Transatlantic crossing and cabin selection

[cruzer0007]

Wife and I are considering a transatlantic crossing cruise, and cabin selection is already tight for 2022.  We have cruised many times, always prefer mid-deck/mid-ship locations, but all our cruising has been in the caribbean region.  Cabins we find for the transatlantic are either bow or stern, we know there is more movement there, but in a transatlantic crossing, is one better than the other ?  My guess is the stern would have (slightly) less movement than the bow, but have zero experience, or friend recommendations, to base that on. Also fully realize the sea conditions vary substantially, from one cruise to another, but for those who have experienced an atlantic crossing, is there anything you can share in regard to bow or stern cabins, and how much motion is typical ?

Edited November 18, 2021 by cruzer0007

[Ex-Airbalancer]

On SClass ships it is a long walk to the stern 😁

[Purplsmurf]

We did a TA on Infinity October 2019 and we were fortunate to have a family veranda in the aft. It was AMAZING!! I would definitely take a sunset veranda if available. We felt very little movement and loved watching the sunrise each morning. 

[Jim_Iain]

I've done about 20 TA's and have been in various cabin location on M - S and E class.   The higher the floor the more movement and from my experience the further  forward the rougher the ride if you hit high seas. 

 

Having said that,  the route your are traveling will also affect how much motion you may feel.  As a general rule (we can never predict what your crossing will be like) but a Southern Crossing (Canaries and crossing near equator) is generally the smoothest and some crossing have been like sailing on a sheet of glass.    Mid-Atlantic (Azores) moderate to smooth.   Norther Crossing - have a tendency to be rough, cold unpredictable, but have had some that were smooth and sunny.

[Northern Aurora]

We've done six trans-Atlantic and four trans-Pacific itineraries.  Our TAs have been either departing or returning to Florida, so a more southernly route.  We've never had weather I would consider to be particularly rough, but we did miss an overnight stop in Bermuda in 2016 (on the Eclipse) as we were running ahead of a storm.  

 

We have booked cabins from mid ship to the rear.  I would avoid a cabin near the bow.

 

[garyl62]

36 minutes ago, Airbalancer said:

On SClass ships it is a long walk to the stern 😁

it's only 113 steps from the elevator bank to the aft facing cabins on the Equinox.  Not as much as people make it out to be.

[Loracpin2]

You are correct in your comment about choosing stern. Avoid bow!!!  We have been on 4 fall transatlantic crossings and on one, about 18 years ago on a RCI ship comparable in size to M-Class,

hit 30 foot seas. Even though we were on deck9, no motion sickness pills could help me but my husband was fine.   

 

Since the theater was in the bow (like most cruise ships), the show "did not go on"!!

 

[Jim_Iain]

Just now, garyl62 said:

it's only 113 steps from the elevator bank to the aft facing cabins on the Equinox.  Not as much as people make it out to be.

 

LOL --- Gary -  I can see your a step counter.    Personally I like getting the extra steps but understand some prefer being close to an elevator.   We were recently staying in AQ 9068 and we both commented on how far it was to an elevator - either forward or aft.    Wasn't a problem but someone with mobility issues it could be of concern. 

 

 

[daydreamer16]

We were on  a TA in the fall of 2019 headed to Florida. The ship seemed to be surrounded by tropical storms or hurricanes but we only had one rough day. We were in an aft cabin on a lower deck.

[Jim_Iain]

In 2018 we did the 15 night Boston, Broadway and Bermuda crossing (northern).  

 

There was a huge storm in the North Atlantic and we had to divert from the Northern Crossing to south of the Azores. It was a rough one.   All patio furniture was tied down on our veranda for the crossing and we were a day late arriving in Boston -  other ports were shifted by one day and Bermuda was cancelled.    We had an ice storm the morning we arrived into Boston and the decks were like an ice rink.

 

2019 we did the Edge crossing to the south and it was warm and like a lake.

 

Roll of the dice.

[TeaBag]

We have also sailed about 6 TA's and the only really rough one was a northerly route.  They had to tie down the furniture on the balconies and we were asked not to go out there.  The southerly routes are generally more gentle. 

I think, Jim, we are talking about the same cruise.  Was it Silhouette, Nov 2018

 

Which cruise are you looking at cruzer 0007?

Edited November 19, 2021 by TeaBag

[radarcruiser]

Get the side that will face south for the crossing so you get some sunshine. 

