Is a 11 night transatlantic cruise a bad idea?

[Tntt]

Rc has a 11 night transatlantic cruise in 2023 going to England and Paris leaving from New York. Visiting Paris has been a dream vacation for me and my family, and I want to book it, but now with the covid surge I highly doubt covid will be gone in 2023 and my biggest fear is to be on a cruise for 11 days and end up with covid. I know taking a cruise that long will increase  chances of being exposed to covid. We've been vaccinated but that seems to not stop covid transmission. Do you think my family is taking a huge risk by taking this cruise? I'm trying to debate is this" dream vacation" worth it. Please give me your opinions.

[Ourusualbeach]

2 minutes ago, Tntt said:

Rc has a 11 night transatlantic cruise in 2023 going to England and Paris leaving from New York. Visiting Paris has been a dream vacation for me and my family, and I want to book it, but now with the covid surge I highly doubt covid will be gone in 2023 and my biggest fear is to be on a cruise for 11 days and end up with covid. I know taking a cruise that long will increase  chances of being exposed to covid. We've been vaccinated but that seems to not stop covid transmission. Do you think my family is taking a huge risk by taking this cruise? I'm trying to debate is this" dream vacation" worth it. Please give me your opinions.

If your dream has been to visit Paris then a cruise is not the way to see it.  A one day stop at a port an hour away does not leave you nearly enough time unless you plan on going to Paris after your cruise for several days. 

[Missusdubbya]

1 hour ago, Ourusualbeach said:

If your dream has been to visit Paris then a cruise is not the way to see it.  A one day stop at a port an hour away does not leave you nearly enough time unless you plan on going to Paris after your cruise for several days. 

^ this all day. Stay in an apartment in Paris for your 11 days instead, I like to stay in St Germain or Montmartre

 

 

[Norwich Cruiser]

1 hour ago, Tntt said:

Rc has a 11 night transatlantic cruise in 2023 going to England and Paris leaving from New York. Visiting Paris has been a dream vacation for me and my family, and I want to book it, but now with the covid surge I highly doubt covid will be gone in 2023 and my biggest fear is to be on a cruise for 11 days and end up with covid. I know taking a cruise that long will increase  chances of being exposed to covid. We've been vaccinated but that seems to not stop covid transmission. Do you think my family is taking a huge risk by taking this cruise? I'm trying to debate is this" dream vacation" worth it. Please give me your opinions.

IMHO you are completely waisting your time and money.

 

Paris is a minimum of two hours from Le Harve cruise port and you would see very little apart from a fleeting glance of major sites probably from the inside of a tour bus.

 

You’d be far better renting an apartment or staying in an hotel probably for a minimum of three or four days.

 

 

[Jasukkie]

I love transatlantics but I wouldn't book one now. I know they are selling these itineraries but who knows if they will even sail. If you to proceed, I would suggest no one in your party have pre-existing conditions or a BMI>30. 

[Bailey & Sophie]

 

I stayed in Paris for 3 MONTHS and it this wasn't nearly enough time.

If you want to just see things to say you've been there it would be ok. But if you want the full Parisian experience, stay for a while.

[Bronx12]

2 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

I love transatlantics but I wouldn't book one now. I know they are selling these itineraries but who knows if they will even sail. If you to proceed, I would suggest no one in your party have pre-existing conditions or a BMI>30. 

Could you clarify "or a BMI>30", I am confused as to the relevance between that statement and a transatlantic cruise 🙂

Edited January 14, 2022 by Bronx12

[xxHadleyxx]

40 minutes ago, Bronx12 said:

Could you clarify "or a BMI>30", I am confused as to the relevance between that statement and a transatlantic cruise 🙂

I'm guessing because a higher BMI is one of the risk factors for severe Covid.   Of course, plenty of very fit, thin people get really I'll too.

[xxHadleyxx]

OP, I've gotta agree with the above posts.....your cruise will not really visit Paris.   It will get you a loooong bus ride away from the city for a short period and is a terrible way to see the city.   NOT a good way to fulfill a Parisian dream.

 

Whether or not to take a transatlantic in and of itself with covid?  That's a much harder question to ponder and there's no one right answer.  

My adult son and I are currently booked on a TA this April.  We're monitoring the Covid situation but still hoping to sail.  We're fully vaxxed and boostered and at relatively low risk of serious complications.

Personally I don't think the longer cruise, particularly the crossing portion of it with a week of sea days, puts us at more risk of exposure than a shorter cruise with ports daily.  It's the first couple of days when missed cases pop up that are the issue...if those are contained then all those sea days are a time when nothing new can be brought onboard and increase our risk.  That'll change once we hit ports in Spain.

