Traveling to Europe

The weather was glorious with sunny, bright blue sky and a calm sea. What could we want more? From the stern on the top deck of the Sun Princess cruise ship, the view of the ocean and a swimming pool precariously protruding over the rear edge of the ship was mesmerizing. The trail our ship left behind was a swirling white froth frosting the top of the deep, dark blue of 15,000 feet of sea below.

Transatlantic cruises are, for most cruise lines, an expensive transitional necessity. The Queen Mary 2 from the venerable British cruise line, Cunard, is the only true ocean liner left offering five to seven-day scheduled voyages across the Atlantic all year round. There are normally no stops on the way. From its home port of Southampton, the ship serves New York City. There are a few dates outside this schedule when the ship travels to Hamburg in Germany and the Norwegian Fjords. Transatlantic cruises from the Americas to Europe are solely for re-positioning to the summer or winter market for ships, and all major cruise lines operate them in spring and fall. They do make a few stops on the way across, depending on which route they take before reaching the European mainland. Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands are some of those stops.

It is obvious that without land in sight, there is more chance of experiencing some rough weather than in the somewhat enclosed seas of the Caribbean. However, today’s modern cruise liners mostly have stabilizers, and captains have the means to circumvent most areas of possible bad weather or a storm.

The clientele is normally quite different from the Caribbean or European cruises. You are likely to encounter only a few families with children. A large percentage of passengers are traveling between their winter home to their summer home, and on most journeys, lots of them will be European. If there are only a very few stops, entertainment on board is often adapted to offer more than on regular cruises.

Last year was the first time we tried a Transatlantic cruise (Coastal Breeze News, June 6, 2024). It is something I would never have considered previously, as my wife and I are “a port a day” type cruisers who prefer to use the ship as a floating hotel, cruising at night between as many ports as possible. But last year, we discovered that a cruise from Florida to Europe or the other way around in the fall could be less expensive than flying business class, so we decided to try it. These cruises are likely not to be so heavily booked, because the journeys are less popular than regular cruises. Therefore, cruise lines offer reduced rates to entice clientele.

We had two days and a night with some rough seas, but managed quite well, and this year was somewhat like last year’s experience, this time on a much larger ship able to carry a maximum of 4,300 passengers, but obviously not all rooms were occupied. We sailed on one of the inaugural cruises of the Sun Princess in the Caribbean last November and were now back on board as she sailed eastbound across the transatlantic ocean for the first time. Therefore, it was a little bit like coming home. We knew we were not enamored with the atmosphere of the main dining rooms and waiting times to get in, and that had not changed. We circumvented that by booking a “Premier Package” that allowed us to eat in any of the seven specialty restaurants for the duration of the cruise. Overall, the food and service offered in the “specialty” dining venues was outstanding and on par or better than we have experienced on much higher-end cruise lines. “The Catch by Rudi,” under direction of German chef Rudi Sodamin, Head of Culinary Arts for Princess Cruises, was the ultimate for us, in service, menu, design, and atmosphere. The Dover Sole, at an additional charge of $20 per person, was as good or better than we have ever eaten on the North Sea coast.

The popular European tourist destination of the Canary Islands is a little under nine hundred miles from the Spanish mainland and almost four thousand miles from Fort Lauderdale, our starting point. Tenerife, the largest of the eight islands, was our first stop. The island group was conquered by the Spanish just before the year 1500, but unlike colonies of Spain in the Americas, it was made part of Spain, and the inhabitants were considered Spaniards. Today, it is still like a province of the Spanish mainland.

One of its smaller islands, El Hierro, is the first completely self-sufficient island in the world with energy obtained from the sun, the wind, and water.

We arrived a day earlier than planned as the captain decided to speed up the ship to its maximum speed of 22 knots – 25 mph - to get a sick passenger to a hospital as soon as possible. The island is enhanced with fabulous natural sights and spectacular views, including the lunar lava landscape that is part of the National Park of the Teide volcano, reaching 12,188 feet above sea level, making it one of the higher points in Europe. If measured from the sea floor, this beautiful mountain is the third-highest mountain in the world at 24,606 feet. During our visit, the peak was covered in a magnificent snow cap from unusually heavy stormy weather of the few previous days. My first visits here were almost fifty years ago, and at that time, there was only one airport just outside the capital of Santa Cruz. People in aviation remember it for the world’s first deadly crash of two 747 Jumbo jets – KLM and Pan Am - killing everyone on board due to lack of attention in the control tower. Today, the largest airport is further south on the island and closer to the only white sandy beaches of Tenerife.

Two days later, we continued our journey to the Spanish mainland. We sailed past Gibraltar, a destination I have always wanted to visit but have never had the opportunity to as yet. In the time I lived in Spain, the road between the island and Spain was blocked because of political hostility between Spain and Great Britain, who governs the Rock of Gibraltar.

Our first stop on the mainland was Cartagena. It was also the first visit of our new ship here. It is one of the most important commercial harbors in Spain after Valencia and Barcelona.

The strategic location in the Mediterranean makes it the ideal location as the main base for the Spanish Navy. The tourism center is a pleasant walking area along the water with a very moving bronze sculptured monument commemorating the world’s struggle against terrorism. From there, we walked via another pedestrian zone into the shopping area and visited the impressive Iglesia Castrense de Santo Domingo Church, dating back to the 17th century.

With another stop in the old city of Valencia, a Roman Colony in 138 BC under the name Valenta Edetanorium, we finally arrived at our ship’s destination, Barcelona. From here, we rented a car to drive north along part of the famous “St. James Way” and the southern edge of the massive Pyrenees Mountain range that forms the natural border between Spain and France. More about this in my next column.

Many readers have asked about the new required visas for Americans traveling to Europe and the United Kingdom. It has been in the news for a long time, and the U.K. requirements are now officially in effect, as previously mentioned in my column.

Once again, it is a very easy process that can be completed on your cell phone when one downloads the correct app from the APP store. UK ETA. There are many other offers from web companies that charge a processing fee, so do make sure to reach the official site, “UK ETA.”

I followed the prompts for myself recently for our next trip and was advised that it could take two to three days for approval. However, our approval came through almost immediately.

The requirements for the Schengen countries of the European Union have once again been put on hold, probably until early 2026. Therefore, no additional action is presently required if you travel to Europe this summer.