Transatlantic Question Please

[ombrelle]

Hi everybody,

 

Booked a Transatlantic, first time for us, very nervous about it. Love to cruise, but always had intensive port itineraries.

For the ones who have already done this, did you enjoy it? Any tips?

What dinner seating would be best, early or late from your experiences?

We will be sailing on Serenade of the Seas, does this ship have free style dining ( dine when you want )? Should we choose upper or lower deck for dining? We would really appreciate some tips from anyone who is willing to share their good and bad experiences.:)

 

Thank you

[billsgal]

We've done a number of transatlantics, on Brilliance and Jewel, but they have been east to west....I dont know which way you are going.

 

Serenade will have My Time Dining, and it will be on the top dining room deck(5), so if you select that, you will have no choice of decks. If you select traditional dining, you may be on the other side of the top dining room deck (5) or you could be assigned to deck 4.

 

We love the sea days, which typically are the last 5 or 6 days of an east to west cruise, but are at the beginning of an east to west. We enjoy the downtime after visiting the ports, and don't know how we would react to the days at the sea at the beginning and the ports afterwards, but at least you could rest up before the ship visits the ports.

 

We have done 7 or 8 transatlantics so we must like them:) In fact, we will be doing another one on the Brilliance in August of this year.

 

I think you will enjoy the transatlantic, no matter which direction you are sailing.

[ombrelle]

Hi, it is an eastbound. New Orleans to Barcelona, 16 nights. April 26 to May 12,

 

2014. AFT cabin ( first time for us also ) wondering if to expect very high seas etc.?

Thank You:)

[ombrelle]

Hi, it is an eastbound. New Orleans to Barcelona, 16 nights. April 26 to May 12,

 

2014. AFT cabin ( first time for us also ) wondering if to expect very high seas etc.?

Thank You:)

 

Could someone help us to understand how does My Time Dining works?:confused:

Thank you:)

[KeywestK]

Could someone help us to understand how does My Time Dining works?:confused:

Thank you:)

 

My Time Dining is RCI's flexible dining option. The only requirement to book this is that you must add your gratuities onto your invoice, which will in essence pre-pay them even before you step foot on the ship. With MTD, you will have the flexibility to go to the dining room (a specific area will be designated for MTD) whenever you like during the hours it is open (I think it's 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.) and you will be seated. They will ask you if you'd like to share a table (you are not obligated if you don't want to,) and you will likely not have the same table and wait staff each evening. OR, you can make reservations, either in advance of your sailing or each evening as you leave the dining room for the next evening,) but the problem with that is then you are locked into a time.

 

We've been doing MTD for years and will continue to do so. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[daleb85]

We took the Serenade TA and love MTD. We chose to dine around 6:15 each evening and had the same wonderful servers (Mary and Joseph) each time. We never had more than a minutes wait and were at one of three tables each night. We do not enjoy dining with strangers so this plan was ideal for us. You should have great trip

[GP Cruiser]

Are you sure of your cabin number 2014 is on deck 2 mid ship OV.

[critterchick]

Are you sure of your cabin number 2014 is on deck 2 mid ship OV.

 

I think OP is going in 2014.;)

 

Prepare for rough seas and hope you don't have them. There's no way to predict. :)

[LarryL]

We have only done one transatlantic and it was the same cruise as KeywestK (Hi Karen) on the Liberty. It was, by far, the best cruise we have ever taken. The sea days were extremely eventful and we were never without something to do. We did traditional late dining because that's how we dine. The roll call group was also the best and I would recommend joining yours. We learned so much from them. We were also on our first TA. I would also recommend staying in Barcelona a few days, post cruise, as it is an amazing city.:)

[ombrelle]

Are you sure of your cabin number 2014 is on deck 2 mid ship OV.

 

Sorry that 2014 is the Year we are sailing. I meant to write April 26/2014.L.O.L.

Our cabin number is D2 8168. Are very excited about this, only thing we think it would have been nice if we would have had this cabin for an Europe intensive ports cruise. We do have ports but not many. We have St. Maarten, Tenerife-Canary Islands, Malaga Spain, Cartagena, Spain before we dock in Barcelona.

These ports out of 16 nights.

 

Any tips?

