Question on Pairing 2 Intercontinental Cruises

Hi All! Inexperienced cruiser here looking for some help regarding cruises from US to Europe. My parents have always wanted to go to Europe, but my mom’s a very nervous flyer. They are both retired and are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, so my siblings and I are looking into whether they could cruise instead. In my research, it seems like most cruises between US and Europe are one-way. Is it possible to tie two one-way cruises together, and any suggestions on how to locate them/which cruises are best? Here are a few other notes:

• New York might be the best departure port, though we would consider any US departure port
  
• We are interested in efficient routes to/from Europe, and would like them to have one or two weeks between cruises to tour around Europe
  
• Amenities on the ship are less of a priority than efficiency
  
• Cost is a consideration, but we are interested in looking at as many options as possible
  

Thank you all so much in advance! We are excited about the possibility of making this once in a lifetime trip a reality for our parents!

If leaving from NYC look at Cunard they do both ways on a regular basis you just need to work on the schedule

Most cruise lines head to Europe in the spring some may still go in June but most have gone already

They start the return journey in the fall Sept to Dec

I would look under the tab at the top FIND A CRUISE & look for transatlantics or find a good travel agent telling them what months you are looking for & budget

o

Here is a tool to get you started:

http://www.cruisetransatlantic.com/cruises.html

At this time of year, most cruise lines have moved the ships that are going to Europe already, so summer choices would mostly be the QM2. This is a crossing, though, not a cruise. No ports in between US & UK. And it would involve formal wear for at least two nights. They could cross from NYC, spend two weeks in Europe and return on the QM2 from the UK or sometimes Hamburg. Later in the summer, they could cross on the QM2 and return on another line,.. But the return would be a much longer cruise with a lot of sea days. And the whole thing will not be inexpensive. Plus the cost of touring in Europe...And trip insurance...

Have you cruised before? Have your parents voiced a desire to cruise, or to see Europe? EM

Most of the transatlantic cruises are used to reposition ships between the US/Caribbean and Europe. For these, the go to Europe in the Spring and return to the Caribbean/US in the Fall. We are on the Pacific Princess leaving from Fort Lauderdale on May 31 and from NYC on June 3. It reaches Dover, England on June 18. I think that is about the latest eastbound repositioning cruise.

The other choice is the Queen Mary. She makes regular crossings. Most are between NYC and Southampton, England. All of these are one way cruises, but you can book two of them to make a round trip. If your parents just want to sail to Europe and back, they could take the QM over and back in about 12 days.

If they wanted to see some of Europe, they could either take the QM over, stay for a while and then come back on the QM. Alternatively, they could take a repositioning cruise in one direction and the QM in the other.

If they want to stay in Europe, they could cruise over in the spring and back in the fall. This would be 4 to 6 months or so.

Cunard is the perfect answer to OP's needs. That gets them to England, and then they can get to the continent using the chunnel without having to fly. Since time is not an issue this works perfect.

Depending on time of year: in the Spring take an eastbound repositioning on any of the several lines sailing from several US ports to Europe and return on Cunard QM2 trans-Atlantic service from Southampton to New York. Reverse the process for the Fall - returning on on a westbound repositioning.

Hi All! Inexperienced cruiser here looking for some help regarding cruises from US to Europe. My parents have always wanted to go to Europe, but my mom’s a very nervous flyer. They are both retired and are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary, so my siblings and I are looking into whether they could cruise instead. In my research, it seems like most cruises between US and Europe are one-way. Is it possible to tie two one-way cruises together, and any suggestions on how to locate them/which cruises are best? Here are a few other notes:

 

• New York might be the best departure port, though we would consider any US departure port
  
• We are interested in efficient routes to/from Europe, and would like them to have one or two weeks between cruises to tour around Europe
  
• Amenities on the ship are less of a priority than efficiency
  
• Cost is a consideration, but we are interested in looking at as many options as possible
  

Thank you all so much in advance! We are excited about the possibility of making this once in a lifetime trip a reality for our parents!

Not too surprisingly, I will join the chorus advocating Cunard. You probably will want to browse up the forums page to the Cunard forum https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=54 and also see the current sailings and offers over on cunard.com

As was stated, most QM2 crossings are non stop NYC to Southampton or the reverse. Usually there are a couple each season that have additional stops [Halifax NS, Iceland]. There are also round trips that are more than just a pair of crossings - for example, next years M929B also has a round trip Southampton to Hamburg, and a stop in Normandy on the return leg. Others may head north to the Arctic Circle in between a pair of crossings.

Some of the crossings are special event crossings - the eastbound leg last year featured the English National Symphony, with a passenger chorus on stage for the last night's performance. There are usually Jazz and Fashion crossings too.

