NCL Transatlantics

[CruisingNole]

11 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

nope, have done 2 transatlantics on her never had a problem. There is a first time for everything, the NCL star has had problems, so has the Pearl, they fix them and you move on...We are on that TA and i am sure it will be ok and if not you live with it.

 

So according to this website, the Epic is a nightmare...but it’s great for a TA? Hey, whatever makes you feel better about yourself. 😉

[spanishguy1970]

15 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

 

So according to this website, the Epic is a nightmare...but it’s great for a TA? Hey, whatever makes you feel better about yourself. 😉

Because I don’t follow websites, i go on a cruise and make a judgment for myself, that’s called having a mind of my own 🤔😉. 

[Carnac767]

On 3/7/2019 at 6:20 AM, myjillian said:

If your thinking of a TA consider going from East to West in the Fall.  A spring TA has you changing times around 5 times or more and , as a result you arrive tired...then you go from port to port jump on a plane and arrive home needing a vacation🤗  If you do a spring TA try to stay in the destination area a couple of days before you fly home...it will help.

Hardly.  You change advance the clock six times over 15 days. It's not that big a deal, and most people do stay in Europe for a while after the crossing.

[Carnac767]

On 3/7/2019 at 7:20 AM, N6595L said:

I’ve often thought of doing a TA but was concerned about the rocking over the ocean. Does it seem worse going west to east or visa versa?

thanks!

Last April's TA on Epic from Port Canaveral to Barcelona was smooth as glass.  The only rough seas we encountered was after entering the Med and that only lasted about 12 hours.

[myjillian]

1 hour ago, Carnac767 said:

Hardly.  You change advance the clock six times over 15 days. It's not that big a deal, and most people do stay in Europe for a while after the crossing.

Well, when your  now in your 70's and have to change times 6 times then get off the ship at the first port for an excursion that starts at 9 you feel the time changes and then when you have port..port..port etc. with the same times it makes for long days....but that's just our experience over the past 25 yrs.  Good for you that "it's not a big deal"...for us going East to West is more enjoyable. ...you have your opinion and this is ours. 🤗

[Jldevlin]

On 3/14/2019 at 9:40 AM, Zippeedee said:

If anyone is considering the Getaway TA next month from NYC, there was a big price drop yesterday. The ship still looks to be barely half full. 

  The Getaway was our first big ship experience and we did a TA on it because the price was amazing ...I would do it again on this ship because with a lot of sea days a bigger ship gives you a little more to do because of all the extra venues ...

[Carnac767]

2 hours ago, myjillian said:

Well, when your  now in your 70's and have to change times 6 times then get off the ship at the first port for an excursion that starts at 9 you feel the time changes and then when you have port..port..port etc. with the same times it makes for long days....but that's just our experience over the past 25 yrs.  Good for you that "it's not a big deal"...for us going East to West is more enjoyable. ...you have your opinion and this is ours. 🤗

It's not a big deal.  I'm just saying it's a heck of a lot easier to adjust to Central European Time over the course of 15 days rather than doing it all at once.  But that's my perspective as an airline pilot who routinely has to change 9-12 times zones two or more times a week.  Most of the west-bound TAs usually don't feature as many port calls, so it's all a matter of personal preference.  The ultimate beverage package makes it a moot point for me.  

[fabnfortysomething]

we were on the same TA as Carnac767

in our case we had to fly East to West to join cruise and suffered with jet lag-fortunately we had a week in Orlando to recover

 

coping with time changes an hour per day on the cruise was definitely easier 

 

 

[Carnac767]

2 hours ago, fabnfortysomething said:

we were on the same TA as Carnac767

in our case we had to fly East to West to join cruise and suffered with jet lag-fortunately we had a week in Orlando to recover

 

coping with time changes an hour per day on the cruise was definitely easier 

 

 

I remember you, Lyn.  Did you ever get compensation for your things stolen in Barcelona?

