Experiences with adding cruises before or after a TA, please

[Can I Cruise]

I'm looking for insight or examples of how cruisers extend their vacations by adding on a cruise either  before of after a TA. 

Do you look  at the same ship or other ones in specific areas- what works best ?

 

Thanks !

[shippmates]

You can look at the same ship or look at the other cruise lines that sail out of that port.  Do a search for cruises out of your TA ending port.

[TheOldBear]

There are some options for extended, multiple segment cruises on the same ship [only unpack once]

 

As an example, my upcoming QM2 sailing is 26 nights - eastbound TA crossing, 12 night Southampton round trip, and a westbound TA crossing. 

[Mary229]

One mistake I made is I booked it as one 21 day cruise, I was informed by other cruisers had I booked it as a 14 day followed by a 7  day cruise I could  have had two shareholder OBCs instead of one.   

[Dutchman48]

On 8/6/2022 at 5:44 PM, Mary229 said:

One mistake I made is I booked it as one 21 day cruise, I was informed by other cruisers had I booked it as a 14 day followed by a 7  day cruise I could  have had two shareholder OBCs instead of one.   

Yes and no.

Just did the same thing. The combined the 21-day booking fare was slightly cheaper than if I booked it is two separate cruises thus canceling out the loss of my shareholder OBC. On some past cruises the various other promos made it advantageous to book separate segments. Like all other things we need to do the math first.

 

[TexasGal#35]

Greece has been on our bucket list for a while, but airfare has been so expensive. My husband found a 15 day transatlantic cruise out of Galveston, Texas (where I was born and raised and we currently live 40 minutes from) going to Barcelona, Spain. It was so inexpensive, we decided to do it. Then he found a 15 day cruise of the Greek Islands out of Rome. To make this story shorter, I found that the ship we will be on, will continue on a 11 day cruise from Barcelona to Athens by way of France, Italy, Malta, Turkey and some Greek islands. We will have to change cabins, unfortunately, because the cabin we are originally in, was already booked for the second cruise. 

This will save us so much money to fly home one way. That's how we decided on and found our B2B.

 

Gloria

 

[Hlitner]

On 8/1/2022 at 10:17 PM, Can I Cruise said:

I'm looking for insight or examples of how cruisers extend their vacations by adding on a cruise either  before of after a TA. 

Do you look  at the same ship or other ones in specific areas- what works best ?

 

Thanks !

Over many decades we have routinely done both (back to backs and additional cruises).  Sometimes we will spend some time on land before taking another cruise and there have also been times when we will disembark in one port (such as Barcelona) and later embark at another port (i.e. Amsterdam) after spending time traveling between the two locations.

 

What works best?  That depends on your own likes/dislikes.  We love our independent time in Europe/Asia and whether that land time comes between or at the end of a few cruises is no matter.  The itinerary and logistics will generally drive our decision.  We actually once took a cruise that ended in Dover, England, where we had arranged to share a van (with another cruising couple) tanhat immediately drove us a few hours to Southampton where we boarded the QM2 to head back to NYC.  We had a good laugh since we left our first cruise after breakfast and were aboard the QM2 in time for lunch.  Never missed a meal and actually did not spend any time in England other than on the transit.  On another fun adventure we took a cruise from Civitavecchia to Istanbul where we debarked and spent 5 days in Istanbul.  We than boarded another cruise that ended in Barcelona.  

 

The limits of this kind of thing are you imagination and the availability of cruises.

 

Hank

[cementhands]

On 8/1/2022 at 11:17 PM, Can I Cruise said:

I'm looking for insight or examples of how cruisers extend their vacations by adding on a cruise either  before of after a TA. 

Do you look  at the same ship or other ones in specific areas- what works best ?

 

Thanks !

Using Priceline for example it’s plain to see every single cruise onboard the same ship immediately following a transatlantic has a jacked up price. Cruise lines know we want to do back to back so it’s reasonable price on going transatlantic but very next cruise is outrageous over priced! Solution is do transatlantic and then spend a week on land then do another cruise. To come back home either fly TAP is a good airline or reverse transatlantic on Cunard to NYC.

[Hlitner]

Just today, I thought of this thread since I started to look at some TA options for the spring of 2024.  My thinking started with the idea that DW and I would like to spend a few weeks in Europe and what options did we have for TAs.  As a very simple example, I quickly noticed a 25 day HAL cruise (Ft Lauderdale to Athens) that actually costs less than one-way Business Class air fare.  I also know that if we book HAL, we can take advantage of their Flight discounts and snag a decent return air fare.  So than my next through was, "if we do this cruise what will we do when we disembark in Athens?"  That immediately opens up the idea of some island hopping among some of the Greek Islands (we love this part of the Med). 

