I am searching for an ocean journey from, the East coast U.S., that will take me to the U.K., (I think Southhampton Harbour?) I want to find an economy voyage. I want to be able to have the credit of a "buy-your-own-food", class of ticketing. My great bargain in life has been the lack of a hearty appetite and cruises are known for an all you can eat, cost inclusion!

Cruise ships don't do transatlantic - except twice a year when the reposition from Med to Carib or vice versa. So your time window is very limited.

There are freighters that will take a limited number of passengers if you're determined to sail this route on a budget.

Yup, I think nytraveler is correct: freighters are probably your only option short of getting hired to work on a cruise ship.

There's no "economy" transatlantic sea route.

Freighters charge roughly the same as business class on planes. They also pick up and drop in outlandish places (Savannah to Felixstowe, for example) - and rarely in outlandish places with metros into city centres. Just getting from the containerport to the nearest one-horse town will cost about the same as a transatlantic cheapo flight.

Google 'freighter travel' and marvel at what they charge. If you want to travel by sea, look for deals being offered by conventional scheduled boats at odd times of the year. But boats are practically always always a great deal pricier than planes.

Cunard do it. It's not cheap

Whether it's a cruise ship or a cargo ship, meals and a cabin will be included in the fare. There is no cheap option.

"Cruise ships don't do transatlantic - except twice a year when the reposition from Med to Carib or vice versa."

Eh ? The Queen Mary 2 alone is making 6 return trips between April and August this year.

Repositioning trips can be cheaper, though - but still by no means an economy option.

Sheila, do you mean Cunard do a 'bring your own food' option ??

Boats do not cross, ships do. Ship >45 feet. Boats< 45 feet.

Freighter travel typically averages around US$100 - $150 per person per day, which includes transport, food, and accommodation. See http://www.freighterworld.com/places/greateur.html for example.

Inside cabin passage on the QM2 from New York to Southampton can be had for around $750 (6 days) on some sailings; I can see Florida - London on NCL for under $500 for a sailing in April. Unfortunately, if traveling alone one needs to double (or at least increase by 60%) the cruise fare, as the lines only sell cabins for 2 or more pax. The freighter cruise people usually have single cabins.

At $500 - $700 that's competitive with one-way airfare, but of course you're getting a hotel and meals for a week (11 days on the NCL boat.) I dare you to match that price using other modes for the same period.

Don't want to overeat? Okay, don't.

I have a friend who's mother simply will not fly. She lives in the states and does come over on freighters a couple of times a year. She pays many thousands of dollars for the voyage.

The meals are included and are served with the Captain.

She usually ends up in Southampton (Milton) or Tilbury. There's glamourous.

I think Gardyloo is closer to the mark about the costs and the comparisons, and my recollection is that there are freighters that carry passengers across the Atlantic that leave from Bayonne, New Jersey. I'm not sure, however.

Prices here don't look bad to me, and cheaper than cruise ships:

http://freightercruises.com/

Having been on both freighter cruises and conventional ones, as well as a TATL crossing on the QM2 - an <i>ocean liner</i> as opposed to cruise ship (since we're being pedantic on terminology) I can say that comparisons tend to be of the apples and oranges variety.

The cruise ships are basically floating resort hotels where food, booze, shore excursions and shipboard activities are the central theme and purpose, all passenger-centric. The freighters are working ships who tolerate pax as relatively profitable (self-loading) cargo, but nobody goes out of their way to insure that pax are coddled or that there are constant activities for them. Instead, you spend your days reading, staring at the ocean, watching videos, walking around the decks, or maybe visiting the engine room or bridge (only with permission.) No midnight buffets or babes wearing feathers in the grand theater. As a tourist experience the cruise ships are more mainstream; the freighter will give you a fascinating glimpse into the world of international shipping and commerce.

Freighters are generally less punctual than cruise ships, and their routes can change with little or no warning. We left Auckland thinking we were going to LA; we diverted halfway across the Pacific and ended up going into SF instead. You must be flexible as to your time if you want to travel by freighter. The freighters are slower, too, so more days are needed to get from A to B anyway.

I meant Cunard crossed the Atlantic.

I have to say that I looked up &quot;liner&quot; Gardy, but Cunard's own site calls them &quot;cruises&quot;

<i>I have to say that I looked up &quot;liner&quot; Gardy, but Cunard's own site calls them &quot;cruises&quot;</i>

Sadly, since acquisition by Carnival Cunard has slipped. When we were on the QM2, however, everyone was quick to use the &quot;liner&quot; term.