[zactak]

On 3/7/2019 at 7:20 AM, N6595L said:

I’ve often thought of doing a TA but was concerned about the rocking over the ocean. Does it seem worse going west to east or visa versa?

thanks!

 

I did the western-bound TA from Barcelona to Port Canaveral on the Epic in 2016 and it was extremely smooth. The captain said it was one of the smoothest he has ever experienced. I was slightly bummed we didn't even have a little rocking. 

[peacefulOR]

On 3/13/2019 at 8:12 PM, BDevilCruiser said:

I’m thinking about taking an April TA cruise out of NYC.  Could one of you experienced TA cruisers tell me what weather to expect?  I’ve taken four Caribbean Cruises, so I’m more used to warm temps.  What should I pack? (solo AARP eligible male.)

 

If you're thinking of sailing on the Getaway (April 27), I would think about winter weather in N.C. We take light wool sweaters and blazers, long-sleeved shirts and pants. You might check your destination ports per itinerary and see the average temperatures. If you're a warm-bodied guy, short-sleeved polo shirts and maybe one pair of shorts. If you're headed further south, it will warm up a bit after a few days and you can expect temperatures in the 70's mostly. Probably would leave the aloha shirts and flamingo hats home (just kidding). Oh, if you peruse our roll call, there are a LOT of solos, mostly female if that matters.

[Budget Queen]

On 3/14/2019 at 12:21 PM, CruisingNole said:

We almost did the Epic TA next month but ended up cancelling before final payment. After all of the nightmares I've read about that ship, I just wasn't willing to gamble 15 days on her. It seems like it's probably the worse ship doing TAs among all of the major cruiselines. 

Being you haven’t sailed it “worse” is based purely on what you think.  I have sailed 6 tas on the Epic.  And from a first hand point of view. It’s a great trip.  

[DMH15]

My TA was Spring.  Miami to Athens.  Liked builing excitement. Spent 3 nights in Athens. Did not think time changes were an issue.    

 

I would be happy eaither way.  East to west or west to east.  I love sea days.  

[BDevilCruiser]

6 hours ago, peacefulOR said:

 

If you're thinking of sailing on the Getaway (April 27), I would think about winter weather in N.C. We take light wool sweaters and blazers, long-sleeved shirts and pants. You might check your destination ports per itinerary and see the average temperatures. If you're a warm-bodied guy, short-sleeved polo shirts and maybe one pair of shorts. If you're headed further south, it will warm up a bit after a few days and you can expect temperatures in the 70's mostly. Probably would leave the aloha shirts and flamingo hats home (just kidding). Oh, if you peruse our roll call, there are a LOT of solos, mostly female if that matters.

Don’t know if you looked at my profile, but you nailed a description I would understand! 

 

sounds like quarter-zip pullovers and (nice) sweats for the day on ship unless in the sun.  And I will check the ports, thanks for the reminder.

 

The main purpose of the trip, besides a nice cruise vacation, is to finally visit Europe, but I certainly won’t mind the company you describe from the roll call!

[myjillian]

15 hours ago, Carnac767 said:

It's not a big deal.  I'm just saying it's a heck of a lot easier to adjust to Central European Time over the course of 15 days rather than doing it all at once.  But that's my perspective as an airline pilot who routinely has to change 9-12 times zones two or more times a week.  Most of the west-bound TAs usually don't feature as many port calls, so it's all a matter of personal preference.  The ultimate beverage package makes it a moot point for me.  

Ah !!! the ultimate beverage package.......😃

[softl]

OT, test post.

[fabnfortysomething]

13 hours ago, Carnac767 said:

I remember you, Lyn.  Did you ever get compensation for your things stolen in Barcelona?

the tour company gave a £200 goodwill payment as I was calling them out on their "we will securely store your possessions" claim  

[myjillian]

Speaking of stolen things in Barcelona I was on a 33 day TA and one of the CC member was going to go to the bank in Barcelona to exchange money and asked if anyone wanted him to exchange theirs while he was at it.  Believe it or not several people handed over money for him to exchange.   Yes, you guessed it....he was robbed and the person took all of his money ( which was in his big front shorts pockets )  He said the police told him that people who wear those shorts are always getting robbed....but he had no police report because they said it would be a moot point....  Half of the cc group felt sorry for him...the rest felt it was a con job.

