Transatlantic Questions

[LisaH]

I got some great answers on a previous question so am hoping for more on this question.

 

DH and I are thinking about doing a TA either next Fall (10/13) or Spring of 2014. Celebrity should be out with their 2013 schedules soon but I saw that HA has a 10/31/13 departure from Rome to FLL.

 

What are the pros and cons to Fall vs Spring?? Most seem to be Oct/Nov or April.

 

Thanks in advance.

[Gonzo70]

Most (including myself) much prefer fall crossings.

 

*25 hour days vs. 23 hour days

*You end the vacation relaxed (i.e. the ports are at the beginning and then restful sea days) and with a short flight home (assuming you live in US).

*On average weather seems to be a bit warmer in fall (as the ocean has been heating up the entire summer).

 

Only negative is you are sailing at the end of hurricane season, so chance of rough seas or of needing to divert some to avoid a hurricane.

[LisaH]

Most (including myself) much prefer fall crossings.

 

*25 hour days vs. 23 hour days

*You end the vacation relaxed (i.e. the ports are at the beginning and then restful sea days) and with a short flight home (assuming you live in US).

*On average weather seems to be a bit warmer in fall (as the ocean has been heating up the entire summer).

 

Only negative is you are sailing at the end of hurricane season, so chance of rough seas or of needing to divert some to avoid a hurricane.

 

Great info as I never thought about it being a bit warmer in the Fall. :)

 

We like the itin of FLL to Rome (or reverse) as we can spend a few days in Rome either way. This will be my first trip across the pond.

 

And I guess the good news about the hurricane season is that it is the end of it (or at least not peak). In 2010 when we did Oasis of the Seas out of FLL in early Nov, we were affected by Hurricane Tomas and had our port order changed but no biggie.

 

Thanks!

[ghstudio]

Fall TA's seem to fall around Thanksgiving which is a family holiday, at least in our family. When they were earlier, it was an ideal way to return home. Now we take spring TA's and either do B2B cruises or spend some time in Europe. May is a lovely month in most of Europe.

 

Last year's TA in April was so smooth you could have kayaked across the Atlantic. I think the fall weather may be a little more variable.

[LisaH]

Fall TA's seem to fall around Thanksgiving which is a family holiday, at least in our family. When they were earlier, it was an ideal way to return home. Now we take spring TA's and either do B2B cruises or spend some time in Europe. May is a lovely month in most of Europe.

 

Last year's TA in April was so smooth you could have kayaked across the Atlantic. I think the fall weather may be a little more variable.

 

Also good info...I will definitely have a hard time making a decision.

[rucruisn2]

We prefer the fall TA's. Get the long flight over out of the way, do the sightseeing and then rest and relax on the 25 hour days on the way home. Also, if you buy allot of stuff, no luggage limit on the ship.

[dgraham]

One problem we found with our fall TA (which was actually a B2B from the eastern Med) was that many of the shops in towns like Positano and in the Greek islands were closed. In fact in Ravello we couldn't even find a restaurant that was open (but had pastries at the one local bar that was open). Haven't sailed a spring TA, but would assume that shops, etc would be open by April.

 

But I must also agree that it was nice to visit the ports and then close our vacation with a very nice, relaxed and increasingly warm (as we gradually went furher south) sail across the Atlantic.

[LisaH]

One problem we found with our fall TA (which was actually a B2B from the eastern Med) was that many of the shops in towns like Positano and in the Greek islands were closed. In fact in Ravello we couldn't even find a restaurant that was open (but had pastries at the one local bar that was open). Haven't sailed a spring TA, but would assume that shops, etc would be open by April.

 

But I must also agree that it was nice to visit the ports and then close our vacation with a very nice, relaxed and increasingly warm (as we gradually went furher south) sail across the Atlantic.

 

Interesting, that is something I would not thought of...thank you! I am so used to everything here being open almost 24x7. Does it have something to do with tourist season being more in the Spring?

[Dick in Falls Church]

We'v done both ways (and often do each year).

 

The only concern my wife has about the fall ones is if it gets us home too close to Christmas. Therefore, we look for the earlier departures.

[kymbakitty]

We've done both....and in fact, this year we will do two in the same year.

