Transatlantic Cruising Explained: Relaxed Luxury Across the Ocean

When most people think about cruising, they picture the Caribbean, Alaska, or the Mediterranean. But what if the journey itself became the destination?

In this episode of All Things Travel, Ryan and Julie dive into the unique world of transatlantic cruising — those longer, slower-paced sailings that cross the Atlantic Ocean while offering the chance to truly settle into life at sea.

They discuss what makes these cruises so appealing, from relaxing sea days and incredible onboard experiences to surprisingly affordable pricing and the opportunity to combine ocean crossing with a Mediterranean adventure. Along the way, they break down who these cruises are best suited for, important things to consider before booking, and why seasoned cruisers often fall in love with this style of travel.

The episode also features a sample 14-night itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas, sailing from New Jersey to Rome with stops in the Azores, Spain, and Italy. From volcanic landscapes and ancient Roman ruins to Barcelona’s vibrant culture and Tuscany’s rolling countryside, this itinerary showcases how a transatlantic cruise blends immersive exploration with relaxed luxury.

Plus, Ryan shares details about an upcoming Rocky Mountaineer journey through the American Southwest and the Mighty Five National Parks — a trip filled with dramatic landscapes, iconic train travel, and unforgettable scenery.

Whether you’re dreaming about Europe, curious about repositioning cruises, or simply looking for a more relaxed style of vacation, this episode will help you decide if a transatlantic cruise belongs on your travel wish list.

Ready to start planning your next adventure? Reach out to Wonder & Beyond Travel to begin dreaming bigger. 

Transcript

Julie 0:00

Hello, and welcome to All Things Travel. When we think of cruises, we tend to think about sailing the Caribbean, Alaska, maybe the Mediterranean, but today we're talking about a really unique cruise itinerary. cruises offer a much longer itinerary so you can completely relax and explore new destinations along the way.

Ryan 0:22

Listen in with travel advisors Ryan and Julie. I'm your travel professor, teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation, and she's a Disney-loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. And together, we're the co-owners of Wonder and Beyond Travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.

Julie 0:50

All right, so Ryan is moved into his new house.

Ryan 0:54

I am. I am sitting...

Julie 0:57

again.

Ryan 0:57

I'm sitting in my office that has been wallpapered many layers. those layers have been removed. Paint, primer has been put on, paint is put on, boxes are finally opened, so I'm feeling somewhat settled. But I tell you, I'm not ready to move again for quite a while. it's gone as good as it can go, but it's just, man, it's a job.

Julie 1:24

It's so much, and, like, last time that we were recording, you had this, wallpaper border that was still up, and it was just cracking me up,'cause it was, like, straight out of the'90s.

Ryan 1:35

Yes. this home was built in the'80s, and it's had one owner before us, and it looked like it was designed at one point in time and left to its own devices after that point, so.

Julie 1:50

I

Ryan 1:51

But no, we're, we are, we are settling in. We really like where we're living. We really like not only our place, but the neighborhood and yeah. But it's just, there's always something to do, always something to focus on, and I feel like messes just keep getting moved around. We're done with this room, so now everything moves to the next room, next to the next room. Yeah.

Julie 2:11

Oh my

Ryan 2:11

Yeah, absolutely.

Julie 2:12

I don't think we've recorded since I came back from San Diego.

Ryan 2:17

I don't believe so, no.

Julie 2:19

I was there for a conference called Edge Conference with Travel Leaders Network, which is a big, um, travel company we're associated with for our agency that provides us with a lot of resources and relationships and connections, and it's really awesome. And so that was like a four or five-day conference. It was so, so, so incredible. I texted Ryan constantly telling him,"We have to go next year," and then we both realized that we are busy the dates for next year. So maybe two years, but I can't wait to go back. It was just such a inspirational, motivational conference. It's always great to be around other travel advisors and other travel agency owners as well. before the conference started, my friend Rachel and I went to Disneyland for the day. So we had the opportunity to stay club level at Disneyland Hotel. It

Ryan 3:13

Very nice.

Julie 3:15

so, so cool. This is so embarrassing. You would not have known that we were travel advisors if you met us in the park, because we were just, like, wandering around. We had zero plan. and I feel like maybe that's a compensation from, like, constantly planning our clients' trips that, you know, we always say we're our worst,

Ryan 3:33

Yeah. Yeah.

Julie 3:34

Like, we were like,"Oh, we're gonna rope drop," and then we took forever eating breakfast and just completely missed that. We were like,"Where are we going? I don't know where we're going."

