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Why You Should Take a Transatlantic Cruise

Amy French the Roaming Historian

Ever since I first heard about the Titanic sinking, I’ve been fascinated by transatlantic ocean liners. It may be a bit macabre, but hearing about that opulent ship going down, made me fascinated by the people on it and what voyaging from one continent to the other by ocean would be like. Over the years, I satisfied my cravings for nautical (and socialite) history by going to Titanic exhibits, maritime museums, historical ships, and the like.

In 2025, I finally got my chance to voyage across the Atlantic! As soon as I booked the tickets, I started dreaming about numerous days at sea—reading, journaling, socializing, eating, and drinking. The day finally came in late April. We boarded Royal Caribbean’s “Odyssey of the Seas,” which was repositioning from Cape Liberty cruise port in New Jersey to the Mediterranean for its summer sailings. We would end up in Civitavecchia, Italy. Since we planned to go to Italy anyway, I looked at the cruise fare as substituting for a plane ticket.

With the Statue of Liberty in sight, we started sailing away from the majestic lady on an early Sunday evening. We passed under the Verrazano Bridge (quite thrilling I might add) and then we were at sea. Nothing but blue water was on the horizon. And ocean was all we saw for five straight days. We saw wildlife at first but after awhile even that became few and far between. The captain noted that we passed over the area where the Titanic sits in its watery grave. I was irrationally excited.

We got into the rhythm of ship life. Since our cabin had a balcony, we enjoyed room service breakfast while looking at the ocean. I used the ship as my gym and would run up and down stairs throughout the theater and walk around the decks every morning. We had made friends in New Jersey at the hotel we stayed at the night before the cruise. One couple, Sharon and Tom, ended up being in the cabin next to us. A family whom we met on the flight to New Jersey, Ken, Michelle, Dylan, and Makayla (Dylan proposed to Makalya on the trip!!!), became our euchre partners. More friends were made along the way. Stephen and Cindy became our beloved dining partners. We met them when standing in line for a table in the main dining room and found an instant camaraderie–from then on we dined with them many evenings. On one of the first days, we sat next to a couple for trivia. We grooved and Ginny and Peter became our trivia partners from there on. And I can’t forget Thomas and Cindy (also on our deck) who became frequent lunch partners and whom we explored the Azores with.

The days were filled with socializing, Broadway-worthy shows, eating, drinking, and being merry. It was truly wonderful.

On Saturday, after six days at sea, we reached the Azores and docked at Ponte Delgado, Portugal. It was a fabulous port, and I enjoyed the fact that by the time we reached it we were already on that time zone—with no jet lag! Two more days at sea (the Azores are quite a bit out there) and a crossing through the Strait of Gibraltar. Seeing Europe on one side and Africa on the other—with the naked eye—was especially thrilling. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we visited the Spanish cities of Malaga, Cartagena, and Barcelona. One more day at sea and we were finally along the Italian coast—we docked at La Spezia, Italy on Saturday. On Sunday, a full two weeks after we left New Jersey, we arrived at the “Rome” port (it’s an hour from the Eternal City)—Civitavecchia.

It was sad saying goodbye to our new friends, although we’ve kept in touch with them as I write this five months later. The cruise was everything I dreamed it could be and more. For many travelers, a transatlantic cruise offers a slower pace (nothing really makes me slow down but I hear others like this), bargain prices, and a chance to truly unwind and enjoy the ocean journey itself. And I found that all to be true. The voyage was a destination and savored every minute of it.

Here are some reasons you might consider a transatlantic cruise:

  • Time to decompress: Most transatlantic routes involve several consecutive days at sea, providing ample time to unplug. You can enjoy the activities, indulge in spa treatments, watch a show, read a book, take a nap, and just relax without the pressure of a packed itinerary.
  • Plenty of time to take advantage of the ship’s amenities: With fewer port stops, travelers can fully explore the ship and its offerings. We had interesting port talks, language lessons, art classes, trivia games, game shows, card games, fitness classes, Broadway-worthy shows, and so much more! I especially like having the time to try out different dining venues around the ship.
  • Avoid jet lag: Traveling across the ocean by ship means a gradual adjustment to new time zones. Usually, my first few days in Europe I’m like the walking dead, but I arrived in Rome (for the first time in my life) completely refreshed and rested, not jet-lagged. 
  • Affordable travel: Repositioning cruises, which cross the Atlantic to move ships between summer and winter sailing regions, often have bargain prices. The cost per day can be significantly lower compared to shorter, port-intensive cruises. We got a steal on our balcony cabin. It turned out to be about $100 per day per person and that included food, entertainment, and a nice room. We usually would pay about that much just for a hotel room and we certainly wouldn’t get fabulous meals with high-end ingredients or endless recreation. Also, we only had to pay for airfare home!
  • Unique ports of call: Some transatlantic cruises make stops at unique or exotic ports that are not typically included in other itineraries, like the Azores. If you want a port-intensive cruise though, this might not be for you. You could, however, do what many of our fellow voyagers did and stay on the ship for its next cruise. When the Odyssey docked, the crew readied it for the next cruise, which was going around Italy, Greece, and Turkey. Or you can create another vacation in the country you disembark in.
  • Social connections: The longer voyage gave us more opportunities to connect and form deeper friendships with our fellow travelers. Even though we didn’t have assigned dining mates, we made our own. The ship became like a small town where we kept seeing the same people over and again. I really enjoyed the social aspect of the cruise, as did Jon.

Many people asked us about the weather, and I have to say it was chillier than a Caribbean cruise, but it wasn’t that bad. I wore a jacket in the mornings if I walked outside, but it generally warmed up throughout the day. I didn’t find the water too rough either. The ship’s stabilizers did a good job of minimizing wave action and I took Dramamine to avoid any potential sea sickness. Our ship had an indoor pool, as well as outdoor one, so the chilly weather didn’t affect adults (it was adult-only) who wanted to swim.

If you like cruising, I strongly recommend you check out a transatlantic cruise. Since your ports are few, you might want to make the most of them with excursions. I often avoid the costly excursions offered by the ships and take advantage of Shore Excursions Group.

Roaming Historian is a Shore Excursions Group affiliate. We’ve used them before and enjoy their accessibility, lower prices, quality, and guarantees. You can just look up your cruise and see a list of excursions for each port—just like the cruise lines. Shore Excursions Group offers:

  • More than 4,000 excursions to over 300 ports worldwide, covering 99% of major cruise line itineraries
  • Lower-priced and high quality excursions
  • Smaller-sized excursion opportunities
  • Money-back guarantee
  • 24/7 support
  • Return to Ship guarantee

Before your next cruise/trip, check them out with our affiliate link: https://www.shoreexcursionsgroup.com/?id=1634209&data=roaminghistorian@gmail.com

Have you been on a transatlantic or transpacific cruise before? What were your favorite parts? Happy travels.

P.S. I’m quite proud of the fact that I can pack for 2 1/2 months in a carryon only. Read about my packing techniques in my “How to Pack Light for Europe: My Carry-on Only Packing List” guide.

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Amy French, Ph.D., is the voice behind Roaming Historian. A professional historian and seasoned traveler, she shares stories that blend history and travel to give readers a deeper understanding of the places they explore.

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