 

I do know that I prefer having the port days at the end of the cruise. I really get to "sink" into the ship and the relaxing mode of vacation. By the time the ship starts to stop at the few ports on the itinerary, I am actually very ready to really take in those ports in a way that I would not be if it was just a day or two after we left the dock.

 

My DH and I have ALWAYS taken two week vacations. If you are retired, then every day is a Saturday. However, if you are still working, it takes a good solid 2-3 days to really get into the vacation mode and not thinking about anything other than pure relaxation and making wonderful memories.

 

Weather on both of our TAs thus far has been AMAZING.

 

Our first TA was on the Splendour of the Seas and the second one was on the Grandeur of the Seas. This one (less than 30 days) will be on the Solstice and the one in October will be on the Liberty of the Seas.

 

I look forward to comparing the two again myself.

 

:)

[kymbakitty]

One problem we found with our fall TA (which was actually a B2B from the eastern Med) was that many of the shops in towns like Positano and in the Greek islands were closed. In fact in Ravello we couldn't even find a restaurant that was open (but had pastries at the one local bar that was open). Haven't sailed a spring TA, but would assume that shops, etc would be open by April.

 

But I must also agree that it was nice to visit the ports and then close our vacation with a very nice, relaxed and increasingly warm (as we gradually went furher south) sail across the Atlantic.

 

What a great memory you just made me recall.

 

Our wedding anniversary is 10/31. We always go to a really great place in some other country for our anniversary dinner. It gets harder and harder to out do the year before (last year was the Eiffel Tower!).

 

A few years ago while vacationing in Sorrento, we found an amazing restaurant in Ravello and had the most romantic meal/experience we could ever imagine. The chef is Michelin rated and the location....well, it overlooks the village (can't recall the name right now).

 

It just so happened to be the LAST and FINAL day they were open before they "winter break." We scored big time and it was awesome!! We'll never forget that place.

 

http://www.palazzosasso.com/en/dining/terrazza-belvedere.php

[dgraham]

What a great memory you just made me recall.

 

Our wedding anniversary is 10/31. We always go to a really great place in some other country for our anniversary dinner. It gets harder and harder to out do the year before (last year was the Eiffel Tower!).

 

A few years ago while vacationing in Sorrento, we found an amazing restaurant in Ravello and had the most romantic meal/experience we could ever imagine. The chef is Michelin rated and the location....well, it overlooks the village (can't recall the name right now).

 

It just so happened to be the LAST and FINAL day they were open before they "winter break." We scored big time and it was awesome!! We'll never forget that place.

 

http://www.palazzosasso.com/en/dining/terrazza-belvedere.php

 

It looks beautiful!!! and is in a very highly regarded hotel. Thanks for the link.

[leonardofan]

Most (including myself) much prefer fall crossings.

 

*25 hour days vs. 23 hour days

*You end the vacation relaxed (i.e. the ports are at the beginning and then restful sea days) and with a short flight home (assuming you live in US).

*On average weather seems to be a bit warmer in fall (as the ocean has been heating up the entire summer).

 

Only negative is you are sailing at the end of hurricane season, so chance of rough seas or of needing to divert some to avoid a hurricane.

 

 

I agree-- 25 hour days instead of 23 hour days makes a BIG difference--you can party and still be up in time for a served breakfast.

 

And running around first and loafing on the way home to my mind is an obvious advantage.

 

BTW, there is a wide range of fall TA sailing dates, from September to December, depending on the line and the ship--you should be able to find something that suits your schedule:)

[LisaH]

What a great memory you just made me recall.

 

Our wedding anniversary is 10/31. We always go to a really great place in some other country for our anniversary dinner. It gets harder and harder to out do the year before (last year was the Eiffel Tower!).

 

A few years ago while vacationing in Sorrento, we found an amazing restaurant in Ravello and had the most romantic meal/experience we could ever imagine. The chef is Michelin rated and the location....well, it overlooks the village (can't recall the name right now).

 

It just so happened to be the LAST and FINAL day they were open before they "winter break." We scored big time and it was awesome!! We'll never forget that place.

 

http://www.palazzosasso.com/en/dining/terrazza-belvedere.php

 

Wonderful!

