Transatlantic Cruising

[LittleDog]

Yesterday my wife and I went to a local travel agent to get some information on transatlantic cruises. We are given 2 ships that we could take next April. The first was RCI Vision of the Seas and the second was the Emerald Princess. My main concern is the size of these ships, both about 3000 passengers. In a transatlantic crossing I would assume that the seas are a little bit rougher than in the Caribbean but want to know if anyone has any experience with transatlantic cruising and how they fared with the smaller ships.

I did go to the Cruise Critic website and left a message but no response yet.

John

[buggyone]

Yesterday my wife and I went to a local travel agent to get some information on transatlantic cruises. We are given 2 ships that we could take next April. The first was RCI Vision of the Seas and the second was the Emerald Princess. My main concern is the size of these ships, both about 3000 passengers. In a transatlantic crossing I would assume that the seas are a little bit rougher than in the Caribbean but want to know if anyone has any experience with transatlantic cruising and how they fared with the smaller ships.

I did go to the Cruise Critic website and left a message but no response yet.

John

Please do not tell me you are going to use Legendary Journeys as the travel agent. The only handy thing about them is the bus service between The Villages and the cruiseport.

I was on one of their trips last November that was flying to Rome from Orlando, 5 days in Italy and then 8 days TransAtlantic on the Navigator of the Seas to Ft. Lauderdale. I would not use Legendary Journeys again under any circumstances. I will try and link a review I did for one of their hotels we used.

I did not like the Navigator of the Seas at all. I am a frequent cruiser on Celebrity which is 110% better than RCL - even though Celebrity is owned by RCL. Here is a link to CruiseCritic and Vision of the Seas. Vision of the Seas Cruise Ship Reviews - Royal Caribbean International (http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=83)

[blueash]

I have taken a transAtlantic cruise from Europe to here and there were no problems with the sea and it was a northern route (Iceland, Newfoundland) on a similar size ship. I am surprised you were only offered 2 choices, or perhaps your post is missing some detail. I went to cruise411.com and entered transatlantic and april 2013 and there are 34 choices.
On cruisecritic I searched on transatlantic and got 20 pages of hits. You can see reviews for almost any ship and any itinerary by clicking on "cruise reviews" on the bar just down from the top of the screen. Then select member reviews and enter the data for the cruise line, then the particular ship. Then you will see a long list of reviews sorted by date. Go to April 2012 to see reviews for this year, and you can also look at oct 2011 and apr 2011 for additional transatlantic information. You will be overwhelmed with information, or at least with opinions.

[jackz]

Yesterday my wife and I went to a local travel agent to get some information on transatlantic cruises. We are given 2 ships that we could take next April. The first was RCI Vision of the Seas and the second was the Emerald Princess. My main concern is the size of these ships, both about 3000 passengers. In a transatlantic crossing I would assume that the seas are a little bit rougher than in the Caribbean but want to know if anyone has any experience with transatlantic cruising and how they fared with the smaller ships.

I did go to the Cruise Critic website and left a message but no response yet.

John

John,

You are receiving MINIMAL info about choices.

As a big fan of Celebrity and especially the Celebrity Equinox, I suggest their April Crossing from Ft Lauderdale for 999 for inside, 1249 oceanview and 1399 Balcony. I would go for the balcony. See info below:


15 Nights

Eastbound Transatlantic Cruise

Celebrity Equinox



Cruise Ports

Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Nassau, Bahamas; Tenerife, Canary Islands; Lanzarote, Canary Islands; Lisbon, Portugal; Gibraltar, United Kingdom; Barcelona, Spain




(*Lowest Fare) Departures and Staterooms


2013Apr
15*

Inside999.00 USD*
Select

Ocean View1,249.00 USD
Select

Veranda1,399.00 USD
Select

Concierge Class1,599.00 USD
Select

Aqua Class1,849.00 USD
Select

Suite2,749.00 USD
Select

Save ItineraryEmail Itinerary

You can go to Celebrity web site for futher info and additional choices on their other crossings, but having sailed on the Equinox, I can tell you it is an amazing ship with great food and great service.

Jack

[cybermuda]

My main concern is the size of these ships, both about 3000 passengers. In a transatlantic crossing I would assume that the seas are a little bit rougher than in the Caribbean but want to know if anyone has any experience with transatlantic cruising and how they fared with the smaller ships.


We dislike the larger ships for many reasons, and stick with Holland America's older ships as they are smaller.

The northern part of the North Atlantic can be a bit rough, but the southern route between Florida and Spain is usually quite calm. Obviously a storm in the area would not help.

Our first transatlantic was on the Prinsendam (800 passengers) and the captain was asked whether or not a larger ship would cross more smoothly. He made a good point that the older (smaller) ships were built ship-shape to cruise the World's oceans, whereas the newer ships have a much flatter bottom (so that, despite being much larger, they can still get into most ports) so can tend to bob around more.

I am not a good traveller at sea, but on each of our transatlantics I have missed dinner just once.

[Mallory]

We did this transAtlantic repositioning cruise on the Celebrity Equinox in April of this year. IT WAS GREAT!!!!!!!!!! If our land tour plans weren't set we would have continued on when the ship left Rome and headed to Greece and Turkey. As noted previously, the 2013 cruise ends in Barcelona.

The Atlantic was like glass all the way. We did run into 2 squall lines which the captain neatly avoided. One evening ladies were encouraged not to wear heels. You should be aware that there are 3 formal nights on this cruise. We travelled light and I didn't have a jacket but was loaned one for dinner in the main dining room.

Go for the balcony which is well worth the extra money.

The ship was very clean, staff was attentive, food was excellent, entertainment was fun, and the frosted martini bar was awesome.

