Transatlantic Jitters !!

[COLLEYBERRY]

We are making our first transatlantic voyage Sept.2009.We love cruising and I am looking forward to this cruise( 3rd)

The first two ,inside passage Alaska and New England/Canda were relatively close to shore ( swimable, or at the very least Coast Guard not tooo far away).:D

When I think about being in the middle of the Atlantic days from land ,I feel a bit jittery.Anyone else ever have ocean jitters., or do I just need to cruise more.?:)

[Druke I]

Well, I think you just need more experience cruising.

 

We find it very relaxing to be out in the middle of nowhere. We've done some half dozen trans-Atlantics and three trans-Pacifics, and have loved every one of them.

 

Good weather/calm seas to horrible weather/very rough seas, all great trips.

[BCEagle78]

My wife Debbi and I just did our first transatlantic crossing which started in Venice and finished in Ft. Lauderdale. This was on the Zuiderdam and it completed on November 9.

 

I never had one minute's concern about crossing the Atlantic. This is the 21st century and the technology regarding navigation, communication and saftey designs of today's modern ships are just amazing. It is so routine these days that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of ships (passenger and commercial) that make this crossing every year. On our crossing, we saw many ships while we were in the middle of the ocean. I never felt truly isolated or alone.

 

Can you remember the last time that one of these ships had a problem? Yeah, the Titanic back about 100 years ago but this is 2008. Ships today are able to avoid any hazards using weather tracking, satellite/GPS, radar and sonar. If it were risky, they wouldn't be doing it so often and you would hear about problems or concerns.

 

It is one of my best life experiences and I hope it will be the same for you. We loved doing it and would do it again in a heartbeat. Enjoy the planning and the trip... wish we were going with you!

[COLLEYBERRY]

Well, I think you just need more experience cruising.

 

We find it very relaxing to be out in the middle of nowhere. We've done some half dozen trans-Atlantics and three trans-Pacifics, and have loved every one of them.

 

Good weather/calm seas to horrible weather/very rough seas, all great trips.

 

Very reassuring , from a seasoned cruiser,thankyou. I just felt a bit overwhelmed when I began thinking about it.( silly me) Thanks again.:)

[COLLEYBERRY]

My wife Debbi and I just did our first transatlantic crossing which started in Venice and finished in Ft. Lauderdale. This was on the Zuiderdam and it completed on November 9.

 

I never had one minute's concern about crossing the Atlantic. This is the 21st century and the technology regarding navigation, communication and saftey designs of today's modern ships are just amazing. It is so routine these days that there are hundreds, maybe thousands of ships (passenger and commercial) that make this crossing every year. On our crossing, we saw many ships while we were in the middle of the ocean. I never felt truly isolated or alone.

 

Can you remember the last time that one of these ships had a problem? Yeah, the Titanic back about 100 years ago but this is 2008. Ships today are able to avoid any hazards using weather tracking, satellite/GPS, radar and sonar. If it were risky, they wouldn't be doing it so often and you would hear about problems or concerns.

 

It is one of my best life experiences and I hope it will be the same for you. We loved doing it and would do it again in a heartbeat. Enjoy the planning and the trip... wish we were going with you!

 

 

Thankyou for responding. So glad you enjoyed your cruise.It clearly was a wonderful time for you. I am very excited about our cruise, I just felt a little nervous about vastness of the ocean. Of course you are right about the safety,thanks for the reassurance and the reminder of how much we love the cruise experience.:)

[Jemima]

We've done two transatlantics and would love to do more. Another poster said they saw lots of other ships, but that is unususal. We saw none except towards the beginning and end of the transatlantic portion of the cruise. There are generally more activities onboard because these are longer cruises with lots of sea days. Yes, I was jittery the first time, but not for long.

[Williebill]

My DW and I are looking forward to taking this same cruise within a year or so. No worries, just excitment envelopes our feelings concerning this cruise.

