Paris, Nice, Florence and Siena and had to share a bath on all but 4 nights. We spent the better part of three full days traveling by train, as well as more than two days flying.

 

To everybody who thinks a cruise is expensive, I submit the above example.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[Hlitner]

We are totally hooked on transatlantics and now take 2 a year (spring and fall). Our criteria are pretty simple...we usually look for the longest cruises and sometimes choose the East bound crusies based on the ending ports in Europe. We have had glassy crossings and this past April we had the crossing from hell when the Jewel of the Seas was caught in a major storm that stayed with us for 3 days...and caused constant 30' + seas. For those of us who love lazy days at sea, transatlantics are the best of all cruises (except some of the transpacifics). We also like the fact that the cruises attract an older well-traveled group of passengers and very few children. As an aside, our most recent transatlantic was on the Jewel of the Seas. We are Diamond members with RCI and so we get access to the Concierge Lounge with its wonderful evening cocktail hour. On our cruise there were nearly 300 Diamond repeaters and the concierge lounge (as well as another bar opened to take the overflow) really jumped. We just booked a 20 day crossing on the Grand Princess because its the longest crossing for next spring.

 

Hank

[TravelerThom]

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".

Our first TA was a North Atlantic Southhampton-New York crossing in April 2004, not the most favorable time and location [we passed the site of the Titanic 72 years and 1 week after its sinking]. Day 3 we got an announcement that despite detouring 150 miles, they were expecting 60-70 foot seas for 12-24 hours, and perhaps we might want to visit the Purser for sea-sickness pills. Lyn has been know to get sick in 1-2 foot waves [albeit on a small vessel]. She took the pills and despite waves taking out two windows on deck 8(!), she had no problems other than a little drowsiness. I was amazed at how well those pills work! We travel with another friend even more prone to seasickness [uh - like three dinners in a row with moderate seas], and as long as I keep reminding her to take the pills everything goes well. Pills are available at no cost from the Guest Relations on every ship I've been on. If you take those pills as soon as it looks like more seas than you can handle are approaching, I think you'll be fine, and have a great time!

[mo&fran]

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.

 

WE obviously see opinions on both sides. It certainly is a matter of personal taste and desires. But on sea days, you are anything but cooped up in a small cabin eating mediocre food. My experiences on Celebrity has been that the food is excellent, and there are plenty of activities to fill the sea days.WE have done 3 t/a's and are scheduled fior a 4th this year. We have always done west bound, which I like because I adjust to jet lag better when traveling east, and the trip back is made up of 6 23 hour days, No jet lag here.

INteresting thing is that a lot of the same people do these cruises, but that could also be because each of the ships only do 2 a year.

[sealover155]

A quick note on eastbound TA versus westbound. Yes, you have the advantage of extra hours in your day when traveling west and the ports are at the beginning of the cruise. But on the eastbound, you have days at sea to adjust to the hour missed and by the time you reach Europe you have pretty much adjusted thereby having no jetlag if you are staying in Europe to tour around.

 

We've done it both ways on Constellation and Millennium, and I really appreciate the advantage of both. On our last eastbound, I read 4 good books, used the fitness center every day, enjoyed lovely walks around deck 11, played Scrabble with my husband and danced till we were blind every night. No boredom or sedate lifestyle here.

[rebeccalouise]

I am doing an eastbound and am thrilled that I am not flying back from my Europe trip. I am sure that it will be nice (were doing the QM2) and i am looking forward to sailing into New York.

 

However, I just loved our Westbound because we were sailing to a new land that I had never been to- Portugal. And it was just the thrill of waking up early that morning and seeing the lights of Lisbon after six days at sea. It was an adventure. Since we are sailing home this time, don't know if it will feel that same way.

 

I'll find out on August 9th!

[KevinNYC]

I think you've got your directions reversed, Rebecca.;)

[rebeccalouise]

Yes- I did. I did the Eastbound on Mill. and am doing the Westbound on the QM2.

