Transatlantic - How to find the "right" itinerary?

[Piggeldy]

Hi everyone,

 

as I don't want to end like my grandma - whose biggest dream it was to do a Transatlantic but who, unfortunately, never got the chance to do so - a TA is way up on my bucket list. My biggest problem at the moment is how to find the right itinerary...

 

I think I prefer a westbound TA - I last flew into the US from Europe on 9/11 and though I have been on short-haul flights since (and of course flew back home two weeks later) I am still scard of flying to the US. DH would prefer an eastbound TA, not having the stressful and crammed return flight but I don't think I can do it. Though, if a great itinerary was only available eastbound I guess I'd think about it.

 

I know that many cruise lines do repositioning cruises but most of those seem to include a large number of stops in Mediterranean ports, something we are not too keen on.

 

What I think we are looking for is a westbound TA (summer 2012 - spring 2013, maybe summer 2013) with stops either in Northern Europe, like HAL's Viking Passage (Netherlands - Norway - Shetland Islands - Iceland - Greenland - Canada - US), or in the Carribean, like Disney's westbound TA (Barcelona - Gibraltar - Madeira - St. Maarten - Tortola - Castaway Cay - Port Canaveral).

 

We are not looking for any of those ports specifically, just a TA that neither goes streight Southampton - NY nor has a large number of stops in Mediterranean ports where it would actually be cheaper and easier for us to just do weekendtrips to those cities.

 

Unfortunately, Disney won't go to the Med in 2012, so no repositioning cruise, and I fear that we won't fit HAL's demographics, being in our very early 30s an me obviously not being able to figure out what is considered "formal" and how formal "formal" has to be on HAL. Also, HAL seems a little expensive at about $5,500.00 for the cheapest inside cabin for the two of us (I always read Disney was expensive but they charge less for their westbound TA in a Verandah cabin and about half of that in an inside!), not including the one-way return flight.

 

If anyone could guide me either towards the right CC message board or maybe even to a cruise line where we could find something to our liking (and in our price range - which would be somewhat below $5,500 for an inside cabin) that would be greatly appreciated!

 

Piggeldy

[G.M.T.]

There are over 100 TA cruises for the rest of this year alone (including South America).

 

Look at some of the bigger online Cruise agents, that have a Destination search function.

 

Have a look at some of the European cruise lines, P&O, Costa, MSC etc.

 

Here is an example of Costa TA to Fort Lauderdale:

 

http://www.costacruise.com/usa/cruises_list/transatlantic-costa_atlantica-201112.html

 

Ron

[Piggeldy]

Ron,

 

thank you very much for your reply.

 

I know that many (most?) of the cruise lines offer TA cruises and I fear that this is where my problem starts ;)

 

I'll keep an eye on Costa and MSC, thanks for pointing those out. Unfortunately, they don't seem to offer TA cruises in summer/fall 2012 or haven't announced those yet and traveling this year is out of the question.

 

P&O seems to end their TA in Barbados, which would make the flight as expensive as the cruise itself (and a 15 to20 hour flight home... I don't think I could convince DH plus we'd likely need another week of vacation to recover from that). Same problem goes for cruises ending in South America, thus the wish to take a TA to the US.

 

I guess TA cruises will be more quiet than Med or Carribean cruises anyhow? This is going to be our first real vacation since 2008 (when we took a round-trip Hurtigruten for our honeymoon) and we want to relax, preferably with good food, and not party.

 

A new excel spreadsheet it is, I fear *sigh*

[paul929207]

I would suggest trying some of the online TAs and search for transatlantics in your time frame. You can then go thru and eliminate those that do not meet your needs. As an alternative, you could try a local travel agent specializing in cruises.

[Starry Eyes]

If you want westbound in the spring, yet do not want Cunard's Southampton to NY, you have slim to no spring pickings. If you want decent prices on a spring TA, look at eastbound. For the best selection of westbound, look at fall cruises. there are not many non-Cunard in summer.

Have you considered Royal Caribbean's Jewel of Seas Aug 31, 2012? it is a very popular itinerary, so book early and do not expect a bargain.

[Essiesmom]

The problem you haven't grasped yet is that Cunard is the only line doing semi-regular TA's year round with QM2. The others are repositioning cruises in the spring and fall, when the cruise lines are repositioning their ships from the Caribbean to Europe and back in the fall. they do not reposition in the summer. Holland America did a traditional TA this year from Rotterdam on the Rotterdam, with return to Rotterdam. That was a one time thing, and I don't know if they are doing it again next year.

