8 Cruises To Avoid | You'll Regret Booking These

Today we share the 8 cruises to avoid. These are cruises that will definitely put a damper on your cruise vacation. We will share what each one is and why we think you should avoid it.
Among the cruises you should avoid are:
Transatlantic repositioning cruise from the US to Europe
Alaska Cruise in May or October
Carribean Cruise during hurricane season
Spring Break Cruises
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[@grantbob]

One other option for very few kids is to take longer than 7 day cruises. We have done Journeys cruises on Carnival that had only a handful of kids because they can't get away from school for that many days.

[@pipegarmich]

Also cruises with itineraries that do not interest kids , ( fjords etc) and never Carnival

[@pipegarmich]

Also take cruises on smaller ships ,Seaborne , Crystal , , Azamara there’s nothing on them for kids

[@kevinmatthews365]

We love Carnival Journeys cruises and usually those under 18 years of age amount to less than a 20 individuals out of a 4000+ passenger ship. Rarely see children.

[@grantbob]

@@kevinmatthews365Thats been our experience too.,

[@Walk-retirement-travel]

Yep never go on holiday weekends 3-4 day deals typically have more kids then I would want to be around on a vacation cruise

[@beverlybeisgen3822]

My cousin lives in Juneau and she thinks cruising in October or late September is crazy. The locals often leave for warmer climates, closing stores. The days are so much shorter - it gets dark early shortening viewing time . Its colder and she sees many miserable tourists fighting the cold and rain. Great video. Thank you

[@JeffHalapin]

We just did back to back repositioning cruises....Seattle to Japan in October and Lisbon to NYC in November. Had a great time and many fewer folks on the cruise. We've also done Alaska cruises in October. Loved them because there were no families with kids on the cruise. To each his own I guess.

[@kevinmatthews365]

We had a cruise booked on an NCL ship out of Port Canaveral Florida when hurricane Ian blew through. Driving from Canada, and nearing Cincinnati, we got notice finally from NCL that they cancelled the cruise. They would not cancel the night prior when we called. So we got 100% refunded and we called Carnival and got on Carnival Glory out of New Orleans instead. Stopped by Graceland in Memphis with the extra day we now had to make it there and then ended up on a fantastic cruise in the western Caribbean with smooth sailing and warm temps. We had never cruised out of New Orleans so this ended up being a treat and we got to experience a bit of NOLA as well for the first time. Great trip!

[@suewolf3279]

Totally agree with you regarding inaugural cruises. We don't go on inaugural cruises, just like the fact that we don't buy a brand new make and model car for the first 3 years that comes out

[@isellorganic]

I NEVER buy the 1ts of anything. They have to work the bugs out.

[@dl11950]

We've done six transatlantic crossings so far - as round trip sailings on QM2, not 'repositioning' cruises. We have found that we are adjusted to our destination time on eastbound sailings - but do like getting the five hours back on the return crossing.

[@andrewquint7962]

There is another reason for avoiding an inaugural cruise. Often, neither the ship nor the crew is ready for prime time. Sometimes there’s still construction going on. Also, you often get a new and somewhat untrained crew, so you pay more for an uncompleted ship and a less than trained crew.

[@jayoneill1533]

I guess we were lucky on our Alaskan cruise in May. The weather was cool but nice, the tourist towns were very glad to see us after the long quiet winter, and best of all, the notorious Alaskan bug season had yet to arrive.

[@BostonHeather]

I loved my Alaska cruise!!!

[@kimcanty1885]

We never wanted to go on an inaugural cruise. You’re so right about spring break. Right again, we never cruise between September & November.

[@cmmjaime]

We've found out the hard way that "last " cruises before a ship is to be retired or refitted are a bad idea too. Somehow we've made that mistake several times now without realizing it in advance. Need to figure out how to avoid that!

