Trans-Atlantic cruise sailings offer a chance for the cruise line to move ships from one profitable location to another, as seasonal changes dictate the ships move to an alternate profitable location for the off season. These sailings also serve as an opportunity to move people from one side of the ocean to another.
Cunard is the one cruise line specializing in moving people from one side to the other on regular trans-Atlantic crossings not associated with repositioning of cruise ships. The other cruise lines are just moving ships between homeports. The Cunard crossings are different from other cruise line crossings for a couple of reasons.
Cunard’s ships are all purpose built Ocean Liners where most ships sailing with the other lines are designed for cruising and trans-Atlantic crossings are just a way to move ships. The ships are designed to provide a great cruise experience, but what makes them great ships for the Caribbean for instance the large spaces and high profile ships can make for a bumpy ride across the ocean.
Ocean liners are built to deal with big seas on a regular basis. They are designed to cut thru the waves and wind, as wind against the side of the ship can affect how much the ship rocks, a ship with a smaller profile will have less wind effects. Ocean liners are also built for greater stability in rougher seas.
On the contrary, Cruise ships designed for Caribbean style cruising are designed for maximum passenger comfort and designed to typically sail in calmer seas. That is not to say they don’t handle in rough seas or that they aren’t stable. Some of the larger ships handle quite well in rough seas, but as high profile ships are prone to being rocked by the winds.
Now that we have clarified the ship differences, we can get to the core question; are these sailings all about transportation or are they cruising. Cunard is purely transportation between continents. They of course do this in grand style as sailing Cunard is a luxury cruise experience. On the Trans-Atlantic sailings they do typically leave Southampton and sail for New York City or vice versa.
The other cruise lines try their best to make it into a full-fledged cruise. They make stops at various ports off Africa and in the Bahamas on the way to the ports. It is dependent largely on the embarkation and disembarkation ports. These are far from regular cruises though since most of the time you are at sea. You also tend to lose internet and communications in the middle of the oceans as you end up outside the reach satellites providing the communications. Thus, those who look at this as a cruise will miss out on some of what they expect on a normal cruise.
Many will tack on a cruise before or after the crossings when on the big line ships as they are usually sailing the Caribbean or Mediterranean before or after the crossing. Some folks will do several back to back cruises (in cruise speak) and see lots of ports with the crossing being their built in relaxation time. Cunard has set their schedule where on several occasions a crossing pairs with a sailing on either end to other destinations.
The Atlantic is not the only ocean crossing you can enjoy as there are also repositioning cruises in the Pacific Ocean as well. Most of the Trans-Pacific cruises stop in several ports, some along a Northerly route thru Alaska, Russia, Japan, and Korean ports, and some along a South Pacific route thru the various tropical paradise islands of the South Pacific. The Pacific cruises are a function of where the ship leaves and is going.
One last thought, there are also world cruises where you can sail one way segments or all the way around the world. I will talk more about those in a future blog. Regardless cruising is enjoyable and with so many different options can be a great experience for most all vacationers.
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