Dec. and Jan. Transatlantic Crossings on QM2

[rj1227]

Cunard always offers two crossings in December and then an eastbound crossing in early January after New Year's Day. The January crossing is eight nights instead of seven. I know the QM2 is decorated for Christmas on the December crossings. And I would imagine the Atlantic could be more lively in the winter.

 

My questions:

 

1. If you have taken a TA crossing in December would you recommend it? How is it different from TA crossings at other times of the year (other than what I stated above)? 

 

2. What is the nationality mix and passenger composition like in December on the eastbound and then westbound crossings, and then on the eastbound crossing right after New Year's Day? 

[2Oldpeopleinlove]

We did a round trip TA in December the year before things shut down, and I would absolutely recommend it. I LOVE the ocean…grew up on the beach, and being able to see and feel it for two weeks was wonderful, especially on the lower decks where the waves would occasionally splash up the windows.

 

The Christmas decor was completed while we were on board. It was delightful. I cannot really speak to the nationalities of the passengers. We were aware of lots of Brits, which suited us just fine as we used to travel to the UK regularly before our son went and had a family and career in France. 
 

I cannot speak to any comparison to other times, either since we sailed on the QE elsewhere. But we enjoyed our time on the TA so much that we are booked for the westbound from Dec. 15-22 again this year.

 

(I just noticed your location. Our son did his undergrad at Tulane, beginning two days before Katrina.)

Edited April 12, 2023 by 2Oldpeopleinlove

[techteach]

We did the TA Dec. 15 - 22, 2022 and loved it. We are told we had an highly unusually smooth crossing. We really only had weather as we neared North America. Nationalities - there were lots of Swedes and Norwegians with older children. We would do this every year if we could. The caveat is you arrive in New York just before Christmas and this year the weather was horrid all across the country. Getting out of New York on a plane was not fun. There were delays all across the U.S.

[alc13]

We’ve done the Dec 15 TA a couple of times.  Great time to be on the Atlantic.  Recalls for me the time when that was the only way to cross.
 

As for other times of year, RADA performs frequently on the QM2 but wasn’t present on our Dec TAs.

[NancyDrew1953]

I enjoyed the eastbound crossing on December 3, 2022;  it was the Literary Festival, which changed the vibe on the ship a little bit (somewhat younger, more casual) in my view.  Of the 2,200 passengers on board,1,600 were British, 400 Americans, with the rest Canadian, etc.  This seemed to be a higher number of British due to the Literary Festival.  The dates for the Festival in 2023 are, I believe, not in the period you are considering.

 

All of the Holiday decorations were in place, but I was told it was too early for Holiday music or events since it was only the beginning of December.  
 

Weather was generally OK for December, but we hit a bit of a storm in Southampton.  I would definitely recommend the sheltered balcony cabins, as compared to the glass balconies.  The sheltered were usable, but the others not so much.

 

 

 

 

[Wagtail adventures]

12 hours ago, techteach said:

We did the TA Dec. 15 - 22, 2022 and loved it. We are told we had an highly unusually smooth crossing. We really only had weather as we neared North America. Nationalities - there were lots of Swedes and Norwegians with older children. We would do this every year if we could. The caveat is you arrive in New York just before Christmas and this year the weather was horrid all across the country. Getting out of New York on a plane was not fun. There were delays all across the U.S.

We also did this same crossing, and loved it too.  I didn't realise that the crossing was unusually smooth.  We've booked the same crossing again for 15 Dec 24.  It is such a lovely way to get to the USA, and immigration was the fastest ever.  We noticed mostly other Brits.  The December crossings seem to be significantly less expensive than the summer ones - around a third less.  The balcony is too cold to spend much time on.

[rj1227]

Many thanks to all above who took the time to respond. You answered my questions about the two December crossings.

 

If anyone has any information about the early January eastbound crossing, I would certainly welcome it. It does seem a tad different--one night longer, and right after the holidays when the desire to eat well and drink should be sated. I am thinking this is a more sedate trip than the December crossings with many Brits returning home after time in the US.

[Host Hattie]

I've done the early January crossing but it was in 2010 so things may have changed. We were originally due to fly back from New York after the Caribbean Christmas sailing but a few months before Cunard made us an offer we couldn't refuse to sail instead.

The sailing is usually the end of the Christmas round trip for European passengers and the beginning of the World Cruise for Americans. It's also packaged as New Year in New York and sail home.

 

[starquake]

I would note that a few days of last the Christmas transatalntic and the day out of New york down to carribean (so same rough area) the weather was rough and movement was noticable far more in some areas than others. 

 

Our room (up on deck 12) 12003, so 2 behind the Captains room had *noticable* movement up down the corridor it was like walking on the moon at times.    

 

However in middle of ship down on deck 5 near midships it was not really noticable at all in same conditions.    Thus if you are doing a winter crossing and weather last year was unseasonably mild as mentioned, I'd reccomend not picking the higher balcony cabins at front or rear of ship due to the movement.   Lower, midships, sheltered would 100% be our pick and we have indeed picked that for our next winter crossing.

The glass balconies on QM2 on a winter crossing as said give little protection and you don't really get chance to use them until Carribean on the winter Carribean crossingings attached to the tranatlantic legs in Nov/Dec most years.   We got ~ 6 days use of a 19 night cruise, but paid handsomely for that, and in hindsight would have been happier lower, on a cheaper fare.   Should add the glass balcony on the cruise we were on added ~£60/ni onto the fare.    

 

 

 

Edited April 14, 2023 by starquake