[SabreSailor]

We did a transatlantic in April 2006 on the brand new Noordam, and it was the best of all our cruises. Yes, anything can happen (people drown in bathtubs, don't they?), but crossing the ocean (by the way, it's the Atlantic and not the Pacific!) is the adventure of a lifetime. We had only four days on the longest sea leg (Bermuda to the Azores) and were so busy with dance lessons, cooking classes, lectures, etc. that we never had time to be concerned about anything else.

 

Going westbound buys also you 6 extra hours (you don't get the Dreaded "Move Your Clocks Forward" Note on your pillow 6 times!), but September also brings you into the peak of hurricane season, which would be my only concern. If that happens, I'll bet the Captain will steer a course clear of it....

 

Bon Voyage!

[matondo]

My first cruise which was NOT trans-Atlantic I too had the jitters when we lost sight of land. You are not alone. Second cruise they started to come and I looked out and saw the lights from another ship after that it was all good. I kept thinking about the tens of thousands of people who were also at sea with me. Getting ready to take my third cruise and now I can hardly wait to lose sight of land and start chilling.

 

Bon Voyage!!!!

[FoxyTerrier]

We haven't done a transatlantic yet, but I don't think I would worry.

 

I'm more concerned when flying over the Atlantic yet I do cause Europe is so wonderful. A couple of glasses of wine cures my worries for the most part.

[altosax]

I suppose my love of the ocean started when I was 7 or 8 years old and my Dad and Uncle would take me to San Diego to go out on Bill Poole's Polaris fishing boat out to the 60 mile bank for tuna fishing. I loved being at sea.

 

Recently, I have been on 2 trans Atlantic cruises (Noordam and Zuiderdam) and one circle Hawaii (Zaandam) and find the experience relaxing, calming, peaceful, invigorating, exciting and highly spiritual. My longest period of time at sea was 7 days aboard the Zuiderdam on an eastbound Atlantic crossing. I loved every day at sea and that length of time made the sighting of land after 7 days all that more special.

 

I can watch the ocean and look for my inner self for hours. If my cruise is too port intensive, I begin to miss the days at sea.

 

Have a great sailing!

[Charliesmom]

If you enjoy sea days on shorter cruises you will absolutely LOVE a transatlantic crossing. We did circle Hawaii a couple of years ago and it was one of the best cruises we have ever done. On the Pacific Ocean there are these large swells and they create a relaxing atmosphere. Also, we had a chance to really get to know some people (who are still our friends). The cruise staff played all sorts of wonderful games (variants on trivia) and we had a fine time.

 

For us, it is the ship and the cruise that is the draw - not the ports.

 

Enjoy!

 

Roberta

[COLLEYBERRY]

Thanks so much everyone. Jitters are gone,I am going to embrace this experience and revel in all that it has to offer.

You have all made it sound so wonderful,that Sept. seems forever away.

I'll just fret about the transatlantic flight now.:D What was the antidote for that ?......oh.yes wine....I'll be fine. Thanks again.

[RuthC]

I'll just fret about the transatlantic flight now.:D What was the antidote for that ?

Round trips! :D

I've done three round trip trans-At's, and one westbound---all on the northern route. I'll be doing another westbound next year---this time on the southern route. Once you've enjoyed a long cruise with all those sea days, you won't want to stop.

[bobpatj]

We just go home Wednesday from our Transatlantic on the Rotterdam, 7 days at sea from the Canary Islands to Ft. Lauderdale. Wonderful!!! :):):)

[kryos]

When I think about being in the middle of the Atlantic days from land ,I feel a bit jittery.Anyone else ever have ocean jitters., or do I just need to cruise more.?:)[/size]

You need to cruise more ... a whole lot more. :)

 

Seriously, I find nothing more relaxing than being miles and miles from land, out on the vast blue ocean. It seems like all of your cares are miles away as well, and it's a wonderful feeling of freedom.

 

I just got back from a 35-day Hawaii/South Pacific cruise, and we had periods of four, five and six sea days in a row where we never saw another land mass. It was absolutely heavenly.

