Transatlantic - which direction is best?

[AfriCan]

DH and I are contemplating booking a Transatlantic cruise next year. Is there any preference to sailing east or west? Also, what can we expect weather-wise at different times of the year (i.e. July vs. Oct.)?

[E-500]

DH and I are contemplating booking a Transatlantic cruise next year. Is there any preference to sailing east or west? Also, what can we expect weather-wise at different times of the year (i.e. July vs. Oct.)?

 

Going West after Labor Day you get a few hours back, even fewer kids than usual, more moderate climate in Europe and avoid the summer tourists in Europe. In July East bound, longer days, warmer at sea, hot! in southern europe, more crowds on land, a few kids on vacation, higher one way airfare. Either way pros and cons, but no matter which you choose you will enjoy yourself.

[BCEagle78]

E-500 has it right. We did a trans Atlantic in October and all the factors that were mentioned by E-500 were true. If I had to do it again, I would do the fall version from Europe to the USA.

[Storylady]

We did a TA on the Westerdam leaving Ft Lauderdale on April 14th. We love the transatlantic crossing plus all the ports we visited on this particular cruise. By doing a B2B, we had 32 days. Of the 32 days, we had one rainy day in Venice. Temperature was fantastic. It was in the 70's once we reached Europe. It was a smooth crossing at least for us.

 

They changed the hours during the day time so we didn't have to sleep in each morning to make up the hour difference. So although annoying, it wouldn't keep me from making an east bound TA in the future.

 

I can't speak for the fall crossings which are usually in late October and early November. But I suspect that the weather would not be as perfect as we had it on this last cruise.

[casamariposa]

Having done TA cruises in both directions, I would opt for a Spring crossing. I love the Mediterranean, and everything is blooming then. Early Spring in Italy is something I will never forget. The weather is beautiful, and in May schools are still in session and the large wave of tourists has not arrived. I guess I was intoxicated by the aroma of three varieties of strawberries in the marketplace in Nice, and never got over that! (I'm repeating the eastbound TA on the Noordam in April, hoping I can relive that experience.)

[Jemima]

We've done two west to east transats; one in April/May and the other in July. West to east puts the ports in the second part of the cruise and the long flight at the end. East to west puts the long flight first followed the port intensive part and the crossing in the later part of the cruise.

[RuthC]

I've done five west-bound trans-Ats, and three east-bound.

Needless to say, I prefer west-bound. On my three east-bound cruises, the clocks were changed at night---on the first cruise it was eight times! :eek: I was not the only one on the ship who was exhausted. West-bound was also changed at night. Ahhhhh! :)

This last time was a November crossing from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale. It was smoooooth all the way across. The cruises on the northern route varied from Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, to bumpy, to some movement, to smooth as glass. There's just no telling.

[serendipity1499]

DH and I are contemplating booking a Transatlantic cruise next year. Is there any preference to sailing east or west? Also, what can we expect weather-wise at different times of the year (i.e. July vs. Oct.)?

 

Actually I think it's a "crap shoot" Most mainstream lines have their ships doing Europe & the Med or Alaska in July...HAL has one ship which has the "cruise of the Vikings" from Boston every year in August, & they use the Northern Route.. Someday we hope to take that cruise & do the Round trip..

We've done two TA's, both on the Southern Route.....On the Eastbound trip in April, we were supposed to stop in the Azores, but the weather turned bad...High winds & 40 ft. waves closed the port of Ponta Delgada, Azores...The ships which were in port could not get out & we could not get in..Therefore we continued on to Gibraltar & had a wonderful unscheduled 5 hr. fuel stop there..Even had time to hire a Taxi & see the Barbary Apes..

Another time we came Westbound in Nov. with a scheduled stop in Gibralter...(Love Gibralter!) The weather was beautiful all the way accross....Others have said they had terrible weather in the fall..

Don't believe that many lines except Cunard do TA's in July & believe they take the Northern route....

cheers.....:)Betty

[Chelly]

Westbound, balcony cabin, portside for the sun.

[JimnKaren]

Never did the TA, but I have plans to do it. I will for sure cruise from east to west. More for your money.

 

Here's the logic. Going east, you change the clocks daily and lose an hour a day (about), so that you end up with 23 hours instead of 24. Going west, the clocks change the other way and you end up with a 25 hour day. On a 6-day cruise, one gets an extra 6 hours of cruising and thus more for your money!

 

Jim

[SpringStein51]

I'm looking forward to one day taking the eastbound - and for a different reason. My DW loves Europe, but really struggles with time changes on jet travel. For our 30th, we flew into Rome four days prior to a 12 day Med cruise - but she never did adapt and never slept well the entire trip. I'm hoping taking a cruise will be much easier for her internal clock and she will be able to enjoy Europe more fully being rested.