 

My bigger concern is that if someone brings it onboard with them (easy to pick up in Florida precruise, right?) and we catch it and start getting more critically ill mid Atlantic, there's no hospital to be evacuated to 

[gumshoe958]

20 minutes ago, xxHadleyxx said:

My adult son and I are currently booked on a TA this April.  We're monitoring the Covid situation but still hoping to sail.  We're fully vaxxed and boostered and at relatively low risk of serious complications.

Personally I don't think the longer cruise, particularly the crossing portion of it with a week of sea days, puts us at more risk of exposure than a shorter cruise with ports daily.  It's the first couple of days when missed cases pop up that are the issue...if those are contained then all those sea days are a time when nothing new can be brought onboard and increase our risk.  That'll change once we hit ports in Spain.

 

My bigger concern is that if someone brings it onboard with them (easy to pick up in Florida precruise, right?) and we catch it and start getting more critically ill mid Atlantic, there's no hospital to be evacuated to 

I suspect we’re on the same cruise again!

 

One big risk as I see it is catching Covid on board in the last few days of the TA, then having to quarantine on arrival in Spain, at your own expense, in a government mandated hotel for at least a week. That would not be a fun end to 14 days at sea.

 

Right now I’m minded to go ahead. I caught Delta and was fine. I’m fully vaxxed and boosted. But three months is an eternity in Covid years so it’s a question of waiting and seeing how things are at Easter. Hopefully a lot better - but if the last two years have taught us anything it’s that trying to predict the course of this virus and how the world responds to it is a fool’s game.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

From Celebrity website for a tour to Paris , a 10 hour tour 

“It’s a 3 hour drive to The City of Lights , “ 

that just to get there , another 3 hours to get back 

 

that leaves 4 hours in Paris !

 

I think any tour over a hour from port is usually not worth 

 

[emeraldcity]

Unless you plan to add a chunk of time in Paris at the end of this vacation, I side with everyone else who says you might want to rethink this.

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, Tntt said:

Do you think my family is taking a huge risk by taking this cruise?

No, but I would not book that before the end of the year. TA prices are unlikely to go up (unless for a rare suite).

[xxHadleyxx]

4 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

I suspect we’re on the same cruise again!

 

One big risk as I see it is catching Covid on board in the last few days of the TA, then having to quarantine on arrival in Spain, at your own expense, in a government mandated hotel for at least a week. That would not be a fun end to 14 days at sea.

 

Right now I’m minded to go ahead. I caught Delta and was fine. I’m fully vaxxed and boosted. But three months is an eternity in Covid years so it’s a question of waiting and seeing how things are at Easter. Hopefully a lot better - but if the last two years have taught us anything it’s that trying to predict the course of this virus and how the world responds to it is a fool’s game.

Quite likely...Wonder TA?  

 

 

Yeah, having to quaratine in Spain is among the bigger risks....especially for my son who would hten have to miss work (though I think he would be paid for that, if he tested positive, I should probably have him confirm).    Our credit card offers quaratine protection for trips paid for with the card, and will cover the hotel cost if we have to remain in Spain, which is a nice fallback.

 

But, yes, as you say, we are holding off on making any decisions.....we bought air via air2sea partly because we can cancel up to teh extended final payment date and not be out any money...so that gives me a bit more time to see how thigns are. 

[topnole]

If time is tight you can see a lot in Paris in 3 full days and nights.  Ideally you would have at least 4 or 5 nights.  So if you can add that after a TA it can be really nice being totally acclimated to the time change by the time you hit Europe.  But if your only time in Paris is the day on the cruise, don’t take the cruise to satisfy your dream of visiting Paris.  
 

As far as risk and worth it?   Who knows.  2023 is a long way off in a Covid world.  Impossible to predict.  And if there are

still many Covid issues, land based international travel could be just as difficult, or even worse than cruising.  So the flight home and/or adding in extra days probably adds even greater risks than the cruise itself.   
 

A decision to plan a trip like this is so personal and all about your assessment of the risk/rewards.  

[topnole]

7 hours ago, Bailey & Sophie said:

 

I stayed in Paris for 3 MONTHS and it this wasn't nearly enough time.

If you want to just see things to say you've been there it would be ok. But if you want the full Parisian experience, stay for a while.

Three months would be amazing.  However, not many people can spend 3

months in a city.  The major highlights can be seen in a few days if you have a good plan and 5 days is more than enough to get a very good feel for Paris.  
 

