Transatlantic trip

[cruisnfool]

We are considering a crossing and wonder which direction is the calmest.

 

also how ready would you be at the end to stay for a few days.

[cruisestitch]

From where to where?

 

eastbound is usually spring, westbound usually fall

 

There are northern routes and southern routes depending on where you want to begin and end

 

southern routes are usually calmer

[jelayne]

We have done both east & west bound and enjoyed both.  We do however prefer to do our sightseeing before the cruise.  We normally will plan 3-7 days pre cruise, then board the ship have a couple more ports and arrive home rested after  a relaxing group of sea days.

[marieps]

If the OP is thinking of spending a few days at the end I would assume the thought is eastbound, if in fact it's a TA and not a TP.  

[basenji56]

If you care about the sun, book a south facing cabin.  If you don't like the sun, book a north facing cabin.

 

This not usually an usually an issue on loop cruises but on transatlantics, I always book a north facing cabin since I don't need the sun.

[cruisnfool]

Yes we want to spend 3-4 days in London and looking at silhouette from London to Miami. It also goes the opposite way but was thinking I would be too tired to runaround London after the crossing.

[ghstudio]

27 minutes ago, cruisnfool said:

Yes we want to spend 3-4 days in London and looking at silhouette from London to Miami. It also goes the opposite way but was thinking I would be too tired to runaround London after the crossing.

 It's just the opposite....if you fly to London, it will take you a day or so for your body to adjust to the time change.  If you arrive on a cruise ship, it's just another day for your body and that first day is just a full day of sightseeing.  Then you fly home and adjust to the time change at home.

 

Take the cruise to London.

[begood2me]

I have done both direction on a Transatlantic several times.  What I do not like about the east bound crossing is the lost hour each day of the crossing.  It's a real bummer.  I much prefer the west bound for this reason.  

[Fouremco]

2 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

 It's just the opposite....if you fly to London, it will take you a day or so for your body to adjust to the time change.  If you arrive on a cruise ship, it's just another day for your body and that first day is just a full day of sightseeing.  Then you fly home and adjust to the time change at home.

 

Take the cruise to London.

My thoughts as well. TAs tend to be relaxing, so there's little chance that you'd be too tired to sightsee, and you wouldn't have jet lag to worry about.

[marieps]

52 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

 It's just the opposite....if you fly to London, it will take you a day or so for your body to adjust to the time change.  If you arrive on a cruise ship, it's just another day for your body and that first day is just a full day of sightseeing.  Then you fly home and adjust to the time change at home.

 

Take the cruise to London.

I see it as getting the plane flight out of the way first.  If the OP is looking at the Nov 1 2021 Silhouette crossing, I'll be on it.  BTW it goes to Port Everglades, not POM. 

[KEN31VA]

I prefer the east bounds because I don't like the east flights, even in business class, and I do like to look forward to some tourist stuff before returning.

[excitedofharpenden]

I prefer westbound. You get the extra hours rather than losing them. Toward the end of an eastbound I start to feel tired and I think it shows in the crew too. A few days in London pre-cruise sounds perfect to me with a nice relaxing trip after with the sea days at the end.

 

Phil  

[TeaBag]

i think you have made a great decision.  Silhouette is a lovely ship.  Be sure to try the Lawn Club Grill.  We also prefer westbound for the extra hour on several days as the time gets adjusted.  We like the port side also for the sun which brightens the cabin.  There is no guarantee as to the calmness of the ocean but you do have a better chance doing the southern route.  Have a great cruise.

[marieps]

Hmmm didn't think about the port side/starboard side issue.  We are in a port/aft corner .  Hopefully we'll get a little sun.

[Orator]

Remember the time changes.

[motherchic]

We have done both. weather wise, we have had excellent and not great, both ways. Luck of the draw.

My favorite is flying to my location, then sail home. I arrive home relaxed and happy.

Edited June 15, 2021 by motherchic

[Host Kat]

On 6/14/2021 at 8:21 AM, cruisnfool said:

We are considering a crossing and wonder which direction is the calmest.

 

also how ready would you be at the end to stay for a few days.

 

Howdy @cruisnfool  

 

To help you out I have moved your thread to our Transatlantic, Transpacific, Repositioning & Trans-Ocean Cruises forum. That is where members discuss all aspects of sailing across the seas!  Browse through the thread titles here on this new forum l👀king for titles of interest. You will probably find  your fellow Cruise Critic members have already posted questions and received answers that will be of interest to you.

 

And don't forget, after your cruise be sure to submit your review for publication by Cruise Critic. Many cruisers will benefit from your experience! See How To: Submit a Member Review.

 

I hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!  

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat 

[TheOldBear]

On 6/14/2021 at 9:21 AM, cruisnfool said:

We are considering a crossing and wonder which direction is the calmest.

 

also how ready would you be at the end to stay for a few days.

