The Cunard's Queen Mary II ship is the only major ocean liner that sails regularly between Europe and the USA. It offers a standard six- or seven-night cruise between New York and Southampton, England; Cherbourg, France, and Hamburg, Germany, throughout the spring and fall. The ship boasts an impressive array of facilities including an AquaTherapy Centre of the Canyon Ranch SpaClub, an extensive library, a Royal Nights ball and tea or coffee in the Queen's Room. To save money you should book an interior room and keep informed about last-minute offerings. In 2010, the cheapest fares were $499 to $799 for fall trips and around $900 for spring journeys.
Norwegian offers eastbound transatlantic repositioning cruises in spring and westbound voyages in fall. The two main ships are the Norwegian Sun and Norwegian Epic. Each ship has multiple dining options, lounges and parties that go late into the evening. The Second City comedy troupe works both boats as well and they have special facilities for seniors and kids to meet everyone's travel needs. As of late 2010, Norwegian offers 11-day trips for around $799 -- interior cabins only, other cabins are more expensive -- 13-day for $939, 15-day for $1,199 and an extensive 24-day voyage that travels to the Baltic states for $2,109. The cheapest value from Norwegian is the smaller Norwegian Gem trip that lasts for 14-days for $599, but only travels in October.
There are numerous Royal Caribbean ships that make seasonal repositioning trips across the Atlantic. The westbound excursions occur between September and November, while the eastbound trips are March to May. All Royal Caribbean's ships offer a variety of cabin deals: interior, outside, balcony and deluxe suite. In 2010, the average prices for interior cabins range from $509 to $649 and the outside cabins are about $200 more. The primary departure ports are Malaga, Spain; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Galveston, Texas; Lisbon, Portugal; and Colon, Panama. Royal Caribbean offers 13-day and 14-day trips depending on the ship and time of year. All of the ships have ice skating rinks, large promenade decks so you can enjoy the view of Atlantic sunsets and sunrises, rock-climbing walls, a range of dining rooms and fitness centers.