I’ve been there many times and while I would always love more time each time I go, I can say that you can go for only a few nights (if that is all you have) and feel like you got to experience Paris.  And I’m not talking about hop on and off buses with only selfies of the outside of buildings.  I’m talking visiting the d’orsay, the Louvre, the armory, Rodin museum, taking a bike tour, climbing the Arc, etc.  All can be done in 3 days.  Again, not ideal, but most people don’t have weeks or moths to leisurely visit a city.  The other great thing is it leaves you something to come back for next time, and after visiting you will most

likely want to return.  

[MiniChunks]

My first cruise was a 12 night med with a stop in Rome. Not sure if you've been, but Rome is about 1-1.5hrs from the port city. The 10 hour excursion was not nearly enough to see the city. It was enough to show me that i needed to go back, so if you have any reservations about booking a longer stay in Paris, this is a decent way to get a feel for it. Otherwise you'll be disappointed. 

 

As for the TA, you're talking 2023. Who knows what  will be happening that far away. We recently canceled our April 2022 and re-booked on a caribbean itinerary. There's a much better chance of that cruise actually happening, and like @xxHadleyxx said, if you get sick in the beginning of the TA, there's nothing they can do for you if you need immediate attention in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. 

 

I'd book a 2023 TA without hesitation. Make it a refundable fare and you can always back out if  you aren't comfortable when the time comes.  

[fenton04]

All cruises (and life) is filled with risk.  Norovirus, Flu, now COVID.  COVID is here to stay.     Vaccinated, or not you can still get COVD,  In the future we will get a COVID vaccine with

the Flu vaccine.  We have not found the cure for a common cold.

For the record I am a retired Medical Technologist with over 40 years of experience.

 

OBTW we booked a 17 day transatlantic in 2023.

Edited January 14, 2022 by fenton04
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[LGW59]

11 hours ago, Tntt said:

Rc has a 11 night transatlantic cruise in 2023 going to England and Paris leaving from New York. Visiting Paris has been a dream vacation for me and my family, and I want to book it, but now with the covid surge I highly doubt covid will be gone in 2023 and my biggest fear is to be on a cruise for 11 days and end up with covid. I know taking a cruise that long will increase  chances of being exposed to covid. We've been vaccinated but that seems to not stop covid transmission. Do you think my family is taking a huge risk by taking this cruise? I'm trying to debate is this" dream vacation" worth it. Please give me your opinions.

Any cruise is a good cruise.  Keep in mind you really will not be "in" Paris, you'll be in Le Havre and the distance to Paris is I think about 100 miles.  Honestly only gives you a few hours considering transport times.  Paris is a magical city and IMHO, deserves 3 days minimum.  Either way, it's still a cruise and you will have some wonderful sea days!  

[mek]

We love TA's but I wouldn't want to be on one in the near future.  

I don't want to be quarantined if I would test positive.

I don't want to risk the chance of not having much to do on that many sea days.

I don't want to have to worry about entering a foreign county if positive and then try to figure out what to do and how to get home.

 

 

[LGW59]

21 minutes ago, fenton04 said:

All cruises (and life) is filled with risk.  Norovirus, Flu, now COVID.  COVID is here to stay.     Vaccinated, or not you can still get COVD,  In the future we will get a COVID vaccine with

the Flu vaccine.  We have not found the cure for a common cold.

For the record I am a retired Medical Technologist with over 40 years of experience.

 

OBTW we booked a 17 day transatlantic in 2023.

Agree with all you say here.  We too have booked a very long 52 day cruise with Celebrity in Oct 2023, I will be on-board!!

[John&LaLa]

3 hours ago, emeraldcity said:

Unless you plan to add a chunk of time in Paris at the end of this vacation, I side with everyone else who says you might want to rethink this.

 

Yep, take the TA, then stay in Paris post cruise

[fenton04]

10 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

I love transatlantics but I wouldn't book one now. I know they are selling these itineraries but who knows if they will even sail. If you to proceed, I would suggest no one in your party have pre-existing conditions or a BMI>30. 

When you hear the term co morbidity it is referring to a myriad of other medical issues  (pre existing conditions) that is contributing factor that affects your chances of recovery.

[rimmit]

I personally wouldnt go to Paris from Le Havre.  Its at minimum a 2 hour drive and more if the traffic is bad.  Anyone that has ever done it has regretted from people I have talked to, and wish they dis things closer to the port.  When we have had stops  in Le Havre we went to Etretat and Honfleur once and the beaches of Normandy the other time and really enjoyed our time.

 

I have visited Paris twice not via cruise ship, and I agree with everyone above.  Just rent an apartment and explore the city.  Its the best way to do it.  Going for the day trip from Le Havre is like going into a candy shop and not getting to eat any candy.

[Tntt]

So can someone tell me how far is the eiffel tower from the lehavre cruise port? Is that an excursion option?