Reposition cruise

[jrblueblue]

I'm looking at a reposition cruise leaving Southhampton going to the Caribbean in October, what can I expect in the terms of rough seas?

Is there enough going on during the sea days ?

First time reposition cruise.

[Stampingina]

Go, have fun! We've done many reposition cruises. Europe to Florida is fine. My husband suffers from motion sickness (I don't) so we book mid to back of the ship high up, inside cabin. Perfect for us because we're always out and about enjoy the many Princess activities!

~Gina

[John Bull]

In October/November the possibility of storms in the north Atlantic is at its highest, so you do run a significant risk of high seas for the first few days out of Southampton. I'm guessing this is late October, to avoid the hurricane season in the Caribbean, so the risk of high seas recedes as you head south-west.

 

A mid-ships cabin is good advice for those who suffer from motion sickness, and altho the physics don't make sense to me there is indeed less movement toward the stern than toward the bow.

But a high deck very definitely doesn't make sense. The least movement is at the waterline, and the higher the deck the greater the side-to-side sway. So a low deck is the most stable, thus best for those who suffer from motion sickness.

 

For folk like me, the ship is a means of travel from destination to destination and I get easily bored if there are too many sea days, as of course there are on repo cruises like this one. So it wouldn't suit me.

But a lot of folk cruise for the ship rather than for the destinations, the ship is their resort-hotel. Unless you enjoy quiet lazy days reading, whether there's enough of interest depends very much which ship you sail. Smaller ships will obviously offer less than the big new ones. And, going back to the question of rough seas, a good big 'un is always more stable than a good little 'un.

So altho I generally prefer smaller ships, for an October trans-Atlantic I'd want to be on one of the leviathons.

 

Just MHO as always

 

JB :)

[flamomo]

For me, three times on transatlantic cruises the itineraries have had to be changed due to weather issues in the Atlantic in the Fall.

 

The first time it was because of the remnants of a hurricane in an area we were routed to pass thru, the port of Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, was dropped as the route was changed to a more southerly one and we ported at the island of Madeira instead. No problem, as Madeira is a lovely place, plus because of the southerly route, we had exceptionally nice warm weather for the crossing. No stormy or bumpy weather at all.

 

The second time, I was doing a B2B, having done a r/t Southampton to the Canary Islands ahead of the TA. Upon return to Southampton, when I returned to my cabin after being onshore, there was a letter from the Captain stating that due to stormy weather offshore from the British Isles, and the possibility that the storm could affect the weather at Southampton, our departure would be delayed. The ship was moved to a pier deeper within the port as a precaution, and we stayed in port in Southampton for 2 extra nights. Again the stop at the Azores, as well as one scheduled for a port in Portugal, were cancelled in the interest of getting the ship to FLL on schedule. We made another pleasant crossing, with only a bit of bumpy weather the first day after leaving Southampton.

 

The 3rd time was just last December, and for the 3rd time, due to another patch of stormy weather causing a route alteration, I missed Ponta Delgada, and Madeira was substituted. Again, we had a little bit of bumpy weather. In this instance, I was on a small ship ... the Pacific Princess, which only holds 670 passengers, so the ride was a little different than the other two, which were bigger ships (2500-3000+).

 

However, I think I am not meant to go to Ponta Delgada!! It's a good thing I like Madeira so well!

 

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th. As Mother Nature is a very fickle being, one never knows how the weather will be, so it's a necessity to be prepared to be flexible.

 

On the sea days on TAs, there are plenty of activities available should you choose to participate. If relaxation is what you are seeking, there's nothing quite like sitting on one's balcony, or a lounge chair on the pool deck, with a good book and wonderful ocean views and fresh sea air to enjoy.

 

I love TAs and will likely book one for next fall, as I have done both east bound and west bound ones, and prefer the westbounds.

[Hlitner]

We have done more then a dozen crossings (in both directions) and its kind of strange...but we have never had really rough weather on a West Bound crossing in the fall. All of our major weather/sea issues have occurred during spring East bound crossings.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We have done it a number of ways. Believe it or not....one of the best was the first time we ever flew in to Venice. Came off the plane, through the baggage area (we only had carry on), out the door. Someone pointed to a bus. I seem to recall that it was a number 7 bus. Surprise to us that there was no charge because we had prepurchased a two day ferry pass.

 

We found out later that this was not the AIrport bus but just a local. Dropped us off at Piazza Roma and off we went. First and only time we have done this. We typically drive in to drop off a rental or arrive by train.

[navybankerteacher]

Barring the chance of a hurricane - which is actually pretty unlikely during any two week period, the weather in the Atlantic in October is likely to be better than any other time of year: the ocean is at its warmest and there is no more chance of rain or cloudy weather than at any other time. Even if there is a hurricane during the time of your crossing, the ocean is large enough to allow your ship to make a wide diversion to avoid serious effects.

[Aulanis]

We have done it a number of ways. Believe it or not....one of the best was the first time we ever flew in to Venice. Came off the plane, through the baggage area (we only had carry on), out the door. Someone pointed to a bus. I seem to recall that it was a number 7 bus. Surprise to us that there was no charge because we had prepurchased a two day ferry pass.

 

We found out later that this was not the AIrport bus but just a local. Dropped us off at Piazza Roma and off we went. First and only time we have done this. We typically drive in to drop off a rental or arrive by train.

 

Have you posted this in the correct thread?

Just Cabin Baggage for TA ?

[jocap]

I'm looking at a reposition cruise leaving Southhampton going to the Caribbean in October, what can I expect in the terms of rough seas?

Is there enough going on during the sea days ?

First time reposition cruise.

I can't help with the weather, but as for activities- we sail away each January to the Caribbean and back again, and we've never been bored during the 18 sea days... there's always lectures, films, choir, art classes and other occupations during the day time, and plenty of entertainment in the evening. My husband joins everything, plus swims each day, so we rarely see each other until dinner... :D

Just be careful about not eating too much...it's so tempting when there's food on offer for 24 hours, and one chef said it takes 3 days before people realise that they've over eaten just because it's there and they might as well... ;) We miss lunch and go to afternoon tea, which works for us.

We've not had really bad weather, although we turned back after the Azores and headed north to miss a storm, once... but this was winter time, so no help to you! :o