I see your thread has been transplanted. 😉

 

Mrs Bear and I have decided to favor transatlantic round trips [on QM2, sailing from NYC] to avoid all flying. We have done two round trip crossings so far, with a third booked for 2022. [26 nights, including a 12 night "Northern Lights" Norway trip] We also decided that we like unpacking once.

 

If we needed to fly one way, we would likely fly the eastbound leg - just to get it out of the way, allowing the rest of vacation time for sightseeing [on land] and relaxation [on the ship]. 

 

The westbound crossing has the advantage of five 25 hour days, allowing for time zone changes. We were not really bothered by the corresponding 23 hour days on the eastbound - and our internal clocks seemed to match Southampton [or Hamburg] time. 

 

As posters on threads in this sub-forum will remind you - there will be weather on your cruise, but what kind cannot be predicted too far in advance. If possible, select a cabin that is low and midships to aft for a less boisterous ride.

 

[Heidi13]

On 6/14/2021 at 6:21 AM, cruisnfool said:

We are considering a crossing and wonder which direction is the calmest.

 

also how ready would you be at the end to stay for a few days.

 

When crossing the Atlantic, the direction of the crossing has no effect on the calmness of the ocean. Time of year and Latitude are the predominent factors, although with any ocean passage, historical averages are no guarantee what you will expect.

 

Eastbound Crossings - cloxs will go forward 5 hrs and the cruise will normally use some type of Great Circle sailing, which is the shortest distance and follows the prevailing current (Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Drift). This tends to hit higher latitudes and a higher chance of rougher weather. Cloxs going forward are not a guarantee of lack of sleep, as some Masters change the cloxs at Noon, rather than 02:00. In addition to not having pax lose sleep, it greatly assists meeting the crew hours of rest. April/May has a reasonable chance of experiencing a comfortable sailing.

 

Westbound Crossing - cloxs go back 5 hrs, which are actioned at 02:00, so an extra hour sleep. The route generally goes further South to catch favourable currents and the NE Trade winds.

 

If spending a few days in London, I would rather be there in May, rather than Oct/Nov, so my preference would be an Eastbound crossing to Southampton, catching the train to Waterloo.

 

 

[Langoustine]

Seasickness, like food, is a very subjective issue. I did a westbound TA with a large group; most of us experienced no discomfort at all, but one person was seasick for the entire voyage.

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, Langoustine said:

Seasickness, like food, is a very subjective issue

 

I have observed guests feeling queasy while the ship was still in the channel of Port Everglades en route to the ocean.  

[Turtles06]

On 6/14/2021 at 11:30 AM, marieps said:

I see it as getting the plane flight out of the way first.  If the OP is looking at the Nov 1 2021 Silhouette crossing, I'll be on it.  BTW it goes to Port Everglades, not POM. 

 

I'm with you.   And perhaps the OP is looking at the Silhouette Oct. 20, 2022 crossing, which does end up in Miami as the OP says.   I'm on that one.   😊    

[Turtles06]

On 6/15/2021 at 5:29 PM, Heidi13 said:

Cloxs going forward are not a guarantee of lack of sleep, as some Masters change the cloxs at Noon, rather than 02:00. 

 

We've been on four TAs with Celebrity (including two on the Silhouette) and the clocks have always been changed in the middle of the night.   Our very first TA, which happened to be on the Celebrity Eclipse, was an eastbound.  Going into it, we didn't think that losing an hour here or there would be a big deal, but with four or five days in a row like that it turned out to be more tiring than we'd anticipated.  It's one reason we prefer westbounds.  

[Turtles06]

On 6/14/2021 at 10:05 AM, cruisnfool said:

Yes we want to spend 3-4 days in London and looking at silhouette from London to Miami. It also goes the opposite way but was thinking I would be too tired to runaround London after the crossing.

 

Are you looking at the Silhouette's Oct. 20, 2022 crossing from Southampton to Miami?  We're booked on that; it will be our third TA on the Silhouette, which is a stunningly beautiful ship.  If you do book, please come join our Roll Call.

We prefer westbound TAs because we like to fly over to Europe, spend some time there, and then take a ship home.  Our first TA was eastbound, and we found that losing an hour each day for four or five days in a row was more tiresome than we'd anticipated, and made the crossing a bit more "rushed" than we would have liked.   We really love seas days, and prefer 25-hour ones to 23-hour ones! 

[Hlitner]

On 6/14/2021 at 10:05 AM, cruisnfool said:

Yes we want to spend 3-4 days in London and looking at silhouette from London to Miami. It also goes the opposite way but was thinking I would be too tired to runaround London after the crossing.

Not sure why you expect to be tired.  Trans Ocean cruises are among the more relaxing itineraries in the business.  After a TA you will likely be very rested and relaxed having had lots of sea days to do your own thing, sleep late, etc.  That being said, the cost of spending time in London will possibly put you into a catatonic state!   That being said, what we think is one of the best attractions in London, The British Museum, is Free.

 

Hank