Transatlantic cruises 2007 need some advice a.s.ap.

[syndyj]

I am currently booked on Freedom of the Seas for November 2007, however I have been looking at the transatlantic sailings on Royal Caribbean and two have me very interested, so interested that I am thinking of switching my Freedom of the Seas booking.

 

The choices are Navigator of the Seas, 13 nights, departs Southampton on November 5th, 2007. Ports of call are:

 

La Coruna Spain

Lisbon Portugal

Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

Santa CruzCanary Islands

 

or

 

Brilliance of the Seas, 15 nights, departs Barcelona on December 2nd, 2007. Ports of call are:

 

Alicante,Spain

Gibraltar, United Kingdom

Casablanca, Morocco

Funchal Madeira,Portugal

Tenerife Canary Islands

Antigua

 

I have never been to Europe so all the ports are new to me (except Antigua), I don't know if La Coruna is better than Alicante or Santa Cruz better than Tenerife. So, I need some advice on which ports have more to see/do. Also, which is the better time to cruise doing a transatlantic, November or December ? And does the fact that the Navigator does not have an enclosed solarium matter?

 

If we choose to do the transatlantic, we will be spending a few days post cruise in England, if we decide on the Brilliance we will also spend a two days post cruise in Barcelona.

 

Right now I am torn 50/50 between the Navigator since it leaves from Southampton,I am familiar with the Voyager class ships and it sails in November and the Brilliance which looks as if it has the better itinerary.

 

They are both priced the same so cost is not a factor in making a decision.

I need to make this decision by Monday so any and all advice is appreciated.

[dmk]

The only thing that would sway my decision is the weather. It is freezing and miserable in England at that time of year and it wouldn't get to much warmer until you got closer to Spain.

I took a November TA cruise from Spain and we lucked out with warm beautiful weather all the way across. I am talking about by the pool kind of weather. Of course, we had luck.

Otherwise it is a hard choice that I myself had to make with Celebrity. In the end I picked a Dec, TA.

Goodluck. Whatever you choose you'll be cruising:D

[syndyj]

I did think of the weather actually, I have two opinions to consider from friends who live here (where it is warm and sunny 365 days a year), one went to London in November and said it was not as cold as everyone warned her it would be and she enjoyed it. The other visited London in early December and said he felt as if his face would fall off, it was so cold!

 

What is interesting to me about your response is that you are from Canada, I thought it was cold there as well !?

[dmk]

Oh yes! It is very cold here in Canada. Lots of snow during the winter. That's why we try to take a cruise to the the Caribbean in the winter;) . But 2 years ago, we did the TA and loved it. So in 2007, we will do another and forego the Caribbean. You can't have everything:)

I was born in London and I go over often. I've been over a few times at that time of year and I have found it damp, dark and miserable:eek: . I mean you can luck out on good weather but...So I don't take any chances and start off from Barcelona.

What I may do for this TA is fly Montreal to London spend a couple of days and then fly to Barcelona after to start my cruise.

[syndyj]

dmk, which Celebrity TA are you doing in 2007? I liked the itinerary on the Galaxy that leaves Barcelona on December 2007, but the reviews of the ship have been pretty harsh! Plus, I m thinking with so many consecutive sea days there must be lots to do on the ship so as not to get bored, that's why I think a Voyager Class ship is a really good choice with Brilliance being good as well.

[dmk]

I am taking the Millenium Cruise from Barcelona to Florida. We were also tempted to take the Century but it is longer and we can't manage that much time. The galaxy TA looks good also. One of my reasons for not choosing it is because it ends in Puerto Rico. I don't have a good choice of flights from Montreal to Puerto Rico and it is much more expensive.

[garycarla]

Good luck on your choice, but curious why you need a decisions ASAP - by Monday?

[syndyj]

garycarla, I have both cruises on hold for the cabins I want, so I need to make a decision soon.

[mylove]

Just got off the ship this April very nice ship not new but lovely.Were doing b2b stsrting Nov10th thru Dec 8th the price is fantastic.

