East or West Transatlantic?

[a.madruga]

Pro and Con on both directions by those who have cruised Transatlantic with HAL

thanks for your experiences suggestions

[*Miss G*]

Personally, I love both because I am on a trans-Atlantic!

 

Eastbound is cooler and westbound is warmer.

Eastbound is in the Spring and westbound is in the Fall.

 

I can’t think of any cons!

[Hlitner]

We enjoy either direction since DW and I love lazy sea days.  However, a good argument can be made that favors west bound, since you gain 5-7 hours during the crossing (25 hour days).  On east bound crossings you will lose an hour, most days (23 hour days).

 

Hank

[Sir PMP]

Relaxing both ways, a little more sleep westbound, a little less eastbound.

[mobilemac]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We enjoy either direction since DW and I love lazy sea days.  However, a good argument can be made that favors west bound, since you gain 5-7 hours during the crossing (25 hour days).  On east bound crossings you will lose an hour, most days (23 hour days).

 

Hank

We also love both directions and I agree about the advantages of westbound.  I will also say, however, eastbound gives you the advantage of having your body's time zone gap aligned when you arrive in Europe.  You're ready to go the moment you depart the ship, rather than "wasting" the first few days after your arrival trying to get your body patterns aligned with the "new" time zone.  When we took the QMII to Southampton last fall, I was totally comfortable immediately driving our rental car to our first destination.  I would've never attempted that after a long, overnight flight from the US.

[mcrcruiser]

 Going East Bound l on a ship is far better than taking A Red Eye flight from the USA .all flights from YSA to Europe are Red Eye flights .coming back  you fly from Europe to the USA during the day  .however ,both flights you get  the fast time zone changes Vs a very easy & gradual change aboard a cruise ship . what ever you decide enjoy your Trans Atlantic cruise  .We loved them .  

[Petronillus]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We enjoy either direction since DW and I love lazy sea days.  However, a good argument can be made that favors west bound, since you gain 5-7 hours during the crossing (25 hour days).  On east bound crossings you will lose an hour, most days (23 hour days).

 

Hank

Excellent observation, which, in answer to the OP's query, makes me think I'd prefer westbound.

 

Makes me think of what we experienced flying non-stop between Chicago and Hong Kong on our Asia Collector cruise. Outbound we left Chicago mid-afternoon on Thursday and landed in Hong Kong at 8:30 pm Friday. Returning we left Hong Kong at 12:30 pm and go home at 1 o'clock. Longest half hour of my life.

[Birdhunter67]

Eastbound - you arrive in Europe relaxed and refreshed. Westbound - you gain an extra hour of sleep most nights.  The choice is yours. One other thing to think about is which side of the ship you are on - sunlight on the balcony / coming in the room all day of shade. 

[Hlitner]

For those with the time and budget, we strongly recommend that cruise lovers consider taking cruises both ways when traveling to Europe.  We have done this a number of times and its fun.  One has to simply look at a decent cruise data base (several cruise agencies have terrific data bases) to find cruises that fit your schedule.  We sometimes like to cruise over to Europe, spend a few weeks doing our own thing (on land) and eventually catch another ship back to the USA.  There is no need to use the same port as part of the fun can be working one's way between the ports.  For example, take a repositioning cruise to Barcelona.  Find a return transatlantic from Civitavecchia and then spend a few weeks moving between Spain and Italy :).   And there is always the option of using the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton or Hamburg.  

 

Hank

[fusion927]

We too prefer Westbound.  Can't beat those 25 hour days!

 

For us, a red-eye to Europe gets us there in the morning/early afternoon.  So far, we've been able to get an early check in to the hotel to take a nap.  Exploring for a while when getting dinner, a full nights sleep, and we are ready to go.  But your mileage (sleep) may vary😀

 

 

[Mary229]

My sister prefers westbound as she is not retired and likes arriving home refreshed without any jet lag.  I just flew east for the westbound crossing and  am not liking the adjustment prior to the cruise.  Best is round trip, 2nd is eastbound, third is a nod to those who need to get off the ship and work the next day or so. 

[HollDoll]

I am older and I prefer westbound. One of the main reasons is because I get the flight overseas over with at the beginning, get my clocks straightened out right away, and of course by the time I’m home I am refreshed. And the 25 days are a bonus.

[Shmoo here]

9 hours ago, a.madruga said:

Pro and Con on both directions by those who have cruised Transatlantic with HAL

thanks for your experiences suggestions

Sorry, not on HAL, but have done both east and west bound transatlantic.  My preference is westbound.  For a couple reasons:

1. The aforementioned you gain time, making the time changes much nicer.

2.  It makes the flight to the embarkation point the longer one (flying from west coast USA).  I like having a shorter flight at the end of the cruise.

Edited 23 minutes ago by Shmoo here