Planning our 1st Transatlantic cruise and need some help

[jpkriseddie]

Hello everyone, we are thinking about booking our 1st Transatlantic cruise for Nov 2017 from Barcelona with the Epic but not sure if TA will be for us. Does anyon have experience ? Do they have enough entertainment in board while on sea days and do they have enough kinds on TA cruises? Our son will be 5 so i want to make sure he will be not bored for this long 14 days. Any help and advice is appreciated :)

 

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[LrgPizza]

I've only done one transatlantic, and I found there to be plenty of entertainment. We were certainly never bored, but we also found it way more relaxing than on a regular cruise. On cruises with port stops, it just seems so much more hectic trying to do everything we wanted to do on the ship. On the TA, there was plenty of time to see and do everything, yet still relax.

 

Regarding your son... Obviously his personality has a lot to do with whether or not he will be bored. However, although our TA was only 10 nights (Southampton to Miami), I honestly believe there were less than 10 kids on the entire ship (the Escape). I guess it will depend on how good he is at entertaining himself in the event there aren't any playmates.

[jpkriseddie]

Hey, thanks for the info:) so you were on the Escape only 2 days after i was on it last year:) i had 2 nights from Hamburg back to Hamburg before they officially opened it for the 1st cruise for customers :) 10 kids is not alot at all but i hope they will still entertain them good at the kids area... and yes the reason we want to do this cruise because we just want to relax and i think this will be the best way to do so

 

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[BirdTravels]

There is lots to do. But it is a very relaxing cruise. Also be aware that there is a larger than normal possibility of a day or two of rough seas. You are on a cruise ship vs a traditional ocean liner (like the Cunard ships) that are built for transatlantic crossings.

 

We've done transatlantic. But prefer port intensive cruises where we get to see a lot of different things.

[jpkriseddie]

Yes we have done the traditional cruises also going on one in few weeks as well but just want to try TA as well and i know if we do not make it happen next year then oir son will start school and due to different in the school breaks we won't be able to do it at all:))....i think me and my husband will.enjoy just wondering about our son....:(

 

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[Budget Queen]

I've done over 10 TA's, but they are not my preference. Itineraries are more important to me, so, I'm selective what TA I go on. I've done 2 on the Epic, and will say- this cruise is a late booking jackpot, no problem getting cheap cabins- including -again this year, when a month ago, running $499. I only book TA's late, always taking advantage of price dumps. TA's are excellent values.

 

Yes there are a lot of activities on ships, but, I am usually bored at some point. The library on the Epic is pitiful, so take your own reading perhaps.

 

I'd suggest, making sure you're more interested in touring Barcelona- superb place that is the main reason for me doing TA's to/from there. I always add about another week there. It isn't enough for me to just do these cruises.

[Lido_Deck]

Hello everyone, we are thinking about booking our 1st Transatlantic cruise for Nov 2017 from Barcelona with the Epic but not sure if TA will be for us. Does anyon have experience ? Do they have enough entertainment in board while on sea days and do they have enough kinds on TA cruises? Our son will be 5 so i want to make sure he will be not bored for this long 14 days. Any help and advice is appreciated :)

 

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I've done 5 TAs, one on the Epic...And I hate the Epic!

 

A TA is the same as other cruises as far as onboard activities, except you will have 6 or 7 days in a row at sea on the crossing, so it get's a bit boring.

 

There are almost no kids on TAs so your son is going to drive you nuts.

 

One more thing...I wouldn't book a TA that far in advance because it will be pretty high. If you wait until about 90 days out it will be half price or less.

 

.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Lido_Deck

[Rustybuttons123]

I've done lots of TAs, but all on QM2. Its my favorite way to cross, no stops, all straight sea time and 7 days not 14. As Birdtravels mentioned this is a traditional ocean liner built to handle the rough N. Atlantic. The fall timeframe seas can get very rough because its hurricane season, one crossing we had 30ft seas and force 10 winds for 2 days, but the ship handled it no problem. The major differences between QM2 and regular cruise ships is her freeboard is higher, this is the distance from the waterline to main deck. And she has 40% more steel in her hull than a cruise ship of the same size. Its a traditional crossing though, entertainment is shuffleboard, strolling the decks, reading, participating in some of the onboard activities, card playing and there's classic board games available and the big event in evenings is dining and its formal.

