New York has nearly always been the final destination for European liners that began Transatlantic cruises in 1840. The city has seen ships bring waves of immigrants and scores of millionaires and movie stars. The Big Apple has welcomed the world’s greatest sailing ships, stately icons that symbolized a time of great glamour, elegance and tradition.But the advent of transatlantic jet service in the late 1950s put the oceangoing liners out of business, and transatlantic cruises slowed to a trickle. Though cruise ships still sail into New York’s harbor, Queen Mary 2 is the only one regularly cruising between Europe and America.

The journey between Southampton, a bustling harbor in southern England, and New York takes only six days. Leaving Southampton, quite near where the Mayflower departed in the 1600s for the land that would become America, today’s cruise passengers sail past some of America’s greatest icons when entering New York’s storied harbor — the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan’s towering skyline. Within an hour, they will disembark a few blocks from Times Square, having completed a classic cruise — crossing the Atlantic.

For nostalgia buffs or anyone that longs for the elegance of a bygone era, a transatlantic cruise is an absolute must.

The first addition to the luxury market for quite some time, the Seabourn Odyssey promises to be quite an elegant experience, with accommodations, cuisine and entertainments to suit its upscale target audience.

The 450-guest ship, with 225 ocean-view suites, will summer in the Black and Aegean seas. While you may have missed the maiden voyage, do not despair. The Seabourn Odyssey will experience several firsts in the coming months:

• Maiden Transatlantic is October 31, 10 days, Malaga to Fort Lauderdale

• The maiden Caribbean is November 14, 14 days roundtrip Fort Lauderdale

• And the maiden World Cruise is January 5, 108 days from Fort Lauderdale to Athens

For her first world voyage, Queen Elizabeth will offer a complete 103-day circumnavigation of the globe from her home port of Southampton, crossing the Atlantic en route to New York. U.S. and Canadian guests may choose to join the cruise in New York, Fort Lauderdale or – after the ship transits the Panama Canal – Los Angeles.

From the west coast, Queen Elizabeth will continue her westward journey to the ever-popular city of Sydney, where she will be docked overnight, and then the South Pacific and New Zealand. From there, it’s on to the exotic ports of Asia, including Singapore, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand as well as another overnight stay in Hong Kong. Then the ship sails on to Malaysia and India before calling on Dubai, also an overnight, followed by a visit to Oman for a Suez Canal transit. This will be followed by visits to the wonders and antiquities of Egypt, Greece, Italy and Portugal en-route back to Southampton. From Southampton, North American guests can rendezvous with the Queen Mary 2 and take in a legendary Transatlantic crossing to complete their personal circumnavigation of the globe.

Segment voyages of 12 to 25 days are also available if it seems too difficult spending more than three months living in luxury on a gleaming, new ocean liner. Of course, these segments can also be combined.

In a conference call to Wall Street analysts Carnival Corporation CEO Micky Arison said, “We have started tweaking pricing on a variety of brands.”

Read: Prices are increasing. However, some incredible deals are still to be found.

Despite the global economic slowdown, nearly 20 million people chose to cruise in 2008, a healthy increase of 7.9 percent growth over 2007 that contributed to the five-year growth rate of 6.9 percent, according to reseach by Shippax Information.

The Caribbean continues to be the largest market for cruising, representing one-third of the passengers who cruise. However, the European cruise destinations, particularly the Mediterranean but also the Baltic and Northern Europe, showed some nice growth and may be overtaking the Caribbean.

The economy did have an impact on orders for new ships, which were low at just seven. However, with annual and long-term growth trends such as these, it would seem that the cruise lines are being understandably cautious and will probably place orders for magnificent new ships once the economic picture appears more stable.

Most of us understand that you get what you pay for in life. If, for instance, you find something in the bargain bin, you are not entirely surprised if it doesn’t stand up to hard scrutiny or use. Well, times being what they are, we have had to readjust some of our thinking on the values that are now available in the luxury cruise market. We would never equate a vacation with Regent Seven Seas Cruises with a found item from the bargain bin, but we would say that the incentives that Regent is offering are some of the most attractive we’ve ever seen for a luxury cruise.

Regent, which delivers a superb luxury cruise vacation, is offering 2-for-1 savings on all 2010 cruises with free air and free shore excursions. Regent is also extending spending credits of $1,000 per guest, up to $2,000 per suite, in addition to its extensive menu of complimentary services that eliminate many of the niggling expenses that drive cruise passengers nuts — such as for wine, cocktails, bottled water and soft drinks. All of this adds up to an impressive set of savings that makes a Regent cruise much more affordable; those of us who are in position to buy during these lean times can certainly enjoy some fabulous bargains.

