What is your experience going Transatlantic on Azamara - rough seas, seasickness, etc.?

[JM0115]

As Azamara ships are relatively small, how do they handle transatlantic voyages? What has been your experience? I understand that it can depend greatly on the weather and sea conditions, but what have you experienced?

[Host Jazzbeau]

You could also ask this question in the Oceania forum, about their 4 'R-ships' [identical to the 4 Azamara ships and therefore likely to have similar sailing characteristics].

[JM0115]

1 minute ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You could also ask this question in the Oceania forum, about their 4 'R-ships' [identical to the 4 Azamara ships and therefore likely to have similar sailing characteristics].

Will do so! Thanks!

[roberts2005]

Did a trans Atlantic on Sirena.   No issues at all.  Had a forward cabin on deck 8

[DS]

We have done 3 or 4 TA's on Azamara.   All have been nice; some a bit more "wavy" than others; none excessively so.   Last fall we did one that was from Lisbon to Miami, and susposed to go "north" to Bermuda.  Weather forecast indicated that that would be a rough route, so Captain adjusted to a "southern" route and we ended up on Bahamas instead of Bermuda.  Could you wander down the corridors in an "S" shaoaed patter?  Absolutly!  Did it make one seasick?   Not for us or anyone we noticed.   I would not, however, recommend a forward cabin for these trips... 

[vanman]

We have done 3 transatlantic on Azamara. The two southern route cruises were flat calm on the crossing so felt very little motion. The cruise that stopped in Bermuda experienced swells on the segment from Madeira to Bermuda. It didn’t bother us but a lot of guests and crew were feeling the motion. The temperature was also not as warm.

[Grandma Cruising]

Did Lisbon to Rio on Pursuit in autumn 2019. Flat calm and lovely weather all the way, except for a days rain when we got to Brazil. We’re doing the same trip in reverse in a week & hoping for similar weather.

Edited February 26, 2023 by Grandma Cruising

[uktog]

It’s one of these unknowns. I’ve done 4 transatlantics on Azamara and 4 Bays of Biscay (a known one for swells) two on Azamara and two on Celebrity Eclipse. Our Azamara experience re the TA is exactly as @vanman the north route does rock and roll.  We had to change ports enroute each time to avoid storms.  It seemed worse going East  to West each time (done two each way) but that was just probably unfortunate weather circumstances.  
Interestingly on the Bay of Biscay each time we’d pretty rough weather and Azamara faired far better than Eclipse. So size didn’t seem to matter!

What I did feel was Azamara captains really closely study wave forecasts and look for deviations if they can. 

 

[Bloodaxe]

 

 

 

37 minutes ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Did Lisbon to Rio on Pursuit in autumn 2019. Flat calm and lovely weather all the way, except for a days rain when we got to Brazil. We’re doing the same trip in reverse in a week & hoping for similar weather.

We did that about 10 years ago, have also done several Miami Europe both East and West Crossings.

The on!y really bad weather was a New York to Rouen crossing on Journey which I believe was a one off.

It' was in April 2012 the repositioning cruise after the special cruise to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic 100 years before.

That was a real traditional crossing with no ports between, the last few days were very choppy.but we enjoyed it.

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Bloodaxe

[Bloodaxe]

1 hour ago, Bloodaxe said:

 

 

 

We did that about 10 years ago, have also done several Miami Europe both East and West Crossings.

The on!y really bad weather was a New York to Rouen crossing on Journey which I believe was a one off.

It' was in April 2012 the repositioning cruise after the special cruise to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic 100 years before.

That was a real traditional crossing with no ports between, the last few days were very choppy.but we enjoyed it.

 

 

I have just remembered another cruise which goes to show how fickle the weather can be.

Our transatlantic was from Rome to Miami with a few ports in the Med before the crossing.

The weather in the Med was wild, particularly between Corsica and Sardinia.

Our last stop in the Med was Gibraltar and some people left the ship saying they could not face the Atlantic.

The crossing was fine so you just have to go with the flow has you never can tell what lies ahead.

 

 

[lisiamc]

We love transatlantics and have done several.  Some have been as smooth as a millpond, and a couple of times the seas have been pretty lumpy. On our most recent one, the same one as @DS, there was a day or two of rough-ish seas as the Captain changed our course and we went through the edge of the stormy weather. At the same time, we were getting reports of what a rough trip Journey was having, just trying to get out of the Mediterranean! It really is the luck of the draw. 
 

