Transatlantic 2020

[friendlyfifer]

We’ve never done a transatlantic crossing. If you have, did you enjoy it? If not, why not? Any tips on how best to pass the many days at sea? Are there any specific items you would pack for a transatlantic crossing that would not normally appear in your luggage?

[KyOh]

We did San Juan to Barcelona a few years ago with Viking and in December 2020 we are doing Lisbon to Miami. We LOVED it!  There were lectures, movies, trivia and other activities.  We enjoy reading and using the spa.  We met some wonderful people and they made the cruise terrific.  We plan to bring a few more games with us this time....dominoes, bananagrams, and cards.  Other than that, maybe an extra swim suit so I'll have a dry one to use the following day!

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, KyOh said:

We did San Juan to Barcelona a few years ago with Viking and in December 2020 we are doing Lisbon to Miami. We LOVED it!  There were lectures, movies, trivia and other activities.  We enjoy reading and using the spa.  We met some wonderful people and they made the cruise terrific.  We plan to bring a few more games with us this time....dominoes, bananagrams, and cards.  Other than that, maybe an extra swim suit so I'll have a dry one to use the following day!

 

KyOh - we are on an October 2020 Lisbon to Miami cruise - so similar to your December one.  Looking forward to the days at sea.  We have been on 3 VOC's and most have been quite port intensive - so time to enjoy the ship!   We will be on the Viking Sky.  Hoping we have nice weather as we go to the Azores and Bermuda before Miami.

[aungrl]

7 hours ago, friendlyfifer said:

We’ve never done a transatlantic crossing. If you have, did you enjoy it? If not, why not? Any tips on how best to pass the many days at sea? Are there any specific items you would pack for a transatlantic crossing that would not normally appear in your luggage?

We did the transatlantic crossing last September, from Bergen to Montreal.  It was amazing - our favorite cruise EVER.  There were 5 sea days, and they passed in a flash.  We attended the enrichment lectures - four different lecturers traveled with us on the entire itinerary, and often at least 2 of them spoke at different times on each sea day.  We spent hours in the spa area, and one entire afternoon in the pool, which we had to ourselves.  (Although it was a colder time of year, the pool has a retractable cover, so it was completely comfortable to swim when it was closed.).  We went to afternoon tea, watched movies in our suite, sat in the lounges and listened to the musicians, and just generally relaxed.  We ran out of time rather than running out of things to do on those sea days.  The ports were also very special for us.  Shetlands, Faroe Islands, two stops in Greenland, Iceland, etc. Just the perfect itinerary of hard-to-access ports.  We enjoyed all the excursions we took.  On this itinerary, we mainly took the included ones, although we did supplement a couple of times with additional ones.  And in a couple of stops, we didn’t take an organized tour at all, just walked around and saw the various local sites on our own.

 

I’ve raved about this trip so much that we have two different couples booked on it for this September, although I think this year Viking is doing it only once in the middle of September, instead of twice.  

 

Regardless of the specific crossing you choose, I think you’ll look back on it as one of your best cruise experiences.

[Heidi13]

On 6/27/2019 at 9:13 AM, friendlyfifer said:

We’ve never done a transatlantic crossing. If you have, did you enjoy it? If not, why not? Any tips on how best to pass the many days at sea? Are there any specific items you would pack for a transatlantic crossing that would not normally appear in your luggage?

Crossed the Atlantic more than a few times. With the exception of an Eastbound crossing in December, arriving in Liverpool Dec 24th, all of them were most enjoyable.

 

With respect to weather, Trans-Atlantics are extremely variable based on direction and also time of year. Eastbounds tend to go more North following the Gulf Stream & North Atlantic Drift. Whereas Westbounds tend to go more south to avoid the GS/NAD. Don't pack anything different for a TA cruise.

 

BTW - great user ID, where from in the Kingdom of Fife. Might of heard of the wee village of Strathkinness🙂

 

 

[CCWineLover]

5 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

BTW - great user ID, where from in the Kingdom of Fife. Might of heard of the wee village of Strathkinness🙂

 

 

Yes indeed, great user ID, friendlyfifer!