Ryan 3:42

But, you know,

Julie 3:43

a day.

Ryan 3:45

but that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that, One, this is the first time you guys are traveling together. Two, you're able to step away from your families, you're able to have some space to relax. So why go, go, go?

Julie 4:00

Well, we wanted to go, go, go because we didn't have our families with us, but it just didn't work out that way. we hit, like, all the major attractions, and even some that I didn't get to go on the last time I was in Disneyland. Last time I missed Space Mountain, and I missed Big Thunder Mountain, Like, the rides out there, I was telling Steven, like, they're just so fun. I remember we did- When we went on Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, and Rachel's like,"I don't really, like, I don't like this ride, but, like, I'll go on it once." And the picture we got back, like, she's terrified, and I'm just, like, giggling the whole time. I just think it's so fun. such a great day. I sent out my newsletter last week all about Disneyland, and, if you are a Disney person and you're out there and you have not gone to Disneyland, man, you really need to go. It

Ryan 4:49

It, it is, yes. It, it is a very special trip for any Disney lover,

Julie 4:56

Yeah.

Ryan 4:56

but it just feels good. I mean,

Julie 4:59

It

Ryan 5:00

both the history and the, kind of being in that place, but also seeing the things that are the same, seeing the things that are different. it feels new but comfortable and familiar at the same time.

Julie 5:14

Yeah, it's like you kind of know where you're going, but you kind of don't know where you're going, which, is always so funny. And I know it's been a while for you, but did you go on the Matterhorn when you were there?

Ryan 5:24

Yes.

Julie 5:26

S-

Ryan 5:26

the, the

Julie 5:26

like,

Ryan 5:27

the back adjustment ride?

Julie 5:28

this would not be built today. Like, there is no way this ride would be approved

Ryan 5:34

Yes.

Julie 5:35

shocked it's still operating.

Ryan 5:37

It,

Julie 5:38

fall off the

Ryan 5:39

it...

Julie 5:41

at you in the dark. I was in the front row. it was an experience.

Ryan 5:45

so today we are not talking about theme parks. We are talking about a very special and interesting type of cruising. But before we do that, I wanna remind folks, if you did not listen to last week's episode, we did talk about theme parks. We talked about everything Harry Potter magical world within the Universal Orlando Resort. So make sure you check that out. All right, Julie, what is a transatlantic cruise, and why might we think about that for an upcoming cruise for us?

Julie 6:17

So transatlantic cruising refers to crossing the Atlantic Ocean on your cruise ship. are most often repositioning sailings, which means a cruise ship is changing its home port. It's moving from one region to another for a new season. for example, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, they don't have cruises that sail Europe year-round. They

Ryan 6:44

Yeah.

Julie 6:44

the summer season, so usually at the beginning and the end of those summer seasons, they'll offer a transatlantic cruise. Because they're taking their cruise ship over there anyways, they may as well- Take you with them.

Ryan 6:57

Yeah, yeah

Julie 6:58

So, there's two types. There's the eastbound transatlantic cruises that go to Europe, and they typically start in North America. some also could depart from South America. And then in the fall, the westbound cruises sail from Europe back to North or South America. And the itineraries do feature pretty long stretches of consecutive sea days, which make the ship really the primary destination. You usually have at least five sea days. So it does give you time to fully be able to enjoy your ship amenities, and you might wanna consider, this could be the best time to upgrade to, the concierge or the larger suite room so you'll be more comfortable for that long sailing. on something like Royal Caribbean or really any cruise line, when you have the option to upgrade your dining, that could be a great chance to do that on this type of cruise. However, if you need to do something like pay for a drink package where it's a per-night cost, might not be the time to do that.

Ryan 8:03

Right. So maybe thinking of something like what you're talking about, concierge where some drink options are included, or specialty dining where some drinks could be included, that could offset that not having the drink package if you're used to that.

Julie 8:17

Mm-hmm.

Ryan 8:18

The ship is the destination so really how can you best maximize your time on the ship through the entertainment, the dining, and the different activities? Absolutely. So who would this be best for, when we're thinking of these longer cruises? people who are retired or folks that have the ability to sail over the summer, especially those shoulder seasons where ships are moving around, or if you have a remote job. I can really see the appeal of unplugging in one way and plugging in another, you know, to use the ship as the place that I am, but still be able to do my job. I mean, Julie and I, as long as we have internet and access to that, we can pretty much do our job from anywhere. Now the time change, might be the issue there, but, you could really spend some time focusing in and hunkering down, or you could just spend a cruise like this to completely unplug from everything. I could see it going both ways. One consideration is the seas do tend to be rougher because you are getting further away from land, So, you know, storms are more common between June and late November, Storm activity tends to be higher from mid-August until mid-October, so again, those times that those ships are repositioning.