[@fosteringleaders9872]

As a puertorrican who has cruised a lot, I must add this one: low priced Caribbean, short (4-5 days) Summer cruises, if you want to avoid rowdy teenagers and drunk young adults. Those are party cruises, if you want relaxation and peace, not your cruise). Thanks for the tips! ❤

[@KBTCaseyFlynn]

We’ve never had the issue you did with the eastbound Transatlantic cruise. We love them and find we have no jet lag when we get there. In addition we find the westbound flight home much easier than eastbound flights to Europe. I totally agree about inaugural cruises though primarily because the crew is all new and don’t know the vessel and are still working out the kinks. Like you we always avoid the holiday times partly to avoid crowds but also they tend to be more expensive. We were once in a cyclone between New Zealand and Australia. I loved the rough sea as did about 13 other people. Everyone else was miserable. Completely agree about Alaska which can be frigid.

[@HopeStreet2024]

Thank you Rob & Allie for all the wonderful videos on all your channels. I feel I'm such a blessed man because, I SEE THE WORLD THROUGH YOUR EYES. I watch all your videos over and over. May God continue to Bless you. Thank you so much Robert

[@suewolf3279]

Yep you can check those school calendars especially if you don't have children find out when they have their spring break, when they start their Thanksgiving break, when they start their Christmas break, and when their summer break begins as well. I would also avoid the week before the week of the week after 4th of July

[@PauMaz]

We took our children on many spring break cruises and never had any issues. Contrary to what many people think there are very few if any college age students on spring break cruises. There are however a lot of younger children onboard during spring break. But again we never had any issues.

[@DulceCassia]

Spring break isn't just for college age students, it's for students of all ages. Younger children make a ruckus on cruises too. I ended up being on a cruise during the same time as Canada's spring break and it was awful. Kids running around and parents not disciplining their kids.

[@johnnolan5579]

Went on the Norwegian Escape during Thanksgiving. Never again! The ship was completely full, even maxed out with many rooms with four passengers. There were lineups for everything, and far too many children running around.

[@BarbaraSchranz]

Was it a repositioning cruise?

[@johnnolan5579]

@@BarbaraSchranz No. Western Caribbean.

[@rfmonii]

Thanks for the tips. My 2nd cruise just happen to be during Spring Break. Because I don't have kids I didn't realize this was a thing when I booked it (solo cruiser on the Norwegian Escape). Even though I had a GREAT time, my goodness was the ship jammed with kids and teenagers. While the kids were, for the most part just being kids, the teenagers had this moody, obnoxious, entitled behavior that made being around them unbearable. I'm convinced even their parents wanted very little to do with them. Though I had a great time with employed and retired teachers (they know how to have a good time), I said "never again" to Spring Break cruises!

[@madchatteress]

I got lucky with my NCL Bliss Mexican Riviera during spring break last year. One of the best onboard experiences I had and didn't not feel too jammed packed with kids or teenagers.

[@tixximmi1]

Really good tips. Thanks.

[@cleonereed2059]

I just went on an Alaskan Cruise from October 20 - 30, and we had wonderful weather except one day it was icy and we walked on the street and not on the sidewalks. We really lucked out, and had a balcony, a must!

[@JohnDoe-pe6iu]

Great points! I agree the westbound cruises make more sense when you are on a vacation and gain the extra hour each day. I just came back from a Panama Canal Cruise full transit from LA to FLL and losing the one hour day over day especially on port days did not feel the best even though it was just a 3-hour change. With regards to Alaska cruises I love the shoulder cruises (beginning or end of season) actually. The fares are lower and never had extreme cold weather in May or Oct. I however do miss the salmon in May but the tons of whale sightings make up for it! Balcony for Alaska cruise is nice but not a must have in my opinion. The newer ships have such well designed common areas with great views of the outside that even an interior works great and helps you save some money for the expensive excursions at Alaskan ports.

[@greenthumb2706]

I would like to recommend acupuncture for sea sickness. I have suffered dearly from Sea Sickness, trust I had tried everything. Acupuncture is an amazing treatment with no side affects. Please think about it for future cruising.

[@prpman99]

Yup got cancelled for the Sun Princess inaugural cruise... Princess did give us a bunch of future cruise credits in addition to the refund of cruise price. Have rebooked for a later cruise that actually is more costly than this cruise but only an additional day of cruising. Could have cost us some additional $$$ in hotel and airfare but sort of held off until last minute to purchase. Concur with you though, won't sign up for another inaugural cruise again.

[@SHYsArt]

Cruising is my jam, thank you.

[@michaelrobertson1882]

Another problem with an inaugural cruise is that it is the first time they are putting all systems aboard the ship to the full test. No fun not to have bathroom facilities while at sea for days because the ship was full and they had no parts to fix the problem.

