Transatlantic Cruise

[Downunder Minnies]

Hello,
I am considering a Transatlantic crossing cruise (Spain to the US). I would love to hear about your experiences with a Transatlantic Cruise.
What were the positives / negatives of the cruise?
Did you enjoy so many sea days?
Did Disney still provide lots of activities each day or were they often repeats?
Because it is a cheaper cruise - did it seem like Disney were on a budget, or do you get all the usual inclusions?
Would you do it again or would you recommend it to others?

Cant wait to hear your comments!

Many thanks

 

[ludari]

Hello, I am considering a Transatlantic crossing cruise (Spain to the US). I would love to hear about your experiences with a Transatlantic Cruise. What were the positives / negatives of the cruise? Did you enjoy so many sea days? Did Disney still provide lots of activities each day or were they often repeats? Because it is a cheaper cruise - did it seem like Disney were on a budget, or do you get all the usual inclusions? Would you do it again or would you recommend it to others? Cant wait to hear your comments! Many thanks

The WBTA in 2010 was my first Disney Cruise and afterwards I was definitely hooked on Disney Cruises. My absolute favorite thing was all the sea days which allowed for days of just relaxing and enjoying all the Disney has to offer. They where plenty of activities and entertainment and you could do as much or as little as you wanted. Also none of the shows in the Walt Disney Theatre repeated. After taking several more cruises since then I can say you seemed to get more on the longer cruises. I enjoyed my 2010 WBTA cruise so much I'm going back this September which is all new ports from my previous WBTA except for Barcelona and St Maarten. The positives where that my previous WBTA cruise seemed to be less crowded than any of my subsequent cruises, shorter lines to meet and take pictures with the various characters, plenty of opportunities to do several trips to Palo. If I had to mention a negatives for the upcoming WBTA in September is no Castaway Cay but that's okay considering I've been there several times and I will be back.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Loved the WBTA so much in 2011 that I am doing it again this year. I cannot wait. Such a relaxing cruise. Not very crowded, lots to do, really get to know your servers and they get to know you and what you like. If you get the chance, you should go, it is awesome.

The itinerary on the 2015 cruise is really weak, but if you love sea days then that won't bother you. The prices are fantastic and a great deal. The ONLY drawback to the TAs is the airfare one way to Europe (or back). That can add a lot to the price of the cruise.

 

[MouseMomx2]

Hello,
I am considering a Transatlantic crossing cruise (Spain to the US). I would love to hear about your experiences with a Transatlantic Cruise.
What were the positives / negatives of the cruise?

We have been on 13 DCL cruises and the EBTA was our favorite. We loved all of the sea days and just being on the ship for so long. There was nothing we didn't like about the itinerary.

Did you enjoy so many sea days?

We LOVED so many sea days, especially the 6 sea days in a row.

Did Disney still provide lots of activities each day or were they often repeats?

Aside from things that are always repeated (tastings, bingo, etc.) there were no repeats. Disney had a sea captain on board to give talks about the Atlantic and the ports we were visiting, a chef to do culinary demonstrations of Mediterranean foods, and more.

Because it is a cheaper cruise - did it seem like Disney were on a budget, or do you get all the usual inclusions?

Nothing is different from any DCL cruise. In fact, IMO you get a lot more than on a regular sailing. You get new menus in the dining room (no repeats), extra shows (including a crew talent show which was amazing) and lots more.

Would you do it again or would you recommend it to others?

Most definitely!

Cant wait to hear your comments!

Many thanks

Hope that helps!

I do agree with others that the 2015 WBTA itinerary isn't that strong, but we would book it in a heartbeat if we weren't doing the Panama Canal a month later. The price is fantastic for an 11-night sailing.

 

[Buckeye Gal]

Best. Holiday. Ever.

A transatlantic cruise was on my bucket list, so I did the WBTA in 2010. Loved it so much that I'm doing it again this September!!

There were SO many things to do, and DCL added activities that normally are not included. I assure you that you can either fill your day up with different activities or you can take it easy. It's up to you. Also, our DIS group created our own activities like having a "wear your favorite sports team jersey/shirt" gathering, jewelry making, running groups, private adult beverage tastings, stateroom tours of various categories, and more.

Here are some key points I would like to make based on my experience:

• DCL had adult nights in the kids' clubs. I laughed SO hard on those nights! What a riot!
• Speaking of kids' clubs, there are not a lot of children on the cruise, so if you bring kids, they will get extra special attention. If I recall correctly, on the 2010 WBTA, there were barely 200 kids.
• Having few children also translates to the family pool being much more open for adults to enjoy. Additionally, with so few children, I thought the atmosphere on the ship was calmer yet still festive.
• Another difference I found is that professional photography shots were so much more enjoyable. With having 2 weeks of sailing and again fewer children, it seemed that the Shutters staff spent more time with you, especially for lifestyle pictures. I never felt like I waited long in line, either.
• As for the sea days, they were pure bliss. I don't think I've ever returned from a vacation more relaxed than I did on that cruise.
• If you go westbound, gaining an hour for so many consecutive nights was amazing!! What a difference 25 hour days make!! Did I mention I was relaxed when I got home?
• Being it was a special cruise, there were some nice surprises that popped up in our staterooms after dinner that would just make you smile!

To answer your question as to what negatives I could point out....well.....I'm still working on that list 4 years later!

I hope all the great feedback here helps!

 

[bobbiwoz]

We have done 2 of the longer night DCL cruises and we are hooked! Love the extra time on the ship, and we are booked on EBTA for next year!

 

[woody73]

I've been on three DCL TA cruises, with a fourth one this September. So I must like them. For me, the best part is the relaxing sea days.

On the two 2010 TAs, the activities were front loaded, meaning there were plenty of activities at first, but only repeat activities on the last sea days. In May 2013, DCL did a much better job of pacing the activities.

Although there was a different printed dinner menu each night, many of the dishes were repeated -- often with a slightly modified name.

Woody

 

[Kirbo]

We loved, loved, loved the EBTA that we took last year. We had our twin 8-year olds with us and all four of us had a blast. The only thing that was bad about it was the airfare, it was way more than the cruise fare.

Next year we're doing the WBPC. Sea days are the best

Oh, we didn't do a ton of activities. Our kids spent most of their time at the pool, as did my husband, I spent a lot of time wandering and reading. We really enjoyed getting to know the CMs and even became friends with one of them. She's going to try to visit us someday here in the states .

 

[lawyergirl]

I'm curious about transatlantic cruises too - so thanks to the OP for starting a general questions thread!

We're thinking about doing the EBTA next year (although ye gads the price has gone up) but I have two concerns:
1) We'll have a 2 1/2 year old with us. Anyone have experience with toddlers and jet lag?
2) I've been on two cruises - an 11 night Med cruise on the Magic. Seas were rough and we felt a little crappy when we disembarked in Barcelona (rough night) but I didn't get sick. Last December, I got crazy seasick after Cozumel (5th night) on the Fantasy. I'm worried about how rough the seas are on a TA cruise. Anyone have any insight?

 

[DisneyHeather]

I went on the EBTA in 2010 and loved it. The sea days were great and there was plenty to do. I'm doing the EBTA again next year and am looking forward to being on the ship for so long.