[KevinNYC]

Hey, as long as you're going and are on the right ship, that's the important thing, right? :p And I'm with you, Rebecca -- we're on the westbound Connie next year out of Barcelona and the beauty is when it's over, we're just a cab ride from home. Now THAT I'm looking forward to! :D (Not to mention gaining basically an hour a day on the westbound gives more evening time in the casino or for cocktails......;)

[bobbyleduck]

Hey, as long as you're going and are on the right ship, that's the important thing, right? :p And I'm with you, Rebecca -- we're on the westbound Connie next year out of Barcelona and the beauty is when it's over, we're just a cab ride from home. Now THAT I'm looking forward to! :D (Not to mention gaining basically an hour a day on the westbound gives more evening time in the casino or for cocktails......;)

 

I agree about it being better on a west bound TA, but just to have more time to lose money and get drunk. I don't know. Have fun any way you want, afterall it is your vacation.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[nu2sea]

There is nothing like a transatlantic crossing for allowing you to cut all ties to the everyday reality of a normal life. Not only are you cut off in space, but even time seems to be suspended as you take a journey across the seas that once posed an insurmountable barrier to man.

 

Deprived of outside distractions, honking car horns, cell phones and television you are forced to rely on your social skills and imagination to enjoy a totally different experience. One in which the pace slows and you are free to be awed by the size of the ocean and the skies, impressed by the many colors that are blue and the smell of truly fresh air.

 

Strangers become friends over a shared smile in a theater, elevator or hallway. Guest lectures provide stimulating discussions at luncheons with more new friends and no one cares if the Congress or the Parliament can't figure out what they need to do. Games, books, casinos, bars, dancing, pools, a gym and a spa are steps away from anywhere on the ship.

 

Fortunately not everyone appreciates the majesty of a ship cutting through the ocean waves so far from land, but it is just as well, since there are only so many staterooms available on these crossings. Far more cabins are sold for the whirlwind of port intensive cruises which clearly appeal to the majority of cruisers.

 

We all seek the vacation we want to give us the things we think we need for reasons which tend to be highly subjective. I clearly think I need a vacation like the one provided by an ocean crossing.

 

Oh, did I mention how utterly delightful it is to do a crossing in the company of like minded friends? Priceless!!!

 

Susan

[bobbyleduck]

Dear Susan:

 

I can truly appreciate the way you think.

 

Happy cruising to all!

 

Bob

[KevinNYC]

but just to have more time to lose money and get drunk. I don't know. Have fun any way you want, afterall it is your vacation.

 

Hmmmm, our luck must be different, yours and mine. I tend to win a bit in the casino and then walk away. Not difficult at all. Then it's fun to sit at the bar over cocktails and enjoy the conversations of travel mates and other interesting people from around the globe that we meet on cruises. Never been one to sit around drinking just for the sake of getting drunk and at my age don't think I'll start now.

 

But in any event, thanks for the sound advice to have fun any way I want on my vacation.:rolleyes:

 

-Kevin:D

[ddonalds]

I did a transatlantic from France to NYC in 1969. Not sure how many of you remember Hurricane Camille, but I - unfortunately - remember it very well. I get seasick anyway - and to say I got seasick during this trip is a HUGE understatement (I lost 20 pounds....). Now, I think that is a very rare thing, and I think that now maybe ships might do things differently, and I like sea days (in protected waters), but I am fascinated by people doing TAs, I think it sounds neat but I couldn't do another one - I'm SURE it's my fault we hit that hurricane, and I would be a total basket case. :eek: SO - I'm not commenting on what anyone does - I just wanted to comment no what happened to me.... please don't jump on me because of my seasickness problem - and please don't dismiss a truely severe issue with motion sickness.... :(

[nu2sea]

I did a transatlantic from France to NYC in 1969. Not sure how many of you remember Hurricane Camille, but I - unfortunately - remember it very well. I get seasick anyway - and to say I got seasick during this trip is a HUGE understatement (I lost 20 pounds....). Now, I think that is a very rare thing, and I think that now maybe ships might do things differently, and I like sea days (in protected waters), but I am fascinated by people doing TAs, I think it sounds neat but I couldn't do another one - I'm SURE it's my fault we hit that hurricane, and I would be a total basket case. :eek: SO - I'm not commenting on what anyone does - I just wanted to comment no what happened to me.... please don't jump on me because of my seasickness problem - and please don't dismiss a truely severe issue with motion sickness.... :(

 

We hit a storm with thirty foot seas outside of New York last year on the Connie eastbound TA and I was so grateful that I responded to bonine. Trust me, I do sympathize with folks who suffer from seasickness. It is a dreadful ailment. The problem with trans ocean voyages is that you never know what kind of weather you will encounter and even though ships do try to avoid the worst of it, once you start the crossing you are stuck with it.