Regent Seven Seas is divesting the Paul Gauguin in January, but its three other ships will continue to deliver the history- and culture-rich itineraries that luxury guests expect. Varying in length from seven-night cruises in favorite areas such as Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean to an around-the-world Grand Voyage of 119 nights, Regent’s 2010 programs continue to offer a diverse collection of luxury cruise options:

Next year’s highlights for the Seven Seas Voyager include:

• A 119-night World Cruise San Diego to Fort Lauderdale from January to May visiting 49 ports in 30 countries. This grand circumnavigation will be Regent’s 10th World Cruise and is available in shorter segments
• A 24-night Grand Crossing from Fort Lauderdale to London via Iceland in May/June
• A full summer of 7 to 15-night sailings to the Baltic, Scandinavia and Russia
• Fall cruising in the Mediterranean with voyages of 10 to 14 nights
• After a 15-night Grand Crossing, cruises to the tropics from Fort Lauderdale
• The Seven Seas Mariner will b busy with some extended itineraries, such as:
• A 65-night Circle South America Grand Voyage roundtrip Fort Lauderdale from January through March, highlighted by visits to Antarctica and the Amazon river. Available in shorter segments
• A 16-night Grand Crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Monte Carlo in late March
• Six months of 7- to 14-night cruises in the Mediterranean from April through October, covering the entire Mediterranean and including special cruises to the Black Sea and Holy Land
• A 75-night Discovery Collection Grand Voyage from Istanbul to Fort Lauderdale from October to December visiting the Holy Land, Egypt, the Arabian Gulf, India, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Available in shorter segments
• And the Seven Seas Navigator features these vacations:
• A series of 7 to 11-night cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America during the winter months from Fort Lauderdale
• A full season of 7-night Alaska cruises between Vancouver and Anchorage from May to September

Titled “Voyages of the Great Explorers,” because it will retrace the major routes of icons such as Marco Polo, Odysseus, Leif Eriksson, Christopher Columbus, James Cook, and Ferdinand Magellan, this epic voyage is a collection of 24 individual itineraries within six themed “chapters” that reflect the exploits of the legendary seafarers. Each distinct voyage, ranging from nine to 18 nights, will offer historical insights into the sea commanders who first made history along the same routes.

The itinerary will touch on 85 UNESCO World Heritage sites while crossing 14 seas and oceans, transiting three canals. There will also be a segment to the famed Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Scotland’s colorful military musical spectacular.<.p>

The all-suite Spirit of Oceanus is a small cruise ship capable of entering harbors, ports and waterways that large-scale cruise ships can’t get close to, which will give the trip an up-close-and-personal look at many of these fascinating places.

Further exploration and access will be enabled by Zodiacs, and included “Ultimate Explorer “ experiences will bring guests even closer to spectacular natural and historical wonders. A hallmark of the Cruise West experience is engaging and thought-provoking presentations aboard every sailing. These cruises will boast renowned guest lecturers, local experts and onboard Exploration Leaders who will expand upon the significance of the cultural and historical highlights as well as the explorers who left their mark.

We suspect that several volumes of memories will be created throughout this amazing trip.

Our ship, Oceania Cruises’ Regatta, pitches and rolls only slightly, rocking us to sleep at night like babes in cradles. It was another story in November when Regatta, en route from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale, encountered the tail end of a hurricane to battle 85 mph gusts and torrential downpours that flooded balconies and left water standing in some staterooms.

Some of the passengers who endured that journey — courageous souls, no less — returned to cross again on our cruise. “We’re just hooked on crossings,” one of them confides to me as we peer out at the ocean from the ship’s stern.

There is something magical about a crossing. “It’s a great way to decompress,” says Jay, a public relations executive from Boca Raton, Florida. Nick, the British casino manager, says a crossing is more of a vacation than a regular cruise. There’s certainly no rush to disembark in ports each day.

“Going ashore today?” I jokingly ask a dining room steward on our sixth day at sea. “Yes,” he replies, “on the lifeboat tour.”

Fortunately, we do not appear to be destined for the Titanic’s fate. Even so, I had been worried that the sea god Neptune would taunt us with giant swells that would toss our ship like a someone juggling a hot potato. Apparently, the crew had been concerned too — airplane-style barf bags are placed in the elevator landings throughout the ship. Thankfully, none were put to use on our crossing. Our sea was serene.

Into The Abyss

On the first full day of our cruise, I watched on my stateroom television as Regatta charted a course between the Berry Islands and Great Abaco in the Bahamas. Alongside Eleuthera, the map showed no land ahead of the ship until Europe. The shading of the ocean changed from light blue to dark blue, and it appeared that we were sailing off the edge of the earth.

