Infinity vs Reflection TransAtlantics / Reflection a slow ship?

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

On April 22, 2019 both Infinity & Reflection leave Fort Lauderdale for TA's. Their first stop is at Ponta Delgada. Infinity get's there on day 8, Reflection on day 9.

My question, WHY? Is Infinity a faster ship? Is it cheaper to run at faster speeds than the Reflection? Limited dock space at Ponta Delgada?

[SetU2]

Just the itinerary. Maybe, as you suggested, it’s the port capacity that dictates it.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

Just the itinerary. Maybe, as you suggested, it’s the port capacity that dictates it.

 

 

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That's usually the reason and I can give you an example on the Bermuda run, Celebrity used to run two ships out of NYC to Bermuda. The ships would take one day at sea to get to Bermuda and dock there for four days. Now they take two days to arrive in Bermuda due to dock availability, ships are probably faster but that's the reality of it.

[Essiesmom]

Infinity probably moving faster because she had five ports to visit before arriving in Barcelona, while Reflection only has three before Dublin. EM

[evanderm]

That's usually the reason and I can give you an example on the Bermuda run, Celebrity used to run two ships out of NYC to Bermuda. The ships would take one day at sea to get to Bermuda and dock there for four days. Now they take two days to arrive in Bermuda due to dock availability, ships are probably faster but that's the reality of it.

 

Perhaps a little off-topic, but the Horizon and Zenith were a lot smaller, and could dock in Hamilton and St. George's, in addition to Dockyard, so there was some flexibility and the ships would often visit all or at least two of the docks on their trips to Bermuda (freeing up the other). This is back in the days when NCL would run the Windward and Leeward to the island, and RC had Song of America.

 

With the current vessel size, the only opportunity to dock in Bermuda is Dockyard so yes, port availability is the issue there. In a pinch, vessels will use an anchorage, but this is very rare for the island. All the contract ships for 2017 (NCL Breakaway (23 visits), Dawn (22 visits); RCI Grandeur (17 vistis), Anthem (20 visits); X Summit (18 visits) could only dock at Dockyard. RCI did run 4-night itineraries (with no overnight in Bermuda) out of NYC with Anthem, IIRC.

[Lastdance]

I would look at the ship itself and not which one gets there first. The Infinity is so much older and needs refurbishing, but if you enjoy older ships and want to be first, it might be a perfect fit for you. I am a little off your question, but This is entirely how I would look at it, rather than the docking situation...

 

 

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[Ox Fan Cruiser]

I would look at the ship itself and not which one gets there first. The Infinity is so much older and needs refurbishing, but if you enjoy older ships and want to be first, it might be a perfect fit for you. I am a little off your question, but This is entirely how I would look at it, rather than the docking situation...

 

 

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I was just curious as to why it took Reflection an extra day. We did our first TA this past April on Eclipse. Next year we sail on NCL's Breakaway for it's TA. I'd like to take an X ship out of Rome for a return TA some time in the future.

[evanderm]

There is also a difference in propulsion system. Infinity is a Gas Turbine Ship and Reflection Diesel. One of the main characteristics of GTS is that it is efficient when operating at higher speeds. Don't know the specifics, but infinity might very well be cheaper to run when compared to Reflection for the journey; so probably a combination of factors which has determined this scheduling choice.

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

There is also a difference in propulsion system. Infinity is a Gas Turbine Ship and Reflection Diesel. One of the main characteristics of GTS is that it is efficient when operating at higher speeds. Don't know the specifics, but infinity might very well be cheaper to run when compared to Reflection for the journey; so probably a combination of factors which has determined this scheduling choice.

I didn't know the specifics of how each class is powered but as stated in my post, I figured this could be the reason, Thanks Evanderm. :)