[goldenrod]

We have done three crossings two TA's and one TP my wife loves sea days as we are usually in a suite, but a crossing is no place for a five year old . I don't think we have ever seen any kids on one, he will be totally bored and probably drive you nuts.

 

 

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Edited October 5, 2016 by goldenrod

[jpkriseddie]

Hey guys, thank you so much for the ifo! As far as Barcelona we been there many times. Currently living in Germany and have the opportunity to go all over Europe for short flights. I love the Epic ship we used it last year for 10 day cruise and loved it. But the idea that there are no children at all on TA is not good:( i will try to call NCL and see if the kids area ( splash academy ) is even open of there are only few children and also will ask them their opinion...if we book yes i will definitely try to book cheaper short before tge cruise starts but will hat to lose the 13 extra points for the latitude programm they give you if you book 9 months in advance ...but yes i see TA are way cheaper in the last minute

 

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[spanishguy1970]

Hello everyone, we are thinking about booking our 1st Transatlantic cruise for Nov 2017 from Barcelona with the Epic but not sure if TA will be for us. Does anyon have experience ? Do they have enough entertainment in board while on sea days and do they have enough kinds on TA cruises? Our son will be 5 so i want to make sure he will be not bored for this long 14 days. Any help and advice is appreciated :)

 

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all i can say they are my favorite, plenty to do, lots of entertainment etc. If you are one who gets bored easily and need to do something every minute of the day then is not for you. Six sea days can get boring for some people I for one think for a 5 year old child will be fun enough being on a ship but i guess i am thinking of me as a child. I don't have children so i am speaking as an adult. :-(

[Budget Queen]

Hey guys, thank you so much for the ifo! As far as Barcelona we been there many times. Currently living in Germany and have the opportunity to go all over Europe for short flights. I love the Epic ship we used it last year for 10 day cruise and loved it. But the idea that there are no children at all on TA is not good:( i will try to call NCL and see if the kids area ( splash academy ) is even open of there are only few children and also will ask them their opinion...if we book yes i will definitely try to book cheaper short before tge cruise starts but will hat to lose the 13 extra points for the latitude programm they give you if you book 9 months in advance ...but yes i see TA are way cheaper in the last minute

 

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It's a waste of time to "ask" NCL, what do you think they are going to say?? Oh- sorry not a good choice for you??

 

There are few kids on TA- always- and will continue to be. The water slides haven't been open and very few people in pools in my experience. It isn't a "warm" weather sailing. light jackets are used when I've been out on decks.

 

I think worrying about the loss of "points" is going to be a very costly mistake for you, especially with you living in Germany and the ability to pick up cheap last minute flights. I would never give that priority.

[jpkriseddie]

Well yeah that's why i said wait and book in the last minute will be definitely the option for me even if i lose on the points. As far as our son i can say he is pretty cool with everything. For his age 4 years old now he has been to 10 different countries as of now and has over 30 flights behind him as well. He enjoys being in ships just walk around with us, going to the pool and spend most of his time at the children area.sonif they have it fully functioning even if there are only few children on board I think he will be happy....will have to think and make a decision but still have a long time to do so. It would be great if i meet some people here with kids that already been ot TA...lol

 

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[FLAHAM]

I've done over 10 TA's, I only book TA's late, always taking advantage of price dumps. TA's are excellent values.

 

 

Epic November 2016 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $999/passenger.

 

Epic November 2017 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $849/passenger.

