To those that have done a transatlantic cruise:

[gsocruisers]

First I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried looking through threads.

 

My DH & I were discussing what the weather is like for some of these sailings.

 

While I'm assuming the Nov/Dec sailings the weather is cold (no sun bathing) what are the April sailings like?

 

Do people sit out on the deck or do people pretty much keep inside for the entire trip?

 

Thank you

[sddsddean]

Haven't done a transatlantic Peggy, but the North Atlantic is just about the most unpredictable lump of water on the planet! You could have anything from flat calm to force 10 gales. I think its a case of hope and pray!!

 

Simon

[boatboat]

First I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried looking through threads.

 

My DH & I were discussing what the weather is like for some of these sailings.

 

While I'm assuming the Nov/Dec sailings the weather is cold (no sun bathing) what are the April sailings like?

 

Do people sit out on the deck or do people pretty much keep inside for the entire trip?

 

Thank you

 

It depends on the route .... northen or southern .... in November and December on the southern route .... I have always had pool and tanning weather ..... it is so pleasant that many people end up getting burned ...

[gsocruisers]

Wow!! That's the answer I wanted to hear!! I would have never thought there would be pool time!!

 

Hmm, me thinks I need to do some research:p

[gsocruisers]

I guess I should have also asked this ? as well for those that have done this.

 

Did you find booking your one way airfare on your own just to get to Spain or England cheaper than going thru Royal?

[boatboat]

I guess I should have also asked this ? as well for those that have done this.

 

Did you find booking your one way airfare on your own just to get to Spain or England cheaper than going thru Royal?

 

Cheaper on your own ... example, kayak dot com, http://www.bt-store.com/ , so do some research ... the domestic airlines do not allow good one way pricing

 

If you have miles, use them for one way and use the return to match up with another TA six months later going the other direction. Same for a two way ticket. I have done it all these ways. Have even been lucky and gotten a $300 fare from DC to London one way just two weeks before the cruise.

[Petert]

Hi gsocruisers,

 

We have sailed the northern and southern routes on both Celebrity and RCI, and have enjoyed every one of our trips. During the winter months, when leaving from Spain, you will probably have a couple of days of blustery and mildly cool weather, but as you approach the Canary Islands or Madiera you will have mostly warm sunny days, and then into the balmy Caribbean Seas. The April weather is similar (but in the reverse), and you will not be concerned about the hurricane seaeson. While on the westbound cruise you may be crossing the Caribbean during the Hurricane season, the Captain will try to stear clear of any large storms, there is always the chance of seeing some rough weather. On the North Atlantic crossing the weather can get pretty rough, particularly on the fall sailings, and you won't get much sun during these crossings. Maybe after several southern crossings you may find the North Atlatic itineraries interesting.

 

The TAs are usually sailing in the off peak season for the airlines to Europe, and you can often get some very good bargains on one way air fare. To maximize your chances for getting the best prices and, very importantly, the best departure/arrival times, you should research flights very thoroughly. I would strongly recommend arriving at your cruise port city a day or two prior to your boarding. This helps alleviate the stress of worrying if you are going to miss your ship, and helps to ease the jet lag problems so that you enjoy your cruise from day one. If you leave from London you will find that ground transportation can be expensive, and it can be difficult to coordinate. As you will probably be taking the southern Atlantic route, Barcelona taxis from the airport to the cruise terminal or a hotel are fairly reasonable, and a better option than the cruise ship transfers (just have your destination written out for the cabbie). Last time I was there it was about $30 cab fare. If are looking for hotels check the ports section of this CC site, and try to get close to the Ramblas, which is close to the cruise terminal. Start you search for airline fares at http://www.canoe for a wide selection of air carriers.

 

You are going to find that planning a TA can be a lot of fun, and can help make your trip very enjoyable. Best wishes on a great cruise.

 

Petert

[Sue L]

H Start you search for airline fares at www.canoe for a wide selection of air carriers.

 

 

Petert

 

 

I think he means Kayak.com not canoe, cute mix-up though.:D

[pcur]

Hi, Peggy (it's Peggy here :D )

 

We loved our TA cruise. As stated above, the southern route is warmer, and in Nov and Dec I would venture a guess that most of the TA's are southern. The North Atlantic that time of year would be pretty bad.

 

We went in the first half of November, and the weather got several degrees warmer as we went West, and STARTED at 73 degrees in the Canary Islands!!!

 

The water was like smooth glass the whole way. Even the captain commented in his daily address that it was fabulous seas and weather.

 

We booked our own air, also. There are lots of online sites where you can get cheaper one way tickets than RCCL's air department.

[Fran Harp]

First I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried looking through threads.

 

My DH & I were discussing what the weather is like for some of these sailings.

 

While I'm assuming the Nov/Dec sailings the weather is cold (no sun bathing) what are the April sailings like?

 

Do people sit out on the deck or do people pretty much keep inside for the entire trip?