 

Thank You

[ombrelle]

We have only done one transatlantic and it was the same cruise as KeywestK (Hi Karen) on the Liberty. It was, by far, the best cruise we have ever taken. The sea days were extremely eventful and we were never without something to do. We did traditional late dining because that's how we dine. The roll call group was also the best and I would recommend joining yours. We learned so much from them. We were also on our first TA. I would also recommend staying in Barcelona a few days, post cruise, as it is an amazing city.:)

 

Larry, We are planning on doing that, cannot pass the chance of passing at least a week in Barcelona. Have you been there? If so any tips?:)

 

Thank you

[Alexat2]

Love transatlantics - I love being at sea. Great time to catch up on my reading, and just unwind and relax. Don't worry if you want to be busy, there are plenty of activities.

 

As far as dining time - choose what works for you. If you like shows after dinner, do early seating. I always prefer late seating, but I don't go to the shows, and when there is a port day I don't want to be rushed when I get back to the ship to get to dinner. I want to be able to enjoy sail away. I always do traditional dining - to me that's part of cruising, but you always can sign up for my time dining (like a restaurant - you make a reservation, or just show up).

 

I've never had rough seas on a TA, you're more likely to get rough seas once you're in the Med. In the spring you're likely to have weather that's a little wetter and colder than the fall. (fyi - usually in the TAs they have enough wiggle room in the schedule to go around any really bad weather on the crossing)

 

FYI - Malaga has a great HO HO bus to see the sites on, and it picks up just outside the port. The view from the fortress is not to be missed! Last time I was in Tenerife and St. Martin, I rented a car right at the ports, both are easy places to drive around.

 

Lydia

[LarryL]

Larry, We are planning on doing that, cannot pass the chance of passing at least a week in Barcelona. Have you been there? If so any tips?:)

 

Thank you

 

Many of our group stayed on La Rambla and really enjoyed being in the center of things. We stayed in the Rambla de Poblaneau neighborhood and used the extremely simple subway system to get to the Rambla. We used some Holiday Inn points to keep costs down. We did a walking/subway tour of the Gaudi buildings which was quite fascinating. The La Rambla is a destination in itself.

 

The one thing to be aware of are the pickpockets. I bought a wallet that was strapped to my belt and worn inside the pant and had no issues. Our roll call had extensive discussions on this.

 

As I think of things, I'll jump in and share them.

 

I hope your cruise is as wonderful as ours. :p

[negc]

We flew into Barcelona the day before our 7 night French Riviera cruise on Azamara Quest and stayed at the Barcelona Renaissance. I can't say enough for the staff at the hotel who emailed us before our arrival so that they would have our room ready for us when we arrived. After an overnight flight from Boston, having our room ready so that we could nap before sightseeing in Barcelona was a godsend. What we did see of Barcelona including one of the Gaudi buildings and the Sagrada Familia was wonderful.

[TSC]

We did a TA from England to Fort Lauderdale and really loved it.

Agree that weather is a big unknown, ours was fabulous.

You will lose an hour each day for about 6 days. ( going the other way you gain an hour a day. )

We really enjoyed the ship, played a bunch of trivia, went to some presentations, read books, and truly relaxed!!!

We usually pick MTD now, but on a TA, I don't think it would matter as much. I usually like flexibility with lots of ports, but without the ports it's easy to get ready for dinner in time.

And we love Barcelona. I think it's an easy place to wander. We've done the HoHo bus and the subway. Must sees are at least a couple of the Gaudi buildings, including the Sagrada Familia, and the market on the La Rambla. Amazing!

I'm jealous of your trip. Have a wonderful trip.

[KeywestK]

Larry, We are planning on doing that, cannot pass the chance of passing at least a week in Barcelona. Have you been there? If so any tips?:)

 

Thank you

 

Hi Larry! Thanks for the shout out!!

 

OP: We actually spent a few weeks traveling through France and Spain before arriving in Barcelona a few days before sailing. I highly recommend buying a 2-day pass for the hop on hop off sightseeing bus. It's a great way to get a terrific overview of the city, and you have the option of getting off the bus at the areas you want to get a closer look at. Barcelona is a fabulous city, but as Larry mentioned, beware of pickpockets. I purchased a Pac Safe cross body bag for this trip, and was very glad I did. When we were in Madrid, my sister-in-law was pick pocketed, and the thief was so quick and sneaky, she didn't realize it until hours later. We also witnessed police carting off other pick pockets during our travels. So beware, and be prepared!

 

We loved our TA. All those sea days were filled with new friends that we met on our roll call, lots of R&R (we needed it after all our traveling,) and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

[ombrelle]

I want to thank all you wonderful people, for the encouragement and wonderful tips.