[cruisingmimi]

We did a TA crossing 5 years on the Grand Princess and it was in November. The weather was very mild (to us because we live in New England) but it rained almost every single day of the cruise except the last 5 days crossing the Atlantic to Ft. Lauderdale. We had very rough seas w/ high swells and were unable to go into many of the ports. We did go into Barcelona and we loved it there. Did Portgual but was unable to go into the Azores. The 5 days crossing the Atlantic were very nice and warm - in the 80's. Lovely sea days.

 

If it were my choice, I would not do a transatlantic in December. You are taking a chance on the weather and the seas. We were on the Grand Princess, which was a mega ship at that time, and the ship was rocking and rolling! I do not know if that is the typical weather pattern for Nov. We arrived home at Thanksgiving time so our cruise was mid November.

 

I would also advise you to do a transatlantic crossing on a larger ship. Also request a mid ship cabin location. What type of cabin did you book? My sister had a balcony cabin and felt the movement of the ship quite a bit more than we did because we were on a lower deck w/ a mid ship location. Makes a big difference! She got sick.

 

Not to say that you would have the same experience. I just thought that I would point these things out to you if you have never been to Europe b4.

 

I would agree w/ DMK about the weather in England at that time of year. Perhaps the other itinerary would work out better for you especially if you live in a tropical climate.

 

If you are planning on spending a couple of days post cruise, then why not do the Barcelona trip?

 

A few comments on the Galaxy TA. We just did the Galaxy Med cruise in October. While we loved the itinerary and the price we paid for the cruise, I would have to say that the Galaxy was not my favorite ship! It has a worn look to it in lots of areas. Our cabin was definitely not what we expected on a Celebrity cruise. Everything was really worn looking. E.G. bedspreads, curtains, etc. needed replacement. The bathroom had water stains in the sink, the shower curtain was missing hooks, it was impossible to adjust the water valve when taking a shower. No matter what you tried to set it at it would jump to scalding hot water when you got in the shower. The most annoying thing was that our cabin was right under the kitchen area and we heard dishes banging, things moving across the floor all night long. We got no sleep on that cruise. I did hear that it was supposed to go into drydock.

 

We had others on the cruise tell us they weren't happy either. The food was not the best that we have had on Celebrity ships. Just an unhappy experience for us! The itinerary was so awesome though!

 

What is the itinerary for the Freedom?

 

A comment on not having a solarium on the Navigator. Depends upon what you want. If you have miserable weather, etc., then you will not be able to go on deck or use the outdoor pool area. A solarium would allow you to sit by the pool and read, etc. if the weather was inclement. We did a New England cruise a couple of years ago on the Grandeur of the Seas and we lived in the solarium. Again, the gods were not with us and we had 9 days of rain on that cruise. Maybe I should give up cruising! LOL I don't know what we would have done if we didn't have the solarium. We just sat in the lounge chairs and read, took naps, etc. Of course, on the mega ships there will probably be lots more activities and space to move about.

 

Just my thoughts. I would go on the boards and see what people have said about the different ports. They basically look similar to me, except one departs Southhampton and one from Barcelona. We cruised by Gibraltar on our cruise but did not stop there. It was so foggy we couldn't see it!

 

I hope that I haven't given you too many negative comments but wanted to point out the differences to you. You will make the best of any situation on a cruise and still have a wonderful time. Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

 

Mary

[syndyj]

Mary,

thank you very much for your comments, they were not negative, you have just given a very objective review of sorts.

 

I have checked out what people have to say about the ports and I also read reviews of TA sailings. Some people have a nice crossing with great weather and some have had a rocky time like you.What I like about the TA is that you are sailing towards warmer weather.

 

I do have a mid ship cabin on a lower deck on hold for both ships.I didn't think a balcony would be of much use since it would be winter time so I went ahead and reserved an inside.

 

The Freedom is doing a Western Caribbean with stops at Labadee, Ochos Rios, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.Though the ports are interesting the main draw for me is the ship itself.I am positive if I don't sail the Freedom next year that I will be able to sail that exact itinerary in the near future. With the TA it's a once in a lifetime oppourtunity kind of thing.

