Combined Transatlantic Med Cruise

[SelectSys]

I have been real busy for the last year and have missed out on cruising for a bit. I am thinking about combining a ocean crossing cruise with a med cruise back to back. Most of my cruising has been on RCCL so I would like to consider them first for the trip.

 

The areas in which I would like feedback are:

 

1) Which direction and time of year to go - westbound in the fall versus eastbound in the spring

 

2) Good itineraries to combine give a total time budget of 3 weeks.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback

[pspercy]

We did that in 2011 when the cruise prior to the TA took a huge price drop. About 400 other passengers were also doing that B2B in the end.

 

I prefer westbound as you get the flying over at the start. I'd hate to get of the ship then take a ten hour flight home. Also you get longer days as the clock catches up.

 

This November on the Navigator a B2B with TA last works out at 21 days. Rome to Barcelona then Barcelona to Galveston. Prices are still very good.

[MavisMarie]

Look at the Serenade on 11/15/2013, 12 night Med cruise Barcelona round trip. Then the Serenade TA, westbound. Good prices on both, but 30 days involved.

[SelectSys]

We did that in 2011 when the cruise prior to the TA took a huge price drop. About 400 other passengers were also doing that B2B in the end.

 

I prefer westbound as you get the flying over at the start. I'd hate to get of the ship then take a ten hour flight home. Also you get longer days as the clock catches up.

 

This November on the Navigator a B2B with TA last works out at 21 days. Rome to Barcelona then Barcelona to Galveston. Prices are still very good.

 

That is a nice itinerary. I do like the idea of a nice relaxing trip home. I am wondering however about the weather on the trip. It seems that things might be better in the spring and overall the days are longer atthat time of year.

 

Look at the Serenade on 11/15/2013, 12 night Med cruise Barcelona round trip. Then the Serenade TA, westbound. Good prices on both, but 30 days involved.

 

I do like Radiance class ships but you have exceeeded my time budget! Thanks for the suggestion. A multi-day stop in Venice is also a great cruise highlight.

[pspercy]

Weather for the most part was good tho' the Med can be far from the blue lagoon people think it is ! Worst weather was approaching The Bahamas (about normal apparently) - bright & sunny but choppy seas and crossing the Gulf of Mexico on the last sea day - big Norther in progress.

[HokiePoq]

We've done three, one on Royal and two on NCL. We prefer the spring as I get anxious during hurricane season in the Atlantic. It's been smooth sailing in April each time.

One time we did back to back to the Greek Islands; the other a Western Med.

All wonderful trips. The TAs get a nice group of folks who are well traveled and interesting to get to know.

We choose based on the date, price and itinerary. Posters are right that these can be a bargain. We've met folks who use these as transport back and forth to Europe...winter in Florida, summer in Germany. One can carry more luggage that way and for those we met, it's cheaper than airfare.

[bonsai3s]

I have been real busy for the last year and have missed out on cruising for a bit. I am thinking about combining a ocean crossing cruise with a med cruise back to back. Most of my cruising has been on RCCL so I would like to consider them first for the trip.

 

The areas in which I would like feedback are:

 

1) Which direction and time of year to go - westbound in the fall versus eastbound in the spring

 

2) Good itineraries to combine give a total time budget of 3 weeks.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback

 

...we did a B2B, exactly what you are thinking about.

 

We live just north of you, and flew to Rome where we started the first leg of our B2B. Total number of days: 7 + 14 = 21 days. Navigator of the Seas. The ports for the first week were Civitavecchia (Rome), Sicily (Messina), Crete, Athens, Kusadasi (Turkey), then back to Civitavecchia. The second leg was the transatlantic. Ports included Livorno, Toulon, Cartagena, Barcelona, (skipped a couple of ports due to Hurricane), ending in Fort Lauderdale.

We chose to sail westbound because we wanted to get the long flights out of the way first. Ending in Ft. Lauderdale, our flight was much shorter. More importantly, we knew that the first part of our cruise was "port intensive" (absolutely wonderful places to visit), and wanted to end our cruise simply relaxing....with lots of sea days. Regarding itineraries...it just depends on what is important to you and what you want to see. Ultimately, you can't go wrong...every stop, every port, every shore excursion,...will all be great memories. Don't laugh, but we are planning on doing it again later this year...happy sailing. :)

[Chicken_Lips]

IMHO, the weather is better in Europe during the Fall than the Spring.

 

We just did a TA on RCI this past April, and the weather in Europe was a mixed bag. I have been to Europe in the Spring before and it was also a mixed bag then too. When our cruise ship arrived to the Spanish ports, the weather at the end of April was fantastic! Sunny and warm on the beaches. But then we took the train to Madrid at the end of the TA and it was cold and rainy the entire time. It stayed that way thru Paris and Bruges. The weather finally got better when we went back to the Spanish beach resorts in mid May!

