Royal Transatlantic Questions

[MtnSeaGirl]

We are drooling over some of the Transatlantic cruises and have a plethora of questions:

Has anyone sailed post Covid from the US to Spain or England and can speak to what you liked or disliked?

Was there enough different food choices to enjoy on this many sea days? ( one of the sailings is on the Explorer which does not have a lot of speciality restaurants; we are not that picky )

Did you book the cruise and the airfare back yourself or did you use a travel agent?

Heck - Look, we have never sailed on a Transatlantic less more flown out the country but we are not getting any  younger.  Do you have any advice, tips or tricks you are willing to share?

We are thinking of 2026 which is not posted yet, but we expect some of the ports may be silimar.  We traditionally book 9 to 12 months out and enjoy counting off the months, then weeks, then days.  It makes the time go by faster and our work to be a little sweeter when thinking of the pay off.   Thanking you in advance for any advice you can offer.  

[firefly333]

Find a TA with refundable group rates if that's why you dont want to book sooner. I wouldnt wait a year out the way prices are going. My TA says cant book rcl air 2 sea and transfers until about 11 months out. I booked the TA from port Canaveral to spain and the next 10 day leg. Some booked a 3rd leg, which is 7 days because it ends in athens they wanted to see.

 

The TA is a really good price, the extra legs are much higher, almost double per day. There is a section on cc where people suggest hotels in whichever city you are flying in or out of. Posters advise to book hotels direct in europe, though seems a lot more expensive. I see deals on Priceline half what booking direct is. Lots of good tips on the other cc sections. I'll end in rome and they post be careful to get the original hotel bldg as many hotels there have built annexes that may be not as historic and not even the same block as the hotel you think you booked.

 

They also suggest booking in the currency of where you will be staying. In my case euros. I saw some article where some major hotel is accusing of scamming by booking in usa dollars and adding to the price when they convert.

 

 

 

[Robo1098]

Royal has a seven day menu and it repeats. Whatever is the food choices for those seven days will probably be what is available. Same for the fleet.

 

[The sea calls my name]

On our TA on Odyssey last April there were 8 different menus. We did a 50/50. Half in the dining room and 1/2 in specialty restaurants. That way we did not repeat any menu. 

 

We have done a TA the last two years and have one this fall and also Fall of 2025. On was only Spain ports and the one last April was Spain , France and Italy with a 3 day post-cruise stay in Rome. We have loved every port of call and Transatlantic cruises have become my favorite type of cruise. Both have been on larger ships which gives more options to help keep you busy if you want to be or chill if you don't. 

[taglovestocruise]

We have done 8 TA'S, East to West and West to East.  Have done TA'S on Mariner, Independence. Quantum, Oasis, Allure and Symphony. We love the Sea days , ports are far less important. We also prefer East to West as the weather in OCT. is much warmer, West bounds have 8 25 hour days. The smaller ships have far less to offer than a Oasis Class.  Oasis class ships also sail with 1200 fewer children than the regular 7 nighters. Favorite departure port is Barcelona. Most trips are to Florida which is far warmer than heading back to New York. If you book remember that the sun only warms the port side of the ship going West and only the Starboard side going East. We have also divided the trip into half MDR meals and half Specialty. With all the different size ships Oasis Class has become our favorite, never run out of things to do. We are both in our early 70's. We almost always book with a TA to get the perks and have always booked flights through Air2Sea. Air2Sea has about the best prices for oneway travel. Not sure if they still do it but Our TA from Southampton was 15 nights with 5 or 6 port stops in the Caribbean. Going west the first few days are chilly, as soon as you leave the Med it is shorts and t shirts every day.  Happy cruising. TA'S are awesome. 

[Deep-Blue-Iris]

I’m interested in this too - but as I’m from the UK I’d want to do an eastbound because then I don’t have to deal with the awful jet lag. 
 

I’ve cruised twice before, but I’m doing my first Royal cruise in May. If I’m enjoying it by midway through I’ll look at speaking to NextCruise about a TA as I booked direct with them. A TA has been on my list since I started cruising but with that many sea days I want to pick the right line. 