 

Also noticed a Regal Princess TA around the same time from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton.  But this gets our interest because the last port (one day before  the end of the cruise) is in Le Havre and we have often used this kind of cruise to get to France (a favorite country for DIY).  In this case we would simply request an early debarkation, use the ship as the way to get to France, and stay in that part of Europe.  If we wanted to return on another cruise we could eventually make our way to Hamburg and take the QM2 back to the USA in May.

 

I posted this to stimulate some ideas in those who have been thinking along similar lines but have never gone through the exercise of actually looking.  One key is to find a decent cruise data base that lists all cruises and can be easily searched by dates, routes, etc.  A few cruise agencies have such sites and once you find a web site that meets your own likes, you can be like a kid in a candy store :).

 

Hank

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Hank, great minds think alike!  I am constantly finding new routes and new opportunities by following your method.  Right now I’m planning a trip to Rio then sailing back to Europe just as soon as I am physically able.  

[SPacificbound]

We have used Queen Mary 2 many times to either take a TA East or West depending on the other travel plans. I do not enjoy flying, so QM2 takes care of that.

[YoPhilly]

On 2/13/2023 at 12:27 PM, Hlitner said:

I posted this to stimulate some ideas in those who have been thinking along similar lines but have never gone through the exercise of actually looking.  One key is to find a decent cruise data base that lists all cruises and can be easily searched by dates, routes, etc.  A few cruise agencies have such sites and once you find a web site that meets your own likes, you can be like a kid in a candy store :).

 

Hank

Hank, you've got me thinking about adding on to our August 2024 TA.  Oh, the possibilities! 😁

[Hlitner]

26 minutes ago, YoPhilly said:

Hank, you've got me thinking about adding on to our August 2024 TA.  Oh, the possibilities! 😁

Then I have accomplished my personal mission which is to encourage fellow Americans to expand their thinking about Europe and not fear DIY.  Over the decades, DW and I have had so much fun (and some grief) thinking outside the box and planning independent travel within Europe.  I am an outspoken fan of rental or leased cars, because that does give us the maximum flexibility.  Within major cities we do not want a car, but once we leave those cities a car is far superior to rail (some will argue this point) because the car lets you go to many places not even accessible by rail.

 

Hank

[YoPhilly]

22 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Then I have accomplished my personal mission which is to encourage fellow Americans to expand their thinking about Europe and not fear DIY.  Over the decades, DW and I have had so much fun (and some grief) thinking outside the box and planning independent travel within Europe.  I am an outspoken fan of rental or leased cars, because that does give us the maximum flexibility.  Within major cities we do not want a car, but once we leave those cities a car is far superior to rail (some will argue this point) because the car lets you go to many places not even accessible by rail.

 

Hank

That's what I do.  This past September I traveled around Greece solo for 3 weeks (my husband didn't want to go).  I ferry-hopped a couple of islands, then drove all over the Peleponnese peninsula.  This summer I'll be solo-ing from Sweden to the Baltics to Poland.  It's a big world out there!

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, YoPhilly said:

That's what I do.  This past September I traveled around Greece solo for 3 weeks (my husband didn't want to go).  I ferry-hopped a couple of islands, then drove all over the Peleponnese peninsula.  This summer I'll be solo-ing from Sweden to the Baltics to Poland.  It's a big world out there!

Island hopping, in the Greek Islands, is lots of fun and can be a real adventure if you choose islands that you have seldom or never visited,  It works well with cruises that begin or end in Pireaus since that is also a major cruise port.  In Aug 2021, we took a 2 week cruise that debarked in Pireaus.  We took our time leaving the ship, grabbed a taxi arouosnd the harbor to the ferry pier near the train station, and after come coffee at the port cafe boarded a ferry to Naxos. After a few days on that island we took another short ferry ride over to Paxos for another few days and finally hopped a ferry back to Pireaus. It was all such good fun and a nice way to spend 10 days.  

 

The Greek ferry routes offer lots of options to many different islands (never visited by cruise ships).  It is another of those DIY adventures that are only limited by one's imagination   And we are still doing this kind of thing in our 70s, and it is a lot easier for younger folks.  

 

If you do get to Poland, try to make your way to Krakov which we found to be a terrific city. 

 

Hank 

[YoPhilly]

7 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Island hopping, in the Greek Islands, is lots of fun and can be a real adventure if you choose islands that you have seldom or never visited,  It works well with cruises that begin or end in Pireaus since that is also a major cruise port.  In Aug 2021, we took a 2 week cruise that debarked in Pireaus.  We took our time leaving the ship, grabbed a taxi arouosnd the harbor to the ferry pier near the train station, and after come coffee at the port cafe boarded a ferry to Naxos. After a few days on that island we took another short ferry ride over to Paxos for another few days and finally hopped a ferry back to Pireaus. It was all such good fun and a nice way to spend 10 days.  

