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Trans Atlantic Crossing
I have always wanted to do a Trans Atlantic crossing.
I know the two times of the year are usually in April and October when the ships are either going to Europe or coming back for repositioning. I realize we will have to fly one way and take a cruise the other way. I was thinking that it would be the best thing to fly over and then take the ship back. That way we would be able to bring back gifts without worrying about the weight. and lost baggage. That would be in October. I have been looking at the different cruise lines and the ports in Europe where they go and where one needs to fly too to catch the ships and NCL seems to have the best schedule of ports for us. They would be leaving from Barcelona and arriving in Fort Lauderdale. My questions are these; Would October be a good time to do the Trans Atlantic crossing, weather wise, or would April be safer? Has anyone done the crossing and if so, would you comment about it? Are there any specials one can find for the crossings like you find for the Eastern and Western Caribbean? Other than Carnival, would there be any cruise lines cheaper than NCL? Carnival doesn't have enough stops to make it worth while, for me. Any other information will certainly be appreciated. Thanks for any and all replies. Sandy |
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
Kurt Ullman wrote in
: In article , (Ian) wrote: wrote: I have always wanted to do a Trans Atlantic crossing. I know the two times of the year are usually in April and October when the ships are either going to Europe or coming back for repositioning. I realize we will have to fly one way and take a cruise the other way. About my only cruising regret is that I never got to take one of the Queens from NY to Europe and then take the Concord back. My travel club offered that about once a year. Shoulda done it. You are in a big club there. Woulda shoulda, but then I ask coulda? -- Joseph Coulter, cruises and vacations www.josephcoulter.com 877 832 2021 904 631 8863 cell |
#5
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
In article 36,
Joseph Coulter wrote: About my only cruising regret is that I never got to take one of the Queens from NY to Europe and then take the Concord back. My travel club offered that about once a year. Shoulda done it. You are in a big club there. Woulda shoulda, but then I ask coulda? Of course if this is my worst regret, then I am definitely still WAY ahead of the game. |
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
On Aug 28, 4:48 pm, "Easy News" wrote:
I have always wanted to do a Trans Atlantic crossing. I know the two times of the year are usually in April and October when the ships are either going to Europe or coming back for repositioning. I realize we will have to fly one way and take a cruise the other way. I was thinking that it would be the best thing to fly over and then take the ship back. That way we would be able to bring back gifts without worrying about the weight. and lost baggage. That would be in October. I have been looking at the different cruise lines and the ports in Europe where they go and where one needs to fly too to catch the ships and NCL seems to have the best schedule of ports for us. They would be leaving from Barcelona and arriving in Fort Lauderdale. My questions are these; Would October be a good time to do the Trans Atlantic crossing, weather wise, or would April be safer? Has anyone done the crossing and if so, would you comment about it? Are there any specials one can find for the crossings like you find for the Eastern and Western Caribbean? Other than Carnival, would there be any cruise lines cheaper than NCL? Carnival doesn't have enough stops to make it worth while, for me. Any other information will certainly be appreciated. Thanks for any and all replies. Sandy We haven't actually done a TA, but are considering it for Fall 2009. What we're considering is booking Oceania, as it includes free airfare. Since most of our time would be spent on the ship as opposed to stopping frequently at port, we don't mind spending a bit more for Oceania since we'd be interested in the ship vs. the itinerary for that kind of a sailing. I know there is a group going on Oceania next November TA; you might see if you can get in on that one. Cal Ford has that group going, I believe. He posts here frequently; he's with Lido Cruises. |
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
wrote in message ups.com... We haven't actually done a TA, but are considering it for Fall 2009. What we're considering is booking Oceania, as it includes free airfare. Since most of our time would be spent on the ship as opposed to stopping frequently at port, we don't mind spending a bit more for Oceania since we'd be interested in the ship vs. the itinerary for that kind of a sailing. I know there is a group going on Oceania next November TA; you might see if you can get in on that one. Cal Ford has that group going, I believe. He posts here frequently; he's with Lido Cruises. That's a TINY ship to be doing a trans Atlantic on... I actually had doubts about doing a Bermuda sailing during the fall on the Journey (another former Ren sister ship) because of her tiny size. I sailed through a Nor'easter on the tiny Zenith last year... it wasn't pretty. On the Explorer this past spring, we sailed through the remnants of a tropical storm, with waves higher than my second deck window... and until I opened the window I didn't even know we were in rough seas. I think I'd want a huge ship to do a crossing. Either a Voyager class or the QM2. Both from a stability stand point and having tons of stuff to do for 5-6 days. --Tom |