[snaefell]

49 minutes ago, Deep-Blue-Iris said:

I’m interested in this too - but as I’m from the UK I’d want to do an eastbound because then I don’t have to deal with the awful jet lag. 
 

I’ve cruised twice before, but I’m doing my first Royal cruise in May. If I’m enjoying it by midway through I’ll look at speaking to NextCruise about a TA as I booked direct with them. A TA has been on my list since I started cruising but with that many sea days I want to pick the right line. 

We have done one TA with P&O & are about to do another with Royal Caribbean,both Westbound,we feel that we have had enough of flying so getting it out of the way early on is nice!

if it is important to you P&O tend to be a fraction of the price of RCI when it comes to things like drinks,specialty dining & shore excursions,several days at sea give you nice 'chill' time!

Edited March 29 by snaefell

[cruisegirl1]

10 hours ago, Robo1098 said:

Royal has a seven day menu and it repeats. Whatever is the food choices for those seven days will probably be what is available. Same for the fleet.

 

That has NOT been our experience on ALL of our cruises that were more than 7 nights.  We had different menus every night. There was an occasional repeat of a dish but lots of variety. Even had some fresh local fish on an Arctic Circle TA this past September. 
 

OP-if you are flexible, look at both directions to see what is best for you.   We’ve done both ways and generally  prefer east to west to gain an hour 6 or so times rather than lose an hour.  Plus the ports are often at  the beginning with lots of sea days at the end.  However on the flip side, if you cruise west to east and spend time in Europe after the cruise, you are not jet lagged when you arrive in Europe. 
 

We try to take a TA at least every other year or more often. We enjoy that way of cruising. We find the best pricing the moment the itineraries are released, especially for more popular itineraries like Arctic Circle. Heads up, if you book a next cruise certificate to use for a TA, you only get the benefit of a 3 night cruise OBC. (New rule). 
 

if passenger mix makes any difference,  there will likely be fewer children and an older crowd with more upper tier cruisers. 
 

enjoy the planning and the cruise. 
m
 

 

[little britain]

The Oasis TA next month has hundreds of children. Very strange as usually there are a handful. So it will be a very different experience. I know people who have cancelled due to the number of kids onboard! 

West to East you lose an hour a day for 5-6 days, depending on whether you end in England or Europe. 
West to East means you can transport all the shopping 🛍️ you do in the USA back home easily! @Deep-Blue-Iris @snaefell

 

East to West means 5-6 days where you gain an hour a day. I find this much more relaxing. 

[vjmatty]

4 minutes ago, little britain said:

The Oasis TA next month has hundreds of children. Very strange as usually there are a handful. So it will be a very different experience. I know people who have cancelled due to the number of kids onboard! 

West to East you lose an hour a day for 5-6 days, depending on whether you end in England or Europe. 
West to East means you can transport all the shopping 🛍️ you do in the USA back home easily! @Deep-Blue-Iris @snaefell

 

East to West means 5-6 days where you gain an hour a day. I find this much more relaxing. 

WOW that is a lot of kids for a two week sailing. I remember a transatlantic on Pacific Princess that had one child. One. She was about ten and after a few days noticed there were no other kids which was weird for her. I think a lot of parents who take their kids out of school for long cruises don’t think of this ahead of time, but at least on this sailing they will have kids their own age around. 

[DigiPro]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

The Oasis TA next month has hundreds of children. Very strange as usually there are a handful. So it will be a very different experience. I know people who have cancelled due to the number of kids onboard! 

I’m interested in sailing a TA, too, so love this thread.  Lots of good info so far!  Just curious, how can you tell how many kids will be onboard?  I love kids.  Raised 2 really great ones and anxiously waiting on grands 🥰.  But it would be nice to sail a TA with fewer kids.

[little britain]

1 hour ago, vjmatty said:

WOW that is a lot of kids for a two week sailing. I remember a transatlantic on Pacific Princess that had one child. One. She was about ten and after a few days noticed there were no other kids which was weird for her. I think a lot of parents who take their kids out of school for long cruises don’t think of this ahead of time, but at least on this sailing they will have kids their own age around. 

Because looking at the sea for 9 days is soooo educational!?! 

