Transatlantic Cruise

[Brandis]

If you only do one week in Spain, one weeks supply of clothes would be enough, just do the laundry as soon as you board the ship. They offer "unlimited" and "by the bag" specials". And if you have a suite, "free" unlimited laundry is even included in your cruise fare.

 

Marc

[carabou1]

We are doing the Splendour TA in October.

 

Is laundry service a suite perk? I didn't know that. It will change our packing considerably.

 

Thnaks for the reply.

[truffles2]

I would double check the "free laundry"....We did not have that in a suite.

[rubrrick]

My DW and I did our first transatlantic crossing in April/May of this year on the Jewel of the Seas. We loved it, so have booked another one for the fall of '07 to try a westbound cruise.

 

Rick

[madforcruising]

If you only do one week in Spain, one weeks supply of clothes would be enough, just do the laundry as soon as you board the ship. They offer "unlimited" and "by the bag" specials". And if you have a suite, "free" unlimited laundry is even included in your cruise fare.

 

Marc

 

Hi Marc,

 

how are you:)

 

Are you sure the laundry specials and the free unlimited laundry service for suite guests was on RCCL?

 

I have never heard of this on any RCCL cruise and never received this service either.

[negc]

We are doing the Splendour TA in October.

 

Is laundry service a suite perk? I didn't know that. It will change our packing considerably.

 

Thnaks for the reply.

 

It is not a perk on any RCI ships regardless of your stateroom category or C&A membership level. I believe that Princess offers some such perk for those guests who have sailed with Princess a certain number of times. However, overall the benefits offered in RCI's Crown and Anchor society are significantly better than those offered in other lines' loyalty programs.:)

Laundry and dry cleaning prices onboard RCI are, IMHO, reasonable, and the service is good and efficient.

[Brandis]

Yeah, I'm sorry! Just realized it, that would have been Holland America. Nice perk though!

 

Marc

[6MonthsHere6MonthsThere]

My DW and I did our first transatlantic crossing in April/May of this year on the Jewel of the Seas. We loved it, so have booked another one for the fall of '07 to try a westbound cruise.

 

Rick

 

Rick, Which one have you booked for the fall of 07 ??, will the Admiral be on that one!!!!!

 

John.

[Fran Harp]

Do you think there are many teens on the springtime transatlantic cruises? My daughter and I love the sea days and thought might be fun. Is it warm enough in April to use the pool?

 

We just did the spring one on Brilliance, and loved every minute. Temperature was in the low '70's (for you south of the border:p) every day, and sunny. One slightly active night - several people were seasick, but the rest of us just kept falling asleep. There were a few teens on board - birthday parties etc. I don't know if that's usual. We loved the days at sea, just lazing around, and yes it was warm enough to use the pool. We are considering doing the westbound cruise next year, on Brilliance again.

 

Fran in Toronto

[Lmack]

Sorry I haven't posted since the beginning of this thread. I think we're 99¾% sure we're going to book the Brilliance for Dec 2, 2007 from Barcelona to Miami. We're planning to book it while we're on the Sovereign of the Seas in Oct so that we can receive the shipboard credit. We're planning on driving to Miami, and flying to Barcelona then driving back from Miami.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted to this thread.

 

Beth, we live in NC too! Our TA has given us a wonderful price for this particular cruise! Great value for your money. We love the sea days so this will be great! We're not concerned about the weather since it's very unpredictable and you can't do anything about it anyway. The ship has a lot of activities to offer so I know we won't be bored.

 

Jean - How far in advance should we be looking at airfare? Although we've been to Barcelona before, we're thinking about flying over a few days early.

 

Heidict - you're not hijacking this thread. We all want all the tips and advice we can get. We also have lots of questions and need all the advice we can get.

 

6monthhere6monthsthere & leoandhugh - Sounds like you're the experts on Ta cruises so please please give us all the information you can. What's the best way to get to the port, how early should you arrive (we usually board the ships at 11am so that we can become familiar with the ship), if you go to Barcelona a few days earlier, do we have to exchange money for Euros, how much? What kind of clothes to pack (spring, summer, winter, etc), and any other advice you can give us!

 

I hope to hear from everyone soon.

Lynn

[mwenger]

My DW and I did our first transatlantic crossing in April/May of this year on the Jewel of the Seas. We loved it, so have booked another one for the fall of '07 to try a westbound cruise.

 

Rick

 

How was the weather and what kind of clothes did you take?

[Fran Harp]

Has anyone sailed on a transatlantic cruise? We're considering a transatlantic but would like to hear from someone who has had the experience.