 

And if you're worried about your safety ... see if you can get a bridge tour. Once you see all the safety features they have in place up there ... officers of the watch, highly sophisticated electronic monitoring systems, etc. ... your concerns in that area will instantly dissolve.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RevNeal]

I love sea days ... lots and lots of sea days. It's part of why I love the Hawaii 15-day round trip out of San Diego ... 10 sea days, 5 port days. It's hard to beat that sea-to-port ratio ... except for on ocean crossings where one gets more than 5 days in a row at sea. :) It's been a LONG time since I did a transatlantic (8 years) but I'm booked on one that departs on October 31, 2009 ... and am greatly looking forward to it! :D

 

Rita is right ... cruise more. Cruise a LOT more. :D

 

There's nothing better than sea day after glorious sea day!!!! ;)

[Pam in CA]

I've done several trans-Atlantic and one trans-Pacific cruise (not counting to/from HI) and I love the sea days. My first trans-Atlantic was in 1956 on a freighter that was tiny by today's standards. There were no activities other than those we made up for ourselves, i.e., reading, "helping" to take the Noon sighting, looking up at the stars at night, reading, getting a personal tour of the engine room and all the way back the in shaft, reading some more, etc. We ate all meals with the Captain and officers, and ate what they ate, there were no choices. Since the ship was Norwegian, there was lots of fish, goat cheese, soup, etc. I loved every minute of it.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Pam in CA your first transatlantic sounds enchanting.:)

Wow, round trip transatlantics, 35 day cruises,cruises with 10 sea days,I am such a Cruise Baby.:D

What fabulous voyages you all have had.Definetly something to aspire to.

Kryos,can you really get to tour the bridge? My DH would love that. I thought secruity reasons nowdays did not allow for that. Would they let me volenteer for' iceberg watch' ?(just kidding):D

Seriously, what a highlight to a cruise that would be. to see the bridge.

Rev Neal, we did however manage to see the ships' bell on our Eurodam cruise.Thanks to the directions I read in your review,it was just where you said it would be.:)

[cnbfrank]

A real liner buff on our TA on QE2 in April did get to visit the bridge by sending a letter to the captain early in the voyage. For the rest of us, the pursar's desk had a rack with several fliers giving each giving 3-4 pages of vital stats and information, one each for the bridge, kitchens, engine room, at least.

 

I am a little claustrophobic and wondered how I would feel being out of sight of land. I loved it. As others have said a real sense of freedom, peace and contemplation. We flew back from England, but I would have been much happier getting right back on the ship for six more nights westbound.

 

You will have a wonderful trip.

[jjgoo]

yes I agree being out in the middle of nowhere is very nice. You can really relax the mind.

[Nancyquilts]

Ships have changed a lot over the years. When we first sailed the Atlantic, there were no stabilizers. All the halls had ropes along them and dining room tables had edges that would lift to corral wayward dishes. Although, I must admit it was rather fun to have everyone dance inadvertantly to one side of the dance floor and then the other. It wasn't prudent to sit in a chair next to the dance floor. ;)

Have a great cruise!

[SarasMommy]

I found the water during our transatlantic cruise to be smoother during the three days it took us to cross the ocean than it was throughout the rest of the cruise.

[BCEagle78]

I found the water during our transatlantic cruise to be smoother during the three days it took us to cross the ocean than it was throughout the rest of the cruise.

 

Three days? Are you sure it took only 3 days? Last month we were on the trans-Atlantic and it took us 6 days to go from Madeira to Nassau. Maybe you were on a very fast ship or maybe you had so much fun that it seemed like 3 days?

 

:)

[SarasMommy]

Three days? Are you sure it took only 3 days? Last month we were on the trans-Atlantic and it took us 6 days to go from Madeira to Nassau. Maybe you were on a very fast ship or maybe you had so much fun that it seemed like 3 days?

 

:)

 

Three full sea days - we left Cape Verde on November 12 and arrived in Recife, Brazil on November 16. I guess we were on the Rocketdam!

 

Actually it looks on the map to be only about half the distance that you sailed on your itinerary.