 

Thank you

 

Peggy, I think it depends on direction and route. I've heard that the westbound TAs in November - northern route from England across to New York, can be really rough and quite chilly - but the westbound from Barcelona to Miami - the southern route - are not as chilly or rough, and a little warmer. We are doing the southern route in December, so I will let you know!:D

 

The eastbound in April was gorgeous. The temperature was in the mid-70's every day, high 60's at night. Most people were out by the pool, or somewhere in the sun, and I got a really good sunburn sitting on a deck chair reading a book. The seas were a little bumpy for some people - but we just kept falling asleep from the rhythm of the ocean....

 

Fran in Toronto

[Kesaelcele's gramma]

First I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried looking through threads.

 

My DH & I were discussing what the weather is like for some of these sailings.

 

While I'm assuming the Nov/Dec sailings the weather is cold (no sun bathing) what are the April sailings like?

 

Do people sit out on the deck or do people pretty much keep inside for the entire trip?

 

Thank you

 

We did our first TA on the Voyager in May, 2006 and the weather was fabulous!!! The ocean was like glass (except one day, just before we reached the Azores), and it was sunny everyday crossing the Atlantic. The weather in the Med was FOGGY, but not cold. It was in the 70's everyday- gorgeous!!!!! I know I got in some good sunbathing!

 

We're doing the Navigator's TA next month, out of Southampton. I'm sure the weather won't be as good- at least not for the first few days. But we ARE headed south to Madeira and the Canary Islands, so I'm hoping that the last week will be good. Has anybody been that route before? I know anything can happen weatherwise, but I'm curious what other people have experienced.;)

[gooselover]

We just booked our cruise of a lifetime. We booked the 11/9/08 cruise, Grand Suite, on Independence of the Seas. We start in Southampton, England and end up in Florida, so I believe this is the southern route.

 

So, I am curious, did we book the better cruise as far as a transatlanic?

[Petert]

Thank you Sue for correcting my post, you were right about my transliteration of the air line ticket site URL. I thought about it later, and knew I had made a bone head mistake. My intentions were good and will be more careful in the future!

 

Petert

[Host Kewlguy]

First I apologize if this has been asked before. I tried looking through threads.

 

My DH & I were discussing what the weather is like for some of these sailings.

 

While I'm assuming the Nov/Dec sailings the weather is cold (no sun bathing) what are the April sailings like?

 

Do people sit out on the deck or do people pretty much keep inside for the entire trip?

 

Thank you

 

We've done four transatlantic's in the past two years. Three were Northern crossings and we had rough seas and lousy weather every time. We did a Southern crossing on Brilliance last November and had beautiful weather with mild temps and calm seas every day. We will be sticking to Southern crossings in the future. A big advantage of a Westbound transatlantic is that you will gain an hour nearly every night verses losing an hour nearly every night on an Eastbound sailing. We love those 25/hr days.

[gsocruisers]

I wanted to thank everyone for all the great information. Sorry I didn't get back sooner!!

 

I'm printing this off so I'll be sure to keep it & refer back to it.

 

Thanks again

 

Peggy

[Phaedra_11]

We did the transatlantic in April on the Voyager this year. It was smooth as can be (smoother than some of the Caribbean routes I've been on). HOWEVER, the week before us, the Navigator (I think?) had huge waves while they were crossing.

 

As for weather, it got a tad chilly. But nothing unbearable :)

[negc]

We did the transatlantic in April on the Voyager this year. It was smooth as can be (smoother than some of the Caribbean routes I've been on). HOWEVER, the week before us, the Navigator (I think?) had huge waves while they were crossing.

 

As for weather, it got a tad chilly. But nothing unbearable :)

 

I believe that you are correct . We had friends on the Navigator and they reported that weather conditions caused the ship to forego its scheduled stop in Bermuda. However, weather is very unpredictable and while two of our three westbound TAs encountered high seas, temperatures were moderate to warm in the various ports of call. On one of the three crossings, the seas were not a problem at all. I echo Kewlguys comment about those wonderful 25 hour days on westbound trips and we are looking forward to next year's westbound TA on Jewel of the Seas.:)

[corkpopr]

We have done 2 yrs in a row frm rome. i would do every ta from there if i could it's my favorite city in the world. don't care for barcelona as a start point. TA's from england usually are in sept or first week of oct. to avoid cold weather. med departures usually nov 10th to dec. 10th. by hitting gibraltar and madiera then basically crossing at the equator temps are good. our first ran the middle by going to lisbon, the azores, and bermuda before heading to ft. lauderdale. good weather 65-70 daily. this nov. from southampton to spain, lisbon, madiera, and the canarys then across.

[dutchess43]

Our first Ta was 4/06 Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona it was great & we had excellent weather. We are doing another one out of Ft. Lauderdale in 08. On both of these we let the cruise line book the airfare. I have been checking & can not even come close to the airfare that the cruise line is charging us. It has saved us thousands of dollars. It seems that the one way airfare back from Europe is the killer. The downside is we have no way of knowing how they will be routing us.

[want2cruiseagain]

I'm glad I came across this thread. We are thinking of TA in April '08. Wondered about the weather and if we should book balcony or just oceanview.

 

Hubby wants balcony - spoiled.