As far as the Europe ports included, the cruise lines have to appeal to people who are not going to fly to Europe just to get on the ship and sail back. they want to see some sights before they have six days at sea. So, you are going to be stuck with some ports on one end or the other.

As far as which direction to sail, westbound is better because you have a string of 25 hour days, as opposed to the eastbound, where you lose an hour of sleep six times.

The real bargains are on Royal Caribbean, but they do not have their complete schedule out for 2012 repos. But here is an example of what is available for this fall:

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/search/vacationSearchResult.do?actionType=&promoType=&location=&portOfCall=&eventSource=dest&pageType=SR&dest=T.ATL&date=201209&state=NA&port=&duration=&price=&includeAdjascentPorts=Y&cruiseType=CO&userPreferences=N&sortBy=1&exp=false#%2Ffindacruise%2Fsearch%2FvacationSearchResult.do%3FactionType%3D%26promoType%3D%26location%3D%26portOfCall%3D%26eventSource%3Ddate%26pageType%3DSR%26dest%3DT.ATL%26date%3D201109%26date%3D201209%26state%3DNA%26port%3D%26duration%3D%26price%3D%26includeAdjascentPorts%3DY%26cruiseType%3DCO%26userPreferences%3DN%26sortBy%3D1%26exp%3Dfalse

EM

[paul929207]

The Ocean Princess has also done one or two transatlantics each of the last few summers, but they are 18 day cruises with aa number of stops.

[kitty9]

Here's your problem: Crossings are NOT done year round. They are generally used for repositioning ships from one area of the world to another, during a change of season. For example, most ships transition from the Caribbean to Europe in April and they don't return until November or December. And those crossings don't do the Northern ports you're interested in seeing. Cunard used to do regular crossings most of the year, but since they sold the QE2, they don't do nearly the number of crossings, and those are only direct, 6 day cruises, from Southampton to NYC. You might find the rare cruise that does an itinerary you're interested in, but those tend to be cruises of more than 20 days, and those would be way more than your budget allows. Find a local travel agent and see if they can assist you in finding something.

[LHT28]

I would find a local TA then sit down & tell them what you want

Princess has one in July 2012 Dover to NYC 13 nts with stops in Norway, Shetlands, Iceland & Canada

One in Aug 2012 dover to NYC for 26 nts

They are out there but you need to find one that suits your budget

 

Lyn

[jocap]

There's also the sections of the World cruises which go eastwards...but they're in winter. P&O have 2 or 3 ships doing world cruises as do Fred Olsen and Saga. Spirit of Adventure roams the world, so you might find a section which answers your needs.....doesn't Marco Polo do something similar?

Sometimes one of the smaller P&O ships do a long cruise, which will go to different parts of the US, such as the autumn leaves cruise, but you'd probably have to pay the full price as they're very popular....there was one this year which did UK to Alaska and back.

Jo.

[Piggeldy]

The problem you haven't grasped yet is that Cunard is the only line doing semi-regular TA's year round with QM2.

 

Actually, yes... I have :D

And I know that we don't want to do Cunard. And we don't need anyting "semi-regular".

 

The others are repositioning cruises in the spring and fall, when the cruise lines are repositioning their ships from the Caribbean to Europe and back in the fall.

 

There might be a slight miscommunication (sorry, English is my second language, I might sometimes not express myself as clearly [or politely] as I'd like to due to that), as many of you assume that we want to travel in spring or summer... we couldn't care less! We want to travel some time between spring 2012 and fall 2013. We are very flexible about the date, some time within those 18 months!

 

As far as the Europe ports included, the cruise lines have to appeal to people who are not going to fly to Europe just to get on the ship and sail back they want to see some sights before they have six days at sea. So, you are going to be stuck with some ports on one end or the other.

 

And from my perspective I'd have to answer with "I want to see some sights [beaches, countries, whatever] after six days at sea". I understand that Europeans are not the cruise lines main target audience, I just think it's sad that it seems to be so difficult to find something more accomodating for those who can easily visit all those European ports from their hometown easily. It's just a totally different perspective I am coming from, traveling from the other side of the Atlantic.

 

Of course I understand that those ports (cities) hold a great attraction to those from outside Europe, they are lovely! And I wouldn't mind a couple of stops in (southern) Europe. I just don't want to be "stuck" with all European ports. Due to our location, we have the advantage of being able to visit European cities very very easily and cheaply by plane. If we want to go to Venice, Barcelona, Mallorca we can easily do so by plane... on the other hand, visiting the Caribbean is a lot more difficult from here.