[cruzer0007]

Thanks for the feedback, pretty much confirms what I had suspected.  We are not concerned about the walking distance to an elevator bank, or from one end of the ship to another, we actually prefer long walks, it helps (even if only minimally) to keep us a little bit active.  Our primary concern is motion in the ship in the open ocean, and how that would affect our general quality of cruise life. Neither of us is really sensitive to motion sickness, but also true that we have never really been tested. I dont think we've been in anything more than 12-15ft seas.  We will certainly stay away from the bow based on the feedback here.  Also probably explains why the bow cabins seem to fill last.

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

I think, Jim, we are talking about the same cruise.  Was it Silhouette, Nov 2018

 

We were all on that windy cruise.  ☺️

 

Yellow boat: our original course

Red boat: our altered course

 

[Travelexpert35]

I would definitely go for the aft cabin. We were on a Transpacific in 2019 and the bow was pitching in bad weather as I was doing my steps around the ship. I was thankful we were in the stern.

[jelayne]

If you mentioned which ship I missed it.  We find the E class to have less movement and the MClass the most ( not bad, just more).  We prefer aft of

mid-ship regardless of where the ship is sailing.  As someone else mentioned decide if you want sun or shade and pick starboard or port side based on that. 

[cruzer0007]

We have booked a deck 7 aft cabin on the April 30th 2022 transatlantic trip on the Apex (ends in Amsterdam), thanks for all the feedback.   New line of questioning around the transatlantic experience ... how much time do we need to allow for getting off the ship in Amsterdam, and then subsequently getting through airport check-in ?  We will fly back to the USA (Chicago).  It looks like the only departure options leave Amsterdam around 11am ... several flights to pick from, but only 1 is non-stop, and all of them leave around 11am.   If it was a US port, like Miami or Ft Lauderdale, I would do it (book an 11am flight) but since this is international, how much additional headache will we have ?  How much time should we allow ?  We have never done an international cruise experience, only been in and out of US ports.

Edited November 19, 2021 by cruzer0007

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

We have booked a deck 7 aft cabin on the April 30th 2022 transatlantic trip on the Apex (ends in Amsterdam), thanks for all the feedback.   New line of questioning around the transatlantic experience ... how much time do we need to allow for getting off the ship in Amsterdam, and then subsequently getting through airport check-in ?  We will fly back to the USA (Chicago).  It looks like the only departure options leave Amsterdam around 11am ... several flights to pick from, but only 1 is non-stop, and all of them leave around 11am.   If it was a US port, like Miami or Ft Lauderdale, I would do it (book an 11am flight) but since this is international, how much additional headache will we have ?  How much time should we allow ?  We have never done an international cruise experience, only been in and out of US ports.

Have you check in on the roll call? 
a lot of goog info there 
After the Silhouette crossing in 2015 , it was a bit of a ***** show getting a taxi, if you prearrange a service it shouldnt be to bad 

[-Lew-]

11 hours ago, radarcruiser said:

Get the side that will face south for the crossing so you get some sunshine. 

 

Our thoughts also for our first westbound TA many years ago, but we found the sun just too intense to spend any amount of time on our balcony.  We now choose to be on the starboard side when sailing from Europe to the US.  It's much more comfortable on the balcony during the day.  By the time the sun appears it's pretty close to setting.

[Arizona Wildcat]

14 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

Wife and I are considering a transatlantic crossing cruise, and cabin selection is already tight for 2022.  We have cruised many times, always prefer mid-deck/mid-ship locations, but all our cruising has been in the caribbean region.  Cabins we find for the transatlantic are either bow or stern, we know there is more movement there, but in a transatlantic crossing, is one better than the other ?  My guess is the stern would have (slightly) less movement than the bow, but have zero experience, or friend recommendations, to base that on. Also fully realize the sea conditions vary substantially, from one cruise to another, but for those who have experienced an atlantic crossing, is there anything you can share in regard to bow or stern cabins, and how much motion is typical ?

It almost always makes little difference because the Captain can change course by several hundred miles to avoid weather.  Have done some dozen TAs and had rough weather only once.  The crossing was in the North Atlantic with 20-30' waves.  You could feel a tiny bit of motion.  Those that were very sensitive wore seasick patches for a day.

That said Jim is correct.  You tend to feel less motion on a lower deck .