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
Hi Tom,
We have done two crossings on the Regatta and have had some medium size seas. This ship really takes the waves well. There were some passengers who had difficulty with it, but I wouldn't say the incidence of "mal de mer" was any higher than it has been on any of the larger ships we've been on. Of course, if you are prone to motion sickness, I'd recommend a daily dose of Bonine. Tobieon an Island in the Pacific "Tom K" wrote in message ... wrote in message ups.com... We haven't actually done a TA, but are considering it for Fall 2009. What we're considering is booking Oceania, as it includes free airfare. Since most of our time would be spent on the ship as opposed to stopping frequently at port, we don't mind spending a bit more for Oceania since we'd be interested in the ship vs. the itinerary for that kind of a sailing. I know there is a group going on Oceania next November TA; you might see if you can get in on that one. Cal Ford has that group going, I believe. He posts here frequently; he's with Lido Cruises. That's a TINY ship to be doing a trans Atlantic on... I actually had doubts about doing a Bermuda sailing during the fall on the Journey (another former Ren sister ship) because of her tiny size. I sailed through a Nor'easter on the tiny Zenith last year... it wasn't pretty. On the Explorer this past spring, we sailed through the remnants of a tropical storm, with waves higher than my second deck window... and until I opened the window I didn't even know we were in rough seas. I think I'd want a huge ship to do a crossing. Either a Voyager class or the QM2. Both from a stability stand point and having tons of stuff to do for 5-6 days. --Tom |
#9
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
More comments regarding "tiny ships".
Thinking about my personal seafaring history, I realize that the Oceania Regatta, at 30,000 tons and 600', will be the second largest ship on which I've ever crossed either ocean. My list includes ships from under 2,500 tons up to an attack carrier. Also, I see that Oceania's ships cruise at only 18 knots, which is probably 80% of full speed. That suggests that max is 22.5 knots, which is equivalent to about 26 mph. A day sailing at right angles to a predicted storm path therefore takes it about 624 miles away, so the variable is the judgment of the captain and his management as to when to begin getting out of harm's way. Since all of these vessels cross from Europe to the U.S. every November, usually with a high percentage of passengers making the trip more than once, it's reasonable to assume that such judgment is generally in favor of comfort. My wife and I plan to be aboard Regatta from Barcelona to Miami in November. Ike |
#10
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Trans Atlantic Crossing
"Ike" wrote in message ... More comments regarding "tiny ships". Thinking about my personal seafaring history, I realize that the Oceania Regatta, at 30,000 tons and 600', will be the second largest ship on which I've ever crossed either ocean. My list includes ships from under 2,500 tons up to an attack carrier. ... Since all of these vessels cross from Europe to the U.S. every November, usually with a high percentage of passengers making the trip more than once, it's reasonable to assume that such judgment is generally in favor of comfort. My wife and I plan to be aboard Regatta from Barcelona to Miami in November. I was looking for some specifics to respond to the comment about Oceania "tiny" ships, but your post yesterday said it better than I would have. Today I would like to add a bit. All three Oceania ships are 30,277 tons, 594 feet in length, 83.5 feet in breadth and draw 19.5 feet maximum. If two football fields in length is tiny... We also found a significant advantage (IMHO) to the smaller ships. We could pull right up to the pier at Castries, St. Lucia, less than 100 yards from the busses and taxis. The QM2 had to anchor out several miles and ferry their passengers in by tender. As to ride- most of our sea days on our Lisbon to Barbados cruise in November '04 were smooth as glass- no perceptible movement at all. One day we hit some 8 - 10' swells. We experienced some slight pitching, but very little rolling. All in all, we have never slept better in our lives. I guess you could say we were rocked gently to sleepG. Insignia make the run around the tip of South America where seas are notoriously rough. I guess they aren't too tiny for that pounding. And, Oceania ships are aesthetically very beautiful- very well proportioned and balanced. Obviously it's a matter of taste, but I consider the monster ships to ugly, bulbous things. I don't know how one would find out, but I'll bet their stability characteristics are better (if not much better) than the skyscrapers on water. Oh well, to each his own. Paul Johnson |
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