 

Maybe I am too early for that. Cruise travel is on the rise over here. Maybe in 10/15 years cruise lines will have noticed that TAs with more western stops actually do appeal to people. Just to a different audience. I guess that audience isn't yet large enough to really make it worth to the cruise lines to change their itinerary accordingly (every once in a while).

 

The real bargains are on Royal Caribbean, but they do not have their complete schedule out for 2012 repos.

 

Thank you for that!

That is actually a huge help. I can now keep my eyes open for Royal Caribbean 2012 repositioning cruises!

 

I am new to cruising (outside of Europe). I have no overview over who has announced what yet.

 

And those crossings don't do the Northern ports you're interested in seeing.

 

Northern ports would be nice but as I have mentioned, they are not a requirement. We are just not interested in a TA that has five stops in Southern Europe and then goes straight to its US port.

A TA with a Caribbean focus (two/three ports) would be great, too.

 

Unfortunately, travel agents over here that specialise in cruises are more focused on... the upper crust. Not on middle class traveling. We are still supposed to do a resort holiday in Turkey or rent a cottage in Sweden. Or we can go on Aida... which is nothing we are interested in. Before I spend 1500 Euros per person on a balcony on Aida I'll gladly pay 2000 Euros per person for an inside on HAL, learn how to dress for formal nights and how to tip.

 

After going though Carnival's TAs yesterday, I feel totally cheated anyhow :o

 

15 Day TA from Barcelona in November 2012

 

Early Saver Balcony, booked through Carnival's Website $1,149.00 (~797 Euros) per person.

 

Same Category, booked through Carnival's German Website? 1,213.50 Euros -> ~ $ 1,749

 

What? $600 more just because I am from the wrong side of the pond? Wow.

[spongerob]

Princess has some interesting westbound TA's from the UK to the US, and from Northern Europe back to the US. You might look into those. They tend to be quite lengthy cruises with port calls in Iceland, Greenland, and Eastern Canada. Also, look into RC and Celebrity.

 

I wouldn't worry too much about demographics. I doubt that there are significant differences in ages, backgrounds, etc. on any of the cruise lines.

[KarenR_UK]

I know you've already said you don't want Cunard :o but you don't say why, so if it was just due to the 'it has not ports' issue, I just wanted to run this one passed you.

 

Firstly, Cunard often do TA back to backs - which would mean you wouldn't have to do the transatlantic flight at all (I've not picked up from your posts if you would have to fly for Southampton) - see the Cunard board for CaptnPugwashes frequent reports:D

But in July they do one with a short US cruise in the middle - that does make it quite long (19 days e.g. in 2012 this would 24th June to July13th) - with the associated cost (currently £2759pp on the UK site when sold as a single entity) - you could of course do either direction with the middle part added on - flying the other way.

 

The 2012 itinerary for M212A - North American Odyssey : 24 June 2012 Southampton, England; 25 June 2012 - 30 June 2012 At Sea; 01 July 2012 New York, America; 02 July 2012 At Sea; 03 July 2012 Halifax, Nova Scotia; 04 July 2012 - 05 July 2012 Boston, Massachusetts; 06 July 2012 New York, America; 07 July 2012 - 12 July 2012 At Sea; 13 July 2012 Southampton, England

 

We did a P&O Southampton-Caribbean-Southampton cruise in winter 2010/11 - 23 days :D - all those sea days, it was great:D.

[Piggeldy]

I know you've already said you don't want Cunard :o but you don't say why, so if it was just due to the 'it has not ports' issue, I just wanted to run this one passed you.

 

Partly... I find Cunard a little intimidating, to say the truth :o

That's why I thought Disney was a good idea. The Mouse isn't intimidating.

 

I've not picked up from your posts if you would have to fly for Southampton - see the Cunard board for CaptnPugwashes frequent reports:D

 

Yes I would... but wouldn't mind.

If I can convince myself that I won't stick out too much on Cunard, being a small town girl and all, I'll have to think about the cruise you mentioned [which doesn't seem to be available through the German website and unfortunately, Cunard won't let me look at its .com]. Thank you very much!

 

We did a P&O Southampton-Caribbean-Southampton cruise in winter 2010/11 - 23 days - all those sea days, it was great.

