Tips for Transatlantic please

We are taking our first transatlantic in April on Silhouette. We love days at sea so we thought this would be a good choice for us. We booked a suite so we would have a little more space in our cabin.

Any tips any transatlantic cruisers would like to share for making the cruise more enjoyable? Thank you in advance for your help! [emoji1360]

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Our TA on the Silhouette was one of our favorite cruises ever! We did the westbound in the fall so I can't really comment on the itinerary.

Take advantage of your butler and the Michael's Club concierge services. Ask for extra blankets so you can wrap up and stay toasty on your balcony. Enjoy stargazing in the middle of the ocean. Pay attention to the time changes.

Enjoy!

Our favorite ship! (We'll be on her westbound TA in the fall.)

Our first TA was also an eastbound, on Celebrity. My biggest piece of advice is this: while losing one hour in a day may not seem like much, when this happens every day for several days in a row, it does get tiring. Don't over-schedule yourself, especially in the mornings. We made the mistake of joining a trivia team; trivia was held every morning, and by the time we'd lost about 4 hours, we were really wishing we had not committed ourselves to anything.

Celebrity should have some guest speakers on board (Beyond the Podium series), we've always found them very interesting.

We love sea days, enjoy them and your first TA!

Be prepared for varying weather conditions. It can get cool and a bit rough in the middle of the voyage. Pack swimsuits and sweaters.

Take plenty to read. In whatever form.

Plan your wardrobe carefully. Its a long voyage and laundry is fairly pricey. That said sea days are usually manageable with swimsuit, shorts etc. (bearing in mind the advice about the chance for cool weather) so your main focus is good mix-and-match dressier clothes for evening wear.

Make sure you have a good supply of personal basic essentials. I forgot a OTC medication which I rely on, and had to wait until Gibraltar to acquire it at a pharmacy.

Take advantage of the speciality restaurants and room service occasionally. I'm pretty introverted and although I like meeting people and can talk to anyone - it is nice to have a night off occasionally from socializing with table mates.

You can expect to see them handing out towels by the pool at the beginning followed by blankets at the end!

Lots of sea days to read or whatever, and the weather and the ship move at similar speeds, so whatever you leave with, may follow awhile, whether thats sun or rain.

These are excellent suggestions!!! Keep them coming!!

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These are excellent suggestions!!! Keep them coming!!

 

 

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Since you're in a suite make sure you take time to enjoy Michael's Club. Great way to meet people before dinner!

Also check out the "Hideaway" on Silhouette, one of my favorite places, unfortunately it's only on 2 of the "S" class ships.

Sit on the balcony, read your current favorite books and watch the ocean go by....so relaxing...

We are on the Eclipse TA in April, our 4th TA and we can't wait!!!!

Quiet times are really nice

Guest speakers each day are enjoyable

Wife and I play cards and backgammon

Good book

It can get cool and a bit rough in the middle of the voyage.

I've always been curious about doing a TA, but my biggest concern is DW as she is more sensitive to motion than I've been. I'm taking the approach of building up the number of consecutive sea days slowly. On average just how rough might it get when you're out there in the middle of the ocean?

The Captain will avoid truly bad weather with heavy seas. We missed a couple of ports when we took extra time to get around storms. On a transatlantic the ports can be more fluid so don’t have your heart set on one as you may not make it to that port.

For seasickness, my doctors recommends Bonnie. It does not make your sleepy and has fewer side effects. Take it in advance of rough weather. If you do it should last 24 hours.

I too recommend packing layers for warm weather, cooler weather, and rainy days. Each TA is different. Our friends had perfect weather and seas like glass on an April 2016 TA on Reflection. We were all on the same itinerary in 2017 and had perfect weather until we encountered a storm off the coast of Tenerife. The Captain avoided as much as possible, but we had choppy or stormy seas for perhaps 10 or 12 hours (I eventually fell asleep, so can’t be sure when it became calmer).

Definitely don’t overbook your days, because you may find yourself relaxing more than you’d thought possible on the lovely sea days. Pack plenty any RX and OTC medications you normally take, including chewable Bonine if you know or think you may be susceptible to motion sickness. Bonine (meclizane) is less expensive in the pill form, but I like the chewable form best. Remember that you’ll feel more motion in the tenders, so keep that in mind if the sea is choppy in a tender port. Remember to pack some sunscreen too.

We packed a small bottle of soap, magnets, clothesline, and sink stopper to hand wash delicate items. We used our Captain’s Club discount or random discounts to have laundry done twice during a 16 day cruise. Our strategy for hand wash was to wait until our steward had cleaned the stateroom in the morning, wash a few items, and hang them in the shower to dry. In this way, our laundry wasn’t in his way, or ours. BTW I wouldn’t bother hand washing anything you wouldn’t just toss into a regular wash load. I just wouldn’t trust them with delicate clothes:)

The sea days are wonderful because you’ll have time for leisurely meals, exploring the ship, checking out the lounges and entertainment, conversations with interesting people, and lounging around with a good book. I can’t wait for our TA next April!

I've always been curious about doing a TA, but my biggest concern is DW as she is more sensitive to motion than I've been. I'm taking the approach of building up the number of consecutive sea days slowly. On average just how rough might it get when you're out there in the middle of the ocean?