 

I usually travel thru Europe in September/October, and I have never experienced any bad weather (I just jinxed myself). We are planning a trip to the Mediterranean this October (Rome and the Spanish coast are still warm in October) with a return on a RCI TA.

 

Hope this helps in your planning. Maybe some other folks can offer their opinions on the weather too.

[retird]

We are doing a B2B in April on the Liberty. TA followed by a short med cruise on the same ship and same cabin. Then flying home from Barcelona. I've read a lot on here about whether it is better to go spring or fall. In the end we liked the ship, the cabin, and the price both cruise and air. So we are going to give it a try. Any time at sea is great.

[bigbillfromchicago]

We did this on Navigator in Oct-Nov and loved the combination of port intensive days at the start and relaxing sea days at the end. Especially liked six straight sea days gaining an extra hour each night.

 

The only negative was cool, cloudy weather. Some of that was just bad luck, but you can count on it being cooler than a Caribbean cruise.

 

I also recommend adding several days before the cruise to tour Italy and enjoy Italian dinners. We used Rome In Limo and they let us see and learn an incredible amount in a short time.

[lakelorain]

We did the Liberty Med cruise and TA in October. Started with a few extra days in Barcelona. Great cruises. Some light rain but warm the entire trip. Calm waters all the way across. Prefer going west because you gain an hour most days instead of losing an hour. You get home well rested.

[SelectSys]

... We prefer the spring as I get anxious during hurricane season in the Atlantic. It's been smooth sailing in April each time.

 

Didn't even consider the hurricane possibility. Not really a safety issue but it could make for missed ports.

 

(skipped a couple of ports due to Hurricane), ending in Fort Lauderdale... Ultimately, you can't go wrong...every stop, every port, every shore excursion,...will all be great memories. Don't laugh, but we are planning on doing it again later this year...happy sailing. :)

 

An example of hurricanes impacting a trip! I agree, every trip can be memorable!

 

...But then we took the train to Madrid at the end of the TA and it was cold and rainy the entire time. It stayed that way thru Paris and Bruges. The weather finally got better when we went back to the Spanish beach resorts in mid May!

 

I usually travel thru Europe in September/October, and I have never experienced any bad weather (I just jinxed myself). We are planning a trip to the Mediterranean this October (Rome and the Spanish coast are still warm in October) with a return on a RCI TA.

...

 

No time to head North on this trip. I agree with travelling in September/October. Unfortunately the ships seem to head west later and later each year.

 

... Prefer going west because you gain an hour most days instead of losing an hour. You get home well rested.

 

Also something I didn't consider. What is it like losing an hour each night? Did it bother anyone considerably?

[Galveston Cruiser]

We have completed 7 TA's with another booked this November.

Much prefer the east to west to gain the extra hour over 7 days. Weather and seas have always been good. The exception in the Med where it can be windy and rough, but not unbearbable.

 

Hurrican season is pretty well over by October/November due to cold fronts impacing the warmer water.

 

Nothing against the spring west to east TA, but the time change did get to us as it is at noon, not in the middle of the night. After a few days we would wake up in time for lunch (not breakfast):eek:

[SelectSys]

Much prefer the east to west to gain the extra hour over 7 days. Weather and seas have always been good. The exception in the Med where it can be windy and rough, but not unbearbable.

 

Hurrican season is pretty well over by October/November due to cold fronts impacing the warmer water.

 

Nothing against the spring west to east TA, but the time change did get to us as it is at noon, not in the middle of the night. After a few days we would wake up in time for lunch (not breakfast):eek:

 

When does the weather start turning in the med towards winter? Of course every year and trip is different, but it seems like November is getting pretty late in the season. Thanks

[Galveston Cruiser]

We have good weather in December and terrible weather in May. Just can't predict.

We have sailed the Med in April and May and the Atlantic in spring, then October, November and December

 

Kind of like here. Typically January is cold and wet, in the 40's and miserable.

Tody, we have weather in the 70's, sunny and clear.

[ssb]

We did that in 2011 when the cruise prior to the TA took a huge price drop. About 400 other passengers were also doing that B2B in the end.

 

I prefer westbound as you get the flying over at the start. I'd hate to get of the ship then take a ten hour flight home. Also you get longer days as the clock catches up.

 

This November on the Navigator a B2B with TA last works out at 21 days. Rome to Barcelona then Barcelona to Galveston. Prices are still very good.

 

We agree and are this b2b also.

Join us!

[hazeleyez3]

 

Also something I didn't consider. What is it like losing an hour each night? Did it bother anyone considerably?

 

We did a TA from FL to Southhampton a few years ago. A few days into the trip we had to set our clocks forward one hour each day.

[SelectSys]

We agree and are this b2b also.

Join us!

 

The Navigator trip is a nice mix of ports and starting by Rome makes for a nice pre cruise opportunity.

 

We did a TA from FL to Southhampton a few years ago. A few days into the trip we had to set our clocks forward one hour each day.

 

So it didn't effect you too much.