[@ScottiveNatish]

Looking back, this is kind of embarrassing. I don't know what we were thinking. I think the cruise was a 10 day Caribbean. When we were leaving the north side of the DR, I noticed we were going the complete opposite direction. We had been on the cruise so long that a hurricane had popped up quickly and was smashing a nearby island. In our little bubble, we had no idea. Never heard anything about it. It was no big deal for the ship. We just went a different route to the planned port. In retrospect, we realized we had booked the peak DAYS of hurricane season- September 15 & 16. And we live on the gulf coast!! I think our excitement to cruise won over our better judgment. Also, the port of embarkation was only 45 minutes away. So we took the chance. Not again. We had zero issues and beautiful weather. But we were so close to danger...and blissfully unaware because of no cell signal. Next 14 day Caribbean cruise is in January...lol.

[@suewolf3279]

Okay, I totally disagree with your comment regarding taking the transatlantic from the US to Europe. We took our second transatlantic in 2023. We are in our 70s. I found it a lot easier and totally acclimated to the time when we ended our trip in Italy and spent an additional two weeks I've been to Europe so many times in my lifetime and flying over there and trying to get adjusted to a 5, 6, 7 hour time zone change has always been awful.

[@leemg4560]

Guys, thank you for providing us with this very useful information. Makes complete sense.

[@colleens7641]

Thanks for the great advice. I was debating whether we should cruise Transatlantic from Florida to Barcelona or vice versa. We’ll fly there and cruise back. Watching this made up my mind.

[@kathryncashner3294]

We LOVE transatlantics, although I agree that Europe to the US is the better option.

[@404goldie7]

It's nice to end the cruise in the states, relaxed, instead of facing a long plane ride.

[@m.m.4645]

We book at least one Transatlantic crossing per year - for 2024 we already have 2 in the pipeline. For us it does not matter which way! We live in Europe, are retired and have the choice which part will be the flight, we decide on the air fare!

[@colleens7641]

@@m.m.4645 for us, we are Canadian and not retired, next year, so we need all the time gain we can get. Usually we don’t have the best options for flights where we live. We always have to fly to a major city to get anywhere. The cost won’t be that much. Thank you for the great comment. I love hearing other people’s experiences.

[@m.m.4645]

@@colleens7641 Hi there fellow Canadians🙋! Where do you live? My husband grew up in Vancouver, Montreal and mainly Toronto before emigrating to Germany in the 80's. We still have relatives in the greater Toronto area and try to visit them at least every 2 years.

[@NormanAllan53]

Innaugural Disney cruise: we did this twice only to discover we were on the 2nd of 5 weeks of so called Innaugural cruises. The ship was nice but under staffed and by 10PM they literally rolled up the sidewalks.... Several bars never opened including the piano bar.No Karaoke ever operated. After the cruise Disney claimed they were still figuring out what worked best.

[@Bahamut_Mega]

Haha. Me and my wife are doing a 31-day from Australia to the US starting April 1st. We shall bear the odds! 😂😊

[@wendyl594]

These are such great tips. I have been planning on cruising either to or from Spain at one point in the future & the points you made are so helpful. Thank you.

[@apfelstrudel714]

The reasoning is flawed. A transatlantic cruise crosses only about 5 time zones, so it’s impossible to lose one whole day, whichever direction and however many days you cruise.

[@salliestewart4713]

Thank you. This was an excellent video

[@stevenkukene9970]

We went on a Celebrity cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale the beginning of December and I think there might have been 6 kids on the whole ship. Choose your date wisely and aLways avoid school vacation weeks on land or sea!

[@suzannecuerrier279]

Excellent advice. Thank you

[@suewolf3279]

My worst experience with children was on princess on a Caribbean cruise 4th of July week

[@AztecblondieRN]

For me, going through the Drake passage is a hard pass!

[@madchatteress]

Considered an Antarctica cruise until I watched another KZbin blogger who detailed his cruise and realized that it just isn't for me. I can't handle rough seas and the Drake Passage is definitely rough!