We are both lucky enough to not be affected by rough seas, but if you are prone to seasickness, bring your medication of choice. From what I hear, they do offer tablets at the Reception desk, and apparently the doctor has a magic jab he/she can give you, but if you have your own, you can stay ahead of any queasiness.

[travelberlin]

I prefer for the Transatlantic crossing a larger and newer ship. I have done many crossings on MSC, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean ships. I avoid doing that type of crossings with Azamara.

 

My main reason to not take Azamara for that, is exactly to avoid rough sea days on a smaller ship with limited inside entertainment.  I have experienced rough days on Transatlantic crossings specially in the proximity of the Azores and approaching Lisbon.

 

Having said that, on my last cruise with the Pursuit, we had some rough seas which were unavoidable. This was, leaving the Beagle Channel, on the Drake Passage and on the Magellan Strait. No way the captain could avoid this because there was no other option than to go ahead. I had a midship cabin and I have felt it but it did not bother me or made me sick. The location of my cabin helped. Apparently other people felt sick. 
 

If you are considering the crossing with Azamara, I would recommend you take a midship cabin. In that area the Captain will deviate to avoid bad weather if he can. 
Ivi

 

[blag]

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

we’re doing a tour that includes going up to Christ the Redeemer.

We’ve done it before but it was very wet & lots of low cloud. Not only could we not see the views, we couldn’t even see the statue’s head!

Ditto for us early in January this year. Our tour was supposed to include sunset at Sugarloaf, but visibility was less than 40M!

But, for Christ the Redeemer, mercifully, the clouds parted briefly to afford good visibility. Even in that weather the platforms up there were packed, and there was scaffolding on one side of the statue.

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, Grandma Cruising said:

😂.

Not hoping for it, but think we’re likely to get it in Rio, Buzios and/or Salvador de Bahia. Just hoping we get clear weather on Sunday 4 March as we’re doing a tour that includes going up to Christ the Redeemer.

We’ve done it before but it was very wet & lots of low cloud. Not only could we not see the views, we couldn’t even see the statue’s head!

We’re doing a tour on the 6th, and the weather is looking a little iffy that day too. Fingers crossed 🤞!

[3JCruiser]

Slightly off topic rather than start a new thread not a Transatlantic but wondering about the Bay of Bengal crossing ?

 

Not familiar with this part of the World, does the Bay of Bengal have a similar reputation to say the Bay of Biscay for motion ??

We are considering our second sailing with Azamara as we loved the first one so much, however we were in the shelter of the Suez Canal for that trip. Now would like to do the Singapore to Athens but DH suffers in a swell. Its that part of the trip thats making me think should we shouldnt we ? (other than the hassle of the Indian visa but thats a whole different conversation) 

Any insights on the expectation of motion on this route would help us make a decision..

 

Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[uktog]

8 hours ago, 3JCruiser said:

Slightly off topic rather than start a new thread not a Transatlantic but wondering about the Bay of Bengal crossing ?

 

Not familiar with this part of the World, does the Bay of Bengal have a similar reputation to say the Bay of Biscay for motion ??

We are considering our second sailing with Azamara as we loved the first one so much, however we were in the shelter of the Suez Canal for that trip. Now would like to do the Singapore to Athens but DH suffers in a swell. Its that part of the trip thats making me think should we shouldnt we ? (other than the hassle of the Indian visa but thats a whole different conversation) 

Any insights on the expectation of motion on this route would help us make a decision..

 

Thank you in advance for any advice

 

We have done that trip with no issues at all very smooth seas. It’s a great itinerary so many different contrasts along the way 

[ECCruise]

30+ crossings on ships from R-Class to mid-size (X S class, Royal Radiance class) to Royal Freedom class.

 

Honestly, have never noticed a huge amount of difference based on size.  When the seas are 5-6 meters or more, you are going to feel the motion in any size modern cruise vessel.

 

As suggested above, if you have potential issues with motion, I would not park myself anywhere but mid-ship, as low as possible.  We don't have major motion issues but every single one of our crossings has been in that general location.  And we otherwise love aft cabins, but not on crossings.