We didn't have a spare minute with all the speakers - a celebrity chef doing demonstrations, the former head of the Kennedy Space Center, Olympic champion Frank Shorter talking about the then upcoming Olympics and his experiences, and others. Do the tours of the kitchens and the backstage entertainment areas.

You won't regret sailing on the Equinox.

[LittleDog]

Thanx for the replies. We were looking for a transatlantic cruise and connecting cruises to scandanavia and Russia. Both the cruises presented to us had these options. I'm not sure right now whether I want to do this in April or in the fall. The reason being that I prefer not to fly but it looks like I will have to fly one way and would prefer to get that out of the way first. Our choices maybe limited because we wanted to take additional cruises while in Europe.

Just trying to get as much information as possible right now.

John

[PennBF]

We have taken between 10-15 transatlantic cruises and in fact we have 2 scheduled right now. One in October from England to Ft Lauderdale and one from Maimi to Rome in April 2013. In that case we have made arrangements with the Captain/ship to disembark in Livorno rather than giong to Rome. We are going to vacation in Italy for 5-6 days and then fly back.
We do not like the mega ships. Have been on them and they are not our favorites. In April 2013 we are sailing on the Celebrity Reflections which is a good ship. We really enjoy the Transatlantic's as you have time to enjoy the
time to read and also tour, etc. Regarding the transatlantic crossings. They are very safe. In one case we sailed for an evening in a gail and hardly noticed it. We always get a balcony so see the ports when we arrive, to sit
and enjoy the weather, etc. We use a company called "Crucon" to schedule
our trips as they usually have good perks and we have had good experiences with them. If you have any questions please let us know in case we can help?:)

[784caroline]

Please do not tell me you are going to use Legendary Journeys as the travel agent. The only handy thing about them is the bus service between The Villages and the cruiseport.

I was on one of their trips last November that was flying to Rome from Orlando, 5 days in Italy and then 8 days TransAtlantic on the Navigator of the Seas to Ft. Lauderdale. I would not use Legendary Journeys again under any circumstances. I will try and link a review I did for one of their hotels we used.

I did not like the Navigator of the Seas at all. I am a frequent cruiser on Celebrity which is 110% better than RCL - even though Celebrity is owned by RCL. Here is a link to CruiseCritic and Vision of the Seas. Vision of the Seas Cruise Ship Reviews - Royal Caribbean International
************************************************** ****

Buggyone
Please link your review of Legendary Journeys.....I would vey much like to read it.

WE are "Elite" cruisers on Celebrity and heading out this fall on a 15 night cruise to Quebec from Bayonne Nj and return. Last year we did San Diego, Hawaii, San Diego....great trip and absolutely calm waters all the way and back. Did the Transatlantic on Celebrity Elcipse Oct/Nov 2010 leaving from SouthHampton England with stops in Cherbourg (Normandy) and Le Harve.....great trip and the sights of Normandy met all expectations. The Cruise itself was very relaxing ...some turbulent water in the bay of Biscay (sp) between France and Spain but otherwise it was very relaxful. Would do another transatlantic in a heartbeat...BUT I understand this years springs crossings back to Europe encountered some very rough weather....so be aware weather is always unpredicatable.

[duffysmom]

We've taken many transatlantics on both Celebrity and Royal Carib but have fallen in love with the Soltice class Celebrity ships. We've had calm seas and very stormy seas but I've always felt safe. We've booked directly with the cruise line and also with Crucon. You can get some great deals with Crucon when they have a sale and they will be having a Labor Day sale soon. The key is to find your particular cruise on the roll call on Cruisecritic and make connections. Also Choice Air which is affiliated with Celebrity and Royal have great one way air fares to Europe. The many days at sea can be as relaxing or busy as you choose. I've only been on one Holland America ship and I was impressed and they do have great Northern European cruises. Very important that you purchase insurance when you book your cruise since they will not honor pre existing conditions if you wait too long to purchase the insurance and usually it's cheaper at that point. We've had occasion to cancel a cruise and the insurance paid us every dime minus the insurance payment which was only a couple of hundred dollars. Most importantly have fun. Oh.... they do have formal nights but it's not necessary to participate in you don't want to lug formal wear with you. The buffet is wonderful and no formal wear is necessary. That's how we roll...:highfive:

[buggyone]

I found out something interesting and helpful regarding RCL and Celebrity lines (both owned by RCL). If you own at least 100 shares of RCL stock, you will get anywhere from $100 to $250 shipboard credit on top of any other credits you may have. You can do this every time you cruise with RCL and Celebrity so it makes for a nice dividend on the stock.

Go to the SEARCH function on TOTV and type in Legendary Journeys and it will take you to the thread where it is discussed in detail.

[Hank N Judy]

John, go on vacationstogo.com I am not saying to necessarily use them to book, but you can find every cruise out there.
Hope this helps, Hank

[cybermuda]

John, go on vacationstogo.com I am not saying to necessarily use them to book, but you can find every cruise out there.
Hope this helps, Hank

We, too, use VTG to research cruises, then go to CruiseCompete.com to get a good price.

Re shares - buy 100 in RCL and 100 in CCL (which get you on-board credits on Carnival, Holland America etc.)

[RVRoadie]

Thanx for the replies. We were looking for a transatlantic cruise and connecting cruises to scandanavia and Russia. Both the cruises presented to us had these options. I'm not sure right now whether I want to do this in April or in the fall. The reason being that I prefer not to fly but it looks like I will have to fly one way and would prefer to get that out of the way first. Our choices maybe limited because we wanted to take additional cruises while in Europe.

Just trying to get as much information as possible right now.

John
We are booked on the NCL Star leaving April 21st, 2013 out of New Orleans. A total of 25 days that includes the Baltic. You can also pick up this cruise in Miami two days after is sails from New Orleans.