My ancestors are also from Fife - from Cupar, just west of Strathkinness!   Visited there last fall, along with of course, the holy grail for golfers, St. Andrews!  :)

 

[Clay Clayton]

We did San Juan to Barcelona in spring of 2018 and in 2019 (and are watching pricing on the Buenos Aires to Barcelona for this coming spring). We obviously love the cruise. We use the ship as the most comfortable way to get to Europe and with rare exception it’s cheaper than biz class air and gosh knows more fun!

 

Between lectures, conversations, balcony reading (and naps) we wished there were more sea days so I don’t understand folks who get bored and we have yet to really explore the onboard Viking Museum. 

 

We packed leas than for a normal cruise since the laundromat is just down the hall so didn’t need as many clothes. 

 

if you want to take a look at my thoughts and to get an idea of our two transatlantics, click on the blog link in my signature and check our March/April of the last two years in the archives. 

 

If you have any questions, happy to answer.  

[pacruise804]

On 6/27/2019 at 1:39 PM, CCWineLover said:

 

KyOh - we are on an October 2020 Lisbon to Miami cruise - so similar to your December one.  Looking forward to the days at sea.  We have been on 3 VOC's and most have been quite port intensive - so time to enjoy the ship!   We will be on the Viking Sky.  Hoping we have nice weather as we go to the Azores and Bermuda before Miami.

We are considering this cruise for our 25th anniversary next year.  I suspect the sea days will fly by but hope to get a few extra naps, actually read the books we take on shorter cruises, and use the gym a little more.  Maybe I'll take a day to explore the art on the ship too.

[CCWineLover]

7 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

We are considering this cruise for our 25th anniversary next year.  I suspect the sea days will fly by but hope to get a few extra naps, actually read the books we take on shorter cruises, and use the gym a little more.  Maybe I'll take a day to explore the art on the ship too.

 

pacruise804:   Congratulations on your upcoming 25th anniversary!    We hope you are referring to the cruise we are on in October 2020.  We actually looked at the December one as well but the October cruise (Oct 18 - Nov 1) was actually a couple of days longer - and are hoping that will give us a chance to relax and enjoy!

[pacruise804]

Thanks @CCWineLover, we are looking at the October Cruise 🙂 Our daughter graduated high school this year and starts college in the fall, so we've had some other priorities - hopefully it won't be sold out once I get the time and finances to book.

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, pacruise804 said:

Thanks @CCWineLover, we are looking at the October Cruise 🙂 Our daughter graduated high school this year and starts college in the fall, so we've had some other priorities - hopefully it won't be sold out once I get the time and finances to book.

 

You might want to follow our Roll Call for the October 2020 transatlantic cruise - just to keep plugged in as it gets closer.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2641165-viking-sky-roll-call-lisbon-to-miami-oct-18-2020-to-nov-1-2020/

 

 

 

[philw1776]

On 6/27/2019 at 7:38 PM, aungrl said:

We did the transatlantic crossing last September, from Bergen to Montreal.  It was amazing - our favorite cruise EVER.  There were 5 sea days, and they passed in a flash.  We attended the enrichment lectures - four different lecturers traveled with us on the entire itinerary, and often at least 2 of them spoke at different times on each sea day.  We spent hours in the spa area, and one entire afternoon in the pool, which we had to ourselves.  (Although it was a colder time of year, the pool has a retractable cover, so it was completely comfortable to swim when it was closed.).  We went to afternoon tea, watched movies in our suite, sat in the lounges and listened to the musicians, and just generally relaxed.  We ran out of time rather than running out of things to do on those sea days.  The ports were also very special for us.  Shetlands, Faroe Islands, two stops in Greenland, Iceland, etc. Just the perfect itinerary of hard-to-access ports.  We enjoyed all the excursions we took.  On this itinerary, we mainly took the included ones, although we did supplement a couple of times with additional ones.  And in a couple of stops, we didn’t take an organized tour at all, just walked around and saw the various local sites on our own.

 

I’ve raved about this trip so much that we have two different couples booked on it for this September, although I think this year Viking is doing it only once in the middle of September, instead of twice.  

 

Regardless of the specific crossing you choose, I think you’ll look back on it as one of your best cruise experiences.

Signed up for Bergen to Montreal August 2020.  First Trans Atlantic EVAH!.  My father crossed the Atlantic on the Queens and other ships in the 1950s for business.  
Dr Jeremy Paterson whom we met on Med Odyssey will be an onboard historian.  He's a hoot!