Julie 9:38

when we think about the cost of these cruises, they're actually so much more affordable than maybe, like, a seven-night Caribbean cruise, which is kind of surprising considering the length of it. Another thing you can think about is I know that where I am in the Northeast, a lot of these cruises depart from the New Jersey port near me. I've had clients sail out of there before. so you can drive to the port. That saves you money. also think about the cost of flights when you're traveling from anywhere in the US over to Europe. The cost of your cruise could be less than your round-trip flights for two, which is kind of amazing.

Ryan 10:17

That's true.

Julie 10:19

the other thing is, you're on the ship for so much of that time you're not doing excursions every day. You're doing them the couple of days that you're in ports, but, you're also spending a little bit less money on excursions, so it can be a very cost-effective way to get over to Europe. you do need to bring your passport with you still, obviously. You're going to another country. no boarding with birth certificates. You need your passport, and certain areas that you are sailing to may require a visa to enter that territory, so, just make sure that you've checked the requirements for entry for your cruise.

Ryan 10:56

Well, we actually have an example that you got for us, Julie, of what a transatlantic cruise could look like. But first I wanna talk about where in the world is Wonder Beyond Travel. And I actually have a really fun example for something that's coming up, gosh, in about six weeks. I have my parents, and Jasmine and I are going on Rocky Mountaineer. So that is the glass dome train that you've seen, right? in the Canadian Rockies. You know what I'm talking about?

Julie 11:28

So cool.

Ryan 11:29

So we are doing something a little different. We are actually going on the Canyon Spirit line of Rocky Mountaineer, which is in the American Southwest National Parks area. And so we are going train-wise from Moab, Utah, to Denver, Colorado. But we decided to add on to this what they called their Mighty Five excursion. So if you remember a few weeks ago when we talked about that national parks road trip, we're doing most of that through Rocky Mountaineer. So we're actually going out to Las Vegas. Jasmine is very familiar with Las Vegas. She goes out there, usually once a year with a group of friends. my parents have never been there. I've been there a couple times. we are going out to Las Vegas for a couple days, and then we actually meet up with the, Canyon Spirit tour there in Las Vegas, and we spend the next couple days going through the Mighty Five national parks. So that is parks like Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, And we are actually doing touring, taking us down to Moab, Utah, where we then get on the train and have our train experience, take that to Denver, and fly home. Super excited about this trip.

Julie 12:52

That's insane. That's gonna be so, so, so much fun. I cannot wait to do an episode about that.

Ryan 12:57

And for those that have not heard of Rocky Mountaineer, like I said, this is one section called the Canyon Spirit, and then you can also do one up in the Canadian Rockies, Banff, Vancouver, Kanloops, that kinda area, the same type of thing. So yes, I'm excited to talk about this later this summer.

Julie 13:17

That's so, so, so cool. I cannot wait.

Ryan 13:20

Well, we love celebrating with our clients, even when our clients are us and our family members. We love to hear about your trip before, during, and after as we help you plan magical memories. And who knows? If you work with Julie or myself, maybe you'll be featured on the show.

Julie 13:38

We've talked all about why you might wanna do a transatlantic cruise, some of the logistics of taking a cruise of that length, so let's go over a sample itinerary, because this is always my favorite part of the episode of showing you where you could be and what you could be

Ryan 13:54

Yeah, absolutely

Julie 13:56

I'm gonna talk about a 14-night cruise with Royal Caribbean that departs from Cape Liberty, New Jersey, to Rome, Italy, on Odyssey of the Seas. Odyssey is one of their Quantum-class ships, so it is, definitely one of their bigger ships. This ship has so much for you to do that there's no way that you'll be bored on these 14 nights. It has that resort-style pool deck with island vibes. You've got the SeaPlex, which is a big indoor activity center with bumper cars, glow-in-the-dark laser tag, all sorts of sports going on. Playmakers Sports Bar and Arcade, and some other upgraded dining, including Izumi, which is their sushi and teppanyaki, Giovanni's for Italian, Chops for steakhouses, and Cafe 270. there's a ton of entertainment on board, and this ship specifically is already showing four different shows, which gives you so many options for what to do.

