New Summit Trans-Atlantic Cruises

[lifeisrealygood]

The Celebrity Summit has been doing the winter season with Southern Caribbean cruises out of San Juan for the last several years.  Then, when the Caribbean season ends, the Summit sails from New York to Bermuda.  Then, in September, it sails the New York, New England, Quebec round trip, before it goes back to San Juan.  Something like that.

 

Something very different is happening in 2020 and 2021.

 

In August of 2020 and August of 2021, the Summit is leaving either Boston or New York and sailing for fourteen nights over to Dublin (2020) or Southampton (2021).  Then, it immediately leaves Dublin or Southampton, cruises for fourteen nights,  and returns to New York or Boston.  It is called a transatlantic cruise, but it is not the normal repositioning cruise.  It just takes the month of August, and goes to Europe, then returns.  Then it does its normal New England/Quebec cruises.  

 

This itinerary is appealing because it stops for three days in Iceland (two ports), and one day in Greenland.  The 2020 tour stops in Cork Ireland on its way to Iceland, with the 2021 tour stopping in Kirkwall Scotland on its way to Iceland.  

 

Both cruises I believe have seven sea days.  

 

Now my questions.  First, I was led to believe that transatlantic cruises were normally of the cheaper variety, because they were repositioning cruises.  These cruises are pretty expensive, just like other European itineraries, and not of the cheaper variety.  

 

Secondly, for the August 2020 cruises, which I know is still six months away, there are no excursions listed for Greenland yet, and the excursions for the two ports in Iceland have few excursions listed.  For the 2021 cruises, there are also no excursions listed for Kirkwall Scotland.

 

Can anyone shed light on why the celebrity excursions are scarce, or shed light on which excursions once offered are terrific if you have been to Kirkwall, Iceland, or Greenland before?

 

Very wordy, I know, but what should we do in port in Iceland, Greenland, and Kirkwall Scotland?  

 

[grandgeezer]

Tramsatlantics used to be cheap. We've done five on Celebrity and paid between $55-$80 p.p. per day, not including tips or taxes and fees. This was for an unobstructed balcon for four of them and a concierge for the other. Air used to be dirt cheap too, four years ago we paid $580 p.p. for Comfort Plus (Delta) from Amsterdam to Phoenix.

[rimmit]

Likely shore excursions are sold out or non existent.  There are only 50,000 people in ALL of Greenland and most ports there have 0-1 shore excursion at best as there is no infrastructure to support shore excursions.  Qaqortoq from what I hear has only ONE gift shop in the whole city and most people spend just maybe two hours in town and get on the boat.  There are three restaurants total from what I hear. 

 

In Iceland this far out shore excursions are likely sold out.  Last time we were there we ended up booking third party as ship excursions sell out way in advance for Iceland.

 

The reason this is a high priced cruise is supply and demand and time of year.  Many kids can take this cruise, and this type of TA is only offered on a handful of cruise lines, unlike the plentiful southern Atlantic TAs which every cruise line has several in the off peak season.  
 

We are booked on the RCI version on the brilliance of the seas leaving sept 2, 2020 Starts in Amsterdam, hits Bergen and geiringer in Norway, akrureyri and Reykjavik in Iceland, and then two ports and Christensen sound in greenland.  Debated moving to the Summit but there was one more stop in Greenland and would rather do Norway than Canada.   We’ve been to both and would rather see Norway again.  It sold out 4 months after opening bookings.

 

Did another northern TA on the brilliance in 2014 and it was also high priced.  Northern TAs are rare with more interesting stops thus they command more money.  RCI does not have a northern TA every year, so when it does it is rare and commands top dollar.  
 

I was shocked when X released b2b Northern TAs for the summit. 
 

in regards to Reykjavik, the golden circle is the traditional thing to do.  The Blue lagoon is also very nice.  This time when we go we will likely just rent a car instead of go with a tour.  More flexibility and avoid the bolus of the cruise ship crowds with the massive tour buses.

Edited February 6, 2020 by rimmit

[cruisestitch]

The reason the transatlantic’s are usually a bargain is because they are repositioning cruises. They have to get the ship from one Continental to another as the seasons change and they need to make sure it goes full.

 

These transAtlantic’s are not repositioning cruises. They are unique itineraries and those are commanding very high prices.

[Phxazzcruisers]

We booked one from Southhampton to Boston mainly because it stops in Greenland, somewhere we have never been before.  It is not a repositioning cruise, in the traditional sense, and is priced as a standard cruise.  Even traditional repositioning cruises have gotten more expensive lately.  The other benefit with this cruise not being repositioning, is that all perks apply.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Phxazzcruisers said:

We booked one from Southhampton to Boston mainly because it stops in Greenland, somewhere we have never been before.  It is not a repositioning cruise, in the traditional sense, and is priced as a standard cruise.  Even traditional repositioning cruises have gotten more expensive lately.  The other benefit with this cruise not being repositioning, is that all perks apply.

Perks are offered on transatlantic, transpacific & repositioning Cruises.  I currently have 2 transatlantic cruises booked with 3 perks and 4 perks with the transpacific.

[Phxazzcruisers]

32 minutes ago, jelayne said:

Perks are offered on transatlantic, transpacific & repositioning Cruises.  I currently have 2 transatlantic cruises booked with 3 perks and 4 perks with the transpacific.

Another change for the better.  We did not get any perks with our last repositioning cruise

[Xport]

In a sense, the Infinity Transatlantics are repositioning cruises in that the trips to Europe depart from Cape Liberty/Bayonne and the returns from Europe end in Boston [which has become the new departure point for the revised/shorter New England/Canada itineraries that follow]...

 

The two trips between the US and Ireland/Iceland/Greenland in August of this year are not exactly new and have been wildly popular...  They were first offered for booking on the same day--11 December 2018--that I was able to reserve the first New England/Canada cruise of the season on 30 August 2020... 

[kreyno]

they do not have any shore excursion yet in Greenland according

to help desk 

[lizbeth]

Qaqortoq is a very tiny town. You'll tender in, walk around, maybe walk to the cemetery (5 minutes) and then take the tender back to the ship. There won't be any tours. There are no buses or vans or taxis.

 

We took a very similar itinerary on HAL's Maasdam Voyage of the Vikings, leaving from Boston, going to Amsterdam and returning to Boston (32 days.) Celebrity will offer a better experience, and they are taking full advantage of the fact that passengers do not have to book expensive, tiring, international flights. A real plus in my book! If you want a cheaper price, book HAL. (Ummm - I won't).