[@janward1502]

Can’t agree re Alaska cruises at end of season. We went on our first cruise in 2010 late September last ship of the season, 7 nights Vancouver to Seward on Holland America followed by 5 days to Denali and it was the most amazing experience ever! It was quieter with less ships, sales were on in shops, and the weather was settled and fine the whole time. We saw Denali (Mt McKinley) for 5 days with a cloudless sky!! It was a little cool but I could not say cold, we are from NZ and it was like our autumn. We enjoyed it so much we’re going on our second Alaska cruise in September this year also Holland America. Experience of a lifetime!!!

[@angelarita3445]

Thank you so much great info

[@gardengaga322]

Holland America is changing somewhat in that they are now encouraging families to cruise with them. One of the west coast cruises at Christmas had 400 children! Try not to go during any school vacation times.

[@mesenteria]

Recent years has hurricane season running between very early July through to early November.

[@josephgribus3153]

Great info! Love your channel!

[@TimothyKnight-n1u]

Thanks for the tips. Especially about which way to book repositioning cruises..

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing these cruise ships.😊

[@SkyBlu868]

Good information.

[@MsPeggyCruise411]

I went through five or six time changes coming back to the US. I did a back-to-back Southampton. The cruise dropped me in New York. I didn’t have to pay for a plane ticket 🎟️ back to the US.

[@danacasey8543]

I have to agree that a late season cruise to Alaska is not a good idea! I sailed on the last Alaska cruise of the season. Ports had closed and it was cold and windy. Not good.

[@KathyPagano-e9z]

Love listening to both of you such good points on the postional

[@lovettedeleon4082]

Good advice

[@Kitsambler]

Not just the first (inaugural), but also the next several are risky for cancellation (Queen Anne, for example).

[@richardmercer2337]

Repositioning cruise from Europe to Antarctica -- definitely to be avoided! (And yes there ARE cruises that visit Antarctica, or at least there used to be.)

[@richardmercer2337]

Virgin cruises are child-free -- why am I not surprised?

[@harlanabraham7772]

Would like to do both take a trip to Europe and from Europe back to the US. Don't like to go on brand new ships. I like to let them go on a few trips first. Don't like Spring Break Cruises. Too many kids. Going during hurricane season is where you can get some good deals. Good thing I like to stay on the inside of a cruise ship.

[@heatherqualy9143]

How cold is “cold” if you book an Alaskan cruise like beginning of October? Honest question. Not trying to be smug about it (like states that brag about how they have REAL heat), but I’m coming from Minnesota, where our October-March is -20° to 35°. I don’t like heat at all and am wondering if it’s a better deal, or the ships are less crowded if you come from someplace where you’re more used to the cold.

[@GrnXnham]

Minnesota, on average, is colder than SouthEast Alaska. However, something else to consider with SE Alaska is precipitation. There can be a lot of rain combined with cooler temps.

[@jojobunny02]

I agree with the other comment. I’m from Alaska and I’m currently living in Minnesota but I moved here from Florida. Minnesota is colder than where I’m from in Alaska, I’m always cold here and I love the heat. Just prepare for lots of rain and wear layers. Alaskan weather is very unpredictable

[@scottfergusson8118]

I live in Juneau. Don’t come in October. The seasonal workers have left, so most shore excursions, restaurants and shops catering to tourists have been mothballed. Large storms are common with lots of rain and wind. Daylight will be short with less than 12 hours of light a day and you will loosing 5 minutes of daylight a day. October is the most depressing time of the year in Juneau in my opinion.

[@karisheets2323]

No Inaugural cruises for us ever again! I can tell that cruise lines do NOT give you free/discounted cruises!

[@kathybenson6698]

Also avoid (if you can) a cruise with a very big group. It was over half of the ship & changed the atmosphere of cruising. They took over all venues, saving seats for their group etc.

[@PhillProbst]

Don't entirely agree with your take on Alaska cruises. Timing ... yeah. But avoiding one-ways ... not so much. Took a land/sea tour with Princess in june. Fly into Anchorage, hop on their train to stay at their lodges, then board the ship in Whittier for the trip south. The gulf of Alaska crossing was no big deal and the bulk of the sea portion was down the inside passage anyway, with port calls in Juneau, Skagway & Ketchican. Would definitely do it again. 😊

[@glendamagill3580]

We stay on dry land, not paying thousands to float around in an ocean boat.

