trans Atlantic

[Dog Drool]

p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; } Thinking of a trans Atlantic but have many questions.

This spring cruises are cheap, Now about half the cost of the fall. Is spring cheaper then fall? or is it last minute vs pre-planing? Debating between spring 2014 or fall 2013

Also what is the demographic of these cruises? The last one was on was more mature where as the previous on had about 40% in their 50"s both were 11-14 day Caribbean.

[kazu]

p, li { white-space: pre-wrap; } Thinking of a trans Atlantic but have many questions.

This spring cruises are cheap, Now about half the cost of the fall. Is spring cheaper then fall? or is it last minute vs pre-planing? Debating between spring 2014 or fall 2013

Also what is the demographic of these cruises? The last one was on was more mature where as the previous on had about 40% in their 50"s both were 11-14 day Caribbean.

 

 

I suspect that the spring transatlantic is cheaper as you are looking at an upcoming cruise. If the cruises aren't full, they will go on sale.

 

These are repositioning cruises as the ships have to cross the Atlantic anyways to start the new itineraries so why not take some passengers, find some nice ports and not sail empty? (All the cruises aren't cheap - some can be pricey).

 

TA's normally will attract an older demographic (not always, but normally) IMO. First of all, they are normally longer cruises and some stay on for the next 'segment'. Many people stay pre or post cruise and enjoy some of the ports they are in. by nature of the length of time it is normally the older demographic.

 

Which is better? Well, I prefer the fall - as if you do the right cruise - you can go crazy in the ports, get toured out and then relax on board for a number of days and regain equilibrium. Plus the clocks go backwards, not forwards. Having said that, there are times that the itineraries can't be denied - so we will just 'tough' it out with a Spring Transatlantic this year:D

 

I do feel that with a TA, to a certain extent the ship does become the destination and it is important to choose the ship that is right for you.

 

hope this helps - smooth seas and fire away if you have more questions:D

[clax1]

We've taken 7 or 8 TA's and never been disappointed. Our longest was 23 days with lots of Med stops. Two weeks is about ideal. We've never had stormy Atlantic weather including our one northern route crossing. Most of our crossings were on HAL though we had no complaints with our one NCL and RCCL trips.

 

Would be gland o answer any specific questions.

[pv girl]

From past experience, I echo what KAZU said about the demographics on any TA cruise, mostly retired folks. But they are an interesting crowd, as most are well-traveled, and are using this as a means to get across the pond for further travels, either land trips, or cruise extensions.

 

You will likely see price drops for the fall westbound TAs by summer, if the history of the last few years repeats. Last year, and in 2011, after final payment dates, there were fantastic deals. Just keep watching, and hold off booking for a while. And HAL offers pretty reasonable one way air fares.

 

One thing to remember about TAs - there is a stretch of 6 or 7 sea days. You have to be comfortable entertaining yourself in some way - movies, cards, reading, attending lectures or computer classes, playing trivia, etc - or you will go nuts after about day 3. The weather is not always warm and can be very windy, so days by the pool are somewhat limited. But folks still do their strolls around the deck, even in the rain, and hit the gym.

 

Check the various itineraries carefully - some have more European ports than others, and you want to get the most bang for your buck, even at reduced prices.

[AZNative2000]

We chose the fall TA for several reasons (some mentioned by kazu above).

 

We would rather have the 14 hour flight at the beginning of our vacation rather than exhaust ourselves at the end. Four hours home from Florida is just fine. We will be spending several days in Rome before boarding the ship.

 

With the fall TA, we actually have seven 25-hour days on the crossing as there will be a time-change every night. On the spring trip those are 23-hour days.

 

I imagine that after the final payment date, the fall cruise prices will drop too.

 

We like the fall itinerary, the ship, the cabin ... just not the 250+ days yet to wait.:):)

[jackretired]

Atlantic Adventure.

And

VOYAGE OF THE VIKINGS.

[Minoushka]

I have been onj 3 crossings . Be prepared and know it is cool on ship even in summer on a transat ...long sleeves hoodies and sweaters a must

I found i thoroughly enjoyed the ships i was on ...lots to do ...i was on Ocean princess,Queen Mary 2and Epic

If you are not sure bring books you will have time to enjoy them

Bring seasickness meds and I found the wrist bands helped

I loved sitting on my balcony watching the waves ...some are pretty impressive Get involved with ship activities like trivialessons,art discussionsport descriptions etc

It isthe most relaxing cruise

Hope you enjoy it

[Markanddonna]

I love TA's and enjoy learning from more experienced cruisers. I received a lot of great money saving advice and their takes on various ports. The demographics are from 55-75 in general with a sprinkling of other ages. I admired how fun loving, positive and energetic almost everyone was.

 

I was on a fall TA and my flight left right before hurricane Sandy which played havoc with almost everyone's travel plans. I learned to be very proactive because in a situation like that, the airlines and travel agents are swamped. While I loved the TA, it sort of made me skiddish about hurricane season.

 

We were on a TA from Rome and really didn't get to use our balcony much at all. Between rainy spells, less daylight in the fall and sea days where the winds and temps didn't cooperate, I wonder if a balcony is worth it. There was only one day where you felt the waves but it still didn't really affect anyone that I could see. Not enough for sea sickness.

 

Consider that an eastbound TA in the spring lets your internal clock adjust on your cruise whereas a westbound leaves you with jet lag to cope with in your departure city. My pictures from our first day in Rome show the effects of jet lag. You do gain an hour going west and that was nice but I had trouble getting up too early. Bring some melatonin along.

 

I had no trouble filling my sea days and felt like I had three different vacations: the City of Rome, five port days in the Med. and then a relaxing vacation with lots of sea days.

 

The cost of the one way flights can get tricky but some airlines have great rates and there are a few airlines that are favorites if the northern part of Europe is where you are going (Iceland air).

 

Love transatlantics!

[Dog Drool]

Thanks for the info I am still a working stiff so the most I can get off is 2 weeks at a time so the longer cruises will not work. I hope to get to spend 1 or 2 day in Rome but that would be all I could do.

I love sea days might even spring for a balcony days reading watching the sea .. Listening to my inner Hermit.

[cruising cockroach]

if you're not committed to going, and be fairly flexible with travel, etc., keep a daily eye on prices. They will come down.

 

The Niew Amsterdam westbound TATL last year started at $1k for a verandah cabin last year and around final payment dropped $100 every few weeks until it briefly was $629 (VH GTY). Prinsendam started high too and a BC GTY dropped to $1000 briefly from $1,200 where it was for weeks..