cruise suggestions

[steuben]

The other night the missus said to me, "Steubie." I'm going to note here that she was using that purring modulation in her voice that women either know instinctively or learn from cats. "Steubie, in that cruise spreadsheet of yours do you have any shore excursions listed for star gazing. You know the kids would like it."

Now I know that if the ship leaves from, or arrives at, LA, Galveston, or Orlando, I have JPL, JSC, and KSC, respectively. But, does anybody have any experience with star gazing on the ship itself either ad-hoc or cruise activity.  I know those things are pretty lit up, so it might not be much better than looking up from dense suburbia.

My google-fu is only turning up that 30 sec Princess spot, a set of avoid this one cruise/line reviews, and a very general how-to.

 

[Green Baron]

I have never been on a cruising ship, but i did and sometimes still do some sailing on the ocean and here (Canaries) cruising ships are abundant if not overwhelming when 3 of them spit out 10.000 people into a 12.000 inhabitants "city". While it is completely dark on deck of a sailing boat and the ocean sky can be very nice in a moonless night (except from reflections of the navigation lights) viewing stars is difficult even with the 7*50 goggles because of the movement. Well, in the Med or Caribbean it might be quieter than on the Atlantic and the cruisers have a lot of inertia and stabilizers and all that ...

As you feared, one sees a cruising ship from afar shining like a christmas tree, it is even difficult to make out its navigation lights among all the glitter. So i'd assume that star gazing and cruising are incompatible.

How about booking an Atlantic crossing on a freighter ? Quite a few offer cabins. Take some books with you, table top games, etc. If you are allowed on deck or even on the bridge at night, away from the lights ... just a random thought of mine ... maybe even cheaper for a whole family than a cruise. But entertainment is up to you then :-)

Or do a private sailing boat trip and ask the skipper to take you to the dark and quiet places. There is a huge market for that. Only, it is different (some would say "opposing") from a cruise ... but surely a nice experience.

Just proposing :-)

 

Edit, actually i find a lot of star cruises, seems to be a market:

https://www.seafarercruises.com/news/cruise-guides/8468060/stargazing-on-a-cruise/

https://www.space.com/30953-science-cruises-offer-pristine-cosmic-views.html

https://www.bostonharborcruises.com/harbor-cruises/sea-the-stars-cruise/

and many more

Edited September 25, 2018 by Green Baron

[p1t1o]

2 hours ago, Green Baron said:

How about booking an Atlantic crossing on a freighter ?

Im not sure how comfortable or glamorous it would be but for some reason I reallllly like this idea, if the price was right. And if they could do something to make the entire ocean seem less terrifying.

[TheSaint]

We are cruising acolytes. I've been on a total of three cruises, all on different lines (Holland America, Star Clippers, and Carnival), and we're going on our second cruise all together as a family next fall. (Royal Caribbean out of Galveston. Squee! ).

If you want general information/reviews on cruising, Cruise Critic is the best site I've found.

As for specific star-gazing opportunities, I've never looked into it. On the at-sea nights you're probably going to be about as far from city lights as you can get (depending on your itinerary), but the ship will still have lights up for the folks who are up and about. I did read an article where folks were discussing their favorite things to do on ship, and one of the ladies mentioned that their favorite thing was to go out at night onto the helipad and star gaze. Can't vouch for the veracity of the claim, but it seems like it should be an option, assuming that the helipad isn't a crew-only area.

Edit: Here, found an article on CC that discusses it: 10 Tips for Shipboard Stargazing on a Cruise

Edited September 25, 2018 by TheSaint

[Green Baron]

@p1t1o, go in spring or early summer if you like calm waters on the Atlantic.

Iirc from info i gathered years ago it costs ~double of a cheap flight ticket. Agencies do the paperwork and sell the tickets, eventually you must apply for visas when leaving/entering through a marine port, even between Europe and USA/Canada.

It is not like you're a deckshand, you actually buy a cabin, get meals, may use the crews recreational stuff.

It takes ~5 days from Rotterdam to Newark (plus 1-2 days on either side)

Edited September 25, 2018 by Green Baron

[razark]

7 hours ago, Green Baron said:

As you feared, one sees a cruising ship from afar shining like a christmas tree, it is even difficult to make out its navigation lights among all the glitter. So i'd assume that star gazing and cruising are incompatible.

At the beginning of the month, the family went on an Alaskan cruise.  Dark night, clear day, away from land.  My father and I went up to the highest, darkest spot we could reach on the ship.

 

One star.  Maybe a planet.  It was not really worth the effort.