Ryan 15:00

sometimes actually, Julia, on these transatlantic cruises, they will actually spend this time to work on new shows. So you may be able to see some things kind of as a surprise or kind of workshopping that you wouldn't be able to see anywhere else, so that's really cool.

Julie 15:17

let's get on to the itinerary. So as we mentioned, there is a lot of sea days in these cruises. gonna start with five days at sea as you're truly crossing the Atlantic, and then your first stop is Ponta Delgada, Azores, where you will see famous volcanic stones local to the area walk along some 16th-century forts. So the history here is really wonderful. You can head down to the town square and spend a relaxing day enjoying wine and all their local foods in the city center. This tends to be a really popular, first port stop for these transatlantic cruises.

Ryan 16:00

then we have two more days at sea, followed by our second port stop, which is in Malaga, Spain, where you can soak in the ancient history of the Moorish fortresses and ruins of the Roman amphitheater. You can unwind on the beach if you like, or go to the botanical garden. You can check out the works of the city's most famous former resident at the Picasso Museum, and you can also savor some really, regional food such as the pescado frito, which is fried fish with a squeeze of lemon. I think I'll probably try to do all of that while I'm there. The next-

Julie 16:39

fish reminds me of, Ryan?

Ryan 16:41

What's that?

Julie 16:42

The Yorkshire County Fish Shop. Man, I

Ryan 16:45

I

Julie 16:45

now.

Ryan 16:45

hope it's a little better than Disney fried fish, but I, I get what you're saying.

Julie 16:50

that's what popped in my head and I was like,"Ooh, that sounds good."

Ryan 16:53

I get what you're saying. So hey, we are continuing our time in Spain the next day in Cartagena, where that is a Mediterranean port which is home to 3,000 years of history, with the Roman theater dating back to the first century AD. You can see castles, you can see small towns, you can learn about that culture and history there. The next day we're at Barcelona, so we're seeing the big city. We're gonna see some Gaudi, we're gonna walk on the Las Ramblas. We're gonna have time to really bask in the Catalonian, culture in Spain. And then we're back to a sea day. Julie, once we have that sea day, we're in a whole other country. How are we winding up this trip?

Julie 17:43

We are finishing up in Italy, so your first port stop in Italy is Florence and Pisa. we've talked about this area many, many times. You can go enjoy the Tuscan countryside, see those rolling hills with the olive trees, the cypress trees, and have just a relaxed experience there. You can head over to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and explore that area. You can head into Florence to check out the birthplace of the Renaissance and marvel at paintings in the gallery, and go see the

Ryan 18:17

Yeah.

Julie 18:21

And then you're finishing up in Rome, and we know there is so much to do in Rome, and for this cruise specifically, this is really just where you're getting off the ship. So I would definitely say, add on a couple of days in Rome. Add on three or four days in Rome. Give yourself time to come off the ship, have a relaxing day, and then spend time doing what you wanna do in Rome, whether that's going to the Vatican, the Colosseum, maybe traveling down to Pompeii and Naples. there's so much to do there. it's such a wonderful way to, add to your cruise and finish up your trip.

Ryan 19:00

Yeah, I love this idea, and I really like the balance. there's a lot of Mediterranean cruises that kind of condense all of this into one, which is great, but the ability to now basically have two different cruises. You've got a Mediterranean cruise- and time on the ship. So you can really kind of take advantage of both sides of that with a transatlantic cruise. So as we wrap up here, Julie, who is a transatlantic cruise not right for?

Julie 19:30

what comes to mind is families with little kids. It's such a long time to be on a cruise ship, and something that pops into my mind with families with little kids is like, those kids get sick a lot. And like, I don't wanna be on a cruise with my sick kid in the middle of the ocean. and plus like just the length of time it takes to get there and having to, them to miss school, if that's the case, or me miss work, that kind of stuff. so I think families with young kids, this is a no-go. You wait until either they're a little older or you're going as an adults only cruise.

Ryan 20:01

I think also this is not a first-time cruiser. these are people that know what cruising is like and know they enjoy cruising and they enjoy ship life, not just going port to port, because you're gonna be, obviously spending a lot of time with that. the world is full of wonder, and your next great adventure is waiting. At Wonder and Beyond Travel, we work with you to create a one-of-a-kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. If you're ready to start planning or you just wanna dream a little bigger, head on over to wonderandbeyondtravel.com. We'd love to help you get started. We look forward to talking to you next week on all things travel when we discuss understanding the fine print when it comes to choosing your vacations.