[Love.II.Cruise]

We've done 2 TA's and are going on another in a couple weeks. Our first TA was on Oceania's Riviera (Inaugural Crossing) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. However, we had one of only 2 very coveted wrap around penthouse rooms on deck 7. We loved sitting in our loungers watching the wake with little wind while reading. Having that room for 14 days was bliss. The crew threw a carnival/fair on one of the sea days in the middle of the cruise - all sorts of games and things to win. Very fun! The ship was new and beautiful. For us the ship was the destination. Lots of relaxation. We didn't see any children. In fact, we (okay, I) forgot our boarding passes and when we went to check in they thought we were crew and told us the wrong way to board. We were the youngest people (30s) on that cruise.

 

Our second TA was on Pacific Princess. We hated it. The ship was too small and we got seriously board (okay dangerously board). We gambled and gambled and gambled every night at the tables and slots - sometimes during the afternoons too. We played every game of Bingo to be had. Believe it or not we actually came home with winnings. My DH got seriously sea sick one day (this ship was like a bath toy in the middle of the Atlantic). I got so bored while he was sick that I found the stabilizers in the the water (I could see them from the promenade deck) and proceeded to show crew members that hadn't seen it before. There were a few kids on our cruise that I believe were home-schooled.

 

That all being said, we are going on the Epic in a couple weeks and consider the ship the destination! There is so much to do on this ship. We bought the spa passes and we plan to dress for Halloween. I would definitely call NCL and find out if their kids program is open for the TA you are considering. I'd even ask them if they could tell you how many kids are on the TA coming up this Oct to gauge for next year (not sure if they will tell you though).

Edited October 5, 2016 by Love.II.Cruise

[Blondie008]

Hey guys, thank you so much for the ifo! As far as Barcelona we been there many times. Currently living in Germany and have the opportunity to go all over Europe for short flights. I love the Epic ship we used it last year for 10 day cruise and loved it. But the idea that there are no children at all on TA is not good:( i will try to call NCL and see if the kids area ( splash academy ) is even open of there are only few children and also will ask them their opinion...if we book yes i will definitely try to book cheaper short before tge cruise starts but will hat to lose the 13 extra points for the latitude programm they give you if you book 9 months in advance ...but yes i see TA are way cheaper in the last minute

 

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I have EPIC TA 2017 already booked months ago and the price was an absolute steal -

If you love EPIC that's a good start - I am pretty sure although TAs are generally an older demograph - you are more likely to encounter young parents on a ship like EPIC than on a smaller ship like Jade or Spirit.

We did EPIC TA a couple of years back - absolutely loved it - and the weather these last three TA fall cruises (did Celebrity last year) has been sunshine all the way (touch wood fingers Xd for this year!).

Only you can tell if your 5 year old will be fine - a call to NCL EU or UK will clarify the Splash club - A friend of mine is a kids club attendant on a ship and she says its all year around -

There are lovers and haters of EPIC - for sure if you are going to take a wee one on a TA cruise - its probably one of the best choices - As you know there is loads going on

If the price is right - go for it!

[jpkriseddie]

Epic November 2016 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $999/passenger.

 

Epic November 2017 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $849/passenger.

Hey is this price with drink packages and tip already? I have it on the german marker right now balcony cabin for all 3 of us with the drinks and tip for total of 3000 euro.

 

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[jpkriseddie]

We've done 2 TA's and are going on another in a couple weeks. Our first TA was on Oceania's Riviera (Inaugural Crossing) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. However, we had one of only 2 very coveted wrap around penthouse rooms on deck 7. We loved sitting in our loungers watching the wake with little wind while reading. Having that room for 14 days was bliss. The crew threw a carnival/fair on one of the sea days in the middle of the cruise - all sorts of games and things to win. Very fun! The ship was new and beautiful. For us the ship was the destination. Lots of relaxation. We didn't see any children. In fact, we (okay, I) forgot our boarding passes and when we went to check in they thought we were crew and told us the wrong way to board. We were the youngest people (30s) on that cruise.

