Everything & Anything About Transatlantic.....

[Watrfrnt]

I agree except we’re talking about multiple countries in the Schengen area, Spain, Italy, Greece all share the same “external” border. BTW, Switzerland is also in the Schengen area. 
 

From the research I‘ve done, if a person stays longer than 90 days in any of the countries that are part of the Schengen area, there could be hefty fines. That would definitely put a damper on my six months of cruising…

 

The search continues…

[spunks]

It was my understanding that the Schengen agreements were ending after this year sometime. At least as far as Americans are concerned. We have yet to get all the information, but we might have to obtain Visa's for each country seperately from now on.

Good luck with your search.....wish I could have been more help.

 

Doug

[Watrfrnt]

As soon as I find the correct information I will be happy to post it…

 

Thanks for your help!

[LHT28]

then there is the complication of staying 90 days within a 6 month period rule

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/etias/

 

I think the new ETIAS  has been pushed back to 2022 ?

 

[wassuup3358]

I'm thinking of a TA cruise because it sounds interesting and fabulous.  Do all the cruise lines offer them?  Which cruise line is the best for the TA cruises?  I am just starting to research this so any and all info would be appreciated.  

 

A little info about me and my husband, we live in California by Yosemite Nat'l Park are seniors but active.

 

Thank you!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

12 hours ago, wassuup3358 said:

I'm thinking of a TA cruise because it sounds interesting and fabulous.  Do all the cruise lines offer them?  Which cruise line is the best for the TA cruises?  I am just starting to research this so any and all info would be appreciated.  

 

A little info about me and my husband, we live in California by Yosemite Nat'l Park are seniors but active.

 

Thank you!

Assuming that the ships will be sailing again in 2021...you can plan a trip to either the East Coast or Europe...assuming they will be open for tourism.  Or you can plan a voyage from a far off place since a lot of ships will be repositioning from distant shores.  You did say TA...transatlantic...right?  If you are active you might want to consider Royal Caribbean...they have an elevated activity level that will keep you going.  If you want a more luxurious experience you might consider the MSC Yacht Club.  If you want a totally luxurious experience you might want a luxury line but you will have a much lower activity level.  If you want a totally different way to cross you can try Windstar and take a sailing ship across the Atlantic.  Another mass market line with nice ships and lots to do is Princess.  
 

Take your time...there will be a lot of itinerary changes coming up so planning anything at this point will not be set in stone.

[wassuup3358]

CGTNORMANDIE - thank you very much for the info!  Yes I did say Trans Atlantic but would be interested in Trans Pacific too.  What did you mean "plan a voyage from a far off place since a lot of ships will be repositioning from distant shores."?  I'm hoping we can cruise next year without masks!

[CGTNORMANDIE]

2 hours ago, wassuup3358 said:

CGTNORMANDIE - thank you very much for the info!  Yes I did say Trans Atlantic but would be interested in Trans Pacific too.  What did you mean "plan a voyage from a far off place since a lot of ships will be repositioning from distant shores."?  I'm hoping we can cruise next year without masks!

I believe you got your answer already on your other thread.  I was referring to a repositioning from one destination to another.  You will have plenty of choices to look at.  
 

I don’t know if we (Elders) will ever be able to arrive at a cruise terminal without wearing a mask...at least not in the next two years.  I wouldn’t mind wearing a mask while boarding a ship...as long as I could remove it at some point.  I’m definitely wearing a mask when I fly...from now on.

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, wassuup3358 said:

Which cruise line is the best for the TA cruises?  I am just starting to research this so any and all info would be appreciated.  

 

There has been an opportunity to book a segment of a longer cruise that sails between Europe and the United States.  Final segments of a world cruise are a possibility.  HAL has offered a cruise called Voyage of the Vikings that can be booked as either an Eastbound or a Westbound segment, space available.  

[CGTNORMANDIE]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

There has been an opportunity to book a segment of a longer cruise that sails between Europe and the United States.  Final segments of a world cruise are a possibility.  HAL has offered a cruise called Voyage of the Vikings that can be booked as either an Eastbound or a Westbound segment, space available.  

LOL...RK,  I believe that the OP said they were “active” which is why I didn’t suggest HAL...LOL. 😎

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

LOL...RK,  I believe that the OP said they were “active” which is why I didn’t suggest HAL...LOL. 😎

 

Got it!  Just trying to provide some additional information for the OP.  

