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The above is my suite on the Norwegian Star on the way across the Atlantic Ocean in early May having departed from Miami Florida. The shot is in the middle of the crossing. The seas were so calm that at one point (see below) the only waves as far as the eye could see were from our ship. Looking down into the deep blue, the waters were so clear and calm that I could see a massive sail fish swimming along near us below the surface.
It was simply amazing.
The captain, who was Greek, informed us that in his 40 years at sea this day shown above was the calmest he had ever seen the Atlantic ever. He also joked that because he was Greek and spoke the language of Poseidon that that was the reason for the amazing calm seas – we all chuckled.
This next shot, while it may look the same, is not. This one was from one of the many many many Norwegian Epic Haven crossings I have taken. It was a Spa Suite and once again the ocean was calm with simple rolling swells that is nothing to get excited about or even have any cause for you to run for sea sickness remedies (as talked about in this post). Let me go on.
The above two shots are from this past year’s Norwegian Star crossing that sailed along the coast of Africa and then over to South American. Once again the shots are near the Equator and crossing the Atlantic Ocean in December.
Are you seeing a trend yet?
In the half a dozen times I have crossed the Atlantic, either in April, May, November or December – all have been either calm or nothing but a few foot seas. Not once has it ever made me feel remotely uncomfortable or what I would call rough seas.
Does this mean it never happens?
Clearly not. All my sails, by choice, have been southerly routes, that is, either starting in or ending in say Miami or San Juan or similar routes. I have purposely avoided the northerly ones that go or depart from New York even though so many sailings now start or end there (a big disappointment for me with NCL). So if you want to look for the best experience I would recommend following my lead and looking south.
I simply adore sailing access the ocean. It is a fabulous way to travel to Europe and not only is the sailing amazing but for the price of a coach airline ticket you can have many days at sea, amazing views and food, beat “jet lag” by gradually adjusting an hour at a time over many days as you cross thus arriving fresh and happy! – René
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René, how has your internet been on these crossings? (I know this varies hugely by line, ship, and internet provider, but curious about your experiences over your many NCL crossings) Mrs. DLPTATL and I are both still working full time and have been concerned about not having sufficient internet for multiple consecutive days to keep things going back in our offices. We can make a 10-14 day cruise work so some of these repositioning cruises could work well, and the prices are generally very good on a per day basis, but the concern over consecutive days without internet has kept us from booking.
@DLPTATL – Not bad – but not perfect. One thing you must check on with any line is if the unlimited package you have includes VPN and such. I wanted to remote in to my PC at home and there was an upcharge for the package to allow that. Some lines are adding STARLINK that by all the tests look amazing. With NCL expect most of the time solid but not amazing speed and connectivity.
Thanks René! I’ve been watching the STARLINK roll-out hoping that will facilitate us doing a repositioning or Cunard crossing cruise. It looks like NCLH’s three lines are all on the list to eventually get STARLINK on board.
Hi Rene, we are doing the RC Symphony of the Seas transatlantic crossing from Barcelona to Miami this October 29th. I am worried about rough seas and getting seasick. I will have the patch and the wristband. Is it likely I will see mostly calm water? It’s a pretty big ship so I am hoping not to feel much rocking. Your thoughts? Thanks.
@Susan – Hey Susan! That sounds amazing and I am sure you will love it! You may need your bits till you get through the Mediterranean and away from Europe but after that you should have no issues. November crossings are great and smooth most times when going south. In fact I would wait to put your bits on until the first few ports in the Med are done. Enjoy and get ready to get hooked on the joy of crossings and thanks so much for reading the blog!