The night before, on the upper deck, a few passengers had watched Miami’s receding skyline, and one said aloud what I had been thinking, “Say good-bye to land.”

On the second full day at sea, we enter the Sargasso Sea and in front of it, the ominous-sounding Nares Deep. Just north of us is Bermuda. Should we fear sailing through the Bermuda Triangle, a region of sea reputed to have swallowed ships? Andrew, the assistant dining room manager, has no fear, but he says he once worked with a Bulgarian who removed all his money from his safe and slept with it whenever the ship rounded Cape Horn. Some places are legendary among superstitious sailors.

Later that evening, at a cocktail reception in the Regatta Lounge, our Norwegian captain takes the stage, “I’m a little seasick,” he says to a round of laughter. And then, “we’re crossing the Atlantic to Europe. Well, at least, that is our aim.” More laughter. “The next two days look good,” a moment’s pause, “so enjoy it while you can.”

While he jokes about it, Captain Jahn Rye is confident that we will have good weather. He charted the route to Funchal a week before departure, studying weather patterns and currents. “I try to avoid low pressure systems,” he tells me on the bridge as he points to a chart to show me the storms north of us. “Normally, I like to stay south of the low pressure, because the winds blow counterclockwise around it.” Not only do we avoid the storm, he says, but also the tailwind gives us a push as we’re headed toward Europe.

Soothing Sea

On Deck 9 just past noon, the Regatta Orchestra is performing. Two gentleman dance hosts tap their toes to the rhythm, and one takes to the dance floor with a lady from Montreal. There is a spring in her step as she walks away after the dance, and her mood seems to underscore the collective mood on the ship. Dispersed around the pool deck, everyone appears relaxed, happy and content.

With a capacity of 684, our ship is only half full. There are more crew than passengers. We pass our days leisurely. Some sit with their noses in books from Regatta’s excellent library on Deck 9. A former librarian gushes that the library is one of the best she’s ever seen — land or sea. More than 1,500 volumes were added the week before our sailing. The books are new, the pages crisp.

Other passengers wrap themselves in cashmere blankets or cover themselves with over-sized towels to lounge in teak recliners on pool deck. Some are napping in their staterooms. The restless seek activity: fitness programs, enrichment lectures, cooking demonstrations, ping pong, bingo, arts & crafts, computer classes, movies, games, high tea — and at 5 p.m. today, a champagne tasting in the Martini Bar on Deck 5.

Nearly all activity takes place on Deck 5, and that is one of the attractions of this small ship. On Regatta, you’re never more than a few minutes’ away from one end of the ship to the other. Small on size, Regatta is not small on offerings. The five open-seating dining venues include the Grand Dining Room, Waves Grill and the Terrace Cafe on deck 9, and two speciality restaurants, Polo Grill, a steakhouse, and Toscana, an Italian restaurant, where a polite request will get you a few chunks of aged Parmesan cheese before your meal. While both specialty restaurants require reservations, neither require that you pay an additional dining fee.

Traveling solo, I sat for dinner, frequently, at the Terrace Cafe. Each evening the area was transformed to Tapas on the Terrace. While the selection and quality of food was outstanding (as was all food prepared by Chef Stephane Leday), the real attraction here was the sea and the sunset.

I also dined with others in the Grand Dining Room and learned that my traveling companions were a diverse lot. One man had been on the ship for 42 days straight. A family from San Diego was using the ship to get to Europe, where they planned to tour for eight weeks before returning home on Queen Mary 2. A retired couple from Richmond was doing the same. “We could have flown to Europe for less money,” one of them said, “but this is such a pleasant way to get to Europe.” We would all arrive across the Atlantic without jet lag, as we traversed the half-dozen times zones by moving our clocks ahead one hour on six nights of our cruise.

The World Is Not Flat

Barcelona, Spain, April 3, 6 a.m. — Regatta docks at the Port of Barcelona. Our good captain has achieved his aim (although we never doubted he would miss). Some passengers are staying on board to continue Regatta’s sailing to the Greek Isles.

Nearby our ship, at the end of Barcelona’s most famous street, La Rambla, is a statue commemorating Christopher Columbus’ return to Spain following his crossing of the Atlantic during a time when popular legend held that the world was flat. Sail to the edge, then fall into an abyss inhabited by sea monsters and mythical creatures of lore.

Facing the sea, the explorer points the way for the masses. Many went to the new land. On this bright April morning, nearly 350 of us have returned to the native continent of our forebears, traveling as they did to America: crossing the Atlantic by ship.