[cltnccruisers]

Very informative thread without any of the snarkiness that seems to pop up lately.  🙂

We've never been on a TA but have been scoping them out for a retirement voyage.  You folks have been very helpful and we will revisit this thread as our plans firm up.  One quick question.  It seems as though TAs sell out very quickly - is that true or is it just my imagination running away with me?

[rkacruiser]

3 hours ago, cltnccruisers said:

It seems as though TAs sell out very quickly - is that true

 

How quickly they sell may depend upon the itinerary and the frequency of the ship that sails that itinerary.  For example, in-season, Queen Mary 2 makes several TAs.  I would think that one might be able to book a stateroom on one of her voyages closer to sailing date than a segment of a very popular voyage such as HAL's Voyage of the Vikings close to that sailing date.

 

I was able to book the last segment of the Amsterdam's 2007 World Cruise from Italy to Fort Lauderdale less than 12 months in advance,  And, then received an upgrade of one cabin category a few weeks before sailing.  Obviously, cabins were still available.

[Fairgarth]

3 hours ago, cltnccruisers said:

It seems as though TAs sell out very quickly - is that true or is it just my imagination running away with me?

 

Actually, I have always suspected the opposite, although I can't prove it.  Yes, some people - including us - love trans-At but there are lots of cruisers who are looking for ports.  They want to visit different places.  That makes TA a tough sell for the cruise lines and also why they can be a bargain.  (None of which applies to a crossing on QM2)  For us, the ship is the destination.  One of our TAs was only two thirds full.  Others have been booked close to departure.

[cltnccruisers]

Just to be safe we'll probably get ours booked as soon as it surfaces.  Especially since it will be part of a B2B.

[Heidi13]

In our experience, Trans-Atlantics have a loyal base, but it is normally insufficient to fill the ship early in the booking process. Therefore, a number of TA's have reduced pricing closer to departure.

[SilkySal]

Looking forward to our first TA next November on Rhapsody for 14 nights from Barcelona through the Canaries and on to Tampa (close to our FL home). Snagged a corner AFT balcony and can't wait for those lovely sea days!

[taglovestocruise]

On 10/11/2020 at 3:18 PM, cltnccruisers said:

Just to be safe we'll probably get ours booked as soon as it surfaces.  Especially since it will be part of a B2B.

Good idea to book early so you can get the same cabin for both legs. Our last TA on Symphony had about 4500. Cabins are all sold but 1500 kids are not onboard.  Our Last Oasis class TA had 12 kids under 16. happy cruising

[rkacruiser]

On 10/11/2020 at 6:18 PM, cltnccruisers said:

Just to be safe we'll probably get ours booked as soon as it surfaces.  Especially since it will be part of a B2B.

 

If one really wants a specific cruise, the earlier one books is the smart way to go.  Better chance that one will be able to book the specific stateroom one desires.  And, the pricing may be better than waiting until later if that cruise or cruise segment begins to be well booked.

[ariesknowbest]

Hubby and I are going on our first TA voyage in Oct. 2021 on QM2.  Sooooo looking forward to it.....

[spunks]

I havnt visited this thread in a while, but We have done 9 EB TA's and 10 west bound. We prefer the west bound ones, but that is just our preference.I would say that up until the last 8 years or so, Princess was the better line for a TA as they did more ports in Europe, where as RCCL did many TA's with just one or 2 ports. That has now changed and both do similar iteneraries.

 

From my experience, the biggest "fears" of those that have not done a TA are worry about rough seas and fear of boredom on sea days. All but 2 of our TA's have been very, very smooth. Generally, the Mediterranian is rougher. As far as what to do....do not worry. There is so much to do on the ship that the time just flies by. We have to very carefully check our Compass or Patter to make sure we dont miss anything.

 

I hope this helps.

Doug

[pcrum]

On 1/22/2020 at 4:04 PM, PBTravelBug said:

I love to cruise and am always envious when I see a story about someone living out their golden years on a cruise ship!

Not to that point in life yet but a transatlantic / re-positioning cruise is on my cruise bucket list.

 

Please share your thoughts and experiences about transatlantic cruising. A few ideas to discuss...