[@robertstw]

I would disagree changing forward hours is nothing like jet lagi is better the way back from the US bit still ok either way

[@Lynn-kh5rs]

@Grounded Life Cruses: My husband surprised me the other day saying he wouldn't mind going on a Mediterranean cruise. As I don't like to fly I really appreciate your tips about transatlantic travel. Having never been on a cruise, what cruise line would you suggest to go from East coast U.S. to either London or Spain? TIA!

[@catrinlewis939]

I favor the Queen Mary 2, myself. She has regular crossings between New York and Southampton. You can stay in the UK, or go on down to the Mediterranean. Sometimes she continues on to those ports.

[@johndehof4076]

I agree that msc is a cruise line to avoid. Also Disney cruise is very expensive and should be avoid.

[@Beverly-rd3cm]

May has the least amount of rainfall in Southeast Alaska. We had our best Alaska cruises in May and October. Don’t count these months out!

[@vickyburton2434]

I would really love to go on the Icon of the Seas, but it looks like it has been made to be a magnet for families. I get tired of unruly kids around me. My last cruise (Allure of the Seas), we were on a formal night and the table next to us had 10 unsupervised children who were really misbehaving. We had to ask the host to love us. We never choose times kids are off of school etc. We love the big shows RC has to offer so we are not sure what to do.

[@BTLemming]

Took a HAL cruise in Norway during Amsterdam’s spring break (we had no idea) but it was mostly really young children onboard with their parents, so it wasn’t too bad. The worst thing I saw was some kids swimming in the adults only pool. Then I figured they didn’t know because the sign was in English and they didn’t speak English. It was just weird to see that many kids on the Rotterdam. 😂

[@PrayShopCruise-fl3po]

Very informative video! Thank you !

[@mississippiapple1078]

You were a homeschool family?! Can you talk about that especially now that you're children are older? Pros/ cons.. Regrets, if you could do it over? Would LOVE to hear you wisdom

[@Walk-retirement-travel]

For me it’s trying to figure out just how much it cost and what are you paying for. What are the hidden cost. Does all inclusive really mean I’m paying one price only. Then I get to eat, drink, go to shows at no other cost. Tips. It feels like whatever you pick you made the wrong choice

[@margaretgreene1929]

I would do UK - NY so we could sail into New York Harbour past the Statue of Liberty. How amazing that would be! The one hour time difference a day is irrelevant. Why can't you 'catch up' '? They are only relevant on long haul flights - e.g. Boston - Hong Kong with a 12/13 hur difference. BTW I am British, we lived for decades in Hong Kong and know all about time changes.

[@a.leehilliard4716]

No kids on Viking

[@travel_therapy_mskimlpc]

I appreciate your content and sharing this info. I've been following your travel journey for quite a few years.Thank you.

[@dougwahr4086]

Thoughts on South Pacific cruise in March / April from New Zealand to Seattle? Regarding sun heating up the cabin, does it matter which side of the ship for this cruise? Thanks

[@CherylPrice-cq6zx]

Viking is also child-free. No one under age 18 is allowed to sail.

[@mariaweldzius9937]

Hi Thank you for all your talking about all Cruise lines you have cruising . We love to go cruise every year this year(2024) we going to miss it , we try to have next year 2025 to Egypt on Vikings. Will you have some experience on Vikings Cruise ? Please we like to hear what you guys have to said . Thank you.

[@croberts709]

As others have commented, I disagree with your transatlantic advice. We've done several QM2 TA's and it's really no big deal going from NY to the UK. They change the clock at noon so suddenly it's 1pm, so what? On the way back you just get up earlier and earlier and that works fine for coming into NY and disembarking.

[@msmarji]

Have y’all thought about river, sail or polar cruises?

[@campusx4195]

Can you say Icon of the Seas..very expensive

[@barryhaley7430]

Celebrity has few children.

[@paulbjorlin2807]

I must disagree with you on cruising Alaska in May. May is the driest month to cruise Alaska and much of the time it is in the 70's. In May you will see the most waterfalls due to snow melt. I have done Alaska in May 26 times in May and only once have I had bad weather.

