Transatlantic Cruise suggestions

I don't know where you are seeing the fares you quote, but in a mailing I got just day before yesterday from Cunard there are trans Atlantic fares starting at $999, for 2016 after the month of June, for certain dates.
That is for an inside or ocean view cabin from NYC to Southampton. A cabin with a balcony is under $1400 per person. A balcony cabin is really quite roomy .... You can find a photo on the web. We have travelled three in such a cabin on one crossing. The QM2 is being completely refurbished in June so it should look beautiful. We crossed last August and it was a little tired and shabby here and there.

Jtraveler, On a transatlantic with few or no stops where I'd be spending more time in my cabin, I'd want access to the exterior, so would book a balcony or higher. That's personal.

Those 2,000 interior cabins go for much less as sailing time approaches. Look on Vacations to Go . com for the fares playing with dates. So look at different lines, dates, and you'll see the drop in prices if the ships aren't full.

Going west-to east you'll lose an hour almost every day. East to west, you'll gain. Careful about which season you're in the North Atlantic if you want to be able to enjoy the food. Study the season and routes on vacationstogo.com and you'll soon see where most of the ships are sailing in what season.

Life beyond Cunard: One regular poster is on a Princess TA at this moment. Celebrity has a big new ship sailing in to New York this fall that the Celebrity regulars are buzzing about. In other words: many lines are going back and forth. To find a ship at a reasonable price, on a calmer route, you may have to leave from Florida on a repositioning cruise outside of summer. Edit: Norma's comment about the rough crossing from FL shows there's less prediction than I thought.

Go to Cruise Critic cruisecritic.com and search transatlantic for more info.

Thank you, Norma.

I quoted wrong - yes, I saw yesterday that the rates went as low as $999 for interior rooms - although we might be looking to splurge a bit on this experience.

So, you recommend the voyage? You had a good time? I"ve read everything from glowing reviews to a few that said the ship was shabby, and a couple of people on Tripadvisor said they hit hurricane type weather coming and going, therefore were sick the whole trip. We've never done this before so trying to find out all we can.

Yes, I can heartily recommend the QM2. Depending on the time of year, you may run into rough weather, certainly. On one crossing in late November we had four days of gales, 9-force the captain noted. Neither of us got seasick but lots did, even the crew. Best to select a cabin amidships and not on a high deck. Deck 5 is good.

There is lots to keep you occupied on board if you like to be kept occupied. Movies, lectures, bridge, cooking demos, etc, etc. Keep in mind that there are expenses over and above the basic fare . There are taxes and such, plus the gratuities, plus the cost of liquor or wine if you indulge (we do), plus any items you may buy on board.

We did do one repositioning cruise from Florida to Rome on Holland America a couple of years ago. Rough weather did cause me to be sick on that one, plus it was 9 days, far too long at sea.

Just to add that the crossing we made last August from Southampton to NYC was a sad one because a crew member went overboard and was not found. All of us on board spent a day looking for any sign of him as the ship retraced its course for hours and hours. We were a subdued lot when the trip was over, and the crew members were depressed, as you can imagine.

Since you didn't mention the time or price range you are considering, I'd suggest you check cruise lines other than Cunard. Fares, dates, and itineraries vary a great deal. It might even pay to fly to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami depending on the timing, cost, and route. As one who has cruised quite a bit, I can definitely say that it is worth a little extra to get a cabin with a balcony or at least a view.

You can check this website to see if there are any good deals for the time and route you want to go. It posts fare sales for all cruise lines in all price ranges. Just put in your date range and choose 'transatlantic' or 'repositioning'.

http://www.vacationstogo.com/

And, yes I have booked a cruise through them and had no problems or issues.

You can get very good rates on the re-positioning cruise by the major cruise lines when they move ships from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring and the reverse in the fall. These cruises leave mostly from the Florida area to various points in Europe. And at the Europe end may will hit a number of ports that could be interesting.

Where do you want to leave from and dates?

I don't know any cruise line other than Cunard that runs straight between NY and the UK without stops. As far as I know, the others all cross the Atlantic to reposition their ships between seasons. These repositioning cruises can be bargans and very enjoyable, but as others noted they tend to be in spring (usually to Europe) and fall (usually to US). And they usually involve port calls like Bermuda, Azores, Madeira, Iceland, or wherever. We took a wonderful 12-day cruise from Dover north to the Shetlands to Reykjavik to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and NYC one fall on Norwegian. Cunard's nonstops probably take 5-6 days. So how much time you have may be a factor.

