Transatlantic - East or West?

[4Grandcats]

I'm thinking about a transatlantic cruise in 2012 on one of Celebrity's larger ships.

Are there any benefits in sailing from Florida to Europe? Are they different coming from Europe?

Would the air fare be any different?

 

Thanks!

[cruisestitch]

Going east you lose an hour every night or every other night. Going west you gain time. East is harder for me to do, and harder on the crew (one less hour of sleep each night). I prefer going west.

[BBsails]

The better direction for us is Westbound. On Eastbound cruises you lose an hour each day for about five days; on Westbound cruises you gain an hour each day for about five days. When the loss of the hour occurs at midnight, it seems especially noticeable in that the time between dinner and bedtime is truncated, particularly if you have late seating for dinner.

 

Betsy

[Member123]

You pose an interesting question, and I think you will get a bunch of people splitting the final tally to 50/50. So, I'll start off the discussion by giving you my opinion, having done both east/west TAs.

 

The pros to doing the westward direction, for me. Going to Europe takes quite an effort because I'm coming from a time zone that, depending on the time of year, will either be 2 hrs behind or 3 hrs behind East Coast time zone. Jet lag is a real deal... lasts for about a day. When I cruise a TA, I love to do a pre-cruise land portion. So, in a nutshell, going to Europe means burning a day with jet lag, then seeing some great sites for about a week. Boarding the ship, and then going to the European ports.. shore excursions... busy, busy, busy.

 

The ship heads out to sea for the TA and I am ready for those sea days! Spa, pool lounging (if might not be "sunning," but it's still relaxing), enjoying ship activities, definitely getting a pedicure because my feet need some attention by then! Enjoying 25-hour days, so I can dance a little longer into the night and I won't be the worst for it in the morning.

 

End of cruise, get through customs, head to airport, bearable flight home. Arrive home with wonderful memories and ready to plan next cruise.

 

Going eastward: Jet lag is more of a problem for me than going to Europe! I usually can't go to the ship on the day of the sailing. I'm concerned about lost luggage and its ability to get to me, so I like to go at least a day, preferably two, before the ship sails. I usually lose 3 hrs going to East Coast time zone. So, when I arrive at 11:00pm, there's no way that I can sleep and I end up staying up way too late, for local time. The next day is murder because I'm trying to get adjusted. Walk around a bit, see some sites, but it's always the same port so I'm really not seeing anything new. Feeling a bit antsy; want to see sites.

 

Board the ship. Have a string of sea days, which are wonderful, but I'm having trouble getting adjusted to time changes because I'm dealing with 23-hour days. Doesn't sound like it would be that bad... but, I love to go to the dance venues and if I do that, then I lose an hour, then the morning breakfast times come... I either end up skipping breakfast or skipping sleep. I try to skip sleep because I'm trying to get into the new time zone. That proves to be rough, for me.

 

Then, we hit European ports. It's time for land, and I love the shore excursions. End of cruise, two choices: post-cruise activity, with more walking. I usually opt for that because I've come a long way and want to take advantage. Max out my sightseeing capability and then face the long flight home. Arrive home with wonderful memories and exhausted. Takes a few days to feel human again.

 

That's me. Much prefer the westward. HOWEVER, I would take an eastward, again, if I (a) really loved the itinerary, and (b) really loved the ship, and © it was the time of year that I could travel. So the eastward isn't something that I would NEVER do again. Plus, they are keeping the ships in the European ports longer and longer. Our first TA, we came over in the first week of September. Now they have ships coming over the end of November, first week of December. I'm just not sure about the weather on the pre-cruise portion being all that wonderful, or the seas being less than rough, at that time of year.

[Keith1010]

My wife and I prefer West to East solely because that we set the clocks back one hour on several nights. It makes it easier to wake up and we just find we have more energy.

 

Keith

[celebritydave]

We have done 2 TAs so far. One in each direction. We prefer the westbound. Like the other poster have said, setting the clocks back an hour is a lot better. When we arrive back in the states, we do not have a problem with jet lag

[Passrider76]

Westbound for sure. Besides gaining an hour each day, you avoid paying the European departure tax----which can sometimes be quite steep!

[Blazerboy]

I've done 15 or so crossings, and like them all. Westbound is easier because of the time change, and, being from the West Coast, I arrive home much more relaxed than if I fly back from Europe. Many of my UK friends prefer Eastbound for the same reason.

 

One other advantage to Eastbound is that you arrive in Europe ready to go, rather than jetlagged. If you are only spending a few days or a week in Europe, it's a shame to lose a day to jetlag.

 

Of course, the ideal is to travel both ways, and some take QM2 one way and Celebrity the other, with a few days/weeks in between, but hard to do if you're still working.

 

Prices are generally very good on Celebrity crossings, when compared to other cruises of the same length. Either book very early to get the cabin you want, or last minute to get the best deal. You might get zapped by airfare then, so the savings might be a wash.

 

Spring crossings tend to be rougher, in my experience, but Southern routes are usually calmer and warmer.

 

Be warned, though. They become addictive.

 

Andrew

[dmk]

It doesn't matter which way you ask the question...East or West?...Spring or Fall?...You will always get many different experiences and answers.

[TeaBag]

We prefer westbound also, because of the extra hour many nights, also, we are left with a shorter flight home, but not by much!

[Orator]

For the last few years I've booked in both directions. I prefer the Westbound for reasons already mentioned by many. I also like to have time prior to the cruise to spend some significant time is places such as Barcelona, Istanbul and Rome. When I travel to Europe rather than from Europe I tend to just board a plane after the cruise and return home.To me the biggest advantage of going Eastbound is the relaxing sea days prior to all the rushing around to see the sites. Time change can be a problem however. Whatever you choose, the TA's are a great value and I am hooked on them.

[bellybutton530]

I've done both directions several times, and prefer westbounders.

 

I prefer to fly on the front end, and recover from the jet lag on the ships.

 

A solution would be an eastbound, followed by a westbound. The result: NO jet lag, and a lot of rest....

[ghstudio]

We did the TA this spring to Southampton...wonderful crossing, you could have kayak'd the whole way. When we picked up our car in Southampton, I was wide awake and ready to cope with driving on the "wrong side" of the road. Much much better than flying in and trying to drive from Heathrow tired.

 

So..for us, it really depends on what we are planning to do around the cruise...more than one way being "better" than the other.

 

I want to enjoy the cruise...not use it to recover from flights. We always fly or drive to a cruise at least a day early, "just in case".

[Gonzo70]

As with most people, I greatly prefer the westbound for the reasons others have stated.

[4Grandcats]

Thank you so much for your great responses!

 

I never realized about the time change - something to take into consideration.

 

Looks like westbound is winning over east bound!

 

Laurel

[dmk]

A good thing about Westbound is that you do all your sightseeing in different European Ports. Then, you can relax all the way home and feel fresh on arrival, especially after the 25 hour days.

Granted you arrive in Europe a bit jet lagged. But I find that it usually doesn't take more than a day to recoup. We usually go over a couple of days earlier.