[little britain]

13 minutes ago, DigiPro said:

I’m interested in sailing a TA, too, so love this thread.  Lots of good info so far!  Just curious, how can you tell how many kids will be onboard?  I love kids.  Raised 2 really great ones and anxiously waiting on grands 🥰.  But it would be nice to sail a TA with fewer kids.

There are over 1200 signed up to the roll call so with the number of people mentioning they are bringing kids - you get a good idea. 

Edited March 29 by little britain

[not-enough-cruising]

13 hours ago, Robo1098 said:

Royal has a seven day menu and it repeats. Whatever is the food choices for those seven days will probably be what is available. Same for the fleet.

 

They have more than a 7 day menu, was on a 10 day trip last fall, and no repeats

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, vjmatty said:

WOW that is a lot of kids for a two week sailing. I remember a transatlantic on Pacific Princess that had one child. One. She was about ten and after a few days noticed there were no other kids which was weird for her. I think a lot of parents who take their kids out of school for long cruises don’t think of this ahead of time, but at least on this sailing they will have kids their own age around. 

In today's age of remote learning one is seeing this more often.

There are far more school aged kids on the World Cruise than I ever would have imagined.

[BP99]

13 hours ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

We are drooling over some of the Transatlantic cruises and have a plethora of questions:

Has anyone sailed post Covid from the US to Spain or England and can speak to what you liked or disliked?

Was there enough different food choices to enjoy on this many sea days? ( one of the sailings is on the Explorer which does not have a lot of speciality restaurants; we are not that picky )

Did you book the cruise and the airfare back yourself or did you use a travel agent?

Heck - Look, we have never sailed on a Transatlantic less more flown out the country but we are not getting any  younger.  Do you have any advice, tips or tricks you are willing to share?

We are thinking of 2026 which is not posted yet, but we expect some of the ports may be silimar.  We traditionally book 9 to 12 months out and enjoy counting off the months, then weeks, then days.  It makes the time go by faster and our work to be a little sweeter when thinking of the pay off.   Thanking you in advance for any advice you can offer.  

Hi,

My wife and I LOVE transatlantic cruses (and transpacific !!).

We have done lots of them on both small and large ships.

PRO's:

1. Sure beats flying!! And for us Canadians it is usually cheaper

than airfare!

2. When you arrive you may? have less jet lag. We have less!

3. The prices can be awesome!!

4. Depending on time of year you can suntan/swim on deck

relax, see shows, play games

5. May? have less children on board. This may? be 

con if you intend to bring yours!

6. Large ships have less motion than small BUT that

depends on time of year. We NEVER get sea sick.

7. If you plan things right you can do another cruise

once you arrive or even a B2B. We once did a B2B2B2B2B

which included a Cunard cruise *final leg" back to NYC. 45 nights and NO expensive hotels in between cruises. GREAT

vacation!

8. Usually they add more activities on seaways (eg Guest

lectures, movies, dance classes, art classes, Progressive Trivia, Bridge, Majong games,etc)

CONS:

1) Occasionally, transatlantic cruise run into bad weather.

Usually the ship can change course and avoid these. 

NEVER a threat to safety BUT some get sick

2. You may get bored. We don't!!

 

Try one, You may? like it!!

Bill

 

[vjmatty]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Because looking at the sea for 9 days is soooo educational!?! 

lol I know right? Our kids missed two days before Christmas vacation for a Greece and Egypt cruise which was a bit more educational. Unfortunately though not as relevant to their schooling as I’d thought, since Ancient Greece and Egypt were apparently removed from the curriculum years ago. 

[ssb]

14 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Find a TA with refundable group rates if that's why you dont want to book sooner. I wouldnt wait a year out the way prices are going. My TA says cant book rcl air 2 sea and transfers until about 11 months out. I booked the TA from port Canaveral to spain and the next 10 day leg. Some booked a 3rd leg, which is 7 days because it ends in athens they wanted to see.