[ighten]

My top tip for a TA would be try to find something with a great Itinerary. Have now done two excellent ones NCL - Oct 2018 on the Jade - Trip report  here https://notesfromthebarn.blogspot.com/2018/11/ncl-jade-transatlantic-viking-route.html  (I need to remember to put this on site). Weather was from cool and wet to nice and summer. But the route was superb.

 

Also did Celebs Eclipse on the Boardwalk and Bermuda route - superb weather and wow a great route.

 

Have sailed on the epic  a few times - shes a great Mediterranean  base - not sure I would want to be on her for a TA though (my opinion - her routes tend to be a bit dull too)

[vwlmember]

My wife and I cannot wait to get on the Getaway on April 27th. Not only our first transatlantic, but our first cruise without children. Five days at sea to start sounds like a dream. Lots of sleep, sitting on the balcony, and flexing the crap out of the UBP!

[Clay Clayton]

We have done two TAs. The first was west to east last March on Viking Sky and the return was in November on Norwegian Star. 

 

While we didn’t love loosing an hour of sleep several nights in a row, it didn’t ruin our eastbound sailing.  While not as tiring, gaining an hour heading west also messes with your internal clock...found myself waking up earlier and earlier.  Ruined my retirement resolution to never get up before 8 am!😂

 

Both crossings followed basically thebsame southern route and we had very smooth seas last Fall. For the spring, we had loooong rolling waves, parallel to the ship which after a few days got to be bothersome, but again not enough to keep us from doing it again...in fact we leave a week from tomorrow heading to San Juan to catch Viking Sea headed to Europe. 

 

If you would like to read a comparative review of both crossings, you can find it here on my blog:

http://cruisinwithclay.com/2019/02/12/transatlantic-battle/

 

[spanishguy1970]

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

We have done two TAs. The first was west to east last March on Viking Sky and the return was in November on Norwegian Star. 

 

While we didn’t love loosing an hour of sleep several nights in a row, it didn’t ruin our eastbound sailing.  While not as tiring, gaining an hour heading west also messes with your internal clock...found myself waking up earlier and earlier.  Ruined my retirement resolution to never get up before 8 am!😂

 

Both crossings followed basically thebsame southern route and we had very smooth seas last Fall. For the spring, we had loooong rolling waves, parallel to the ship which after a few days got to be bothersome, but again not enough to keep us from doing it again...in fact we leave a week from tomorrow heading to San Juan to catch Viking Sea headed to Europe. 

 

If you would like to read a comparative review of both crossings, you can find it here on my blog:

http://cruisinwithclay.com/2019/02/12/transatlantic-battle/

 

Thank you for this blog, what an enjoyable read.

[Sauer-kraut]

On 3/16/2019 at 6:34 AM, myjillian said:

Speaking of stolen things in Barcelona I was on a 33 day TA and one of the CC member was going to go to the bank in Barcelona to exchange money and asked if anyone wanted him to exchange theirs while he was at it.  Believe it or not several people handed over money for him to exchange.   Yes, you guessed it....he was robbed and the person took all of his money ( which was in his big front shorts pockets )  He said the police told him that people who wear those shorts are always getting robbed....but he had no police report because they said it would be a moot point....  Half of the cc group felt sorry for him...the rest felt it was a con job.

 

This is why you should just use an ATM at a bank and withdraw Euro from there. The exchange rate will be better too. 

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, spanishguy1970 said:

Thank you for this blog, what an enjoyable read.

Thanks!  Feel free to “follow” and see how our upcoming TA goes or go back in the archives to Feb 2018 and get more detail about the cruises.