If we want to get to Europe by boat, what would be the best way? We are planning a guided bus tour in Scotland around mid-September. We haven't made any reservations yet but thought traveling by vessel would be interesting as compared to flying. Has anyone done this and , if so, what would you recommend?
Thanks.
jim & jane
jim & jane,
If you have the time and money, this is one option....
http://www.queenmarycruises.net/queen-mary-transatlantic-schedule/
Scroll down for the timetable and prices. That's a nice way to travel and if I ever win the Lottery I'd like to try that too!
Many years ago friends of mine who don't fly took the QE2 in both directions from New York to Southampton. They were traveling light but needed different (fancy) clothes for the cruise. They received special permission to store their cruise luggage on the ship since they would be on it again in a month heading home. But this was before 9-11 and might not be possible now.
They did enjoy the cruise, and aren't really "cruise people."
When I have any questions about cruises, I go to VacationsToGo.com. Check to see if Cunard has any Atlantic crossings the time you want to go.
You can filter the cruises by Repositioning Cruises to find the best deals. That's when ships are moved from one region to the other seasonally. Most repositioning cruises are done the end of April and on up in the Fall. And that's when the really great prices show up.
We have just booked our 2nd cruise this fall, coming back from Europe. We fly over, tour areas we want to see and catch the cruise ship back to the States. We enjoy cruising very much. Plus on the way back, usually 12-14 days, we don't have to worry about jet lag. They have all the entertainment you would want. As mention before, we use Vacationstogo.com. Look for Transatlantic or Repositioning.
I have to say the QE2 looks pretty incredible. Like Ken, though, I'll have to come up with some windfall funding. 26,000 tea bags consumed per crossing-that's a whole lot of relaxing going on there.
If you're interested it's certainly something to check into. Using some arbitrary dates in Sept I found a 7-night cruise from NY to London on Queen Mary 2 for $1488 (vacationstogo.com) and a one-way non-stop flight home from London to NY for $330 (skyscanner.com). So, for about $1800 you get a 7 night cruise and a flight home. That's not likely to break that bank when round trip flights alone can sometimes cost upwards of $1400 during the same time period. I've been looking at the possibility of doing a repositioning cruise next spring from US to Europe (Barcelona, Rome, Venice) and then flying home at the end of my trip (probably from London). It's an interesting idea.
Ken and All,
While the QM2 would be a wonderful experience we're retirees who somehow missed picking parents/grandparents that wanted to leave a lovely inheritance ( they probably "wanted to" . . . but! ). The plan is to spend about two months in Europe so we need to watch how and when we spend our money.. Additionally, we're from Nevada, where the uniform of the day is blue jeans. I haven't worn a tie in twenty years.
We're thinking more of a space on a freighter or a relocating cruise that would be more reasonably priced.The time in Europe is the biggest part of this trip so getting there is really secondary. Like Ken, if we win the Powerball between now and then we'll re-think our options and start looking for a tie.
Thank you all. This is a great forum, lots of input that is interesting and valuable.
j&j
I'm not sure you're going to find something a whole lot cheaper than the sample fare I found in September. Repositioning cruises going from US to Northern Europe would normally be in the Spring (April/May), and from Northern Europe to US in the Fall (Oct/Nov) going to Florida/Caribbean, so maybe you could find one coming back from Europe. Freighter cruises are few and far between these days and only between a few select destinations and prices are not all that much cheaper than a normal cruise, prices I found ran the gammut depending on month and destination but averaged about $1200.
Good luck with your search. I hope you find something that works for you.
My father and his wife take repositioning cruises every year and love it! They use vacationstogo.com to book their tickets and always get good deals since they are on the east coast.
My dad is a very sciency guy and loves seeing the vastness of the ocean and how the water and marine life changes as you cross. They always love meeting new people and how relaxed it is without having to get off at port every day...
We have taken 3 such cruises, to Japan, Barcelona, and to Rome and enjoyed them all. I also check vacationstogo.com but then deal directly with the cruise line. In my experience the fares were the same and I much prefer not involving an intermediary party. We traveled with Holland America. On the European cruises, they have offered very reasonable flights home (from Rome last year the return one way flight was $600) and we had one month from disembarkation to use the ticket. It is not always necessary to fly home from the port of disembarkation either; for the same airfare as Barcelona, we flew back from Paris after a few weeks on our own in France. Also, the cruise interruption/cancellation insurance (incl. medical evac.) was valid the entire time we spent on the ground until we flew home. The Barcelona and Rome cruises including airfare home were about the same price as a RT ticket for air alone, and these were both for balcony rooms on gorgeous ships. Perhaps not everyone can endure 14 days on a beautiful ship but somehow we struggle through. We now have the time (yay!!) and see the cruises as a "pre-vacation" to the European trip. To my mind, they offer fantastic value for the money.
I agree with Denny ... we've done two repositioning cruises as a means of getting to Europe, and really enjoyed them. We just got home from our latest, which dropped us in Rome, and we then visited Sicily for a few weeks.
However, repositioning cruises from the US to Europe go in the spring, so you may need to adjust the timing of your bus tour in order to take advantage of these.
It wouldn't really matter which direction we took the boat. I'm ex-Navy so have done several "cruises" to Europe. We even had "gambling" on-board, just hidden away from the officers. My wife has never had the opportunity to cruise so I thought it might be a way to get where were want to be and let her enjoy the Sea. I'll keep looking, but because of the timing it probably won't work out this thrip but thank you all for the inputs.
jim & jane
We sailed on the Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York in 2006 (photos here). It was a very worthwhile experience -- much different from and more satisfying than the regimented gluttony and tackiness of cruise ships.
One does not spend time outside on deck chairs in the North Atlantic, so there were many fascinating things to do indoors -- lectures by Oxford University professors and authors, acting workshops by members of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, libraries, a planetarium, high-quality evening entertainment, and so on.
It's not the cheapest way to get across the Atlantic, but figuring six days of lodging and meals into the equation, it's not bad. And it was interesting to get a glimpse of what international travel was like just a few decades ago.
If you have the time, I recommend a crossing by ocean liner, at least one way. I'm glad we flew to England and sailed back, rather than the other way around. It was quite a sight sailing into New York Harbor before dawn, the top of the ship's mast passing only ten feet below the underside of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and sailing past the illuminated Statue of Liberty.