 

The TA is a really good price, the extra legs are much higher, almost double per day. There is a section on cc where people suggest hotels in whichever city you are flying in or out of. Posters advise to book hotels direct in europe, though seems a lot more expensive. I see deals on Priceline half what booking direct is. Lots of good tips on the other cc sections. I'll end in rome and they post be careful to get the original hotel bldg as many hotels there have built annexes that may be not as historic and not even the same block as the hotel you think you booked.

 

They also suggest booking in the currency of where you will be staying. In my case euros. I saw some article where some major hotel is accusing of scamming by booking in usa dollars and adding to the price when they convert.

 

 

 

Do not overthink it . 

[shippmates]

I am doing my first TA on the Anthem next month.  I am looking forward to experiencing it as I have done several TA's on the QM2 out of NYC.  I will be getting off the Anthem and returning to NYC on the QM2.  I always try to plan my trips so I can cruise back as I do not like to fly and I avoid all jet lag.  The sea days are my favorite part of any cruise.

[Robo1098]

2 hours ago, not-enough-cruising said:

They have more than a 7 day menu, was on a 10 day trip last fall, and no repeats

I stand corrected. Did they have new menu items or just a different combination?

[Biker19]

4 minutes ago, Robo1098 said:

Did they have new menu items or just a different combination?

You can get a sense of the menus by looking at a longer current sailing, like Vision (set the app to the current Vision sailing).

[firefly333]

15 minutes ago, Robo1098 said:

I stand corrected. Did they have new menu items or just a different combination?

When I did the 10 day radiance we had a new menu every night. So I'm sure there are at least 10 different menus. 

[Another_Critic]

Was on Oct. 2023 Anthem TA ... 15 nights.  New menu every night, but there were some repeat items.

[LeeW]

Most TAs don't have a lot of ports - you have to really like sea days since it will be unusual to even see another ship.  The exception is the rare east to west northern route in the fall.  Our last one left from Southampton and hit Norway, the Shetland Islands, Faroe Islands, two stops in Iceland, Greenland and Canada (on Princess).  This year's Jewel transit starts in Amsterdam and hits three stops in Iceland and two in Greenland.  Icebergs near Greenland are spectacular.  These cruises cost a LOT more than the typical TA and book up quickly.  You get a lot of 25 hour days.

[LB_NJ]

17 hours ago, MtnSeaGirl said:

We are drooling over some of the Transatlantic cruises and have a plethora of questions:

Has anyone sailed post Covid from the US to Spain or England and can speak to what you liked or disliked?

Was there enough different food choices to enjoy on this many sea days? ( one of the sailings is on the Explorer which does not have a lot of speciality restaurants; we are not that picky )

Did you book the cruise and the airfare back yourself or did you use a travel agent?

Heck - Look, we have never sailed on a Transatlantic less more flown out the country but we are not getting any  younger.  Do you have any advice, tips or tricks you are willing to share?

We are thinking of 2026 which is not posted yet, but we expect some of the ports may be silimar.  We traditionally book 9 to 12 months out and enjoy counting off the months, then weeks, then days.  It makes the time go by faster and our work to be a little sweeter when thinking of the pay off.   Thanking you in advance for any advice you can offer.  

Repositioning cruises (almost all TAs except the Cunard QM2 are repositioning cruises) tend to sail when the weather is iffy.  We had pretty bad weather when we sailed. Cold and wet with rough seas. We were on Enchantment which is a smaller ship. It was aTA NJ to Italy with stops in Spain and France. We also went to Monaco on an excursion.

 

We did Chops lunches for 2 of the days for a change of pace.  Other than that we did the MDR for dinner all the days.  I was OK with the food.

 

In the end you have to decide if you are OK with eating in the MDR for that many nights.

 

There are a lot of sea days so I learned to love Sodoku. If you get bored easily don’t do a TA. 
 

Pre-buy Euros if you are doing Spain, pounds if England.  It is NOT the Caribbean where you can get away with using dollar bills.

 

We spent an extra week in Italy at the end of our cruise and were happy we did. We booked that all on our own.

 

If you have airline points use that for airfare.  ONE WAY AIRFARE BACK TO THE US IS COST PROHIBITIVE.

 

Fyi, my wife loved the cruise and wants to do another.  I was happy I tried it once but not sure I would do it again.