[marinaro44]

Did a north Atlantic crossing from Southampton to Manhattan in a deck 12 veranda on the stern.  No issues.  Another from Dover to Boston via Reykjavik.  No issues.  Frankly, it all depends on weather at the time

[excitedofharpenden]

1 hour ago, ECCruise said:

30+ crossings on ships from R-Class to mid-size (X S class, Royal Radiance class) to Royal Freedom class.

 

Honestly, have never noticed a huge amount of difference based on size.  When the seas are 5-6 meters or more, you are going to feel the motion in any size modern cruise vessel.

 

As suggested above, if you have potential issues with motion, I would not park myself anywhere but mid-ship, as low as possible.  We don't have major motion issues but every single one of our crossings has been in that general location.  And we otherwise love aft cabins, but not on crossings.

I agree. If you are prone to seasickness then you’ll feel it on any ship if the weather is rough.  The other thing to bear in mind is that the Captain will adjust his route if that’s possible to make the ride as comfy as possible. And keep the speed sensible. It does make a big difference where you stay too. If you are susceptible to a dicky tummy in rough seas try and stay low and in the middle. Avoid the front of the ship especially. 
 

Phil

[3JCruiser]

13 hours ago, uktog said:

We have done that trip with no issues at all very smooth seas. It’s a great itinerary so many different contrasts along the way 

 

Thank you !

[Turangi!]

Amazing Azers,

 

We did New York to Lisbon…  smooth as glass… I was surprised!

 

M aka T!

 

[Huntingdon1701]

Has anyone also used the spa deck during a transatlantic? Is it usable or does it get too windy? I seem to recall it being a bit breezy when underway even in the relatively calm mediterranean. 

[NicNata]

I did a December crossing from Southampton to New York on the old QE2. The weather was wild for half the trip, with waves seemingly as high as the ship crashing over the bow. I would say at least 70% of the passengers and crew were sick. The main dining room had perhaps ten tables occupied with no crockery, cutlery or glassware laid out. It was scary and I didn't enjoy it (I know some people specifically do this crossing for the wild weather) but I am fortunate not to get seasick. At least at the end we had the memorable experience of sailing up the Hudson in icy weather with views of the Statue of Liberty, the Twin Towers etc.

 

Since then I have done several crossings on Azamara on the southerly route and the weather has never been remotely like the north Atlantic.

[CGTNORMANDIE]

Having crossed the Atlantic 8 times I can say there is a vast difference between the North Atlantic and the South Atlantic.  The North Atlantic can be vicious.  Once upon a time I was on the QE2 in a hurricane with head winds in excess of 100 mph.  Most Azamara ships and many others are repositioning from Florida and the Caribbean to the Mediterranean in the Spring…mostly in March and April.  Those sailings can be a bit more dicey but not usually as they sail the southern Atlantic into the Mediterranean.  The western route is sailed in the Fall…the southern Atlantic from the Mediterranean to Florida and the Caribbean…mostly in October and November.  This is also usually calm although ships sometimes have to reroute as they avoid occasional hurricanes although this is usually rare.

[Dr H]

We've done at least 6 transatlantics, spring and fall, to and from Florida. No one can predict the weather, not even the climate change experts, but that said, we've never had any significant problems. On two trips out of Florida in the Spring, things did get a bit funky on the first full cruise day going into the Gulf Stream. A lot of queasy passengers, my wife included, and I have to admit, I've felt better. We went outside, flopped ourselves onto a lounger at the pool, covered up and went to sleep. End of problem. Nothing was returned to King Neptune. The only real issue we've had has been what to pack. Dead of winter on all of our trips, the weather was great, it was warm, pools were used, and what the general public doesn't know about the spa deck is fine with me. I use it all the time. Rain is a much bigger issue up there than wind, no matter the season. The weather starts to cool off when you start heading north toward the Azores and then on to Portugal, usually the last 2 days or so of the Atlantic transit. The captains know where the bad weather is going to be, and they do all they can to avoid it. Our biggest surprise about a Transatlantic was how consistently great the weather has been, regardless of season. Second biggest (maybe the biggest, actually) is how much more comfortable the WESTERN journey is out of Lisbon to Florida rather than going east. You finally are given back all those time zone hours that were stolen from your lives, and almost every day. It's almost like free cruising. Have a great trip. We are booked Lisbon to Miami this November, and counting the days.