LA to London - tips for Emma Thompson

[mad_rich]

Like many people, I've been flying less over the last couple of years. My tips for (would-be) flyers in general:

Fly less
Choose efficient aircraft and efficient carriers
Avoid short-haul
Fly less
Take direct flights
And, er, fly less

I looked into carbon offsetting and was surprised how cheap it is, with most places charging ~£7.50/ tonne. Or 93p for London-Geneva. I have no idea how genuine or effective any of the commercially-operated/ promoted schemes are; you might consider an investment in (or donation to) green technology instead. Obviously not taking the flight is better - prevention is better than cure - but it seems a good first step. I think expecting people to be perfect overnight is unrealistic and unnecessary.

Easyjet have announced plans to fly an electric plane commercially by 2030. 500km range, so only small steps, and I'd expect that date to slip, but promising!

No idea what the carbon emissions of the QM@ are. Probably not good!

 

[Ian99]

Most of the European Cruise Lines seem to send their ships to US / Caribbean towards the back end of the year. My daughter works on a cruise ship and after a couple of weeks in the Med they sailed across the Atlantic for the Caribbean summer in November last year. When I checked the company Website I was surprised that you could sail from Genoa to Barbados for around £300 one way........

Any chance of a link to the website please?

 

[parkender102]

Any chance of a link to the website please?

She is working on the Costa Magica - Costa Cruises are an Italian Cruise Line. The Fare quoted was US$ 399 - just over £300. Check both UK and US Websites regularly and the Transatlantic Crosings will show up.

https://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/Pages/Default.aspx

Looks like the tranatlantic sailing will be early December - starts in Savona then Marseille then Malaga followed by:



Currently showing at £449.00 for 13 Days - likely to drop nearer the time. Both times we've been on this ship we purchased a drinks Package (Alcoholic) and Cabin was upgraded both times from Inside Cabin to Outside Cabin.

 

[parkender102]

 

[Ian99]

Thanks very much! If only there were better ferry connections from Guadeloupe to the rest of the Caribbean...

 

[godfreycomplex]

Get the Southwest Chief to Chicago, wait around for a phone call telling her where the Polsteam tramp steamer (which still takes paying passengers) is going from and to and go from there.
That’s how I’d do it, but then again I’m not an international star married to Greg Wise. Yet.

Alternative advice would be to sack off England altogether because it’s such a dive but there we are

 

[pieguyrob]

You’re not really selling it to me M7.
I was picturing a nice comfortable trip for Mrs C and I, me wearing a hat at rakish angle, and us sitting at the captains table taking champagne in opulent surroundings whilst the ship dodged its way around a few jolly old icebergs...

Maersk Line are dry ships, ie, no alcohol. They have been since 2004, due to a stabbing and other alcohol related incidents. Their ships certainly aren't opulent. They do have space for one or two passengers, so long as the total number of people on board does not exceed the capacity of life boat under SOLAS regulations.

 

[parkender102]

Thanks very much! If only there were better ferry connections from Guadeloupe to the rest of the Caribbean...

I used the Express Des Iles Ferry from St Lucia to Dominica and same again Dominica to Guadeloupe - although not Daily they are pretty much every other day St Lucia - Martinique - Dominica - Guadeloupe and the return route also. I know the ferries are pretty fragmented in the Caribbean but the flights inter island aren't that much more expensive than the ferry (I flew back from Guadeloupe to St Lucia at the end of the trip to pick up the Virgin Atlantic flight back to Gatwick as I didn't fancy spending 9 hours on the ferry). Between each Island it's only around 2 Hours and very comfortable - 300 seat Catamarans with Toilet, TV, Shop etc). You can book online here which is what I did although it's easy enough to book your ticket the day before at the port but I wouldn't leave it to the actual day of travel as it can be a bit hectic.

https://www.express-des-iles.fr/

If you are adventurous or have time you can catch a ride with a yacht heading in the right direction. I stayed in St Francois in Guadeloupe and got chatting to a young French guy who had hitch hiked from France to West Africa and then hitched a lift on a yacht to Cape Verde Islands and then another yacht to the Caribbean. He was intending to hitch another lift on a yacht to Central / South America and head down to Chile / Argentina etc.

 

[JonathanP]

According to this article crossing the Atlantic on the QM2 actually produces far more carbon emissions than on an airliner.

Now, the QM2 is admittedly a special case - it's a true ocean liner, much more heavily built than a cruise liner, and it has more powerful engines so it can travel faster. An ordinary cruise ship would be more efficent - but enough to be better than a airliner?

I suspect the only thing that would beat an arliner would be a container ship, or a hypothetical ferry-style vessel designed to carry the maximum number of passengers possible.

 

[parkender102]

Thanks very much! If only there were better ferry connections from Guadeloupe to the rest of the Caribbean...

There is a pretty comprehensive list of Inter Island Caribbean Ferries here:

https://www.travellerspoint.com/guide/Caribbean_ferries/

 

[Bald Rick]

According to this article crossing the Atlantic on the QM2 actually produces far more carbon emissions than on an airliner.

Which makes complete sense. Pushing 150,000 tonnes of metal, with a large cross section, through water, for a week, must use more energy than pushing 4 x 500 tonnes of a (relatively) narrow tube through thin air for 8 hours.

 

[Ediswan]

Liners do not do well for 'per passenger per km' energy consumption. See the graph on p128 here https://www.withouthotair.com/download.html. QEII is much the same as helicopter or small jet. 'Passenger' is important, crew are treated as a cost. Boeing 747 is better than a car with one occupant. Trains are good.