We will be leaving for a cruise on May 2 /13 . Yes, must start packing!:eek: Completely different itinerary in Europe. Booked the TA yesterday for 2014.

Please if you think of any other tips please keep them coming. :) I'm noting them down!

 

Thank You

[marisa877]

As I write this I am sitting in my hotel room in Barcelona after leaving my Liberty TA yesterday. Truly one of the best trips I've ever had.

I kept a journal and plan to do a more complete review once I'm home, but for now...

We started with 8 sea days, then did Lisbon, Cadiz, one more sea day and then Barcelona.

I loved the sea days. Just enough activities to not get bored on the ship, but also plenty of time for relaxation, reading, sleeping.

You really get to know the crew and fellow passengers. It felt like a family by the time we left.

I did second seating and personally rarely made it to the show beforehand. If you really want the shows i would suggest my time dining around 7 or 7:30. That way the day isn't so rushed, but you can be out in time for the 9:00 shows.

This is my second time in Barcelona and I love it. The Busturistic HoHo is great. 3 different routes included in the price. There is so much to see here, try to spend at least a few days.

[cirman52]

We have done 2 TAs, both from Fl. east coast, 1 to Copenhagen & the other to Barcelona. 2 very different cruise lines & ships. Loved them both ! Plenty to do on board if you want, or do nothing if you want. On the copenhagen bound cruise we had a very active & large group of CC members. NCL had a public room set aside for our daily meetings where we good share port tips.

As for rough sea, I make a bigger wave when I sit in the tub :) You can not predict the seas, but more often than not, they will be smooth.

[ticktoneer]

Hi everybody,

 

Booked a Transatlantic, first time for us, very nervous about it. Love to cruise, but always had intensive port itineraries.

For the ones who have already done this, did you enjoy it? Any tips?

What dinner seating would be best, early or late from your experiences?

We will be sailing on Serenade of the Seas, does this ship have free style dining ( dine when you want )? Should we choose upper or lower deck for dining? We would really appreciate some tips from anyone who is willing to share their good and bad experiences.:)

 

Thank you

I've just reviewed my transatlantic if that helps?

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1823446

[FOXTROT]

We were late dining snobs for a long time. We now are MTD snobs. We are usually eating early & enjoying the whole evening. We did our 1st TA last year. We loved the sea days. There is so much to do or there can be very little to do. You are on a great ship. Your balcony is in the best location. Enjoy;)

[ombrelle]

As I write this I am sitting in my hotel room in Barcelona after leaving my Liberty TA yesterday. Truly one of the best trips I've ever had.

I kept a journal and plan to do a more complete review once I'm home, but for now...

We started with 8 sea days, then did Lisbon, Cadiz, one more sea day and then Barcelona.

I loved the sea days. Just enough activities to not get bored on the ship, but also plenty of time for relaxation, reading, sleeping.

You really get to know the crew and fellow passengers. It felt like a family by the time we left.

I did second seating and personally rarely made it to the show beforehand. If you really want the shows i would suggest my time dining around 7 or 7:30. That way the day isn't so rushed, but you can be out in time for the 9:00 shows.

This is my second time in Barcelona and I love it. The Busturistic HoHo is great. 3 different routes included in the price. There is so much to see here, try to spend at least a few days.

 

Marisa,

Thank you for taking the time to share with us!

Can't wait to read your review. Have a wonderful time!:)

[LarryL]

On some of the ports:

 

Tenerife: We didn't get off the ship because of excessive celebration, and fun, the night before. Our table mates explored the city and said they had a great time just doing that.

 

Malaga: Our roll call had organized a private tour to the Alhambra in Granada. This had some mixed reviews as some felt we may have been short changed on some access. We were so happy and amazed that were were actually there that the issue was lost on us. It was a lot of walking but we had a great time both seeing the Alhambra and the walk to and in Granada.

 

Cartegena: We got off here and walked to, and toured, Concepcion Castle on our own, plus saw the Roman Theater and the nearby shopping area.

 

I'll add more on some of what we did on the sea days, later.

[ombrelle]

Thank you Larry,

I can tell that there is a lot of partying on TA's!:D

 

Thank You

[ombrelle]

I've just reviewed my transatlantic if that helps?

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1823446

 

ticktoneer, read your review, enjoyed it very much, it almost felt as if I was there!

Thank you:)