I was idly looking at the DCL sailings next year from the UK — I’ve already booked the three night cruise to Belgium but it’s always fun to change everything all the time always — and I noticed they have an eleven night transatlantic crossing to New York.
My three night cruise was £2,100 in a family verandah room. But you can get an eleven night guaranteed verandah room on the transatlantic for £3,000. That’s nearly four times the cruise for only 1½ times the money.
It stops at places you might actually want to visit, like Lisbon, the Bahamas and New York. (The Belgian cruise goes to some random port with Bad Associations in the UK, and I plan to stay on board and ride the Aquaduck.) And — if this is anything other than a marketing scam — it’s a Silver Anniversary at Sea cruise, which typically carry an additional premium. And there are far fewer kids on board, with a less busy ship, probably.
But it’s also seven nights at sea, including five in a row. Eleven days sharing a cabin (and a bed!) with Paul. No escape! No choice of stateroom. Discover that you do get seasick after all? Sucks to be you. No fireworks, apparently. And it has to be paid for in full at time of booking and is non-refundable. The same three restaurants over and over and over. (Though maybe much easier to book Palo and Remy?)
But, at the end of it all, you sail into New York, and cruise past the Statue of Liberty. And you’ve crossed the Atlantic in a ship. Just like the Mayflower. And the Titanic (nearly). Think of the bragging rights, assuming you don’t hit an iceberg.
No, no. He has sworn off coming back to Florida for good!
I think if you have the time, the means, and the desire, a transatlantic cruise sounds lovely. Hopefully hurricane season doesn’t interfere…although sounds like it is north enough where that would be unlikely.
Are you sure about that date? Maybe you can see more cruises on the DCL site than I can, but I couldn’t see any transatlantic in Sept 2024.
There IS one for Sept 17-28, 2023. It’s on the Dream and is “With Silver Anniversary at Sea.” It goes from Southampton to Spain, Portugal, Bermuda (not Bahamas, which is much further south), and New York.
Yes, there probably will be one. The Dream will be back in Southampton next year, and Disney doesn’t usually leave their ships in Europe over the winter.
ETA: Last year, July 22nd was when DCL released their 2023 fall cruises. One site thinks this year it will be July 29 for fall 2024.
I haven’t been to Bermuda or Bahamas (yet…) but I’ve heard / read a ton. Very, very different. My close friend’s recommendation was to absolutely do Bermuda.
You’ve cruised before, so did seasickness bother you? I know the risks of a guaranteed cabin. I’m thinking that maybe since you’ve been on a cruise you’ll have an idea of if you could handle a cabin in, say, the rockier or noisier parts of a ship.
It’s like they’re paying you to take the cruise!
They bring along plenty of entertainment, change character outfits for the pictures, have Disney legends (imaginers or individuals with extensive Disney resumes who like to talk about their contributions to Disney) onboard that will do some sort of speaking seminar, magicians, live music, Disney movies in at the pool deck and in a theater. Sounds to me like you’d have time to enjoy all of those things rather than rush from thing to thing. Plus you’ll be guaranteed the three shows the ship offers (if it’s the Dream it will be Golden Mickey’s, Beauty & the Beast and a show called Believe). Beauty & the Beast and Believe were both amazing & Golden Mickey’s great but not quite at the same heartfelt level.
If I’m being completely honest, the fireworks at sea are much, much less of a presentation than in any park. Obviously the coolest thing about it is that you’re at sea.
That’s what travel insurance is for!
On your repeat nights you will have different menus. I don’t know how it works for a transatlantic, but I’ve pieced together some of the patterns from watching a bunch of vlogs & reading trip reports for 3-7 night cruises.
I would say definitely. And the level at which I want to try Palo brunch is ridiculous. But I’ve also decided I need to be on at least a 5-7 night cruise to find the time to do that because I want to enjoy the crab at Cabanas on sea day lunch as well.
A bucket list item with bragging rights indeed. Please don’t hit an iceberg.
My family and I will be on the west bound transatlantic this Sept. I’ll try to write up a trip report afterwards. We were reluctant cruisers going into our first DCL trip 2 months ago, but once the world stopped swaying underneath me (about a week after getting off the ship), I couldn’t pass up those WBTA VGT rates.