 

You do have me a bit confused as you said you won't do a TA in December but you prefer a ship with a solarium :). Unfortunately it's an either or situation!

 

I will keep you posted on what I decide.

[Susan-M]

Not sure if you've seen it, but there's a current thread on the Celebrity board re TA's, which you might find helpful.

[syndyj]

Thanks,I just checked out that thread and there were some good tips and advice.

[dmk]

#14

Today, 10:05 AM

dmk vbmenu_register("postmenu_6683947", true);

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Feb 2001

Location: montreal,quebec, canada

Posts: 828

 

 

2 years ago we did the westerly TA from Barcelona to Miami. It left on the 28th of November, on a 14 day cruise. I was prepared for cold weather, rainy weather and choppy seas. But, all I cared about was the lovely relaxing sea days.

 

We were so pleasantly surprised. We spent 3 days in Barcelona with sunny weather in the 70's. We stopped in Portugal and Gibraltar with similiar weather. When we struck out acroos the Atlantic on a Southerly route, the weather got warmer. I mean it was sitting by the pool weather. I was prepared to go to all kinds of seminars and didn't go to any. The Atlantic was shockingly calm. The sea only got a bit more choppy when we arrived in the Carribbean. The weather in St. Martin and St. Thomas were well in the 80's.

 

Well I've booked another TA for 2007. Not too port intensive because we really like to relax. I don't expect weather to be like the first time. So I will be prepared for cooler weather and rougher seas. Perhaps, I will finally get to got to the seminars , wine tastings etc.

 

p.s. Another reason why I love the western route is beause you get to have 5 or 6, 25 hour days, pure relaxation and you arrive home refreshed.:D

[cruisingmimi]

Hi again,

 

I am glad that you are getting feedback from others. DMK definitely had a more positive experience than we did w/ the crossing so the weather is the whole clue! We just happened to get bad weather. However, it didn't dampen our spirits onboard. Just gave us an excuse to have a few more cocktails! LOL

 

What I meant by the advantage to a solarium is that if the weather is bonkers and you can't go up on deck, you are more confined to inside activities. We had the solarium to help us pass the time. Agreed, that you will be doing a TA but it doesn't mean you won't have nice sunny days. That was the best part of our TA. The weather was superb for the crossing. The further south we headed the warmer it got. No need for a solarium there.

 

We were also doing a New England fall foliage cruise so the onboard activities were more limited than what a TA would involve. There was nothing to do that interested us so we lived in the solarium. They had a few onboard lectures pertaining to whale watching, etc.

 

I wouldn't feel that it would be absolutely a "must" w/ the solarium. If you like sitting on deck by the pool, then a solarium does help if the weather is inclement. Hope this helps clarify what I meant.

 

DMK, what TA cruise have you booked for 2007? We have a group of fellow Galaxy cruisers that are planning a 2007 reunion cruise and want to book for October 2007. We have been looking at Med cruises and TA. Can't seem to find something that everyone likes. Of course, the big thing will be what the airfare will be like then. We all got pretty decent air for this past Oct.

 

Mary

[dmk]

cruisingmimi:

We got the Millenium, 14 day, TA from Barcelona to Miami. It is in Dec. 2007. I was lucky enough to nab the last aft cabin.:rolleyes:

[syndyj]

Since I have opened up myself to the idea of a winter cruise, what do you guys think of the 9 night repositioning cruise on the Brilliance? It goes from Barcelona to Venice, November 23rd to December 2nd:

 

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

Naples, Italy

At Sea

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Corfu, Greece

At Sea

Livorno (Florence), Italy

Villefranche (Nice), France

Toulon, France

Barcelona, Spain

 

The thing is that I am afraid the ports of call will be really cold compared to the ports on the TA which from weather averagaes seem to be warmer than other Med. ports even in November/December plus the TA is sailing towards warmer weather/Seas.