Transatlantic Crossing

We considered a repositioning cruise (Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale). We would have had 10 sea days out of 15. It sounded wonderful to me - restful days, reading, writing, spa visits… I don’t think my BF could handle it. He gets antsy after an hour with nothing planned!

We’ve done two transatlantic to the US. Sea days I join games, exercise, lectures… My husband finds sea days boring, despite being an avid reader.
BTW the blanket on the deckchair in the North Atlantic is not always comfortable. But you’ll have an interesting experience no matter.

Andrea has been writing reports of her trip on a transatlantic crossing, so you might find something of interest there. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/a-day-at-sea

Andrea's thread linked above is good reading and describes some of the ways to experience a transatlantic crossing. We're less ambitious than her (though I sometimes get roped into marathon trivia tournaments). We like the deck-book-drink style, though if it's cold enough for a blanket I'll be inside looking out. There will be plenty to do all 7 days -- some things you'll probably like, others you won't, but you can choose.

I think you will "get my experience." But it won't be like "back in the day," as in Titanic. Maybe just as well, that ended badly.

Check our the vlogger Jeb Brooks, and I'm sure there are plenty of others. A cruise that doesn't stop is a very different thing.

If you need to be entertained every minute then a transatlantic cruse is not for you. You need to able to relax and do nothing. I love it. The whole disconnect experience. I can sit in a deck chair and do absolutely nothing for several hours. Time to clear the mind, resort the memory, review the past, consider the future, still going to write that novel, compose your obituary, dictate that resignation letter (but discard it when you hit Europe - you need the money), Just the total relaxation of doing nothing, no schedule, for a few days is great recharge of my mental batteries. Not for everyone.

On my long cruises (my longest passage was 12 days non stop from Costa Rica to Dover) you fall into a pattern. I've always been lucky in having lots of enrichment talks and other events. My biggest problem is seriously always in fitting everything in on multiple sea days, there is so much happening on the ship- or on my ships anyway.

On the long oceanic passages you also get things like a ship's choir, or book club or drama group forming- that sort of a thing. Or movie afternoons, Quizzes, etc.

I'm always up early, several laps of either the shelter deck (if there is one) or the top deck before most people are up then breakfast early, then some quiet time before the activities of the day. And always I try to be taking exercise just at sunset- most of the best sunsets I have seen are at sea.

On one 9 day Trans Pacific for some reason passengers and hotel services had no internet, TV or satellite phone signal (somehow the bridge did) so we were truly out of touch with the world. The majority of passengers found that pure bliss.

Ultimately if you are at sea for a week or more, even if there was some terrible personal news from home you can't do anything about it, even if you can find out about it.

Life is just different, and yes punctuated by lots of food.

Everything just falls into a rhythmic pattern. I always have very mixed feelings when making landfall on such voyages- and the pattern of life at sea is broken by time ashore.

We decided to do it based on everyone’s input.
Thanks

Have fun. Do be aware that the Cunard line is a bit more formal than some of the other cruise ships you may have been on. Pay special attention to their dress codes and maybe check out a few you tube videos about the QE2 passage.

Kay, I sailed back home on QM2 last December. I just sent you a long PM regarding the Daily Programme for one day. As I noted in the PM, I fortunately had a suitcase with the clothes needed for the crossing sent to Southampton through Forward Luggage. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. As you know, Cunard is very formal. You can go to the Cunard forum on Cruise Critic and see the debates over what meets and departs from the dress codes.