 

Thanks

Lynn

 

Hi, Lynn -

 

We did the Brilliance of the Seas Transatlantic from Miami to Barcelona April 28-May 11, so my comments are based on that experience. It was our first time and we weren't sure how we'd like two weeks on the ship. As it turned out, we loved the sea days the most. It was incredibly relaxing, especially for two people on the verge of burnout:eek: The first six and a half days were at sea - temperatures were in the mid-20's (70's for those south of the border), blue skies and relatively calm seas. The hardy Canadians were out in shorts and tank tops getting burnt, others were dressed in jogging and track suits and shivering! Nevertheless, take some jackets or sweaters - coming across from Barcelona in November might be a little chilly - others who have done it before will know better.

 

There was one rough night, but with the stabilsers out, there wasn't much rolling. The thing we noticed was how much we slept. The Atlantic ocean has a long and deep underlying swell which just rocks you off to sleep almost every time you sit down or lie down. People all over the ship were commenting on that fact.

 

We ate more often in the Windjammer cafe, mainly because first dinner seating was 5:30, and when you don't get up till 10:30 a.m., 5:30 dinner doesn't work. We loved the food in the dining room, but Windjammer had more selection, and a more relaxed atmosphere.

 

There were lots of things to do. I went to Tai Chi classes, and we both went to oceanography lectures. There were crazy things by the pool, as well as some good pool barbecues (if you got there early enough to get something!). The solarium is wonderful, but we discovered that you had to be there almost at the crack of dawn to get a good chair, and then be sure to sit in the chair. The pool area was usually crowded, so more often I'd camp out on a chair somewhere on the aft end of the ship Deck 11 or 12. We walked every day on Deck 12. - Six times around the ship is a mile. The evening live shows were generally pretty good, some were fabulous, some not so good - but worth the hour anyway. We spent a fair bit of time in the evenings in the Schooner Bar belting out old '50's and '60's tunes with Anselmo Boles, who can sing and play just about anything you request.

 

There were 2 formal nights - the Captain's Reception was a lot of fun, especially finding out that there were more than 60 nationalities on board. The Ship Talk was funny and also quite informative. I have to confess that on our sea days we tended to sleep and sit out a lot in the sun. The midnight chocolate buffet was incredible, the wine tasting horrendous.

 

The ports were Funchal (Madeira), Lisboa (Portugal), Malaga (Spain), Villefranche (France), Barcelona (Spain). We did a bus tour of Madeira, as the time was a bit short; the bus tour of Lisbon was excellent and a good way to get a view of the city. In Malaga we went to a small town int he mountains called Mijas....explored and then sat in the sun sipping wine and enjoying the weather. In Villefranche we decided not to take RCI tours, but go off with some other people from the ship and explore on our own. Shared a taxi to Nice and walked around for several hours, then returned to Villefranche for lunch and ambled back to the ship for the last tender. in Barcelona we stayed with friends, so did the tour of the city on our own time. The organised tours are pretty good; but there's something to be said for going on your own too. However, you have to be sure you have plenty of time to get back to the ship, because if you're late, too bad! They sail! and sometimes the lineup for the last tender can be brutal.

 

This doesn't begin to cover everything - but hope there's something here that's useful.

 

Fran in Toronto

[mlleach]

We booked our first TA for 11/07 Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale. Have always wanted to try one and this had the best price per day. We have an aft balcony. Can't wait.

ML

[Lmack]

Fran - Thanks so much for all the wonderful information you gave us regarding your transatlantic cruise on the Brilliance. We can hardly wait - wish it was for this Dec instead of 2007! We also love the sea days so I know we'll really enjoy the transatlantic cruise. If you can think of any other tips/suggestions/advice, please send them our way! We want to be really prepared for this cruise.

 

Milleach - I noticed that you live in Gainesville. My husband & I both graduated from Univ of Fl - Go Gators! many many yrs ago. In fact, here in NC we got Gator (the Gator Head logo with UF under it) specialized car tags this summer. We belong to a very active Gator Club. We would be very interested to hear from you after you return from your TA cruise. We want to hear about the weather so that we'll know how many warm clothes to pack and any other useful information. Have you booked your flight yet?

 

Please keep those suggestions and comments coming.:)

Lynn

[Fran Harp]

Really want to do a transatlantic - probably Brillance Barcelona to Miami next year, but if we do a week in Spain and then the cruise, that will be the luggage for three weeks of clothing to haul around! Anybody have any tricks? Like can you easily do laundry in Barcelona before getting on the ship?

 

Haven't read this thread much, just caught up with it now. Did you book on that cruise next year? We did......I don't know about laundries in Barcelona, but can ask a friend there...

 

Fran in Toronto

[Fran Harp]

Fran - Thanks so much for all the wonderful information you gave us regarding your transatlantic cruise on the Brilliance. We can hardly wait - wish it was for this Dec instead of 2007! We also love the sea days so I know we'll really enjoy the transatlantic cruise. If you can think of any other tips/suggestions/advice, please send them our way! We want to be really prepared for this cruise.