 

Our second TA was on Pacific Princess. We hated it. The ship was too small and we got seriously board (okay dangerously board). We gambled and gambled and gambled every night at the tables and slots - sometimes during the afternoons too. We played every game of Bingo to be had. Believe it or not we actually came home with winnings. My DH got seriously sea sick one day (this ship was like a bath toy in the middle of the Atlantic). I got so bored while he was sick that I found the stabilizers in the the water (I could see them from the promenade deck) and proceeded to show crew members that hadn't seen it before. There were a few kids on our cruise that I believe were home-schooled.

 

That all being said, we are going on the Epic in a couple weeks and consider the ship the destination! There is so much to do on this ship. We bought the spa passes and we plan to dress for Halloween. I would definitely call NCL and find out if their kids program is open for the TA you are considering. I'd even ask them if they could tell you how many kids are on the TA coming up this Oct to gauge for next year (not sure if they will tell you though).

Yes i was thinking also about the same.know few people working at the HQ here in Germany so i will see if they can tell me estimated number of children. And also age ( don't want to be the younges on the ship with only old people. ..) haha. We loved Epic

 

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[newtocruisingcdn]

We will be going on our fourth transatlantic cruise in 3 weeks, 3 of them on the Epic. We have had an amazing time each time, meeting some awesome people. We have travelled out of Barcelona, twice. The weather the first couple of days was cooler and windier. The bulk of the cruise was spent outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine and acting like kids on the water slides, which were indeed open. There were not many children on board, but the ones we saw were enjoying themselves, even dressing up for Halloween and participating in a scavenger hunt with the kids club.

[Lido_Deck]

Hey is this price with drink packages and tip already? I have it on the german marker right now balcony cabin for all 3 of us with the drinks and tip for total of 3000 euro.

 

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Two years ago I paid $399 for and Inside cabin on our TA on the Epic. And no, there were no perks back then.

[Budget Queen]

Epic November 2016 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $999/passenger.

 

Epic November 2017 13-day TA balcony guarantee from Barcelona: $849/passenger.

 

Oct 30 this year and $449 inside is even better- add the 2 deposits and it is $425pp TOTAL.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Budget Queen

[Budget Queen]

Hey is this price with drink packages and tip already? I have it on the german marker right now balcony cabin for all 3 of us with the drinks and tip for total of 3000 euro.

 

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no.

[kmurph22]

I have done one TA, and don't think I would do it again, although maybe if I were retired I would consider it.

 

Hubb and I took the inaugural voyage of the RCCL Quantum from London to NY. Great price. Ship was very nice with lots to do, although there were a number of first-run glitches (which I anticipated and did not ruin my trip). We had very rough weather for about 2 1/2 days of the 8 day journey.

 

We met some very nice people, and on a TA you really do begin to see familiar faces since all the time is spent on board. I can't say we were "bored", as I'm always happy reading a book, making a donation to the slots, or soaking in a hot tub. Hey, it's better than work! But, by the time the trip was over, we were glad to be off the ship. It's just a lot of time in a closed environment with a fairly set routine.

 

RE: your son, at 5, he's probably still really into mommy and daddy - I doubt he would get bored because he will enjoy being with you!

 

Some people love TA's... I guess I just wasn't one of them. YMMV!

[peacefulOR]

It seems to be much cheaper to sail east to west, at least from Barcelona! We are on the Getaway, April 30, 2017, 16 nights to Copenhagen and the prices are still going up! Balconies started around $849 in March, according to another CC'r, we got in at $1149 pp, and it now lists at $2799 for guarantee balcony. Is this unusual?

Our last TA was the all-time bargain on HAL Westerdam going west-east again so I wonder if it's because a lot of people drop out before final payment that prices drop? Trying to plan for 2018 now and learning from other's experiences. Thank you for sharing!

TA's are great for relaxing, quiet days at sea and a few ports sprinkled in. I'm thinking an east-west.;)

[Carole2313]

Hubby and I have a TA scheduled on the Indy in mid April FLL through the Caribbean first then across for 8 nights to Southampton, UK in a Jr. Suite. It will be our first TA and also our first trip to Europe. Looking forward to and will interesting and relaxing trip.

 

 

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