We prefer to sail off season, especially now that we are retired. If we combine a cruise with an independent land tour than off season becomes even more important considering the crush of travel after the pandemic. This year we tried a transatlantic.
Transatlantic (or pacific) are repositioning cruises for ships that sail different destinations based on the seasons. Our ship was coming off of the Caribbean in April and heading for the Mediterranean for the summer and fall. When they return, usually in late October or November, you will get the repositioning cruise the other way.
I am prone to seasickness so I was really concerned about numerous days at sea. I did my research and the consensus is that the oceans are calmer in the spring than the fall. It is not a guarantee, but the odds are better.
To help you decide if a transatlantic (or pacific) is right for you here are our pros and cons;
PROS
- These are generally cheaper, longer in duration and at less capacity. I say generally as ours was full but everyone noted that was uncommon.
- It combines a vacation (days at sea) with adventure (ports of call). On our 14 day cruise it was half and half. Fewer ports also means you are saving money on excursions, and port fees.
- There were fewer families and more seasoned, mature cruisers.
- You only have to pay for a one way flight to or from Europe. We left from New York which was an inexpensive commuter flight.
- There are a number of different ships, routes, dates of travel, departure ports and arrival ports that you can surely find the right one for you. If you plan to stay in Europe for a while after the cruise the arrival port will be an important consideration in your future planning.
- There are lots of activities and entertainment planned during the sea days so you can be as busy, or as lazy, as you want. You can play trivia, take a language class, dance lessons, or play games. There are a number of Broadway style shows, musicians, comedians and magicians every night throughout the ship.
- Check out groups for your cruise such as those on Cruise Critic or Facebook. Many of the events we attended were passenger lead and planned in advance – meet & greets, pub crawls, book clubs, etc. You will have a ready made group of people to hang with.
- And with 14 days together you can form friendships that will last beyond your time at sea.
CONS
- It is a cooler time of year either way. We didn’t really have sun until our fifth day at sea so the indoor areas were more crowded and it was uncomfortable to sit out around the pool.
- As noted earlier if you are prone to motion sickness this could be a problem so be sure to plan in advance with the proper medication, etc. Try a few shorter cruise with back to back days at sea to find out how they work.
- All you can eat (and drink) is very tempting on a cruise. When you are out and about every day on an excursion it helps to offset that behaviour, but when you have a long stretch at sea you have to pace yourself. Perhaps hit up the gym, walk the track or just find other ways to be active.
- Some of the great activities planned each day have an additional cost attached to them; bingo and poker games, whiskey or wine tastings for example. This is usually clearly noted in the advertising but be aware none the less. These additional costs can add up to a bit of a shock at the end.
- If you are uncomfortable talking to strangers or engaging in shipboard events a cruise of this length could be lonely. If you are an introvert be sure to bring along stuff to do and find your quiet space.
You will have your own things to consider of course, but a transatlantic cruise can be an enjoyable experience. Its not something we will be doing every year, but we will definitely do it again.