Help in selecting a transatlantic to or from Florida

[nyllrap]

I would really appreciate any thoughts from those who have done transatlantic cruises between Florida and the Mediterranean. We live in Florida, and have taken many cruises in the Caribbean, one in Alaska, and one in Hawaii. I would love to try a transatlantic, most likely between Florida and either Rome or Barcelona. Right now I am thinking about a spring, 2018 cruise, but would also consider one in the fall of 2018 (eastbound vs. westbound). While in Europe, we want to spend a few days in either Rome or Barcelona, and then fly to Sicily for a week, as my husband is from Palermo and still has relatives there. I have been the foreperson on a federal grand jury that meets once a week for a year, with a 90 minute drive, which will end in late March. This cruise will be my reward for doing my civic duty!

 

We have cruised with many times with Royal Caribbean and several times Norwegian. Both were good. We did one Carnival cruise that I didn't care for. We just made Diamond status on Royal, so that line would probably be a good choice for the nice perks, but are willing to also consider Celebrity as they will match status, and possibly other lines.

 

I really appreciate anyone's opinions! I don't expect others to select my cruise, but would love the sage advice from those who have done TAs. Thanks for any help in advance.

 

Lynn

 

Some possibilities I have found are below. These are for spring cruises, but there are also fall reverse sailings.

 

Celebrity Infinity, April. The ports are Fort Lauderdale, Azores, Lisbon, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona.

 

Celebrity Reflection, April. The ports are Fort Lauderdale, Canary Islands, Malaga, Cartagena, Barcelona, Corsica, Rome

 

Royal Caribbean Rhapsody of the Seas. Ports are Tampa, Key West, Canary Islands, Malaga, Barcelona

 

Norwegian Epic. Ports are Port Canaveral, Bermuda, Funchal, Seville, Gibralter, Malaga, Barcelona

 

Norwegian Star. Ports are Miami, Azores, Lisgon, Seville, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona

[Aquahound]

Of the choices you listed, Celebrity Reflection would be my first choice. Many reasons, not the least of which are....beautiful ship, loyalty status match (elite perks would be really nice for that length), and itinerary that ends somewhat near your destination of Sicily.

[fishywood]

One thing to consider between ships is that the higher the passenger numbers, the more crowded it may become indoors if the weather is too windy or cold for sitting outdoors. Now I actually did a westbound transatlantic on Norwegian Star from Miami to Dover a few years ago--a much cooler route than to the Med--but crowding was not an issue, and outdoor activities such as poolside BBQ were held despite how windy it was.

 

But if the choice were between the five above, based solely on itinerary I would ignore my own advice. Because in 2011 I took an eastbound TA from Venice on Cunard that included all three of Gibraltar, Funchal and Bermuda. And would do it again in a heartbeat, even on an uber-megaship like Norwegian Epic. Funchal especially is not to be missed.

[crzndeb]

I also like Celebrity Reflection because it includes Rome and Barcelona. I personally prefer Westbound, since I like more 25 hour days than 23.

[navybankerteacher]

Celebrity Reflection might be best bet - but I would suggest Westbound in the Fall- the Atlantic is much warmer in October and even November than it is in April and May; you have a series of 25 hour days, rather than 23 hour days due to time change; early Fall weather in the Med pre-cruise is likely to be better than post-cruise in the Spring; it is good to have the worst part of the trip (the trans-Atlantic flight over with rather than have it to look forward to.

[Hlitner]

We have done many TA repo cruises and loved them all :). You might want to lean towards a cruise with a more southern route...such as one that goes to the Canaries rather then the more northern Azores. A Southern crossing increases the chances of warmer weather during the voyage in April. But we often find ourselves looking for the best deal, among competing cruises, since we are not wedded to any one cruise line.

 

Hank

[Maddies Mom 46]

We have done many TA repo cruises and loved them all :). You might want to lean towards a cruise with a more southern route...such as one that goes to the Canaries rather then the more northern Azores. A Southern crossing increases the chances of warmer weather during the voyage in April. But we often find ourselves looking for the best deal, among competing cruises, since we are not wedded to any one cruise line.

 

 

 

Hank

 

 

 

My suggestion would be to take spring eastbound instead of fall westbound. We have done both and ended up cruising into a major storm and missing three of our cruise ports. Beware of hurricanes.

 

 

 

 

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[Keith1010]

This is one where I would pick the cruise line and ship that interests you the most rather then the itinerary.

 

All the itineraries look fine but that time of year it can be chilly and rainy which is why my priority would be ship.

 

In my case it would be Celebrity because I prefer it over the others listed but it really comes down to your favorite(s).

 

Keith

[capriccio]

This past Sunday we finished our first TA - a 15 day westbound on the Royal Princess that started in Barcelona and ended in Fort Lauderdale and included stops in Valencia, Cartagena, Gibraltar, Cadiz (for Seville), Tenerife and Lanzarote. The itinerary was fabulous, the weather was unbelievable (sunny and mid 70s everyday and rain only one night), and the seas were like glass.

