Verandah or Ocean View cabin on a Transatlantic cruise?

[AncientWanderer]

18 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I didn’t really think the fall crossings have changed that much.  Now admittedly, I selected specific itineraries on very specific ships (now gone from the fleet) and those sailings were traditionally later than the others so maybe that’s the difference.  That ship was usually the among the last to leave Europe in the fleet 😉   

 

Our sailings have been towards late October to early - mid November most times we have done a crossing but I do know other ships may have sailed earlier.  Eurodam still hasn’t not started her crossing (October 30th) nor has the Rotterdam but that doesn’t seem unusual to me. 😉 

Completely agree with you on the Fall Crossings - Crossings are always so much fun, especially when you have a great roll call 😄 

 

I've been thinking more about this.  I wonder if climate change may have something to do with stretching seasons?  I know the frost dates have changed for agriculture, so makes sense to also adjust sailing dates. 

No matter, give me any "Spanish Farewell" and I'll take it.  😊

 

Edit to add I'm not at all questioning your statement that November is not out of the ordinary.  Just musing with Alaska in mind as well.  

Edited October 22, 2021 by AncientWanderer

[kazu]

27 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

No matter, give me any "Spanish Farewell" and I'll take it

 

I so agree

 

There’s a nice one next year on the Oosterdam leaving November 5th from Barcelona - Hint, hint, hint 😉  

[StLouisCruisers]

We had a very late crossing in 2018 on Pacific Princess.  We started out in Venice boarding the ship on Thanksgiving Day (U.S.) and arriving in Ft. Lauderdale three days before Christmas.  The only reason we booked it was because we hadn't sailed on that smaller ship yet and we wanted to see if we liked it.  Prinsendam was on its way out of the HAL fleet just 6 or 7 months later.  Anyway, Venice was full of water since that is their flooding season.  And the sea days across the Atlantic were very rough with lots of bad weather.  So it wasn't the nicest transatlantics we've been on, that's for sure.  And then Princess sold the Pacific Princess!  🤷‍♀️

[AtlantaCruiser72]

56 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I so agree

 

There’s a nice one next year on the Oosterdam leaving November 5th from Barcelona - Hint, hint, hint 😉  

 

and the same exact itinerary on the same ship is also being offered on 11/1/2023 :)  Opened for sale today!

[kazu]

32 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

and the same exact itinerary on the same ship is also being offered on 11/1/2023 🙂 Opened for sale today!

 

Too bad HAL isn’t changing itineraries but in any case they was a reason I told her about the 2022 sailing 😉 

 

We have a great roll call for that sailing 👍 

[Mickb]

We have done several transatlantics. As you are going on the southerly route a port side balcony cabin will get you lots of sun. As you are generally heading west you will tend to loose the sun in the latter part of the afternoon so your shade requirements should be met. Starboard side cabins are colder and you notice the wind more. In the end it depends on how much time you like to spend in your cabin. If you only really use the cabin to change clothes and sleep then it’s probably not worth it - if you are like us and like to spend time reading or watching the sea - I would suggest that is.
we have done a couple of crossings on the QM2 on the northern route and used the balcony much less.

[RGEDad]

We have also done several TAs and TPs, We really enjoy the time on the ship (and quite frequently stay on board on Port days - If we have been there multiple times before). For TAs/TPs I book the southern exposure veranda as it is always early in the cruising season or late in the cruising season, or vice verse.

If it is cool and windy on the veranda, I bundle up in a windbreaker and take the blanket from the closet and wrap it around. I spend hours out there reading, intercepting, wave watching, or listening to my audible books. If it is too cold (which it can be at night) I get up and go meander around the ship, maybe find a cubby hole, or possibly up in the crows nest.

I will grant you - I have not done more than an overnight in an oceanview cabin - so no long cruise experience there, but I do know I really really enjoy using our balcony - even in cooler weather - and especially when the weather/waves get...interesting.

[LocoLoco1]

Your ship will be going WEST. Avoid a Veranda on the Starboard/Right side as it will be brisk and dark facing NORTH. 

[AncientWanderer]

On 10/22/2021 at 12:07 PM, kazu said:

 

I so agree

 

There’s a nice one next year on the Oosterdam leaving November 5th from Barcelona - Hint, hint, hint 😉  

 

I put a hold on the Ancient Empires & Spanish Farewell that departs Oct 20, 2023.

