Transatlantic April Weather

[CGTNORMANDIE]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Mostly that’s true about radar but it is not a fail safe, ask Viking and NCL passengers who were caught in storms in the very recent past. 

I never mentioned radar.  Today’s weather reporting at sea is done by satellite which enables the ship to avoid storms.

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, CGTNORMANDIE said:

I never mentioned radar.  Today’s weather reporting at sea is done by satellite which enables the ship to avoid storms.

Mistype. Anyway the original point was not allow status give you a false sense of security.   Things can go badly and for people who live in quiet climates they need to understand that.  There was a very recent NCL ship turn back to the US shortening the cruise significantly.  There were outrunning a tropical storm/hurricane.  There were many loud and public complaints from the passengers who were oblivious.

[Heidi13]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Mostly that’s true about radar but it is not a fail safe, ask Viking and NCL passengers who were caught in storms in the very recent past. 

 

In the marine environment, we certainly don't use radar for avoiding storms. By the time you see it on radar it's way too late.

 

Weather routing information is received by satellite.

 

The Viking situation was not simply weather related, as the primary issue was mechanical. Had the ship not experienced engine shutdowns, they would have experienced a normal storm transit, which is common in those waters, especially at that time of the year.

[Mary229]

3 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

In the marine environment, we certainly don't use radar for avoiding storms. By the time you see it on radar it's way too late.

 

Weather routing information is received by satellite.

 

The Viking situation was not simply weather related, as the primary issue was mechanical. Had the ship not experienced engine shutdowns, they would have experienced a normal storm transit, which is common in those waters, especially at that time of the year.

I misspoke 

[RGEDad]

We have taken a number of TA and TP cruises. Mostly on HAL. We have grown to love the long periods of sea days and the relaxed atmosphere on the ship. Lots of time to decompress from the stresses of the work world. Now that we have retired, we still love TA cruises. 

Only interesting (Weather wise) was a cruise from Southhampton to Boston to Fort Lauderdale. there were three Hurricanes roaming around the Atlantic that the captain had to dodge around. Even getting out to Southhampton was not assured given the increasing winds at the port. Even before we left the dock the captain announced a change to a much more southerly course, and the expectation of some expected movement of the ship.  We love to go to bed with the rocking of the ship.

 

[Aussie Jeep]

On 1/28/2022 at 9:57 AM, Louise245 said:

Sadly we had to cancel. We are now thinking about the April 2023 on the Rotterdam as well but the Rotterdam TA in October 2023 has the same itinerary than the Rotterdam cruise we had to cancel last Fall because of Covid regulations only allowed Americans to be on that cruise then. The ports on that cruise are so nice in my opinion. 

Hi there  we are booked on the MSC Magnifica Rome to Miami departing 30 April  Looks awesome  I have done the TA from USA to Europe and am looking forward to this one

[Biglove1954]

Think I'm on the same cruise..following

[JILLFRANCINE]

On 6/11/2022 at 10:42 AM, Hlitner said:

IMHO one of the best spring crossing routes would be from Florida to the Canaries, but that is not a very common route.

 

Could you elaborate? I am currently considering Azamara Onward's transatlantic departing Miami Feb 28, stopping in Bermuda, ending in Gran Canaria. When you say "best" do you mean less rough? Not sure very early March qualifies as spring either. 

[Hlitner]

6 hours ago, JILLFRANCINE said:

 

Could you elaborate? I am currently considering Azamara Onward's transatlantic departing Miami Feb 28, stopping in Bermuda, ending in Gran Canaria. When you say "best" do you mean less rough? Not sure very early March qualifies as spring either. 

As many (including me) have said, there is just no way to predict rough seas.  That can happen any time of the year, any day, etc.  A major storm, 1000 miles distant, can result in long swells that will rock any ship. 

 

However, if doing an early spring or late winter crossing, the odds do favor a more southern route where you will get the longest days (in terms of sun) and the warmest temperatures.  Since Gran Canaria is in a southern location, the route between the USA and that island would normally give you a nicer southern route.  Keep in mind that most cruise lines prefer the most direct route (there are actually two direct routes because of the Great Circle) although they do sometimes vary that route because of forecasted weather, currents, and sea conditions.  But you are talking winter, and having to head a bit North towards Bermuda is going to get you colder temps than a cruise that might go from Florida to Dakar (we once took this route on a Princess cruise).

 

Hank

[JILLFRANCINE]

Thank you very much. I am certain I will enjoy the trip, whatever the weather. I had anted to take the Rio to Lisbon but was a little nervous about Brazil right now. Maybe next time. Just hope the weather doesn't ruin all outdoor activities.

[Momma Rene]

We are looking at the Regal Princess in April.  Their first stop is the Azores Islands, Portugal and then onto Lisbon, Portugal then up to finally London.  Anyone taken that itinerary before?  

[kristi195]

On 6/11/2022 at 8:42 AM, Hlitner said:

We have long warned that predicting weather and sea conditions is very iffy.  Over the past 40+ years we have done dozens of crossings (east and west bound) most recently this past March-April on the relatively small Seabourn Ovation (27 days from Miami to Monte Carlo).  Seabourn, like most cruise lines, subscribes to a private service that carefully analyzes forecasted weather and sea conditions and forwards course suggestions to the ship.  In our case, when we left Miami (at the end of March) there was a major storm causing all kinds of problems in the Atlantic in the region not far from Bermuda.  As a result, our ship modified their origintal plans and took a more southerly route most of the way across the Atlantic before turning Northeast towards Funchal (our first port of call).  Since the itinerary had 9 sea days for the crossing our ship had the ability to take this longer routing.  As a result we enjoyed relatively good weather (it stayed warm for nearly a week) and the rocking and rolling was certainly tolerable.  Probably the biggest bummer (for those who do not like ships to move) was that the angle of swells was close to the bow which caused pitching for much of the voyage.  Unfortunately, stabilizers do very little to counter pitch so there were a few unhappy passengers.

 

I will add that we love March-April crossings since we get all those delightful sea days and find its a much more civilized way to get to Europe :).  

 

As to the OP's questions, keep in mind that although ships will try to choose the best routing in terms of weather and sea conditions, this is mitigated by the need to keep to their schedule and minimize the use of fuel.  IMHO one of the best spring crossing routes would be from Florida to the Canaries, but that is not a very common route.  If your first port is Funchal, that would be my 2nd best option (i.e. Funchal is further North).  The worst routing we ever had was on a RCI ship that went from Ft Lauderdale to Cobh...the problem being we had to take a more northerly route and a major storm stayed with us all the way across the Atlantic.  DW and I still call that the "cruise from hell" because it was so rough (20-30 foot seas nearly the entire way) that they could not fill the pool or some of the spas.

 

Hank

 

Hank

I love your quote.. A much more civilized way to get to Europe.. Do you mean instead of the hectic airports? lol I truly agree. I used to love flying but as of late it is much less desired than a relaxed cruise across the pond.  I usually fly to Europe and return via cruise, but I think my next trip will be cruising both ways as flying has become quite the inconvenience..