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

Wife and I are considering a transatlantic crossing cruise, and cabin selection is already tight for 2022.  We have cruised many times, always prefer mid-deck/mid-ship locations, but all our cruising has been in the caribbean region.  Cabins we find for the transatlantic are either bow or stern, we know there is more movement there, but in a transatlantic crossing, is one better than the other ?  My guess is the stern would have (slightly) less movement than the bow, but have zero experience, or friend recommendations, to base that on. Also fully realize the sea conditions vary substantially, from one cruise to another, but for those who have experienced an atlantic crossing, is there anything you can share in regard to bow or stern cabins, and how much motion is typical ?

Not sure how much actual difference this all makes.  In general the closer to the fulcrum of the ship the less motion back and forth.  Mid-ship lower decks are best.  But side-to-side motion is in general controlled by stabilizers of modern cruise ships and they do a great job.  Stern or bow might be slightly different depending on the direction of the seas, currents and wind.  No great way to predict this based upon what others experienced for their actual sea conditions on their cruise.

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, TeaBag said:

 

I think, Jim, we are talking about the same cruise.  Was it Silhouette, Nov 2018

 

Yes it was the silhouette Nov 2018.    I recall meeting you and the CC gathering.   

 

I remember that the Queen Mary and Edge were diverted to the same route.  While the crossing was rough,  I remember the remainder was fantastic.     The Captain gave us a wonder close up view of the Statue of Liberty arriving into New York City.

[Jim_Iain]

7 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

We have booked a deck 7 aft cabin on the April 30th 2022 transatlantic trip on the Apex (ends in Amsterdam), thanks for all the feedback.   New line of questioning around the transatlantic experience ... how much time do we need to allow for getting off the ship in Amsterdam, and then subsequently getting through airport check-in ?  We will fly back to the USA (Chicago).  It looks like the only departure options leave Amsterdam around 11am ... several flights to pick from, but only 1 is non-stop, and all of them leave around 11am.   If it was a US port, like Miami or Ft Lauderdale, I would do it (book an 11am flight) but since this is international, how much additional headache will we have ?  How much time should we allow ?  We have never done an international cruise experience, only been in and out of US ports.

 

I've arrived Amsterdam a couple times.    Disembarkation  was very quick.    The airport is about 30 minutes away by Taxi but taxi's may be hard to come by.    The train station is only about 1/2 mile away and trains come right into the airport.   

 

As other airports time through security is unpredictable but I would say less than 10 minutes.    

 

11 AM flight may be difficult for an International Flight  -   Airlines are now required to check vaccination status and Covid testing if required at time of your flight.

 

Airport FAQ -   on Arrival at Airport

 

When to arrive at Schiphol

 

This usually depends on your airline, your destination and the opening times of the check-in desk. In general, you should arrive at Schiphol: 2 hours before departure, when traveling to a European destination. 3 hours before departure, when traveling to an intercontinental destination.

[Turtles06]

20 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I remember that the Queen Mary and Edge were diverted to the same route

 

Jim, I don't recall anything about the Edge, but I had a friend aboard the QM2 (which left Southampton the day after we did), and we were emailing back and forth about the weather.  Because they were doing their traditional crossing, their Captain did not divert as far south as we did (if at all), and they sailed through much higher winds than we did. 

[4774Papa]

17 hours ago, cruzer0007 said:

Wife and I are considering a transatlantic crossing cruise, and cabin selection is already tight for 2022.  We have cruised many times, always prefer mid-deck/mid-ship locations, but all our cruising has been in the caribbean region.  Cabins we find for the transatlantic are either bow or stern, we know there is more movement there, but in a transatlantic crossing, is one better than the other ?  My guess is the stern would have (slightly) less movement than the bow, but have zero experience, or friend recommendations, to base that on. Also fully realize the sea conditions vary substantially, from one cruise to another, but for those who have experienced an atlantic crossing, is there anything you can share in regard to bow or stern cabins, and how much motion is typical ?

We have done three TA cruises and one TP cruise.    On none of those did we have any storms that caused the ship to  have significant movement.  Only one cruise that we did had a problem and we were in the North Sea between Norway and Iceland with a cat 2 hurricane that caused 40 ft waves.

 

We usually pick a stern location for our cabin and haven't been disappointed.  Go for one nearest the middle of the ship.