 

Sounds great, too!

 

Also, Essiesmom, thank you for pointing me towards Royal Carribbean - they have a couple of TAs in 2012 that sound interesting. At least three with stops in Ireland, Faroe Islands and Iceland in August/September and a 15 day in November with stops in Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (though a 20 hour flight back from Puerto Rico to Frankfurt sounds exhausting, obviously not as expensive as I had feared however). And the prices look reasonable.

[Mands&Ian]

Also, Essiesmom, thank you for pointing me towards Royal Carribbean - they have a couple of TAs in 2012 that sound interesting. At least three with stops in Ireland, Faroe Islands and Iceland in August/September and a 15 day in November with stops in Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Thomas (though a 20 hour flight back from Puerto Rico to Frankfurt sounds exhausting, obviously not as expensive as I had feared however). And the prices look reasonable.

 

If your aim is to end back up in Frankfurt then it would be worth taking a look at Condor. They fly, direct, from FRA to a number of location in the Caribbean and have twice-weekly flights to and from SJU. Unlike many airlines they will sell reasonably priced one-way flights.

 

Picking a random date in January 2012 a standard economy seat is coming up at 419€ with a flight duration of a little over 9 hrs.

 

That really isn't a bad deal and makes transatlantics easier if you are starting or ending in continental Europe.

 

http://www.condor.com

 

Happy planning,

Mands

[Starry Eyes]

You may wish to consider designing your own itinerary. You could fly over, do a caribbean cruise (whatever length or type you wish), afterward a westbound transatlantic. If your TA has more ports in Europe than you wish, request permission from the cruise line to disembark early.

 

In the above scenario, it is easiest if you decide to do back to back Caribbean and transatlantic cruises on the same ship. booking early, you can even keep the same cabin if you wish. Or you can choose a different cabin category for a change of pace or for cost considerations.

You can design such a plan changing ships or even cruise lines between the Caribbean and TA cruises. There are many ships sailing the Caribbean out of south Florida, so voyages from Miami and Fort Lauderdale could even be mixed and match as you wish with a bit of ground transport needed. there are fewer ships from Texas, Louisiana, San Juan, and other ports, but you should discover multiple alternatives.

 

Since you want a westbound transatlantic, you should encounter little difficulty departing the ship early in a European port. Archaic US laws sometimes interfere with passengers departing early in a US port, but Europe seems less of a problem. I have departed early from a transatlantic cruise with advance permission to conveniently stay over in a country of interest. So you won't have to worry about luggage on a tender boat, do try to select a port where the ship docks, not one where she anchors (not generally a problem at major European ports, more at small ones). Also, your travel plans could be disrupted if the ship cannot dock in your (early) departure port as scheduled, so try to select one with less likelihood of civil unrest, strikes, etc. or have a backup plan.

 

At first blush, cutting short a TA cruise might seem like a waste of money, but you may well discover that you can get excellent prices on certain TA cruises and end up in a port that works well for you.

 

I really enjoy TA sailings. They are relaxing and they are a nice way to visit the other side of the pond without flying roundtrip. I much prefer the more southernly routes to the northern ones. While there are wonderful ports on some northern routes, the north Atlantic tends to be rougher and colder in the spring and fall when most transatlantic sail.

[Mands&Ian]

 

Since you want a westbound transatlantic, you should encounter little difficulty departing the ship early in a European port. Archaic US laws sometimes interfere with passengers departing early in a US port, but Europe seems less of a problem.

 

If they want a westbound crossing they'll be starting in Europe, not ending there. That ties in with the comment about flying home [to Frankfurt] from the Caribbean. So the European ports that they want to skip would be at the start, not the end.

 

Unless I have my Easts and Wests confused :)

Mands

[Starry Eyes]

If they want a westbound crossing they'll be starting in Europe, not ending there. That ties in with the comment about flying home [to Frankfurt] from the Caribbean. So the European ports that they want to skip would be at the start, not the end.

 

Unless I have my Easts and Wests confused :)

Mands

 

Oops. My mistake.

when I do TA's, I like to get the big flight over with first, board the ship that caters to my needs 24hrs a day, enjoy the ports of maximum interest, then sail across the ocean, arriving home relaxed and jet lag free. so if i lived in Europe with a flexible schedule, I would do an east bound. evidently, my bias was showing...