 

The Greek ferry routes offer lots of options to many different islands (never visited by cruise ships).  It is another of those DIY adventures that are only limited by one's imagination   And we are still doing this kind of thing in our 70s, and it is a lot easier for younger folks.  

 

If you do get to Poland, try to make your way to Krakov which we found to be a terrific city. 

 

Hank 

Yes, I spent 10 days on the islands of Serifos and Sifnos...I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

 

I first visited Krakow in 2012 - a beautiful city - and did a daytrip to easternn Poland to meet distant relatives.  This year I'm returning to stay with them for a week before continuing my adventure.  My husband and I are both retired, but he doesn't enjoy travel as I do.  He'll do a cruise, and I can usually get him "onboard" with that idea.  Most years, I do a couple of solo trips.  It works well for us.  He's happy b/c he'll spend those weeks out on his son's farm chopping trees, building things, and hanging out.  And I'm happy b/c I'm off on another grand adventure...often learning a little of the local language before leaving home.

 

So many places to see!

[skings]

I am on Symphony of the Seas Oct 29th Barcelona to FLL. I wanted a cruise out of a Northern port to add on. Found a 5 day MSC that was very affordable. Flying from MIA to LHR on TAP Portugal with a few days in London and 2 days in Barcelona before cruise all for a very affordable vacation. Going Solo

[Lance1224]

We have done a back-to-back-to- back cruise. We did a ten-day Canary Island cruise from Southampton, then 7 days to Scandinavia, and finally the Transatlantic to NYC. We travel from the states, so we like to stay in Europe as long as possible. We were very fortunate, we had Cruise Critic friends who were on the cruise before us and arranged a very nice table for six in MDR. Another perk, all the staff gets to know you better. Doing a few cruises before a TA can be stressful, but you have the TA to rest and recuperate. You will get into a routine that is very relaxing. 

[YoPhilly]

23 hours ago, Lance1224 said:

We have done a back-to-back-to- back cruise. We did a ten-day Canary Island cruise from Southampton, then 7 days to Scandinavia, and finally the Transatlantic to NYC. We travel from the states, so we like to stay in Europe as long as possible. We were very fortunate, we had Cruise Critic friends who were on the cruise before us and arranged a very nice table for six in MDR. Another perk, all the staff gets to know you better. Doing a few cruises before a TA can be stressful, but you have the TA to rest and recuperate. You will get into a routine that is very relaxing. 

Great ideas!

[YoPhilly]

On 3/6/2023 at 8:04 PM, skings said:

I am on Symphony of the Seas Oct 29th Barcelona to FLL. I wanted a cruise out of a Northern port to add on. Found a 5 day MSC that was very affordable. Flying from MIA to LHR on TAP Portugal with a few days in London and 2 days in Barcelona before cruise all for a very affordable vacation. Going Solo

Which MSC cruise?  Their pricing is so tempting but their ships are just too enormous for us.

[skings]

MSC Virtuosa  10/22-10/27 it is a giant but the price was too good to passup, cheaper than paying for 5 nights hotels and meals

[sailingships]

For East-West TAs we usually fly to another country about 10 days/2 weeks before and then travel around by trains ending up at the embarkation port about 3 days before. We use frequent flyer miles/points for a free trip to Europe. Sometimes we've done the prior 10 day etc to make it a B2B lot of cruises. 

[plainsstormchaser]

On 2/1/2023 at 9:25 PM, TexasGal#35 said:

Greece has been on our bucket list for a while, but airfare has been so expensive. My husband found a 15 day transatlantic cruise out of Galveston, Texas (where I was born and raised and we currently live 40 minutes from) going to Barcelona, Spain. It was so inexpensive, we decided to do it. Then he found a 15 day cruise of the Greek Islands out of Rome. To make this story shorter, I found that the ship we will be on, will continue on a 11 day cruise from Barcelona to Athens by way of France, Italy, Malta, Turkey and some Greek islands. We will have to change cabins, unfortunately, because the cabin we are originally in, was already booked for the second cruise. 

This will save us so much money to fly home one way. That's how we decided on and found our B2B.

 

Gloria

 

This sounds a lot like our itinerary, we're doing it in reverse. Have fun, and let us know how the B2B 2B goes for you!

[JSR]

Last year we did a 12 nights on Silver Moon Norwegian Fjords itinerary from Reykjavik to Copenhagen. We then flew to Hamburg and spent one night and boarded the QM2 for a 9 day transatlantic. 
 

This year we are doing a 14 night Silversea Endeavour Arctic Cruise from Reykjavik to Tromso. We will then fly to Amsterdam for 5 nights. Followed by a quick flight and overnight to Southampton to board the QM2 for our transatlantic to NYC. 
 

We really enjoy not flying back to the States, ship hoping is also fun for variety.