[@outrightflame4280]

Me and my family are going on a Alaska cruise with the Princess Discovery cruise ship 8 days we are leaving at the end of June

[@jennyslavis375]

I wish we avoided NCLJoy , twice same ship in a row ,home with Covid . First day hallways blocked with suitcase , then large cleaning carts blocking hallways to our ♿️room . All day . When we got help 🦽from our room , after getting suitcase , there is a sign that as far as they allowed to push wheelchairs . I asked why others got pushed to the end of the pier , I was told they are from HAVEN. Disgusting,disappointed ,disabled is disabled ♿️ shame on you NCLJoy .

[@littleeva]

Transatlantic: When you come back to the USA, you've got to go through immigration. Yuk.

[@sweetkitty3249]

I don't like adults who act like children on cruises.

[@paulcarney3433]

Your credibility went out the window when you said the flight to Madrid from the US was 1.75 hours shorter "because thats the way the wind blows!' ???????? Stating that flying contra to the earth's rotation, not the wind speed and/or direction, will likely get you more positive responses to your attempts to provide advice for overseas travel.

[@decentamerican7156]

I liked this couple until they admitted they "home schooled" their kids

[@mattiheiskanen597]

Mr. & Mrs. Whiner. Stay at home.

[@kathryncashner3294]

Another cruise to avoid, whether you have kids or not, is any that has a "Kids Sail Free" promotion. RUN! Run away fast!. If you have kids, you'll find the kid programs very full and crazy. If you would prefer to not have double the normal number of kids running thru halls, trashing beverage stations, hogging elevators and pushing every button, these are not for you. The problem is that the crusie lines can announce these promotions after you booked thinking you were getting a "normal" cruise. Overall, I agree with your comments, but....we've done many September cruises (low rates, kids in school, family birthday) and only once had bad hurricane issues when our 7 night cruise became a 4 night. Yes, we've had cruises where ports were altered, but we considered these to be an adventure and visited some new ports that we might not have seen otherwise. We did the second to last Alaska cruise one season and the weather was not cold. We never eve wore our warm coats. Things vary from year to year. Totally agree that heading west on crossings is easier than east. However, I have a trick. We LOVE the long cruises and often book both a spring and a fall crossing. This has allowed me to book round trip air for the crossing portion, saving a lot of money. Worse than the inaugural cruise on a new ship is the maiden voyage of a new cruise line. I will spare you the details. DO NOT do this!

[@tessabutlergarageyourbike6048]

How do I do your trick with the spring and fall crossing and round-trip airfare?

[@kathryncashner3294]

@@tessabutlergarageyourbike6048 OK how I do it....Assuming MIA to BCN in April, the reverse in October. That means I need to fly from my home to MIA in April and from BCN to my home city after the cruise. I book one way on SW for the domestic portion, so that is easy. You can only book 330 days in advance, so you'll need to wait until 330 days before your fall flight. I book BCN to LAX in May (the end of the first cruise), and book a return of LAX to BCN in the fall. If I'm not planning to stay in Europe, I'll book the spring for one day after my ship docks and the fall to arrive 2 days early (just for safety...in case of issues). It usually costs about the same for the round trip as for a one way; sometimes even less! I could also book LA to MIA in the spring/MIA to LA in the fall, but we like SW and I don't see any need to book that as a round trip. You can also do an "open gatch" if your return cruise is not from the same port (in my example BCN). I looked at a fall cruise from Rome to MIA, but decided on both from BCN.

[@heatherbakken1936]

Great tips, thanks!

[@NowBoardingVlogs]

I would have never thought about considering the direction of travel due to the time changes on the transatlantic or transpacific. Great tip!

[@gloriouslove9009]

Too late 🤦🏽‍♀️ booked a TA from Orlando to Rome 😂. I was blessed on my cruise to Alaska in October… it was wonderful.

[@allenesaacson1978]

We purposely went to Alaska the second week of May last year to avoid rain and bugs. We started in Seattle on Sunday at 90° and didn’t have a high under 70° till we hit Victoria the following Saturday. Thursday was the high of the actual sailing at 80° in Skagway. We got very lucky. I told everyone that was why I specifically chose that week when booking the previous October.

[@nicholasglisonn836]

I did an Eastbound trans Atlantic a few years ago and they adjusted the time at noon rather than midnight. It made a big difference.