 

Lynn

 

Just went back and realised I just posted on this thread today. How's that for attention deficit!:eek: Lynn, are you considering the Brilliance cruise next December? Westbound? We've booked on that one...the itinerary and prices are too good to pass up. If you are, sign up for the roll call as well....it's already pretty busy.

 

Fran in Toronto

[Lmack]

Fran - We'll be booking this transatlantic Dec 2, 2007 westbound cruise while we're on the Sovereign of the Seas cruise this Oct so we can receive the shipboard credit. We always book one or two cruises while onboard. The shipboard credit helps us stretch our $$. We've been thinking and looking at transatlantic cruises for the last yr. We mentioned it to our fabulous TA and she called us back with a great price. And who knows, if the prices come down, she'll give us the lower rate. We always book onboard then transfer the booking to our TA. It's a win win situation.

 

So hopefully you're also booked on this cruise and we can get together onboard. If we are, we have an entire yr to plan!

Lynn

[Fran Harp]

Fran - We'll be booking this transatlantic Dec 2, 2007 westbound cruise while we're on the Sovereign of the Seas cruise this Oct so we can receive the shipboard credit. We always book one or two cruises while onboard. The shipboard credit helps us stretch our $$. We've been thinking and looking at transatlantic cruises for the last yr. We mentioned it to our fabulous TA and she called us back with a great price. And who knows, if the prices come down, she'll give us the lower rate. We always book onboard then transfer the booking to our TA. It's a win win situation.

 

So hopefully you're also booked on this cruise and we can get together onboard. If we are, we have an entire yr to plan!

Lynn

 

We're booked on it! See my ticker below...countdown has begun. Couldn't pass it up, as it goes to Gibraltar and Casablanca (which we whipped through at 28 knots in May...good old Captain Speedy.) :D I was looking at the RCI website, and when I saw it called the TA and had him book. We even got a 'hump' cabin this time. There's quite a good community of cruisers already on the roll call.

 

DH is interested in a Med cruise right before that, and then travelling for three weeks in Europe before winding up in Barcelona. We have to decide if we can afford it or not - might be fun to travel a bit.

 

Looking forward to seeing you on that cruise!:D

 

Fran in Toronto

[Lmack]

Yeah! We'll be sailing together next yr. That's wonderful! We're planning on driving to Miami, leaving our car there, & flying to Barcelona. We're thinking about going to Barcelona a few days early so that we can take a few side trips. A month ago, I received an email out of the blue from a distant relative from Perpignan, France (1½ hrs north of Barcelona). He was researching his family tree and found us. We've been corresponding ever since. So we may decide to take a side trip and visit them. He speaks a little English & a little Spanish. I work as an interpreter in the courts and other places (English><Spanish) but don't speak French. So I think we'll be able to communicate well!

 

By the way, have you gotten as far as thinking about where you might stay in Barcelona? Have you heard any recommendations?

 

This is exciting that we'll be cruising together. Do you have a link to that roll call thread?

 

Lynn

[mems]

Hi Everyone,

Transatlantic cruises? We love them! Doing our 3rd in Nov. Love those sea days esp. going west because we get an extra hour most nights. But shhhhhh, don't tell anyone.;) When RCCL hears how much we all like the TA's the price will go up. :eek: mems

[Lmack]

Mems - We'll be anxious to hear about your review of the transatlantic westbound and lots of advice and tips. Keep us posted.

Lynn

[Fran Harp]

Yeah! We'll be sailing together next yr. That's wonderful!

 

By the way, have you gotten as far as thinking about where you might stay in Barcelona? Have you heard any recommendations?

 

This is exciting that we'll be cruising together. Do you have a link to that roll call thread?

 

Lynn

 

Hi, Lynn -

 

We have friends in Barcelona and if they're willing, may stay with them - just outside the city near the beach. If we decide to 'hotel' it we'll be in touch with others.

 

Try this link:

http://cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=351038&page=15

 

If it doesn't work, just go over to the Roll Call threads, Brilliance of the Seas December 2, 2007 Transatlantic.

 

Fran in Toronto

[mems]

Lynn,

 

If your looking for info on transatlantics and Barcelona check out www.kenandpene.com Kene and Pene have all kinds of information and are wonderful about sharing.

[mlleach]

Lynn,

 

If your looking for info on transatlantics and Barcelona check out www.kenandpene.com Kene and Pene have all kinds of information and are wonderful about sharing.

 

Mems

Thanks. There is a lot of information. Looking forward for your first transatlantic next November. Trying to convince others to go with us. This will help.

Thanks

ML

[Lmack]

Happy New Year everyone!

It's 2007 and now time to seriously plan our Dec 2 Transatlantic cruise on the Brilliance from Barcelona to Miami. We booked this cruise in Oct while we were on the Sovereign of the Seas. It's a done deal!

 

When's a good time to begin checking airfare? We'll be driving to Miami & leaving our car there. We plan to fly to Barcelona from Miami. Any ideas anyone?

 

Lynn