Our 2023 Transatlantic Crossing on the Marina

In November Mike and I set out to cross the Atlantic Ocean and arrive in Miami Florida. Our starting point was Lisbon, Portugal, which was a convenient starting point now that we live in Portugal. This would be our first Transatlantic Crossing and it did not disappoint.

A Transatlantic Crossing is not for everyone because you are at sea most days. The purpose of our crossing was what they call ” a repositioning cruise.” This means that the cruise ship is done sailing one part of the world and now it is going to reposition to another part of the world. I am sure there is a more elegant and correct way to explain it but this will have to do for now These cruises are usually a little more affordable because they are so sea day heavy and do not have a lot of ports of call. This was EXACTLY what we wanted. Our last cruise was in Europe and although it was fabulous it was 13 days and 12 ports. A port a day is too much for us as we love the feeling of being at sea.

Our itinerary for the Transatlantic Crossing was:

Sadly, we were not able to stop in Funchal Madeira because Portugal marina pilots were on strike so we did not have a pilot to guide us into port. This was a huge disappointment to us as we were looking forward to seeing Madeira. Thankfully we live in Portugal so we will be able to visit this cute island soon.

Here are a few random pictures from our days at sea, our time on the ship, and our adventures on land. We meet some great people on the ship but our favorites are our new friends Deb and Dave from Arizona. You will see them in a dinner picture with our favorite waiter Jonathan. It is such a blessing to make a friendship that you know will continue way past the cruise’s end.

Another highlight was spending time with our friends Peter and Diana in their hometown Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. We met Peter and Diana when we were on a Douro Valley, Portugal wine tour when we first moved to Portugal. The friendship has stayed strong for two years as we continue to find ways to connect each year. Aren’t we blessed?

The days at sea were generally calm. We did experience a few rough days but nothing too wild. On our sea days, Mike and I enjoyed the gym, the sauna, and the steam room like clockwork. All of these facilities were top-notch and a delight to experience. I loved walking the ship’s track each AM with my music blasting in my ears. There is nothing like a walk with a view of nothing but water that goes forever and ever.

The Marina also offered beginner bridge lessons. This is a card game I grew up with my parents playing but we never took an interest till now. I think it is an age thing lol. Holy cow bridge is hard!!!! We probably took 7 lessons and I have to admit I am still baffled and feel I am at ground zero. We will build on this game though and continue to try to learn. I am committed now and stubborn so I want to learn. We also played shuffleboard, mini golf, beanbag toss, and ping pong. The best thing about cruising is there is always something to do.

The pros of our transatlantic cruise were:

• Plenty of sea days
• Small ship, 1250 passangers
• Quality top notch food
• Balcony cabin
• Ability to leave from our home Country, Portugal
• Fun way to travel to see family in the US
• Meeting Deb and Dave :-)

The cons of our transatlantic cruise were:

• Funchal Portugal port getting cancelled
• The passengers were older in age
• They were not consistent with making sure my food was gluten free like other cruises have been
• The passengers were older in age
• The crew was new and the service was generally not top notch like we were use to
• The passengers were older in age

Ok, so you get that we were a little bummed that we were the youngest on the boat. I have nothing against my elders it just makes the cruising experience a little different.

Would we do another Transatlantic Cruise? Hmmmmm it might be too soon to answer. If you ask Mike he would say maybe in another 10 years lol. If you ask me I would say ask me in another year. Would we sail on Oceania again? If you ask Mike he would say no, if you ask me I would say maybe. Our first Oceania cruise was 100% amazing. The staff was seamless in everything they did, they handled my gluten-free diet with such professionalism and perfection I could not have asked for more. These were all the reasons we chose Oceania to do our crossing. Our experience this time was frustrating, mostly because I never felt safe that my meals would be gluten-free. This is a whole different topic that I won’t bore you all within this post.

Even though we had some struggles on this crossing we still feel so blessed to have experienced it and we had a fabulous time. There is always good in every experience and the magic happens when you do not focus on the bad but relish in the good.

We are now in the United States visiting our family, now that is where all the blessings lie. Happy Holidays to everyone. Make sure you take the time to see all the magic of life that is between the lines. Make sure you honor each day you are here with your feet on this earth and above all make sure to say YES to that next adventure that is brewing in your heart.

PS: In January we will be sailing on another cruise :-) Hey if you are going to go for it, you have to GO FOR IT right? We will be at sea for 4 months with some awesome ports of call. I will be posting updates here and on Instagram ( not on Facebook ) If you are on Instagram give us a follow @adventuresoftwoexpats@gmail.com