I am susceptible to motion sickness, so I had similar concerns before my first TA. In my previous post, I mentioned Bonine. If Bonine (meclizine) isn’t available OTC in Canada, I’d consult a physician or pharmacist to find something comparable. I’d also suggest booking a midship stateroom for your first TA, and if fresh air helps your wife, definitely book a Veranda cabin. I took Bonine as soon as I realized we’d encounter stormy seas, and I was fine except for one issue. We’d been invited to a lovely happy hour in the Reflection Suite that afternoon. That suite is on an upper deck, at the bow. I hadn’t been there ten minutes before I realized I’d best head back to midship. Once I did so, and got some fresh air, I was fine again. We loved our TA and have another booked next year:)

It is great to hear these tips. We will be doing our first TA (actually a round trip from Southampton to the east coast of Canada) next year and I am really looking forward to it :)

Join the Roll Call for the trip and go to the Meet and Greet and/or Sailaway

Mr and Mrs Schmoe have been able to clear sea-sickness by finding a horizon to stre at during dyalight hours. AFter dark, some additional help may be required.

We are also on the Silhouette TA, it will be our seventh crossing, so you can guess we enjoy them. It gives us an opportunity to combine a cruise with a visit to our son and his family in UK. We don't find the time changes too arduous, although it is a bit harder than the extra hours on the westbound route. We do enjoy the solarium to read and relax and find some of the speakers interesting. We usually join the choir, although the experience depends on the quality of the leader..

If you are a card player some groups are being discussed on the roll call and a slot pull is also taking place if that appeals to you.

We have never been in a suite so cannot offer any advice on that.

Sheila

We're doing the eastbound TA on Eclipse next month. In 2012 we did an eastbound TA on Royal and the time changed at noon on most of the sea days, so noon suddenly became 1pm. More than anything it messed up dinner, especially with early seating. We found it was better to eat breakfast with a very light lunch in order to be hungry in time for dinner. I'm not sure what time X moves the clocks forward - can anyone enlighten us?

tFor seasickness, my doctors recommends Bonnie. It does not make your sleepy and has fewer side effects. Take it in advance of rough weather. If you do it should last 24 hours.

Just a word of caution about Bonine (the generic is meclizine): it does make some people sleepy or turn them into a zombie. If you are thinking about taking something like this for the very first time, it's probably a good idea to try it first at home and see how it affects you. If the usual dose (25 mg) does make you sleepy, you can try taking half.

We're doing the eastbound TA on Eclipse next month. In 2012 we did an eastbound TA on Royal and the time changed at noon on most of the sea days, so noon suddenly became 1pm. More than anything it messed up dinner, especially with early seating. We found it was better to eat breakfast with a very light lunch in order to be hungry in time for dinner. I'm not sure what time X moves the clocks forward - can anyone enlighten us?

During the night, unless there's been a recent change.

We're doing the eastbound TA on Eclipse next month. In 2012 we did an eastbound TA on Royal and the time changed at noon on most of the sea days, so noon suddenly became 1pm. More than anything it messed up dinner, especially with early seating. We found it was better to eat breakfast with a very light lunch in order to be hungry in time for dinner. I'm not sure what time X moves the clocks forward - can anyone enlighten us?

We've done 3 TA's with X, including one on Eclipse in 2015 and all three had the time changed at night. I don't think I'd like it to happen in the middle of the day. We are also on the Eclipse next month...hoping it's a nighttime change again this time.

We're doing the eastbound TA on Eclipse next month. In 2012 we did an eastbound TA on Royal and the time changed at noon on most of the sea days, so noon suddenly became 1pm. More than anything it messed up dinner, especially with early seating. We found it was better to eat breakfast with a very light lunch in order to be hungry in time for dinner. I'm not sure what time X moves the clocks forward - can anyone enlighten us?

Last April, on Reflection, the time changed during the night on most of the sea days.

Join the Roll Call for the trip and go to the Meet and Greet and/or Sailaway

 

Mr and Mrs Schmoe have been able to clear sea-sickness by finding a horizon to stare at during daylight hours. After dark, some additional help may be required.

sorry..3 typos in 2 lines...another case of fat finger

Joseph S Schmoe is losing his touch

Just a word of caution about Bonine (the generic is meclizine): it does make some people sleepy or turn them into a zombie. If you are thinking about taking something like this for the very first time, it's probably a good idea to try it first at home and see how it affects you. If the usual dose (25 mg) does make you sleepy, you can try taking half.

Very true. I would recommend this for any new medication, especially for those who are smaller than average and/or take other medications that may cause drowsiness. That’s why I think it’s a good idea to check with one’s physician or a pharmacist before taking any OTC medication for motion sickness. I can report that 1/2 of a 50 mg Dramamine knocked me out for 10 hours, but a 25 mg Bonine did not make me drowsy. For reference, I’m a 120 lb woman. Everyone is different, so as you say, it’s best to be cautious when trying a new drug for the first time.

If medicine is not your thing on amazon there is a band called reliefband it’s about 100 bucks but it sends electric pulses to your nervous system to balance your equilibrium. Just used it on my Anthem OTS Cruise in February and will bring it with me on this Silhouette TA in April. It works wonders!

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We've done 3 TA's with X, including one on Eclipse in 2015 and all three had the time changed at night. I don't think I'd like it to happen in the middle of the day. We are also on the Eclipse next month...hoping it's a nighttime change again this time.

I hope so too! Overnight is so much better than during the day.

Have any of you purchased the internet pkg on a TA? I’m wondering how often it works. We have elderly parents and need to stay in touch with their caregivers.

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