 

While weather and seas are unpredictable, I think a southern route westbound in October may be warmer than an eastbound April. More important to us was making up the time differences. We 'gained' an hour almost every night of the TA whereas on an eastbound you will 'lose' an hour. At our age, our bodies react much better to gaining time than losing it.

[flamomo]

I've done 3 or 4 westbound and one eastbound, and far prefer the westbound because the time change adjustments are better. Seems much easier to deal with adding another hour to each of those days instead of losing one each time.

I recently booked a 25 day itinerary on the Crown Princess for Fall 2018.... Boarding in Barcelona, visiting Toulon (for Provence); Livorno (for Florence); Katakolon, Mykonos, Santorini, Kotor, Naples, Greece; Rome, Genoa, back to Toulon and Barcelona, then the Azores, and ending in Ft Lauderdale. There's a fare sale and a promo both in effect until November 16th, if you would be interested in taking a look.

[Bankshot]

We've done one TA East and three West from Barcelona. We'll never do another Eastern trip. Some of the reasons have already been listed so I'll add more. When sailing East from Ft. Lauderdale you lose an hour a day for the first six days. On the seventh day you are having dinner around 1:00pm "Body Time". A Westbound trip extends the day by one hour which can be very useful during Happy Hour. Spending 3 or 4 days in Barcelona before the cruise helps reduce jet lag and also offers excellent tours or simply exploring the city on your own. We enjoyed the Las Rambulas Hotel, 7th floor or above, with balcony, on the west side. They have an excellent breakfast. Exit the front, turn left, and another left at the first street and there is a fabulous small Turkish Grill with outstanding food. Have fun.

[navybankerteacher]

My suggestion would be to take spring eastbound instead of fall westbound. We have done both and ended up cruising into a major storm and missing three of our cruise ports. Beware of hurricanes.

 

 

 

 

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"Beware of hurricanes" is, of course, sound advice. But, the reality is that hurricanes are not that frequent and, when one does crop up in the Atlantic, the ship can adjust course to avoid. The greatest impact a hurricane had on any of our six westbound T/A's was an itinerary change from a port call in the Azores to a call at Madiera: the kind of "hardship" we can easily life with.

 

On the other hand, the Atlantic keeps its summer warmth well into November, while it does not completely shake off its winter chill until well into May.

 

When you add in the 25 hour westbound days vs. the 23 hour eastbound ones, and the fact that you have gotten the usually-unpleasant trans-Atlantic flight out of the way first, and not have it hanging over you at the end of your cruise - westbound is a no-brainer decision.

[nyllrap]

Thanks so much for all of the input! I am now leaning towards a westbound cruise on Celebrity. I definitely want to do a cruise in the fall, regardless.

 

 

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[Rewind]

What about the westbound RC Symphony of the Seas in October 2018? We wanted to make sure we had plenty to do and plenty of space being at sea for 12 days so we did the Allure when it did its crossing in 2015 and had a blast. Being the newest 'biggest ship in the world' does have drawbacks - there is only one port stop in Malaga, but we took the day trip to the Alhambra Palace and Gardens.

[Floridiana]

If your plan is to add Sicily as you say, I would first find out how to get there from Barcelona as compared to from Rome. There might be a huge price and availability difference. I doubt there are direct flights from Barcelona to Sicily, it's probably via Rome.

[nyllrap]

I have checked flights from Barcelona to Palermo and they are very reasonable.

 

 

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[nyllrap]

What about the westbound RC Symphony of the Seas in October 2018? We wanted to make sure we had plenty to do and plenty of space being at sea for 12 days so we did the Allure when it did its crossing in 2015 and had a blast. Being the newest 'biggest ship in the world' does have drawbacks - there is only one port stop in Malaga, but we took the day trip to the Alhambra Palace and Gardens.

 

 

 

We recently sailed on the Oasis. It was fine, but my husband prefers a smaller ship. Plus, prices are higher.

 

 

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[cruisegoal100]

We have done 12 transatlantics, some in each direction. Most of the advantages/disadvantages for eastbound and westbound have already been stated. Would like to add a few personal observations based on our experiences.

Some cruise lines including Celebrity have quality guest speakers who usually speak during sea days.

If interested you will meet many seasoned world travelers who like to share experiences.

We were surprised to learn and meet Europeans who are snowbirds in Florida and use the transatlantic cruises to get to Florida in the fall and then back to Europe in the spring.

In April 2010 when the volcano in Iceland was making air travel between Europe and the US difficult we were on our 1st ta on the Equinox and learned that about 500 Europeans had to cancel at the last minute because they couldn't get to the US and another 500 or so Europeans who couldn't fly home from the US booked at the last minute...it made for a very interesting cruise.

Whatever ta you choose it will be an experience you will always remember!