[friendlyfifer]

Thank you all for your responses. We have booked the March 2020 crossing from Miami to Barcelona in a PV cabin. For those of you with ancestors in Fife, we live in St Andrews at the harbour and we had dinner last week with friends in Strathkinness. Looking forward to the sea crossing and getting a better understanding of the distance between the USA and Europe.

[Jim Avery]

I no longer see Transatlantic crossings listed in the Viking Oceans website voyages.  Any ideas where to look for spring 2020 TAs?

[CCWineLover]

6 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

I no longer see Transatlantic crossings listed in the Viking Oceans website voyages.  Any ideas where to look for spring 2020 TAs?

Hi Jim -

What I do now to look for TA cruises is go directly to the Caribbean & Americas cruises section.

In there, they seem to show all the cruises that go to/from North America/Caribbean to Europe.

 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/index.html

 

[Jim Avery]

1 minute ago, CCWineLover said:

Hi Jim -

What I do now to look for TA cruises is go directly to the Caribbean & Americas cruises section.

In there, they seem to show all the cruises that go to/from North America/Caribbean to Europe.

 

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/caribbean-americas/index.html

 

Thanks.  I was thinking I was losing my touch.  Even used the search on the website.  Now I know the secret....🍸

[Heidi13]

4 hours ago, friendlyfifer said:

Thank you all for your responses. We have booked the March 2020 crossing from Miami to Barcelona in a PV cabin. For those of you with ancestors in Fife, we live in St Andrews at the harbour and we had dinner last week with friends in Strathkinness. Looking forward to the sea crossing and getting a better understanding of the distance between the USA and Europe.

Lived in Strathkinness & Mount Melville until 1980, but still own property in Strathkinness. After our World Cruise next year, we will be staying in Strathkinness for 3 weeks.

[acadian_dad]

On 6/27/2019 at 7:38 PM, aungrl said:

We did the transatlantic crossing last September, from Bergen to Montreal.  It was amazing - our favorite cruise EVER.  There were 5 sea days, and they passed in a flash.  We attended the enrichment lectures - four different lecturers traveled with us on the entire itinerary, and often at least 2 of them spoke at different times on each sea day.  We spent hours in the spa area, and one entire afternoon in the pool, which we had to ourselves.  (Although it was a colder time of year, the pool has a retractable cover, so it was completely comfortable to swim when it was closed.).  We went to afternoon tea, watched movies in our suite, sat in the lounges and listened to the musicians, and just generally relaxed.  We ran out of time rather than running out of things to do on those sea days.  The ports were also very special for us.  Shetlands, Faroe Islands, two stops in Greenland, Iceland, etc. Just the perfect itinerary of hard-to-access ports.  We enjoyed all the excursions we took.  On this itinerary, we mainly took the included ones, although we did supplement a couple of times with additional ones.  And in a couple of stops, we didn’t take an organized tour at all, just walked around and saw the various local sites on our own.

 

I’ve raved about this trip so much that we have two different couples booked on it for this September, although I think this year Viking is doing it only once in the middle of September, instead of twice.  

 

Regardless of the specific crossing you choose, I think you’ll look back on it as one of your best cruise experiences.

 

Thanks for your comments - we are thinking of doing the Viking Homelands and this Wake of the Vikings as a back-2-back Aug 2020 on Viking Star ... that's a lot of cruising at one time (at least for us ...) but the contrast of the port-intensive homelands cruise followed by what looks like a slightly more relaxed pace on the crossing itinerary seems quite appealing.  Final destination very close to our home is another bonus ...

[Clay Clayton]

Last Spring on Sea, there were several folks sorta doing the opposite. The crossing from San Juan to Barcelona b2b with the cruise from Barcelona to Bergen.  

 

If only our wallet would allow😪

[Clay Clayton]

On 7/5/2019 at 1:55 PM, friendlyfifer said:

Thank you all for your responses. We have booked the March 2020 crossing from Miami to Barcelona in a PV cabin. For those of you with ancestors in Fife, we live in St Andrews at the harbour and we had dinner last week with friends in Strathkinness. Looking forward to the sea crossing and getting a better understanding of the distance between the USA and Europe.

We just booked the March 5 crossing on Sky. See you aboard?

[friendlyfifer]

1 hour ago, Clay Clayton said:

We just booked the March 5 crossing on Sky. See you aboard?

Great! See you on the Sky.