 

She has three years left as a teacher before retirement, so I'm already thinking about a spring 2014 TA.

[bob brown]

I like westbound better, as its nice to gain an hour a day rather than losing it.

And for those fortunate to be sailing a TA into NYC, there is nothing like sailing under the Verrazano Bridge into New York Harbor, sighting the Statue of Liberty to welcome you home, and then the skyscrapers of Manhattan as you make your way up the Hudson.

[barante]

In researching this topic, I did enough work for a diploma or something. As a result, we took a trans-Atlantic two years ago from Venice to Fort Lauderdale (Princess). It hit all the must-see ports of Western Mediterranean, plus Cadiz and Lisbon, which I love, and a pleasant surprise of Ponta Delgado.

The two arguments for a westbound crossing deserve to be repeated:

-- All the strenuous touring -- and it is strenous -- will take place in the beginning of the trip after which you will have a week to rest.

-- The time changes, which are not a big deal, work to your advantage.

I liked the Princess offering because it included an overnight on the ship in Venice, simplifying things by eliminating hotel and restaurant expenses. Princess also had placed water shuttle passes to all rooms. It was money well spent, because the 15-minute shuttle ride itself was a nice experience. We took the shuttle three times roundtrip: after checking in after a long overnight flight from the U.S., showering and eating; later that night and yet once more in the morning before the ship's 1 p.m. departure.

Any contemplating a westbound crossing should do a thorough search of the various itineraries. If you have flexibility, you may find some irresistible bargains.

I recently found a Celebrity crossing from Athens to the U.S. with some fabulous stops, including an overnight in Lisbon, for very little money, I thought. The one I saw was for 2011, but it may also be offered this fall. I will keep watching it (along with my financial situation).

[NMLady]

DH and I are contemplating booking a Transatlantic cruise next year. Is there any preference to sailing east or west? Also, what can we expect weather-wise at different times of the year (i.e. July vs. Oct.)?

 

We've done 4 ta's, two in each direction. The two westward ones were one in October and one in November. The two eastward ones were in April.

 

We prefer westward because the frequent time changes ADD an hour which we find easier to adjust to. We've been fortunate in having smooth sailing, with little choppiness, in all four sailings. But I know that some people have said the weather is better in spring so they prefer eastward crossings.

 

We will be making our 5th transatlantic crossing this coming October, in the westward direction.

[Bill S]

We've done only one TA, the last part of a Western Med cruise, on the Noodam in October, 2006.

It was a port intensive cruise to begin with, and it was great to be able to relax and just enjoy the ocean as we sailed from Cadiz to the Azores, to Bermuda and ending in NYC. We had great weather and calm seas throughout the entire crossing, and it was a thrill to sail into NYC at the end.

What I particularly enjoyed was the extra hour every other day and not suffering from jet lag for a week upon returning home. :)

[smslms]

In terms of direction, anything where you stay above the surface is preferential vs the submarine route.

[navybankerteacher]

Westbound has several advantages - the six time changes add to your days rather than subtracting; it is good to have the crossing to relax after the 5 or 6 port days, instead of ending up with the intensive port calls; it is too bad to have to face the transatlantic flight after your cruise.

 

If you plan to spend a few days in Europe pre- or post-cruise, you will find that the weather is likelier to be a little cooler (but still comfortable) in October than in May.

 

For the crossing itself, the ocean water is much warmer in October (after the summer) than in April or even May after the winter --- making the air temperature far better.

 

Which ever direction you sail, choose the south side of the ship for your cabin (port westbound, starboard eastbound) so you have sun and not shade all day.

[kazu]

I agree. Our last TA I was afraid it would be cold and the weather was beautiful (no guarantee for this one in the fall though). Nice to get the long flights and tearing around in ports done at the beginning and then relax on board for the TA. This way, you don't need a vacation to recover from your vacation.

[jcrandle]

In terms of direction, anything where you stay above the surface is preferential vs the submarine route.

 

Regardless of direction, some might comment that there are only two classes of boats, submarines and targets!

[happy cruzer]

If you plan to do touring in Europe before or after the TA can be very important.

 

If you do eastbound, then you arrive rested to tour Europe.

 

Westbound, you have to recover from your flight then tour. But you do arrive home well rested.

 

To me it's about equal, I just pick the best itenary in a low season, early spring or fall to help with costs on land.

[AfriCan]

Thanks everyone for your valuable insights - it certainly makes sense to consider the factors before deciding on a direction. I like the idea of gaining an hour as opposed to losing one every day.;)