[@markt9805]

This is a great video and you guys also look great. You both look so relaxed, and I watch a lot of your videos. I agree with you on everything you said, especially inaugural cruises. When I was very young, my mother loved to travel, and she always had to be on the inaugural cruise, we live in Florida, and even as a kid we lived in Florida, so I saw the cruise industry grow. I can’t tell you how many times we went on an inaugural cruises and the systems on board did not work, the food was cold, the crew was lost, and disoriented as the crew had never worked together as a team. Inaugural cruises are expensive, and in my opinion, and from my experience, simply not worth the money.

[@raymac1946]

We have done quite a few Transatlantics, including back to backs around the British Isles. We much prefer the eastbound, as we are early risers and we never get shiplagged when we arrive in Europe. The weather is usually great in the spring (no hurricanes.) Also we love the sea days at the start of the cruise, then the ports in Europe. Horses for courses, I guess.

[@Lynn-kh5rs]

I've never been on a cruise & the possibility exists I may end up on one in Europe. Could you recommend a cruise line please going from US to Europe? Thanks!

[@Elle-kr8od]

@@Lynn-kh5rs Cunard Queen Mary 2 is the ocean liner that goes back and forth from NYC to England.

[@apfelstrudel714]

@@Lynn-kh5rsSeabourn offers a great itinerary in March from the Barbados, Martinique, and St Kitts to several ports in Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France, ending in Monte Carlo.

[@gerardmackay8909]

I found the Transatlantic issue the complete opposite with sleep adjustment being more difficult Westbound than Eastbound (proves we are all different I guess). I think kids can be problematic on cruises because they are often bored out of their brains. I know the mega resort ships you find with RC have plenty to occupy them but a regular ship does not (eating, drinking, more eating, sunbathing, playing the slots, watching shows may appeal to a lot of adults but it’s deathly dull to most children and that’s when they start making a nuisance of themselves) hence I NEVER cruise during school holidays.

[@BostonHeather]

Me too

[@angelgomez8210]

Thank you for the info! I love your channels ❤

[@suewolf3279]

If you don't want a lot of children definitely do the transatlantic, or the repositioning between the state of Washington and the state of Florida

[@dsr8223]

I'd rather reposition E to W, US to Europe. I just hate that overnight US to Europe flight. It's too short to get a full night's sleep, even in lie-flat seats. Flying back to the US might be longer, but I'd rather be awake and able to occasionallly walk around. To each his own.

[@mlhobbs]

Holland America is marketing to families with kids sail free. We were on the Niew Amsterdam in December 2023 before Christmas and it was full of kids so much so that the kids took over the main swimming pool. Princess is also doing the same thing.

[@m.m.4645]

We experienced the same last year in mid September on a cruise ex Amsterdam to Norway. September, you would expect kids to be at school. Well, not in the Netherlands! That age group totally took over the Hot tubs on the "Rotterdam" Also, there were lots of kids of young age on board - the noise level was something else! Never again without checking the school vacation times in the Netherlands !

[@DINMIR1973]

very strange: no schoolvacation mid september in The Netherlands.

[@caroleanne8529]

Great video and everything is right on point. Only addition is that I don't think Viking is child friendly, but I have never sailed them. Saw children on an Alaska cruise on Holland America, but they were exceptionally well behaved (you never know, though).

[@LauraJdogmom]

Viking is 18+. No kids.

[@summerwinter4]

Thank you for all the excellent tips!

[@dougstraveljournal8614]

Good video , thanks. I would, however, prefer a repositioning cruise from the US to Europe in the Spring and avoid the the Atlantic/Caribbean hurricane season. Most hurricanes never hit land but spin out spin out into the Atlantic Ocean. If you are unlucky you could have some very uncomfortable days onboard your ship.

[@madchatteress]

That's the first thing I thought as well. .... I've never done a TA and don't intend to do one (work schedule and prefer port intensive cruises) but know that avoiding the Atlantic during hurricane season is wise especially when you are so far out sea.

[@dianeallen7313]

We realized the time change thing after sailing Alaska from Vancouver to Seward. We live on the east coast and I should have chosen Seward as the starting point and sail down to Vancouver. It's why we chose to start in Barcelona and come back to the states. Thank you for affirming that