Transatlantic trip via ship

[Sanity Claws]

Does anyone take transatlantic journeys by ship anymore? I hate flying these days and was wondering about sailing. I know it takes much longer but I thought it might be an option for someone who is retired.

[Warpy]

1. A lot of cargo vessels still take passengers

so traveling by sea isn't as unusual as you think it is. Lots of people detest flying and don't mind spending the extra time it takes to go by sea.

Check it out: http://budgettravel.about.com/cs/cruisesdeals/a/cruise_cargo.htm

[cliffordu]

2. I've been looking at the same way to get to europe....

Cunard lines have ships that do the trip - but they are few and far between compared to air travel....But it looks to be tons more fun and less stressful.


Then, of course there's the Orient Express from London to Venice, via Paris......

[Sanity Claws]

11. Maybe we'll meet aboard sometime

See you at the Captain's Table!

[cliffordu]

13. I'll be the one with dramamine patches all over his body.

[DJ13]

3. Lots of hits on a search

http://www.cruisetransatlantic.com/
Cruise Transatlantic

[onehandle]

4. My wife and I did last year. The Queen Mary 2 crosses fairly often.

We sailed over then sailed back six weeks later. Our trip back was a tandem voyage sailing with the Queen Elizabeth 2 on its last journey to NYC.

It's a six day trip one way. It was very nice. Very relaxing.

http://cunard.com/

QM2
http://cunard.com/ourships/default.asp?ship=QM2

[Sanity Claws]

10. I'd like to know how you spent the six days on ship

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your sailing. I hope you don't mind some specific questions.

Was it warm enough to go outside? If so, what time of year did you sail?
Were the seas rough or at least "ungentle" enough to make some people seasick?

How large was your room?
Did anyone have pets with them?

[onehandle]

14. Answers:

Our trip over was in the second week of September. Warm during the day, only cool in the dead of night when we would go out for some stargazing. Very, very smooth sailing. The QM2 has Massive stabilizers that make it the smoothest ocean liner in the world. Our weather was beautiful, maybe unusually so. No rain or rough seas. I wore short sleeves when I was 'casual' during the day. A long sleeve shirt and/or a light jacket at night.

Our trip back was in the middle of October. It was cool in the day and could get pretty cold in the night, especially with the wind. We had some rain and rough seas at first. I actually got a bit of seasickness, but not much, and only on the first day or two out of Southampton. I found that keeping food in your stomach helped me combat that feeling (easy on a pleasure boat).

Clothes-wise I am talking about what to wear between and after meals and events. If you are dressing for dinner, your path will not go outside unless you wish it to.

We had a 'Standard Oceanview' room on the way over. It was of course, not very big, but fine for a couple. About 200 sf. The bed seemed to be somewhere between a queen and a king. Very quiet. We had an inside room on the way back, about 175 sf. Not by choice, the tandem voyage booked the ship solid. But really, you spend a lot of time out of the cabin.

Standard Oceanview:



People did bring their pets, but they must be housed in the kennel. We did not bring any pets, but we enjoyed watching others visit their pets in the small visiting area on the top deck.

What did we do… Well, it took a day or two just to explore the entire layout. The passengers tend to be well educated or at least bookish, so they always book interesting speakers to give lectures. There's a ballroom for dances, A club for modern and disco. One of the pubs has jazz which I enjoyed a lot. They have movies each night in one auditorium. Oh, and this is interesting - They have the first ever planetarium at sea. There are four incredible films that they show in the planetarium during the voyage that you Must see. They are well directed and narrated by huge stars, Harrison Ford for one. I went to the gym each day. We also spend time in the huge library.

The Internet. My wife and I had to have access for business and for pleasure. I blogged for friends and family on the ship and in Europe. - Not cheap- I think we spent a grand shipboard for access on the combined trips.

You can be busy or you can relax and watch the sea. I encourage you to look into it.

[Sanity Claws]

17. Thanks

This information helps

[petronius]

5. Something else to look for is repositioning cruises for cruise ships

As I understand it, cruise lines sometimes move ships around from region to region (in response to demand or the seasons or taking a ship to/from the shipyard) and carry passengers on these legs for a reduced fare...

[A HERETIC I AM]

6. Queen Mary 2, Balcony Stateroom, New York to Southampton, $995.

http://book.cunard.com/find/pb/searchResults.do?subTrade=ETA&duration=&ship=QM&date=1109

I crossed from Bremerhaven, Germany to NYC in 1967 on the S.S. United States.

I think it's something everyone should experience at least once in their lives if possible.

Dressing for dinner every night has a certain charm to it.

[onehandle]

8. It was a good excuse to buy a tux.

I did enjoy dressing for dinner. Learned how to tie a bow tie, which is not easy.

[A HERETIC I AM]

9. Yup! Well, in '67 I was 8 years old, so a suit and tie sufficed...

but I'd love to do it again. I've often thought that if I had the means, taking one of Cunard's round-the-world trips would be fun. It's an awful lot of time on a boat, though.

I bought a Tux a while back and I can relate to the tying a bow tie thing.

Like a lot of things, it just takes practice.

[Swamp Rat]

7. Don't drink the water or eat the food.

"Tips to Reduce Risk of ‘Cruise Ship Virus’

CHICAGO --- Before you leave for that winter cruise, experts from the Travel Medicine & Immunization Center at the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation would like to have a few words with you: Viral gastroenteritis. Norwalk virus. “Cruise ship virus.”

Viral gastroenteritis is an infection that causes inflammation of the stomach and small and large intestines. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Norwalk and Norwalk-like viruses are the most common causes of outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis on cruise ships, and are second only to the common cold in the number of people they make ill each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC reported 24 outbreaks of cruise-acquired viral gastroenteritis on 17 cruise ships in 2002. About 75 percent of the outbreaks of “cruise ship virus” were caused by Norwalk-like viruses, the CDC confirmed. Through October 2003, there have been at least 26 reported outbreaks of viral gastroenteritis on cruise ships.

“We must educate cruise passengers about this disease, its causes and preventive measures to avoid catching the viruses that cause viral gastroenteritis,” said Teresa Zembower, M.D., infectious disease specialist and medical director of the Travel Medicine and Immunization Center at Northwestern."

(snip)

http://www.northwestern.edu/univ-relations/media_relations/releases/2004_01/virus.html

[abbeyco]

12. The Queen Mary 2 is wonderful!

My Mom and I did the sail from Southhampton to NYC in May. It was a great trip and so very kind to the body instead of having to deal with the time change coming back to the states. You 'make up' one hour each day and with such beautiful surroundings, it was an incredibly civilized way to end a wonderful vacation across the pond.

The ship makes the trips very frequently and while not inexpensive, if you're looking for a memorable way to hop the pond, I vote QM2 or any of the ships that make the voyage.

[onehandle]

15. I forgot about that. No jet lag. nt

[Turbineguy]

16. West is best.

The time changes tend to accumulate and so the 25 hour days are easier on the body than the 23 hour eastbound days.

The North Atlantic is nice during the late spring and summer only. The Azores route is nice.

[Adsos Letter]

18. Princess has a trans-Atlantic cruise; not cheap, though.

[mnhtnbb]

19. Here's an interesting website listing transatlantic cruises

http://cruises.affordabletours.com/Transatlantic/