Lots of different countries involved.  Maybe by then it will be easy to do all that again.   🤞

[kazu]

48 minutes ago, AncientWanderer said:

 

I put a hold on the Ancient Empires & Spanish Farewell that departs Oct 20, 2023.

Lots of different countries involved.  Maybe by then it will be easy to do all that again.   🤞

 

Nice 🙂. I might have to take a look.  Intriguing.  I’m hoping all will be well by Nov, 2022 🤞 (and May of course 😉 )

[kazu]

2 hours ago, LocoLoco1 said:

Your ship will be going WEST. Avoid a Veranda on the Starboard/Right side as it will be brisk and dark facing NORTH. 

 

Well we have a starboard cabin booked on the same cruise as the OP (starboard has better sightings of the ports as we approach) and there were few port cabins that I cared for.  I started to re-think my cabin choice but there aren’t many I care for on the port side.

 

Back in 2013 we did a spring Transatlantic and were on the port side (the opposite side that you should be) thanks to a great upsell.  I didn’t find the balcony cold.   DH prefers shade so I guess we’ll see unless we change our minds very shortly. 😉 

[sunnygidget]

We've done a balcony on a trans Atlantic.  Loved having it, however it gets salty out there.  We'd have to wipe things down a bit or get salt on our clothes.  It's not like the crew can hose the balcony down crossing the sea😉

[RGEDad]

12 hours ago, sunnygidget said:

 It's not like the crew can hose the balcony down crossing the sea

Sure they can - and frequently do - maybe every third cruise we get a notice that  they will be cleaning the verandas -so there will be maintenance people hosing down the decks and washing the windows and railing outside our cabin. 

We just have to make sure we are not prancing about in our all-in-all.

 

 

[iancal]

We did a port side balcony on a westbound TA.   We were very thankful for it.  Spent many hours reading and sipping wine.  Some afternoons it got so warm that we came inside.  Seas were glass like.  My in laws were in the next cabin.  We were very fortunate. Late booking and we both snagged very nice extended balcony cabins.

 

We lucked out.  Would never do another TA even though the ship was wonderful. After three days we were ready to jump ship.

[prescottbob]

Hello!

We’ve been fortunate to do several  east to west Atlantic crossings on HAL, Princess and Seabourne. We’ve done a North Sea Cunard but that wouldn’t be applicable for your query.

Regardless of my “cruise resume”  I can only imagine your ship would be on a south / southeast heading once thru Gibraltar unless you have a stop in Funchal, etc.. Any heavy / stormy seas would be avoided by the ship's Master (heavy seas = low bar revenue, nice weather= great bar revenue). So the sooner you get closer to the equator the nicer the weather will be (Mai Tai anyone?).

I suppose choosing a Verandah versus an OV depends on you travel budget, time you think you would spend on the ‘porch’ reading and such and location of your cabin.

As mentioned. If you don’t care for early AM sunrise lighting (assuming a south bound diagonal route) I’d go for a starboard accommodation (nice sunsets too).

BTW, on a Princess TA years ago we used an ‘upgraded’ Verandah to dry some of our hand washed laundry since we didn’t have the freebie laundry services at the time. No biggie really.

Most of our adventures on crossings have been great and whether you have the ability to use your verandah daily or not due to windy/rainy weather. Generally speaking most crossings, such as the one you have described, have been relatively pleasant and smooth 

We love sea days regardless of the  "ponds" global location. We've meet so many great folks & enjoy each others company versus port intensive  cruises where tours, tour preparations, tendering's, etc  are continuous 'time takers'.

Me thinks you'll have a wonderful time regardless of whatever accommodation you select.

Be well & enjoy!

Bob

[cenmn18]

On 10/21/2021 at 3:50 PM, BlackJack2 said:

 

We are booked in an Ocean View cabin right now but are considering upgrading to a Verandah for our next cruise, which is a Transatlantic from Barcelona to FLL.  Is it worth the extra money for a verandah for all those sea days?  Appreciate any advice!  

 

Here's another viewpoint. Since experiencing a verandah we have never gone back to ocean view. Our favorite is aft, mid-ship. Quiet and peaceful for reading or watching the ocean and clouds. Little hallway traffic gives a good night's rest for this light sleeper.  The verandah give some sun and we go up on deck for more. It probably is not everyone's choice but it is ours. Good luck!