Trans Atlantic back to back

[chrismelissa]

Good Morning Everyone, Has anyone done a back to back Trans Atlantic, leaving from here going over to Europe, then coming right back, if so please let us know how it was, we are thinking about doing that soon, have a great weekend

[Matt]

How would you do it? Once a Royal ship crosses the Atlantic, they stay in Europe for the summer season.

[Montemy2419]

I think that would only be possible if you were to cruise Cunard on one of the legs.  The Queen Mary 2 does several Transatlantic crossings so next April we are on RC transatlantic ending in Southampton.  We then spend almost a week in London and are returning on Cunard.

[smokeybandit]

22 minutes ago, Montemy2419 said:

The Queen Mary 2

That NY to Australia itinerary looks amazing.

[steverk]

I' heard of people taking a transatlantic on Royal. Staying in Europe during the drydock. Then taking the transatlantic back to North America. I never heard how it worked out for them.

However, Gary Bembridge has several videos warning about doing something like this.  Some of the concerns are as follows:

1. Going to Europe, the ship is likely in rough shape and the focus of the crew can be getting the ship ready for drydock rather than making a great cruise.
2. If anything goes wrong during drydock, the ship may be late getting back in the water, delaying, or even cancelling your return voyage.
3. Going back to North America, the ship is repaired, but probably still has work underway.  

If you're OK with these risks, then you might be able to put together a similar itinerary.

[smokeybandit]

Just now, steverk said:

I' heard of people taking a transatlantic on Royal. Staying in Europe during the drydock. Then taking the transatlantic back to North America. I never heard how it worked out for them.

However, Gary Bembridge has several videos warning about doing something like this.  Some of the concerns are as follows:

1. Going to Europe, the ship is likely in rough shape and the focus of the crew can be getting the ship ready for drydock rather than making a great cruise.
2. If anything goes wrong during drydock, the ship may be late getting back in the water, delaying, or even cancelling your return voyage.
3. Going back to North America, the ship is repaired, but probably still has work underway.  

If you're OK with these risks, then you might be able to put together a similar itinerary.

If you're in a position to stay in Europe for 4-6 weeks in between 2 long cruises, those aren't risks I'd be concerned with.

[Biaggio]

It’s possible, we are scheduled to do it October 26, 2024 Port Canaveral to Lisbon, then November 10th Barcelona back to Port Canaveral. A rare opportunity so we jumped on it. A few days between cruises allows us to do laundry and do some sightseeing over there. 

[Va4fam]

That sounds amazing!   What would you do during all of those sea days?

[Linda R]

16 hours ago, chrismelissa said:

Good Morning Everyone, Has anyone done a back to back Trans Atlantic, leaving from here going over to Europe, then coming right back, if so please let us know how it was, we are thinking about doing that soon, have a great weekend

They go over to Europe in spring and return in the fall.   Do not see how you would do a back-to-back?

[CanHardlyWait]

First time I ever read "Trans Cruise" on here, I thought it was a special group event. LOL. 

Nothing to do with this topic, just sharing. 

[Biaggio]

12 hours ago, Va4fam said:

That sounds amazing!   What would you do during all of those sea days?

Love the sea days. Pickle ball or other activities in the morning, rest, relax, read a book in the afternoon, dinner and a show in the evening. Great people watching in between. 

[Pattycruise]

Last year I was on Symphony TA.  A lot of people were getting back on a different ship to come back to the US.  I belive a few had a 3 day wait to pick up their next sailing. and others had a 2-3 week wait before catching their next ship.    It can be done, you just need to figure out the schedules.  

[togo]

On 9/30/2023 at 1:27 PM, Biaggio said:

It’s possible, we are scheduled to do it October 26, 2024 Port Canaveral to Lisbon, then November 10th Barcelona back to Port Canaveral. A rare opportunity so we jumped on it. A few days between cruises allows us to do laundry and do some sightseeing over there. 

I am still looking at this.  I wasn't thrilled by the weather in portugal this time of year.

[Biaggio]

36 minutes ago, togo said:

I am still looking at this.  I wasn't thrilled by the weather in portugal this time of year.

No way to know what the weather will be like. Can’t make a travel decision a year ahead for fear of bad weather. Go for it. You can hop on a train and spend the time between cruises anywhere in Europe. 

[FionaMG]

53 minutes ago, togo said:

I am still looking at this.  I wasn't thrilled by the weather in portugal this time of year.

The weather here has been bonkers this year. We're currently sweltering in temperatures of over 30°C which is way warmer than it should be for the time of year. So, as @Biaggio says, there's no way to know what the weather will be like a year from now. Late October/early November are often lovely, with lots of sunshine but not overly hot, so ideal for sightseeing. That said, there's plenty to do indoors in Lisbon if the weather does decide to be unfriendly so it would be a pity to write off what looks like a potentially fabulous trip purely based on that basis.

[togo]

14 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

The weather here has been bonkers this year. We're currently sweltering in temperatures of over 30°C which is way warmer than it should be for the time of year. So, as @Biaggio says, there's no way to know what the weather will be like a year from now. Late October/early November are often lovely, with lots of sunshine but not overly hot, so ideal for sightseeing. That said, there's plenty to do indoors in Lisbon if the weather does decide to be unfriendly so it would be a pity to write off what looks like a potentially fabulous trip purely based on that basis.

Agreed.  I always wanted to go see southern Portugal but my understanding is alot of it may shutdown around that time of year.  But I'm not sure.

[FionaMG]

12 hours ago, togo said:

Agreed.  I always wanted to go see southern Portugal but my understanding is alot of it may shutdown around that time of year.  But I'm not sure.

Here in the very south where I live, which relies on "sun and sand" tourism, yes, you are correct, things do start shutting down at that time of year. However, there's a lot more to southern Portugal than that. Lisbon itself is actually classed as being in southern Portugal and being a big city it never shuts down. And in between Lisbon and the Algarve, you have Évora, in the Alentejo region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and, again, because it's not a beach resort it doesn't shut down either. That time of year can be very interesting in this region, especially if you're interested in wine, as wine tourism is big there and this is the time the grapes are harvested.