[rafinmd]

Better yet, consider going one way on a cruise ship and the opposite on QM2, which still does fairly regular crossings in each direction. Didn't work for me with the Solstice this time but will do it in the fall.

 

If I have to fly, I prefer to do it coming back. I just find an overnight much worse than a 6-hour daytime flight.

 

Roy

[LisaH]

Better yet, consider going one way on a cruise ship and the opposite on QM2, which still does fairly regular crossings in each direction. Didn't work for me with the Solstice this time but will do it in the fall.

 

If I have to fly, I prefer to do it coming back. I just find an overnight much worse than a 6-hour daytime flight.

 

Roy

 

I would agree about the flights for sure. Not sure the QM2 would be in our budget. :)

[cdngb]

I got some great answers on a previous question so am hoping for more on this question.

 

DH and I are thinking about doing a TA either next Fall (10/13) or Spring of 2014. Celebrity should be out with their 2013 schedules soon but I saw that HA has a 10/31/13 departure from Rome to FLL.

 

What are the pros and cons to Fall vs Spring?? Most seem to be Oct/Nov or April.

 

Thanks in advance.

I have done both a fall and a spring TA. I enjoyed the spring one the most as all of the ports visited were in Europe while there were many Caribbean island ports in the fall. Had great weather on both.

[newtocruisingcdn]

Travelled from Lisbon, Portugal to Santos, Brazil in December, my DH first cruise. The first couple of days were chilly, but the rest of the trip had amazing weather. Loved the days at sea in the middle, and then enjoyed the SA ports at the end of the trip. :) A long flight from Sao Paulo to Toronto, however.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

Is it possible for you to do both ?

If time off etc is not a problem then it helps finances greatly if you get a return flight ticket dated to fly home from or to your first TA cruise and the return about 6 mths later home from or to the ship crossing back the other way. We have done this for 3 or 4 years now .

[Irishwhiskey]

We have been doing most of our cruising in the spring the fall.It just so happens that this is when the cruise lines reposition.We have done four transatlantic cruises and are taking our fifth out of Bayonne next month on Silhouette to Rome out of Bayonne.Regardless of which season you choose it will not be crowded as it would be in the vacation or hoilday seasons.The museum's are open everyday of the week with less chance of getting turned away.All the sailings were smooth sailing.Most of the bad weather that we experinced was between ports.The change in time is always going to throw you off regardless of if its 23 or 25 hours.Your body has to adjust either way.But ,your on vacation and you'll have plenty of time to forget about it

[cirpi]

We have done four east to west and two west to east and it is a tossup which we like best. The west to east has given us a chance to visit friends in Italy for a week or two before taking the long flight home to the Pacific Northwest. Seas during the fall crossings do seem to be a bit calmer though the worst seas we've encountered was a Silhouette TA last fall.

[ThursdaysChild]

We have been doing most of our cruising in the spring the fall.It just so happens that this is when the cruise lines reposition.We have done four transatlantic cruises and are taking our fifth out of Bayonne next month on Silhouette to Rome out of Bayonne.Regardless of which season you choose it will not be crowded as it would be in the vacation or hoilday seasons.The museum's are open everyday of the week with less chance of getting turned away.All the sailings were smooth sailing.Most of the bad weather that we experinced was between ports.The change in time is always going to throw you off regardless of if its 23 or 25 hours.Your body has to adjust either way.But ,your on vacation and you'll have plenty of time to forget about it

 

Hi, I'm on the same Silhouette Transatlantic on 4/22/12. Come join our RollCall; it's very active with a great group of people (a lot of us from NJ) and we have a bunch of great activities planned! Just find us on the Silhouette Roll Call Board. See you 4 weeks from today...WoooHoo!

[Bobby Dee]

We like the itin of FLL to Rome (or reverse) as we can spend a few days in Rome either way. This will be my first trip across the pond.

 

If you want to see the Coliseum or the Vatican Museum, be absolutely certain that you purchase tickets for these two on the internet before you leave. That will save you hours of waiting in line to purchase them at the site.

[LisaH]

If you want to see the Coliseum or the Vatican Museum, be absolutely certain that you purchase tickets for these two on the internet before you leave. That will save you hours of waiting in line to purchase them at the site.

 

Another great idea...thank you