[Mands&Ian]

Oops. My mistake.

when I do TA's, I like to get the big flight over with first, board the ship that caters to my needs 24hrs a day, enjoy the ports of maximum interest, then sail across the ocean, arriving home relaxed and jet lag free. so if i lived in Europe with a flexible schedule, I would do an east bound. evidently, my bias was showing...

 

I understand the sentiment; we've talked about taking a westbound transatlantic but the thought of the flight home doesn't appeal so we continue to stick with eastbounds.

 

Mands

[Wayfairers]

Check out the TA cruises offered by NCL - I have never cruised with them so can't comment on the cruise line, but in my on-line searches I have found them to have the most economical TA cruises. I found repositioning cruises for 2012 at around $60/day for an inside cabin.

[jocap]

Piggeldy- a last minute brochure popped through the letter box- and I thought of you....;)

Although it's for the next 2 months, it shows what kind of things might be available next year.

QE- this Sept 11th Southampton to NY, up the coast to Canada, then home to Southampton-24 days...

P&O Arcadia (child free), this Aug 31st...same to NY, then up the coast to Quebec, home to S'ton

P&O Aurora-this Aug 31-24 days, similar itin..

Is that any help? :)

Jo.

[Piggeldy]

QE- this Sept 11th Southampton to NY, up the coast to Canada, then home to Southampton-24 days...

P&O Arcadia (child free), this Aug 31st...same to NY, then up the coast to Quebec, home to S'ton

P&O Aurora-this Aug 31-24 days, similar itin..

Is that any help? :)

Jo.

 

Sure is!

 

@Mands

 

The aim is to end up somewhere in western Germany. Frankfurt would be fine, Dusseldorf or Cologne would be even better but everything between Hamburg and Frankfurt would be all right. We would even consider flying to Amsterdam and then take the train home.

 

I am currently in touch with Carnival for their November 2012 TA on the Breeze - with stops in Palma de Mallorca, Malaga, Gran Canaria, St. Johns and Philipsburg - and hope we'll be able to book through them directly and take advantage of their Early Saver Rate (which would, with the current exchange rate, save us about $600 p.P. for a Cove Balcony).

 

With the TA on the Breeze in mind I checked for one way flights from Miami (for this November and next year spring) and Air Berlin charges about 400€ at the moment (MIA - DUS). That's about as much as a return flight would be ;) but still sounds allright.

 

@StarryEyes

 

when I do TA's, I like to get the big flight over with first, board the ship that caters to my needs 24hrs a day, enjoy the ports of maximum interest, then sail across the ocean, arriving home relaxed and jet lag free. so if i lived in Europe with a flexible schedule, I would do an east bound. evidently, my bias was showing...

Yes. I guess that would be the sane thing to do.

Unfortunately... don't think I can, due to experience on last flight to the US. Or really any flight to the US. I either didn't end up where I was supposed to go, was delayed all four times, had to be rerouted due to weather (does Detroit airport really exist? I never made it there and I swear I tried), got stuck in an elevator at my destination twice and once got home without luggage. [And that is not including my first flight to North America where I threw up all over myself and had to travel in my jammies as my mom hadn't packed a set of clothing for me... but I was 3 years old then, so I guess that doesn't count :D]

 

Flying to the US is just a very sensitive and emotional topic for me. 10 years ago I swore I'd never do it again. At least I have calmed down to a "might do it eventually, but not yet".

 

Thank you all very, very much for your input! I really appreciate all your help.

[Starry Eyes]

Unfortunately... don't think I can, due to experience on last flight to the US. Or really any flight to the US. I either didn't end up where I was supposed to go, was delayed all four times, had to be rerouted due to weather (does Detroit airport really exist? I never made it there and I swear I tried), got stuck in an elevator at my destination twice and once got home without luggage. [And that is not including my first flight to North America where I threw up all over myself and had to travel in my jammies as my mom hadn't packed a set of clothing for me... but I was 3 years old then, so I guess that doesn't count :D]Flying to the US is just a very sensitive and emotional topic for me. 10 years ago I swore I'd never do it again. At least I have calmed down to a "might do it eventually, but not yet".

 

Thank you all very, very much for your input! I really appreciate all your help.

I can assure you, DTW, Detroit's airport, does indeed exist. I have been there many times. It is a crummy place to connect in long, long winters and it can be disrupted by thunderstorms other times. So, that leaves about 12 days of perfect weather each year, just joking. Chicago O'hare is worse, IMHO.

 

Your history on US bound flight is striking. I hope sailing across the pond works out better for you.