ftg:
Note that as far as getting from point A to point B, cruise ships, especially the above, are not exactly cheap. So the price of freighter passage should be compared to those.
I didn’t find the price of an equivalent travel on a cruise ship.
And anyway, cruise ships offer a lot of services that are absent on freighters. So, I’m not sure it’s fair to make a comparison.
Bremerhaven - USA east coast
Roundtrip on a container vessel of a German shipping line runs between Bremerhaven and the USA east coast. Partlegs to/from New York possible .
Route
Bremerhaven, Le Havre, New York, Norfolk, Savannah, Charleston, New York, Antwerpen, Rotterdam, Bremerhaven
Prices:
Total price from : 3560 €
Price per day from : 101 €
Travel duration: 35 Day(s)
http://www.hamburgsued-frachtschiffreisen.de/hsr/en/freightertravel/travelareas/usacaribbeancentralamerica_1/usacaribbeanresult_66.jsp
Bremerhaven is a German port where countless immigrants from Germany and other European countries began their journey to America.
Lord_Feldon:
The latter isn’t possible today. The intercontinental ocean liners were totally gone by the mid-70s as they were unable to compete with air travel (with the exception of the QE2, which was successfully marketed as a luxury product, more like a cruise, rather than a transportation service).
So I suppose Cunard isn’t letting people go from NY to Southhampton or back … in serious luxury.
I once took Turkish Maritime Lines from Venice to Izmir, Turkey. I don’t remember just how long it took, but it seems like it was 2 or 3 days at sea. It was actually a ferry, as I was bringing my car with me. That was back in 1996.
I know of a ship doing a trans-Atlantic trip this fall. I wouldn’t call it fast. Or luxurious. Or cheap. But it is possible.