Cruising clearly enjoys a strong and devoted following quite capable of recognizing a significant event. Cunard Line says it accepted reservations for all 2,000-plus berths in just 29 minutes on April 1 for the the October 2010 maiden voyage for the new Queen Elizabeth, easily making it the fastest-selling voyage in Cunard’s 170-year history.

The voyage sold out faster and involved more guests than QE2’s final voyage, which sold out in 36 minutes in June 2007. More than half of Queen Elizabeth’s remaining maiden season, comprising six voyages from October to December 2010, was sold within the first two hours.

Queen Elizabeth’s maiden 2010 season will consist of six voyages calling on 32 ports in 18 countries. The maiden voyage will depart from Southampton on Oct. 12, 2010, en route to the Atlantic Isles. The ship will then embark on five celebratory inaugural voyages, for which space is still available but selling fast.

Cunard Line is the only cruise line that still offers regularly scheduled transatlantic cruises. Have you crossed the Atlantic by ship?

Yearning to turn back the clock to the Golden Age of Cruising? Turn it back on a transatlantic cruise.

It is a misty morning in May. Passengers cluster on the outside decks of the Queen Mary 2. Some sip cups of coffee; some stand clutching cameras; some just stand in awe. It is a memorable moment: They are coming to America by ship.

Six days earlier they left Southampton, a bustling harbor in southern England. Today, they will float past some of America’s greatest icons – the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Manhattan’s towering skyline. Within an hour, they will disembark a few blocks from Times Square, having completed a classic cruise – crossing the Atlantic.

New York has nearly always been the final destination for European liners that began traversing the Atlantic in 1840. The city has seen ships bring waves of immigrants and scores of millionaires and movie stars.

As a boy growing up opposite the busy Manhattan piers in the 1950s, Bill Miller witnessed the almost daily parade of great ocean liners coming from, and going to, Europe. He plotted his weekends by consulting shipping schedules published in the New York Times and other local newspapers. “On Saturdays, five or six of these grand ships would come down the Hudson River in succession,” he recalls. “It was fabulous, not only the sight of these beautiful floating palaces but the fact that they were going to these romantic, faraway places.”

It was the notion of grand ships sailing to distant lands that caused Miller to embark on a lifelong vocation as a cruise historian. He fell in love with ships and shipping. Today, he is a noted authority, lecturing at sea and on television. He has written a series of books and has interviewed countless crew and passengers who sailed the great ocean liners of the past.

One of his favorite stories involves three ladies by the names of Smith, Jones and McBeth. During the 1940s and 50s, they cruised for extended periods of time on Cunard Line’s Caronia. Smith and Jones cruised for two or three years at a time, which you may consider remarkable, until you consider McBeth’s extended cruise.

She was “the all-time champ,” Miller says. She boarded the Caronia one day and sailed for 14 years before getting off for good. In today’s dollars, she would have spent roughly $4 million in cruise fares. “And she had the dubious distinction,” Miller adds, “of being the only passenger where the captain actually came down once a week to see her, as opposed to her being called up to his place for drinks.”

It was a grand era indeed, when folks like the Windsors, the Churchills, movie actors and actresses – almost all of high society – cruised back and forth between Europe and America. It was easy to imagine the era would never end.

But from the banks of the Hudson, Miller witnessed the end. The advent of transatlantic jet service in the late 1950s put the oceangoing liners out of business. Though cruise ships still sail into New York’s harbor, Queen Mary 2 is the only one regularly cruising between Europe and America. And grand ships like the Caronia are long gone.

For avid cruisers, however, boarding any ship evokes a sense of nostalgia. “It’s all a connection back to the days of the sailing ships, to the early liners, the immigrants, the millionaires, the movie stars, the whole history of cruising,” Miller says. “It’s a tremendous sense of history, a rich, rich heritage.”

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No-Jetlag Journey: On transtlantic cruises, you lose an hour a night cruising eastbound from New York and gain an hour a night cruising westbound from Southampton, which makes for a smooth transition for such a long trip.

Trans-Atantlic Tip: Meet The Duke
Got an hour to spare before boarding Queen Mary 2 in Southampton, England? Walk several blocks from the cruise ship terminal to the Duke of Wellington pub.

We did, and what we found in the 15th-century pub located at 36 Bugle Street was a convivial maritime setting, stone fireplaces with logs blazing and a row of cask ales to accompany the menu of traditional English fare: Fish and Chips, Ploughman’s Lunch, and Bangers and Mash.

Sailors and “cruise” passengers from earlier times may well have stopped here for fortification. In 1620, more than a century after the pub opened, another ship set sail from the foot of Bugle Street. Its name: the Mayflower.

See our Transatlantic cruise specials here