Cruises from New York City to Transatlantic

Which lines sail from New York City to Transatlantic?

• Cunard Line
  Elegant and classic, with a British accent; afternoon tea, ballroom dancing and black-tie evenings at sea.
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  Flexible and lively, with a Las Vegas-meets-resort feel; dinner whenever you want, in whatever you packed.
• Princess Cruises
  Relaxed, welcoming and dependable; a comfortable middle ground between mass-market buzz and premium polish.
• Virgin Voyages
  Adults-only and boutique-hotel cool, with a playful, sometimes cheeky edge and a late-night social scene.

When to go

1. January: Few or no cruises, average high 64 degrees F Jan 64°55°
2. February: Few or no cruises, average high 63 degrees F Feb 63°54°
3. March: Shoulder season, average high 64 degrees F Mar 64°55°
4. April: Best time, average high 66 degrees F Apr 66°56°
5. May: Best time, average high 68 degrees F May 68°58°
6. June: Shoulder season, average high 72 degrees F Jun 72°62°
7. July: Shoulder season, average high 76 degrees F Jul 76°66°
8. August: Shoulder season, average high 79 degrees F Aug 79°68°
9. September: Best time, average high 77 degrees F Sep 77°66°
10. October: Best time, average high 73 degrees F Oct 73°63°
11. November: Shoulder season, average high 68 degrees F Nov 68°59°
12. December: Cruises run, average high 65 degrees F Dec 65°56°

• Best time
• Shoulder season
• Cruises run
• Few or none

Temperatures in Fahrenheit, long-term averages. Climate source.

Repositioning crossings cluster in spring (March to May, eastbound) and fall (October to December, westbound). Queen Mary 2 sails scheduled New York to Southampton crossings for much of the year. Southern routes in fall overlap with the end of the Atlantic hurricane season.

The North Atlantic can be rough, especially in spring and late fall, with swells that can last for days. Fall westbound routes from Europe to Florida may need to steer around late-season hurricanes (the Atlantic season runs to November 30). Northern routes via Iceland and Greenland run only in summer and can be affected by fog and ice.

Where you'll stop

Itineraries vary by line and length. These are the ports Transatlantic cruises most often visit:

• Southampton, United Kingdom: The European terminus for Queen Mary 2 crossings and many repositioning cruises.
• Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal: Volcanic crater lakes, hot springs and tea plantations mid-Atlantic.
• Funchal, Madeira, Portugal: Gardens, Madeira wine, levada walks and a cable car above the harbor.
• Lisbon, Portugal: A common start or end port, with Alfama, Belem and riverfront terminals.
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain: Mount Teide National Park and year-round mild weather.
• Barcelona, Spain: A frequent end port for spring crossings from Florida.

Before you sail from New York City

Manhattan: take the A, B, C, D or 1 train to 59th Street-Columbus Circle and walk west to 12th Avenue, or take the M57 or M31 bus. Drivers and taxis must approach from the north at 55th Street and 12th Avenue. Brooklyn: the terminal is served by the B61 bus and by NYC Ferry's South Brooklyn route, and taxis and rideshares can drop off at the curb. JFK is usually the easier airport for Brooklyn; LaGuardia is closest to Manhattan.

At the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, cruise parking is on the terminal rooftop, run by ProPark and bookable through the cruise.nyc website. It is credit card only (no cash), opens at 8 a.m., and has a height limit for passenger vehicles. The Brooklyn Cruise Terminal has on-site parking and dedicated bus stalls. In both cases, parking costs more than at most U.S. cruise ports, so transit or a car service is often the better value.

• Check which terminal you are sailing from; Manhattan and Brooklyn are about 7 miles apart and a wrong guess costs real time.
• Approach the Manhattan terminal from the north at 55th Street; vehicles cannot enter from the south.
• Book a window seat on sailaway: the route down the Hudson past the Statue of Liberty is one of the best departures anywhere.
• Pack layers. Even summer Bermuda cruises can be cool and windy on the first and last days.

Documents: A transatlantic cruise is one-way and starts or ends abroad, so you need a valid passport book. US citizens can visit the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen Area and should have been issued within the last 10 years, and cruise lines often want six months of validity. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES), which records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a facial image at the external border, started on October 12, 2025 and has been fully operational since April 10, 2026, so expect a biometric registration the first time you enter; how it is handled for cruise passengers varies by port. ETIAS, the separate online travel authorization for visa-free visitors, was not in operation as of October 2026: the late-2026 target was dropped, no new start date has been confirmed (reports point to 2027), and the EU says it will announce the date several months in advance. You cannot apply yet, and any website charging for ETIAS today is not official. The United Kingdom requires US citizens to get an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before traveling, including babies and children. As of October 2026 it costs £20, is applied for through the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK, and allows visits of up to six months. Plan on needing one if your cruise starts, ends or calls in the UK, and confirm with your line. Bermuda, the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands are common stops; the Portuguese and Spanish islands follow Schengen rules. A passport book is required for all of these cruises. Rules change, so check current requirements with the State Department and your cruise line before you travel.

More detail: our full New York City cruise port guide and our Transatlantic cruise guide.

Related routes

Also from New York City: Bermuda, Canada & New England, Bahamas, Caribbean.

Transatlantic from other ports: Fort Lauderdale.