Nemo, Alan, and anyone else who's done transatlantic repositioning cruises.

[Sunset]

We were on repositions cruises via Panama Canal and Antarctica just before Covid and now planning to do one of the longer Transatlantic to experience the Arctic for a day or two next spring. We love hot weather so no better way to see the Arctic and Norway and other cold areas than a luxury cruise! Great post!

How does a TA experience the Arctic ? What line etc. ?

 

[bearkeley]

How does a TA experience the Arctic ? What line etc. ?

Still looking into it but Princess has a 30+ day Fire & Ice & Arctic Circle trip from Florida in May. Not as dramatic as Antarctica (would do it again!) but it gets us to Europe where we plan to spend our summer. I doubt if we would go on an expedition further north but the ship does go above the circle, so why not?

On the flip side, there are currently no discounts offered on this cruise, unlike the many TAs offered. It’s so tempting to take a cheaper, shorter TA cruise and just spend the extra time on a Mediterranean beach…

 

[Retired Expat]

It is not the claustrophobia but the experience. To wake up and have coffee out on a balcony as the water goes by, the majesty of the see, watching the pilot boats drop off or pick up the ships pilot, viewing the various coastlines as you come into port are an integral part of the cruise experience. Who wants to get up and get dressed to run upstairs and cram into a crowd to get a spot at a railing?

No for us, we would cruise less, and save for the better experience. Just who we are....conversely we don’t care about the ships disco or casino so everyone is different and everyone needs to determine their own priorities if you don’t have a sky’s the limit budget.

But how great is it we are talking about cruising again?

 

[NW-Bound]

It is not the claustrophobia but the experience. To wake up and have coffee out on a balcony as the water goes by, the majesty of the see, watching the pilot boats drop off or pick up the ships pilot, viewing the various coastlines as you come into port are an integral part of the cruise experience. Who wants to get up and get dressed to run upstairs and cram into a crowd to get a spot at a railing?

It sounds great, but the last cruise when we had a balcony, it was so windy we could not be out there very long.

And when the ship came into port, we did not get a good view at all, compared to being on the top deck.

That said, the openness offered by the balcony is worth it, if the price is not outrageous. The price difference is not as high as between an airline economy seat and a business seat.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I always get the cheapest room on a cruise that I can simply because I am never in it. I go there to sleep or take a nap, but the rest of the time I'm either elsewhere on the ship or on shore when we dock. I don't find them claustrophobic.

 

[CyclingInvestor]

How does a TA experience the Arctic ? What line etc. ?

Holland America has a "Voyage of the Vikings" between Boston and Holland which stops at a number of ports in Iceland and Greenland. I was planning on taking it in 2020 (now hopefully 2022)

 

[sengsational]

Rodi, I checked out the VTG listing...nice itinerary. You'll love the coffee! The entry level drink package was included on my MSC TA's, and it was great to spend an hour in the AM with the various concoctions that I don't get at home. The included beers were not worth drinking, but they has La Fin du Mond for $2 upgrade.

The difference to balcony looks like $1,300 or so for two, based on VTG. Not bad. I've had shorter, fewer ports crossings, and so less to see. Shoot, just NYC from the balcony is worth $1000, hehehe!

 

[Koogie]

Nemo no longer frequents this forum.

He is otherwise fine.

 

[FIYes]

Rodi, that looks like a great itinerary! So good, to see travel plans again.

 

[tmm99]

Nemo no longer frequents this forum.

He is otherwise fine.

Thank you for the update. I'm sad that he doesn't come here much anymore, but I'm glad to hear he's doing fine.

 

[W2R]

Thank you for the update. I'm sad that he doesn't come here much anymore, but I'm glad to hear he's doing fine.

+1

I had assumed the worst when I read about his disappearance (on this thread), so I am VERY glad that I was wrong!

 

[pacergal]

Nemo no longer frequents this forum.

He is otherwise fine.

Thanks for the update.


Rodi--I think you will enjoy the balcony. Look forward to hearing about the cruise when you return!!

 

[brett]

The other 'play' we have used is the cruise price in other countries. You do need to be aware their T's and C's. Most of our cruises are booked inside the final payment window, ie paid in full no refunds.

