We took a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to NYC on board the Carnival Venezia in June and really enjoyed it! We were concerned about things like rough seas and being cold or bored. There are things we would do differently on a future transatlantic cruise and some things it would be important to make sure we did again!
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Warm & cold clothes
To start the trip in Barcelona it was summer. It was hot, sunny and we needed shorts and t-shirts. By the time we started making our trip north on the sea days, it had gotten very cold. We needed warm shoes, pants and jackets. This was one of the most challenging things about this cruise. We basically had to pack for two different climates and that meant we were very limited on the number of items for each.
I took several long sleeve shirts, a jacket and a casual sweat-shirt, but I did not properly pack warm shoes. If I did this cruise again, I would make sure to have an additional pair of shoes for the cold climate!
Be prepared to be stuck inside
We spent several days stuck inside due to cold, rainy weather. We were on a brand new ship and we really enjoyed the time getting to know the new ship and checking out the different areas. Bring some things you like to do inside. Be prepared to spend several days inside – if it doesn’t end up happening and you get nice weather you can just be pleasantly surprised!
Time changes!
We knew time change would be a factor, but we did not give it much thought until we were on the ship and hit our first time change. Because we were going from Europe to the Americas, we gained the 6 hours involved in the difference. The ship would inform us when the time change would happen and we would re-set our phones to the correct time.
This was sometimes a head-ache and I think people were doing it many different ways around the ship. Make sure you know how to reset the time on on your phone manually and have a plan for how you will do it before you get on your cruise, especially if you don’t have the internet!
When we originally booked a transatlantic in 2020, we were going to sail the opposite way, from New York to Europe. We realized after our first few time changes, how much better it is to sail the way we did. We got an extra 6 hours of our cruise and were effortlessly waking up earlier each day. It was the most pleasant time change I have ever experienced going between the United States and Europe. No jet lag!
Organize your room!
We brought two over-the-door shoe holders with us and they were vital to making sure our room stayed tidy through the cruise. The regular balcony cabin we booked had plenty of room, but getting things off the counters and floor really helped. We unusually sail with one shoe holder and use it to hold things like sunglasses and other small items that normally crowd the desk. But we also used the second shoe holder for our shoes. This helped keep the room clean.
Magnets are also important. We use these not only to hang the shoe holders, but also to hang hats and clothes lines for when we did laundry.
Laundry
We had to do some laundry on this 15 day cruise. We did laundry in two ways. First of all, we are Platinum on Carnival and that gives us a couple of free bags of laundry. We sent a couple of loads off a piece. But we also hand-washed our more delicate items like swim-suits. I really like this wash bag. The clothes come out feeling like they have actually been washed in a washing machine and my hands stay relatively dry while doing the laundry.
We then would use our magnets and clothes lines to hang the clothes all over the room. Just watch for drips!
Participate in the activities
A transatlantic cruise is a long time. You have to make sure you know what activities are going on what day so you can make sure you participate in the ones you want. There is nothing worse than realizing the activities you wanted were yesterday! On our particular sailing, the activities were very crowded because it was not nice weather outside. If you wanted a good seat for trivia or poolside activities you had to get there early. But because there were days of doing nothing but sailing the ocean, you had time.
Relax
A transatlantic cruise is not the time to hustle. It is probably not the right cruise for a person who is always going and always needs to be on the move. People are not in a hurry. The lines you typically see on a cruise ship are fewer. Relax. Watch the waves pass you by.
A transatlantic cruise from Barcelona (or anywhere in Europe) to the United States is a great way to travel. You arrive well rested and without jet lag. If you have the time to do it, it’s a great experience!
What to read next:
Tips for Your First Trip to Spain
What to expect on a Transatlantic Cruise
