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Saturday, August 13. 2022

Crossing the North Atlantic


Unless you have served in the Navy or the Merchant Marine, it is worth doing a trans-Atlantic crossing. It is a vacation in itself, and all ships have excellent gyms these days. If lucky, you can get a day or so of heavy weather. 


There is always something to do on a ship (lectures, music, dining, socializing), but watching the ocean and the ocean critters is the best part for me. 


Not an expensive trip either.  I recommend heading for Southampton (London's ship harbor), but Le Havre also. Below are two links for Atlantic crossings, but I would avoid Norwegian Cruise Lines. Another note: Don't get an inside cabin. Those are places to put your kids.


Holland-America Line 


Trans-Atlantic trips 


Posted by The Barrister in Travelogues and Travel Ideas at 13:14 | Comments (18) | Trackbacks (0)

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I simply cannot think of a reason to go on a cruise. Maybe food, I love to eat but I can eat anything and all I want right here on shore. I have tried to examine cruises with an eye to try it and it is a turnoff.

Here is one example : I found a 7 day cruise of the inside passage from Seattle to Alaska and the prices was incredibly chealy, about $300 pp. But then it said I get about $500 credit for something or other and my spidey sense tells me something is wrong here. How do you get $500 credit if the trip only costs $300??? I think there is something they aren't telling me.

But what would I do on board? At least in the inside passage you are mostly within sight of land and can set on deck and look at it. But what do you look at crossing the Atlantic? I suppose I could read some books but I can do that at home for free. I don't drink, don't like crowds, don't shop, what would I do?
#1 OneGuy on 2022-08-13 13:26 (Reply)
The reason for the lowish price for the cabin is that you're a captive audience and they now can charge you the grand prize for everything else.
From food to entertainment, expect to pay and pay and pay some more.
And the main form of entertainment on those boats are casinos (which, operating only outside of territorial waters, are completely unregulated).

That's the standard income model for the companies running those liners.
#1.1 JTW on 2022-08-14 23:54 (Reply)
So it's not like the hotel scam where they double the cost of the advertised price of a room by charging resort fees?

Do you pay for meals? It seems like some cruises include meals, I'm not sure.
#1.1.1 OneGuy on 2022-08-15 17:34 (Reply)
I was on a trans-Pacific cruise from Oakland to Cam Ranh Bay. I haven't taken a single cruise since then.
#2 indyjonesouthere on 2022-08-13 13:59 (Reply)
I agree with you that Norwegian Cruise Line is simply terrible, but Cunard and Holland America, both owned by Carnival, also are not as good as the were under former ownership.

For cross-ocean crossings, I recommend Azamara Club Cruises, which now is independently owned and good value. Its four 30,000 ton ships are identical and 20 years old, but beautifully maintained, and the service is simply super. And everything, including alcoholic beverages of moderate quality, is included. We have taken their ships all over the world. The trip around the Japanese islands is particularly wonderful.

Azamara used to go annually from NYC to Rouen, but no more. Now it goes from Lisbon to South America, or Florida to Lisbon, mostly.

As with all cruise lines, prices go up and down with some frequency and a knowledgeable travel agent is the key to happiness.

See here: https://www.azamara.com/sites/default/files/pdfs/azamara_quest_predrydock_deck_plans.pdf
#3 Ship Lover on 2022-08-13 15:59 (Reply)
What do you and Barrister consider so bad about NCL? My wife and I have done half a dozen NCL cruises, including a trans-Atlantic, plan on Alaska next year (a couple we are friends with just did an Alaska NCL and loved it) and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them.
#3.1 Christopher B on 2022-08-13 19:24 (Reply)
Sorry to tell you that the Azmara cruise company was bought out in late 2021 buy a take over company that buys up loosing properties and might find it more profitable to drive them into bankruptcy! I hope not because one of this ships is the marvelous old "Pacific Princess".
#3.2 Apple Pie on 2022-08-13 21:02 (Reply)
I did the 'inside' on the Pacific. Great ship, just the right size.
#3.2.1 XRay on 2022-08-14 17:48 (Reply)
There are still a few sailing vessels. IIRC the trans atlanctic crossing is mostly when they change their operational area for the season (i.e. move to the Caribbean for the winter, and back to the fjords or Mediterranean for the summer).
You even get to participate to some extent. Saying you were standing watch at 02:00 in the morning makes for a better story than attending a lecture in the theatre. (Although of course the most meaningful duty assigned to me was doing fire prevention checks every 2-3 hours.)
#4 Freddo on 2022-08-13 16:21 (Reply)
It is my understanding that Carnival has also purchased Princess Cruises(formerly P&O). IMHO Carnival is THE MOST DISGUSTING cruise company in the world!! It is owned and operated by the Vegas crowd with one purpose only -- steal from the passengers at every possible opportunity. Nothing gracious about this crowd!
#5 Apple Pie on 2022-08-13 17:45 (Reply)
We have made three crossings on the Queen Mary 2. Crossings, not cruises. Enjoyed them immensely. They run a 25 hour clock over and a 23 hour one coming back, on a 7 day trip, so absolutely no jet lag. Dressing up is fun as well.
#6 Easy on 2022-08-13 17:51 (Reply)
I've been on several cruises - always on Holland America , to Alaska , the Baltic and South America ( Chile to Argentina , with a stopoff in the Falklands ) .
Never thought I'd like cruises , but I've yet to have a bad experience with HA , and the price is hard to beat .
Besides - how else would you get an opportunity to "round the Horn" ?
Not sure that a trans-Atlantic cruise wouldn't get boring after the third day or so , though .
#7 Jerseygirl Angie on 2022-08-14 09:36 (Reply)
Good Morning!
This discussion took me on a cruise through Wikipedia!
I was invited to attend one of the first inaugural parties on the original Pacific Princess. OMG! We were so stunned. In those days most cruise ships carried somewhere around 350 passengers. The PacP carried nearly double that at 685! Unheard of!!
Look up in Wikipedia: MS PACIFIC
Her replacement is now docked in Wikipedia as:
PACIFIC PRINCESS Interesting history to read about cruise ships! I was wrong when I thought I saw the original PACP in the Azmara website.It was the second version of that ship~
#8 Apple Pie on 2022-08-14 11:42 (Reply)
Viking has a San Juan to Barcelona route. Great fun.
#9 XRay on 2022-08-14 17:52 (Reply)
"...but I would avoid Norwegian Cruise Lines."

These sort of assertions are silly and unfair to your readers without qualification.
#10 Erasmus on 2022-08-14 19:43 (Reply)
I recently crewed on a nice sailboat from Halifax to Bermuda. Unfortunately, 4 days of 'heavy weather' made me lose my taste for ocean crossings ;-)
Cruise ships are boring and unhealthy.... but the alternatives can be worse...
#11 Earl Wertheimer on 2022-08-15 14:31 (Reply)
My cousin has a "connection" with a large sailboat in Halifax. What was the name of the boat you were on?
#11.1 OneGuy on 2022-08-15 17:37 (Reply)
I had to go look at my pictures to see the ship so I could remember the name. It is the Bluenose II. My cousin owns a sail loft business in Nova Scotia and made the sails for it when it was completely rebuilt some 10-12 years ago.
#11.2 OneGuy on 2022-08-16 11:58 (Reply)

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