There are also resources here under 'ports of call' about touring and transit resources [check under 'Europe' for the 'Western Europe' and 'Mediterranean France' forums in particular]

HAL has the Voyage of the Vikings, either one-way or round trip out of Boston. Rather pricey, but it has an attractive itinerary.

It could possibly be coordinated with one-way on the Queen Mary2.

Thank you, everyone! These are really great tips. It is probably something we will plan for 2019 or 2020, so it was really helpful to understand the timing of the repositioning cruises and the info about the Queen Mary! Let the planning begin - thanks again. :)

Since retiring in 2013, we've made round trips to Europe 3 times as suggested above: repositioning cruise one way, the QM2 the other. We would stay in Europe a little longer (typically 2 months), but it's a great way to travel.

So on to a few comments on logistics:

Finding a repositioning cruise in/out of New York is not impossible, but choice will be extremely restricted. In/out of a Florida port is much more flexible. Two non-fly alternatives for NY to/from FL are Amtrak and renting a car. Choices on Amtrak are seat (they recline but it's a long 24 hour + ride), roomette (2 seat compartment changes into bunks - upper bunker needs to be somewhat nimble, and on the thinner side helps), and room (pricey and sell out fast). Driving up the East Coast takes longer and is more expensive, but you can set your own pace and have a nice time.

Once in Europe, train travel is wonderful. First or business class is usually worth the not too high price. Do a search on 'European train travel 61' (include the number) and you will find an amazing web site that will tell you everything you could want to know and more about traveling throughout Europe.

When traveling by train in Europe, anticipate that porters may not be available to help get bags on/off trains, so pack accordingly. And watch the locals - it may be necessary to insert your ticket in a reader and have it checked before you get on the train. Leave a little extra time when taking the Eurostar between Paris/London (and remember the hour time difference between the two). You are required to go through immigration (passport check) and put your bags through a metal detector. Most other trains are check your ticket, find your car, and hop on.

The QM2 is much dressier than most other lines. To take full advantage of the ship, gentlemen need to have jacket (tie optional but lots opt) for informal nights and tux or dark suit for formal nights. Ladies dress accordingly. There are no casual nights. To avoid schlepping a bag of formal wear around Europe, we arrange for a service, like Luggage Mule, to pick up the bag at our first stop and deliver it to our last one. You need to clear this with your last stop as I don't believe Luggage Mule will hold your bag, the end accommodation must.

Assuming your parents want to spend roughly two weeks in Europe and don't want to moving every few nights, our recommendation would be to combine a repositioning cruise in/out of Barcelona and the QM2 for the other leg. There's non-stop train service between Barcelona and Paris and the Eurostar between Paris and London. This minimizes trains and changing trains and are three wonderful stops. Southampton (QM2's port) is far enough from London that, while do-able by train, is much more easily accomplished by car service. We've had great service from Smiths for Airports.

Rome and Venice are also great, just a little more work. Rome, about an hour from the port of Civitavecchia, requires a cab ride to the local train station or a car service. Venice would require some combination of water transport and/or nice man with a cart and/or schlepping through town to get to your hotel, and a similar process to get to the train station. Venice and/or Rome require a change of train in Milan or Turin (and possibly a change in train station) to get to Paris.

Good luck with planning and we hope your parents have an awesome time. You really are great kids.

They don't offer a lot of sailings, but another option would be HAL out of Boston taking the "northern route" to Europe. They stop in some ports in Canada, Greenland, Iceland and the like and end in Europe. (It would be an opportunity to visit some ports that are bit atypical of the norm, too) You could travel around and then connect with a Cunard sailing back to NY.

First, they have US passports, not requiring renewal? This is a vital question.

It is possible to travel economically in Europe but it requires planning and effort. Your parents must be involved from the start. For example, getting from Moll Adossat to Estacio Sants or Gare de Lyon to Gare du Nord cheaply can be a hassle. Why I chose those two examples is the kind of research you need to do.

Many rail stations don't even have lifts. Your parents must practice carrying their luggage up and down several flights of stairs.

Also, as a fellow nervous flyer my recommendation would be for your mum to 'bite the bullet' and fly...at least one way on the way there so they can enjoy their holiday without worrying about a flight back.

I have very high anxiety (have for many years) and have managed to get on a plane for long haul...in fact I am boarding a plane to Asia and then back from Oz this summer. When I have got on a plane and loved my holiday I am always glad to have done it.

That way your parents could maybe fly out...do a Med cruise then take one of the repo ships back around October time (when the ships return to FL).

Also, European trains are indeed awesome but stations are busy...pack light! Also, you need to arrive at least 1 hour/45 min before your Eurostar or boarding may be denied....they are quite strict about this at the moment.

If a Eurostar is not desired there are many ferries that go between the UK and France...very comfortable also.