- Did you decide to upgrade your cabin for this type of cruise? Maybe this is the cruise to go all out and get a suite?

- Anything you would advise to pack that someone might not think to pack?

- Do you prefer an east bound cruise or a west bound cruise?

 

Thanks for sharing!

I’m late to the party, but so happy to find this thread, as when we did our first TA in April, 2019, I searched for information.  Our first TA was on the NCL Epic, Port Canaveral to Barcelona.  We originally booked an inside cabin, but later upgraded to a balcony after final payment during a price drop.  We had a “guarantee” balcony, but loved it, as it was on the “hump” of the ship, so was larger than a standard balcony.  It was on the port side, which I understand is less desirable on an eastward TA, but being from FL, we enjoyed the cooler air.  We were one deck below the buffet which was super convenient, as I’d go up and make us a cheese plate each evening to have with wine on our balcony (we had the beverage package as a perk on this sailing).

 

As for items to bring, we brought magnetic hook from Amazon to hang up hats, bags, and jackets and they worked wonderfully to keep the room organized. Even our room steward commented on them.  I also travel with an over the door plastic shoe bag for toiletries and misc. items.  Our balcony neighbors had a bluetooth speaker and played the soundtrack from A Star is Born very evening.  I happen to love that soundtrack, so enjoyed it.  A bluetooth speaker is an item you might want to bring, but I’d be careful about using it on your balcony unless you know your neighbors share your taste in music.

 

Our first TA was eastbound, where we lost an hour each night for several nights.  As it was during sea days, it was not a big deal to us.  We are looking forward to trying a westbound our next TA, which is currently booked on NCL Getaway from Rome to Miami in Dec., 2021.  We are considering changing to RCL HOS from Barcelona to Port Canaveral though, as Port Canaveral is our home port and it’s cheaper to fly to Barcelona than Rome from Orlando. The RCL ship has only one port stop though, so we’d miss a lot of the Spain cities we grew to love on our first TA.

 

Looking forward to this thread and catching up.

[pcrum]

On 1/25/2020 at 8:10 AM, Markanddonna said:

 

The CD usually adds more dance classes, games and activity on sea days. All this is variable. NCL doesn't have lecturers while some others do.

 

 

We sailed NCL Epic in April, 2019 and there was a lovely British woman who lectured everyday.  She lived in Spain and told us about each port city we would visit, covering one city one each lecture, and then also did general lectures about the Spanish royal family and the British royal family.  We loved her lectures. 

 

NCL also seemed to add extra entertainment to the TA.  One night all of the performers from the Broadway show onboard, "Priscilla Queen of the Desert" performed a cabaret of Broadway show tunes.  They indicated they just produced the show on the fly to add extra entertainment.  We really enjoyed it, along with all of the other entertainment on the cruise.  Howl at the Moon, the dualing piano bar, was a favorite. 

 

We had very few children onboard; I'd estimate under 20 total.  My husband and I are mid-50s and I'd say the average age was about 10 years older than us, but there were plenty of people our age on board also.  

[pcrum]

On 2/11/2020 at 1:25 PM, RhondaLea said:

We have booked our first TA cruise Barcelona to New York. The airfare I have found so far is shockingly HIGH! I believe it is because I am searching one way tickets. Who have you used in the past to get to Barcelona? 

We flew home from Barcelona to Orlando, FL.  We went through London Gatwick via Norwegian Airlines and it was very reasonable.  There are many low cost flights from Barcelona to London.  We went to London a few days early and spent some time there and then flew home on Norwegian Airlines via London Gatwick.  Note: Norwegian Airlines is not associated with NCL (Norwegian) cruise line.

[Markanddonna]

6 hours ago, pcrum said:

We sailed NCL Epic in April, 2019 and there was a lovely British woman who lectured everyday.  She lived in Spain and told us about each port city we would visit, covering one city one each lecture, and then also did general lectures about the Spanish royal family and the British royal family.  We loved her lectures. 

 

 

I would have loved that. Our last TA was on the Jade in 2018 ,and there were no "traditional" lecturers. The CD asked guests to give impromptu lectures and one guy talked about the military in a small lounge, if I recall.  No reimbursed lecturers. We also had a wonderful 12 day Eastern Med on the Spirit in Dec 2019 with no lecturers. I suppose it is hit and miss.