Introduction to Our Transatlantic Cruise Deals
We’ve spent many hours scouring the web looking for the best transatlantic cruise options both for our customers and, quite frankly, just for the heck of it. The truth is, we enjoy compiling itineraries and researching routes. Does that make us weird? Probably, but the time we spend is never wasted.
Not everything we find meets our customers’ requests, but that doesn’t mean these deals won’t be attractive to anyone!
What is a Transatlantic cruise?
Transatlantic cruises are traditionally offered by cruise lines that want to reposition their ships from Europe to the Caribbean (or vice versa) by season. They often have a higher proportion of days at sea, tend to move slowly, and can sometimes be susceptible to adverse weather. So they don’t float everyone’s boat! (Ed: that’s enough puns)
However, that also means there are bargains to be had.
Is a Transatlantic cruise good value?
On a ‘more bang for your buck’ basis, a transatlantic cruise represents excellent value. And when you add in late availability discounts, the actual cost Per Person Per Day (pppd) in a very comfortable floating hotel with excellent facilities, entertainment & activities, and opportunities to visit several new locations en route, they measure up very nicely indeed.
Therefore, below are the best of those that we have found for this upcoming Transatlantic cruise season:
Crown Jewel: Our Top Transatlantic Cruise Pick
Norwegian Escape
Our take
This Norwegian Escape Transatlantic cruise is one of the lowest pppn rates we've found on a modern mega-ship. The balcony cabin is the clincher.
This class of ships also has some of the best outdoor kids’ activities around, so makes it a good family choice.
- Reasonable cost per person, per night
- Balcony cabin gives very welcome extra outdoor space
- Excellent Western Med itinerary with varied ports before the Atlantic crossing
- Particularly good value for non-drinkers
- Norwegian’s Free at Sea package could still be excellent value for some, with unlimited drinks, basic Wi-Fi and some speciality dining included
- Dedicated solo traveller lounge
- 7 consecutive sea days
- Mega-ships are not for everyone
- Lacks any traditional cruise feel
Diamond in the Rough: Our Hidden Transatlantic Cruise Gem
Sometimes we find a cruise offer that didn’t score highly enough on the Travel Trove Scoring System to make the main list, but is worthy of consideration for other reasons.
Scarlet Lady
Our take
This Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady Transatlantic cruise provides a premium cruise feel at a mass market price. Virgin Voyages are notoriously adults-only, offer high quality made-to-order catering ONLY and modern facilities on a warmer, southern route. We think it is definitely worthy of consideration in our books.
- Strong value once Virgin’s different pricing model is taken into account
- 20+ speciality dining venues are included
- Wi-Fi, basic beverages, gratuities and daily charges are included
- Competitive true cost per person, per night
- Adults-only throughout
- Fitness and wellness programs are included
- Modern entertainment
- Southerly route gives a better chance of warmer and sunnier weather
- 11 sea days in an inside cabin could feel claustrophobic
- A single small main pool area which can become crowded
- Alcohol must be paid for separately using 'Virgin Credit'
- Cabins and bathrooms are reported to be smaller than average
Diamond Deals
Not Crown Jewels, but little gems in their own right.
These are the other top value transatlantic cruise deals that we’ve found, researched and rated via our Travel Trove Scoring System.
Although they’re not necessarily the cheapest (headline rates never tell the whole story), nor the highest quality, or the funkiest ships with all the bells, whistles, trumpets, drums, jugglers, dancers… You get the idea; they are excellent value, taking everything into consideration.
Grandiosa
Our take
MSC's best offering is this Transatlantic cruise sailing on Grandiosa, one of their Meraviglia Plus-class ships. It provides travel at budget hotel price: with more destinations, higher number of sailing days on a large ship with a traditionally European service.
- Very affordable cost per person, per night, even when including drinks and Wi-Fi packages
- Two mid-Atlantic stops help break up the long journey
- Low solo traveller supplement
- 11 sea days is... a lot
- Limited 'included' dining options
- Onboard activities can feel a little limited
- MSC service is more European in style, with less constant checking-in and fewer feedback requests
Odyssey of the Seas
Our take
Royal Caribbean's Quantum Class ships are of excellent quality: the included options, the service, the food, the entertainment. Having the transatlantic final port of call close to New York makes travelling from the disembarkation port a breeze!
- Good itinerary with excellent ports
- Plenty of included dining options
- Lots of onboard activities and entertainment
- Only 5 consecutive sea days
- Lively atmosphere
- Higher cost PPPN
- High solo supplement
- Regular upselling, strong tipping expectations and frequent feedback requests can become irritating
- Lively atmosphere
Norwegian Epic
Our take
Norwegian Epic's Transatlantic offering provides us a warmer southern route with Caribbean island stops for an incredible base price pppn. But without a question, offers the most value for Solo Travellers with its lovely, low solo supplement and access to their standard solo lounge.
- A couple of Caribbean stops en-route
- Scores well without extras packages
- Free At Sea speciality dining options are considered very good
- Excellent for solo travellers, with Studio cabins and a dedicated Solo Lounge
- Strong indoor entertainment options
- Good reviews on stability for Atlantic crossings
- Mostly inward-facing ship design
- No external promenade deck
- No midship lifts / elevators
- Cabin and bathroom layout is unusual
- The ship itself has a fairly unconventional design
- Dining queues can be long at peak times
Norwegian Sun
Our take
Norwegian Sun's Transatlantic route provides a unique mix of French, Irish and Canadian sightseeing opportunities followed by arrival in New York. This sailing sails past the Statue of Liberty, which is pretty special - even more so at this price!
- UK travellers can avoid an outbound flight
- Return flights from New York can be cheaper than from some other US cities
- Interesting North Atlantic route including Ireland and Nova Scotia
- Food quality consistently rates highly
- Oceanview cabin is particularly useful on a colder North Atlantic sailing
- October in the North Atlantic can mean cold and windy conditions
- Rough seas are not unusual, so seasickness may be a concern
- Outdoor pools and sundecks may be largely unusable later in the cruise
- Indoor lounges can become crowded on colder days
Norwegian Gem
Our take
Norwegian Gem's Transatlantic sailing this year offers incredible value with fewer crowds! Included is an oceanview cabin, sailing in and out of Tampa (which, let's face it, is a nicer port than Miami or Port Canaveral) and all for an incredible price ticks an awful lot of boxes for us!
- Almost unbeatable baseline value, even when including extras
- Oceanview cabin provides valuable natural light on a long sailing
- Refurbished in 2026
- Relaxed dining atmosphere
- One of Norwegian's smaller ships: means fewer major attractions and onboard features
- Refreshments, Wi-Fi and service charges can add up quickly
- The final overall cost can become less impressive once extras are added
- Limited included dining options can become repetitive on a longer sailing
The Transatlantic Cruise Conclusion
All things considered, this variety of transatlantic cruise offers represents excellent value for money for different reasons and is very worthy of consideration. However, availability is very limited and early reservations are highly recommended.