The advice to check out Cruise Critic is good, you'll learn more there than on this board. Unless you're going in mid-summer, I wouldn't recommend spending money for a balcony cabin because it'll be cold out there most of the time. Remember that the ship will be moving at 20+ knots, and it can get very windy out there even if the sea isn't affected that much. I remember sitting out on our balcony on that TA crossing, in my fleece and parka and wool hat, wondering why I paid for this "luxury." A window, however, can be well worth paying for so you can see the weather and ocean outside, and the horizon in case it gets rough. I agree with the advice to look for a midship cabin on a relatively low deck. Ships' stabilizers help a lot with side-to-side roll, but not at all with bow-to-stern pitch. The good news is that seasickness tends to affect younger people more than older people (perhaps the only example of our "health" improving as we age).

You can have a wonderful time crossing the Atlantic, and I hope you follow through on your plans after more research. Europe will seem more "special," and you'll be rested enough to enjoy it from the get-go, if you take your time getting there. Or, if you cruise home, you'll have the unforgettable Statue of Liberty experience and no jet lag (which for us is worse returning). Have fun planning this!

If you've never been on a cruise before, I strongly suggest you go on one before booking a transatlantic trip. It could even be a weekend trip to the Bahamas.
All the major cruise lines throw out transatlantic bargain trips the end of April and again in October-November as they move their ships getting ready for the winter season in the Caribbean and the summer season in the Mediterranean. They are especially good bargains in seasonal travel.
I too use VacationsToGo.com to research cruises, as virtually every cruise in the world is listed there.

And they're right about the prices getting very low close to sailing time. We're leaving in a week out of Rome, and an inside cabin for 12 nights is listed at $535 plus port taxes per person. That's extremely cheap.

We're leaving in a week out of Rome, and an inside cabin for 12 nights
is listed at $535 plus port taxes per person

You can't live at home for those prices!

Thanks everyone for your responses. As I said before, we're not really cruise people -- I don't mind boats, but generally find the idea of cruises to be a turn-off. This is more about experiencing a historic and timeless style of ocean crossing. So far Cunard is the one that approximates the journey most with its classic "luxury" and NY-Southampton route. Of course I know it's probably a far cry from the kind of experience one used to have before air travel. (What today is as good as it used to be then?)

I'm not sure why that's such a pity... easy enough to go to Brooklyn... though it would be nice if the ships departed from the downtown docks like in those olden days!

Well, there you go, Uber is your friend. How do Brooklynites get from the NY airports to Brooklyn?

I don't quite understand the fuss. I'm a NYer and a Manhattanite. I can easily take the train to Brooklyn and a cab to Red Hook.

....What today is as good as it used to be then?.......

Come on, nearly everything is better today than the so called "Good Old Days." I remember well many of the good old days and have little interest in returning.

I'm afraid you are doomed to be disappointed. You are looking for a Titanic cruise type experience in today's world. There's some reality missing here

I would second the above "try first". Half way across the Atlantic is not the time to discover you hate cruising. Do not assume the Cunard Line is somehow going to be more elegant or romantic than any other line.

Titanic wasn't, and was never meant to be a cruise.

As a little sproggie I crossed the Atlantic by liner many times, New York to Southampton and New York to Liverpool, and reverse.

My parents often went up the St Lawrence to Montreal either from Southampton or Le Havre.

We most were on Cunard boats, but also French and US.

I have vivid memories of many of the voyages, both positive and negative.

I can tell you this much, and for no money, that crossing the North Atlantic comfortably and enjoyable depends almost entirely on the season.

When the gales get up no ship with no matter how computer controlled their stabilisers are is completely comfortable.

I have the most vivid memories of an eastbound run in December one year on the SS United States. The damn thing was made of aluminum (aluminium) and creaked and groaned on a duck pond, so was all sorts of noisy in bad weather. This was at a time of strong competition for the Blue Riband and the United States could go as fast as any of them. So was the Captain's response to Force Nine gales and 40 to 60 foot seas to slow down? Hell no. Just blast through. There's a reason that the corridors all have velvet ropes along both walls.

By the way, the force and then the force number.

Force nine! I knew I was getting it wrong. Thanks.