has anyone been on a transatlantic cruise -- ours is tampa to venice, italy, april 1, on the veendam -- would love to know things about such a cruise and so many days at sea -- thank you -- hanahbean
Yes, I did a repo on the old Noordam - Lauderdale to Lisbon. Since I really enjoy my "days at sea" that was a real pleasure. There are a lot of things to do so you won't get bored.
Posts: 665 | Location: The Southwest | Registered: May 08, 2006
thank you ChucksOK -- now that i have you on the line, could you please tell me a few specifics: i am thinking that there are mostly older (retired) folks on board (which is fine, because we are); that most of the cruisers are experienced cruisers (which we also are); is the casino open all the time or what; are there special lectures, etc. during the first week which is entirely at sea????
i am so excited about this cruise and thank you very much for responding -- hanahbean
The range of pax on the crossing was very much mixed however, there were no children. There were no special lectures that I can recall and the casino tables were open - again, its been a few years and a bunch of cruises ago. Most of the people cruising were on board for the pure enjoyment of sailing at a reasonable price without the necessity of island hopping.
Posts: 665 | Location: The Southwest | Registered: May 08, 2006
great answer -- thanks again -- you described my husband and me to a tee !!!! -- if you happen to think of anything else, please continue to write and i will check this space to see if you have written -- thank you -- hanahbean
oh yes, the price was too good to pass up and that's why we're doing it -- i figure i'll probably pack exactly the same for this cruise as our normal 10-14 day cruises -- and take more $$$$ for the casino and bingo -- any other suggestions or tidbits that you recall, please continue to write them in here -- thanks again
chucksOK -- if you are still checking this item, i was wondering if you take any of the ship's excursions -- i looked over the ones they offered in 2006 and none really grabbed me -- we will be in the azores, seville, barcelona, monte carlo, rome, and dubrovnik -- any thoughts ?? thanks
The ship did not offer excursions as we only made two stops. The first in the Azores and all we did was to get off the ship, walk around the port area and have a beer in a sidewalk cafe. The next stop was our final destination, Lisbon. We took a taxi from the ship to the airport and flew out that same day. We had been to Lisbon in the past and have been back since that crossing so we didn't mind going directly to the airport.
Now, with that said, you MUST experience Seville, Barcelona, Rome, Monte Carlo and Dubrovnik. If you do nothing else, get yourself a guide book and go on your own - do not miss the opportunity to visit these wonderful cities.
Monte Carlo and Dubrovnik are easy to walk around in and enjoy without the necessity for a guide.
Barcelona - you must see the Familia Sagrada Cathedral, the incredible ediface designed by Gaudi and still being constructed. There are other examples of his unique style in some of the neighborhoods/buildings.
Rome - wow - you can spend days. Try to maximize your time there by taking a comprehensive tour - you will save time and frustration not having to stand in lines.
Seville - what a beautiful city. Same thing - either do it yourself or simply do a city tour. You won't be disappointed.
Hope I was of help to you.
Posts: 665 | Location: The Southwest | Registered: May 08, 2006
Small world...We are doing this cruise with you.We were on the Veendam last Nov., and it was a great ship. This will be the longest cruise we have ever taken, as we are staying on for the next 10 days. On the cruisecritic web site, under roll call, you will find others who are doing this cruise, and we will be having a get together on board. If you have questions let me know....Carol
Originally posted by ChucksOK: The ship did not offer excursions as we only made two stops. The first in the Azores and all we did was to get off the ship, walk around the port area and have a beer in a sidewalk cafe. The next stop was our final destination, Lisbon. We took a taxi from the ship to the airport and flew out that same day. We had been to Lisbon in the past and have been back since that crossing so we didn't mind going directly to the airport.
Now, with that said, you MUST experience Seville, Barcelona, Rome, Monte Carlo and Dubrovnik. If you do nothing else, get yourself a guide book and go on your own - do not miss the opportunity to visit these wonderful cities.
Monte Carlo and Dubrovnik are easy to walk around in and enjoy without the necessity for a guide.
Barcelona - you must see the Familia Sagrada Cathedral, the incredible ediface designed by Gaudi and still being constructed. There are other examples of his unique style in some of the neighborhoods/buildings.
Rome - wow - you can spend days. Try to maximize your time there by taking a comprehensive tour - you will save time and frustration not having to stand in lines.
Seville - what a beautiful city. Same thing - either do it yourself or simply do a city tour. You won't be disappointed.
yes, your post was most helpful -- thank you -- luckily we have been in rome a lot, so we won't have to worry about that stop -- your advise re monte carlo and duborvnic is wonderful -- we love to walk around a "new" city for us alone and see what we can see ourselves
okay, are barcelona and seville too --
i have printed your message and it is with my travel things
sorry i have not responded soon but i do thank you
CLE739 -- wow !! would love to join that group but i cannot find it or YOU, i searched "transatlantic" and "repositioning" but could not find that thread -- could you please give me some hints -- ?? -- thanks
Hanahbean....Hope you join our group. Go to www.cruisecritic.com then over on the upper left you will see a heading for Boards. Go there and scroll down to Roll Call...Holland America. We are also staying on the next 10 days which does the Greek Islands. The price was good, and we may not get the chance again. We booked through an agency that is owned by the wife of the former CEO of Holland America, and for some reason their prices are hard to beat. If you have any questions let me know. Carol
Carol -- for some reason cruise critic will not let me post -- something about my email not being verified yet -- but i did read the posts on the HAL-4/1/07- roll call -- did not see a "carol" there but perhaps you are logged in as something else on that one -- in any case, thanks so much, i will be checking it all the time and i'm certain i'll eventually get on -- which ChucksOK could join us -- hanahbean
Irene and Mike....Try going to the cruisecritic.com web site, then at the top left you will see boards, click that on and you will see on the left, as you scroll down, Roll Call, and click on Holland, and then the Veendam, 4/1. We are getting together a group to meet on board, and will look forward to having you join us! Not too much longer now. If you have any questions, let me know....Carol
I too will be on the Tampa to Venice cruise in April. I am one person who loves lots of sea days ... and this cruise starts out with seven of them!
And, yes ... it is truly a bargain ... less than $100 per day in our case. This cruise is actually substantially cheaper than our QE2 cruise coming back ... which is only six days and no port stops in my case (I'm getting off in New York, but the ship continues onto Fort Lauderdale).
To maximize time in the ports, we've scheduled HAL shore excursions in each one. The only disappointment is that we cannot get a Vatican tour in Rome because of the relatively short port stay, and had to opt for a "Panoramic Rome" tour instead. We will get to the Basicalia, but not into the Vatican itself. But for the price I'm paying for an 18-day cruise, I guess I can deal with that relatively minor disappointment.
Blue skies ...
--rita
Posts: 3 | Location: Philadelphia | Registered: February 14, 2007
BArcelona is truly a beautiful city, and there is a tourist bus system designed for tourists. If the weather is nice you can ride on top where yousee some wonderful views of the city. The bus system is very reasonably priced and I highly recommend that you use it.
Hello everyone, We almost booked this transatlantic cruise because of the amazing price but ended up on the May 19, Veendam out of Venice. Some of our concerns had been how rough are the Atlantic seas in early April, is it too cold to sit out on the decks that early in the year, what did you do with so many sea days? I would love to take advantage of one of these cruises in the future. Would you recommend Spring or Fall? Thanks for any help. NY Cruisers
