Transatlantic Cruise, the Northern Route

We enjoyed our second transatlantic repositioning cruise from UK to USA, the Northern Route. Our stops included Faroe Islands and Iceland.

We crossed again the big pond by ship, this time from London, UK to Boston, US. Our ports of call included France, Ireland, Faroe Islands, and Iceland. They were a welcome change for Spanish cities which are usually the main stopping points on Transatlantic routes.

The landscape in Faroe Islands was just as barren as we had imagined but in a beautiful way. We were lucky with the weather as the sun was shining all day unlike in Reykjavik where our two days at shore were chilly and rainy. We were lazy and spent most of the time onboard enjoying the peace and quiet. There was plenty of space in spas and saunas as most of the cruisers were busy exploring the city.

We enjoyed being without internet for two weeks. although Santeri started to get some withdrawal symptoms at the end of the journey. Although internet is in many ways useful and entertaining, it is a also an intrusion.

Travelling by ship slows down everyday life as there is not much to do. The scenery doesn't change a lot, and there are limited activities available onboard, although this time we were travelling on a bigger ship and some of the entertainment—singers, magicians, comedians and dance groups—were actually pretty good. Päivi was busy visiting the gym, and we enjoyed the sumptuous meals although they were pretty challenging for vegans. Most of the diet on ships is based on meat, fat, and sugar and poisoned with salt.

Our previous cruise was with Holland America, and this time we tried out Royal Caribbean. Although most of the cruise lines and ships are pretty similar, we found some differences, mainly in the menu and the quality of the entertainment programme. The bigger the ship, the more variety and entertainment there is, but on the other hand, service is usually more personal and attentive in small ships. In most of the cases, you can't really go wrong whatever you choose. Happy cruising!