 

Fortunately there are lots of cruises in more protected waters that can provide wonderful experiences.

 

Susan

[Post Captain]

I did a transatlantic from France to NYC in 1969. Not sure how many of you remember Hurricane Camille, but I - unfortunately - remember it very well. I get seasick anyway - and to say I got seasick during this trip is a HUGE understatement (I lost 20 pounds....). Now, I think that is a very rare thing, and I think that now maybe ships might do things differently, and I like sea days (in protected waters), but I am fascinated by people doing TAs, I think it sounds neat but I couldn't do another one -I'm not commenting on what anyone does - I just wanted to comment no what happened to me.... please don't jump on me because of my seasickness problem - and please don't dismiss a truely severe issue with motion sickness.... :(

ddonalds, I suffered from severe seasickness when I was a child--the worst feeling in the world, and the memory has stayed with me all these years.:eek: For that reason, it was another 35 years before I could bring myself to go to sea again. Now I've done three voyages in the past two years, including two transatlantics, with another one planned for this September, and sorry I've missed so much in all those years I stayed ashore. Moreover, I'm astonished that I haven't once felt remotely seasick, even in the storm that Susan (nu2sea) has described. No doubt the Bonine and Seabands help, or maybe I've just outgrown whatever tendency toward motion sickness I had when I was young. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I'm now quite cocky and hoping for a Force 10 gale whenever I go to sea, just for the fun of it.:D

 

Anyway, my guess is that you were just a tyke in 1969. If so, I'd really encourage you to give a transatlantic voyage another shot--I have a feeling you'd find it as enjoyable as I do.

[Hlitner]

I do not understand the "anger" on this thread. The topic is very simple. People who enjoy transatlantic (or even longer transpacific) cruises are generally those of us who love being on ships and at sea. There is another segment of travelers who like to use ships as a way to get from point A to point B with little delay (port intensive cruises). For those folks (like Dale Jr) a transatlantic would be a total bore. Thank goodness that Dale Jr has many in his corner, because that is what makes the transatlantics and repostioning cruises such great bargains (supply and demand)

 

Hank

[SusieV]

I enjoy sea days, but just to throw another opinion out there, my mother would hate a transatlantic.

 

She is an extremely active person (I would say ADD active) who can't stand to be in one place for long. For someone like her who doesn't enjoy relaxing and taking things slowly, she goes crazy on sea days because there really isn't enough going on for her personality type.

 

She only cruises on very port intensive trips (like our recent Galaxy cruise where there were 9 ports in 11 days).

 

So for some people, t/a's really aren't enjoyable. She'd be absolutely miserable.

[TravelerThom]

I enjoy sea days, but just to throw another opinion out there, my mother would hate a transatlantic.

 

She is an extremely active person (I would say ADD active) who can't stand to be in one place for long. For someone like her who doesn't enjoy relaxing and taking things slowly, she goes crazy on sea days because there really isn't enough going on for her personality type.

 

She only cruises on very port intensive trips (like our recent Galaxy cruise where there were 9 ports in 11 days).

 

So for some people, t/a's really aren't enjoyable. She'd be absolutely miserable.

I find some [not all] of the ship lecturers VERY interesting, some of the musicians great, games of all kinds available, etc. On my March 2007 TA twice there were THREE things on the schedule at the same time that I wanted to do, so while it was great it was NOT comatose relaxing [but could have been had I chosen that route]. In March 2006 we took a local Greek line Aegean cruise - six ports in four days [yes, multiple ports on the same day]- now that was port intensive!