We did one late booking 21 day Australia/NZ cruise. The price from RCI's Sydney, Aus. office was 30 percent less, adjusted for currency, than if we had booked in North America.

My sister saved 15 percent on a Baltic cruise by booking in the UK instead of North America.

In our experience it happens infrequently but it does happen. More often we see differences in airline and hotel/resort/AI rates.

 

[Bamaman]

We've been on 3 repositioning cruises, and enjoyed all the days at sea doing absolutely nothing.

We had a window on one, a balcony on another and a fake window on the third.

Moving to a more luxurious room on a cruise means nothing to us. My wife mostly sleeps during the day anyway.

Last cruise, she was in a wheelchair. That got us to the front of every line, thank you.

Our favorite cruises remain Eastern Med and the Baltics. And we will be back again.

 

[Dreamer]

Nemo no longer frequents this forum.

He is otherwise fine.

This makes me sad, but I am so glad to hear that he is fine. I always enjoyed his presence on this forum. I hope that he changes his mind in the future.

Thank you for the update.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Thank you for the update. I'm sad that he doesn't come here much anymore, but I'm glad to hear he's doing fine.

Exactly!

 

[Calico]

Nemo no longer frequents this forum.

He is otherwise fine.

Thank you for the update.

I am sorry to hear this; I appreciated and enjoyed his contributions.

But the most important thing is that he is OK; thank you for sharing that.

 

[Dtail]

This makes me sad, but I am so glad to hear that he is fine. I always enjoyed his presence on this forum. I hope that he changes his mind in the future.

Thank you for the update.

Same here. He has some great comical wit and I will miss that aspect (same with Redduck).

 

[superdave]

We had a 21 day trans Atlantic dream cruise canceled due to COVID. We are in Canada, and hope to maybe do the same trip this coming spring if things work out. Have only been on 4 seven day cruises, but enjoyed every minute.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

The big question is how claustrophobic will and interior stateroom feel? Big price difference and lots of days at sea with nothing to look at make this seem like the right choice... Lots of windows/decks on the ship if we want to see the ocean/view.

Any advice appreciated.

Personally I/we prefer inside staterooms as they stay nice and dark which is better for our sleeping. As long as you are away from the engine area they are usually pretty quiet as well. My wife has a difficult time sleeping if there's too much light coming in through a window and I doubt the window/balcony staterooms are offered with blackout curtains. If there's nothing we're interested in going on in the evening, and we have a long day of excursions planned the next day then it wouldn't be unheard of for us to go to bed at 8pm or 8:30pm while it was possibly still light outside.

My father has done over a dozen repositioning cruises to/from ports all over the world and he loves them. He sets up a sightseeing itinerary at the furthest away point (beginning or end - he has taken cruises from the US to other continents and also from other continents back to the US) and uses airline miles for the airfare to/from the furthest away point.

Whichever room you end up choosing, enjoy your trip to the fullest!

 

[samcat]

Inside cabins are like closets. No light when the overhead lights are off.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Inside cabins are like closets. No light when the overhead lights are off.

That's the best part! I remember the first night holding my hand in front of my face and I could not see it all. I also recall waking up at 8am the next morning and not realizing it was so late.
What a great night's sleep.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Ref: blackout curtains. Yes they blackout but there are sometimes small light leaks at the seams (and under the door to the hall. And in the peephole) Hair clips on the curtain, towel by the door and TP in the peephole

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Ref: blackout curtains. Yes they blackout but there are sometimes small light leaks at the seams (and under the door to the hall. And in the peephole) Hair clips on the curtain, towel by the door and TP in the peephole

Not to hijack the thread, but that's what we do in hotel rooms already. We use binder clips for the curtains when needed, towel(s) under the door, and we usually bring a roll of black duct tape for the peephole, lights on the TV, smoke detectors, microwave clocks, bathroom night lights, etc...

 

[Gearhead Jim]

We find inside rooms "acceptable" on a local cruise where you spend lots of time off the ship having fun.

I spent two years aboard a Navy ship where both my sleeping area and work area had no outside view. Typical schedule was 30 days at sea and 3 days in port, so I can definitely handle it. But I wouldn't take a trans ocean inside room even if it was free.