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Transatlantic Alternatives
Roger Alderson October 21, 2019, London It seems like a simple question; to be more environmentally considerate is it possible to travel to Florida from the UK by boat rather than airplane? After some research, I can say that the answer is, yes … it is possible.
The easiest way is to book a cruise on a UK-Florida route. Prices vary dependent on time of year, but the lowest cost cabin (lower deck, inside, with 2-people sharing) is typically advertised as £550-£700 ($700-$900) per person for a 10-14 day cruise. |
Photo by Shaah Shahidh
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I use the expression “advertised as” because that’s the ‘all-inclusive’ price … but it isn’t really ‘all-inclusive’ and there are additional costs that you need to consider. Dining service charges are common and come in at around £10-£15 per day. There are also a variety of port fees and taxes that are not always included in the up-front price and these can add up to another £100 ($130) or more over the duration of a cruise. If you want WiFi, expect to pay another £100-£200 ($130-$250) during the length of the voyage. So a good estimate for the total cost of a budget cruise UK-Florida will be £1,000-£1,200 ($1,300-$1,550). For an upper cabin, with a view, those prices will be a lot higher.
So what about a more basic transatlantic crossing on a 21st century packet steamer? That’s got to be less expensive, right? Wrong! The first problem is that they don’t really exist anymore. There is only one boat that operates as a transportation vessel across the Atlantic, the Queen Mary II. It’s a super-luxurious mode of transport and the cost reflects that. It’s advertised as starting from £899 ($1,170) one way, but by the time you add in extras such as dining service charge, drinks (which aren’t included in the all-inclusive price) and occasional WiFi (which is eye-wateringly expensive), you won’t have much change out of £1,000 ($1,300) and a more realistic estimate will be £1,200 ($1,550). So, roughly the same price as a cruise but only reaching as far as NYC and not all the way down to Florida.
Of course there’s another option that’s REALLY creative – sea freighter. Plain, no frills transportation. That’s GOT to be lower cost. Unfortunately, no, and also less convenient. There are only a few freighter companies that take private passengers (such as the Grimaldi Line, The Bergen Line, RMS St. Helena and Hamburg Sud) and their schedules are restricted since cargo is the priority rather than passenger comfort and/or convenience. In terms of costs, €100-€200 ($130-$250) per day is a reasonable estimate and UK to Florida (Miami usually) takes roughly 14 days with stops in a few ports along the way. So, the total cost would likely come in at £1,200-£1,600 ($1,550-$2,050).
So, it IS possible to get from the UK to Florida by boat, but the costs are two to four times higher than the price of flying.
Still, the experience needs to be factored into the equation. Travelling by ship across the Atlantic has to be a wonderful experience and arrival into the US by boat can’t possibly be as bad as arrival by air. Plus, it’ll be a more environmentally responsible form of transport right? Sorry, wrong again. In fact, this is where the whole concept really goes up in smoke.
To illustrate the point, the QM2 get around 45 passenger miles per gallon at cruising speed. At full speed this drops to 20.5 passenger miles per gallon. By contrast, an Airbus A380 gets 74 passenger miles per gallon, and a Boeing 737 Max8 gets 110 miles passenger miles per gallon. In terms of CO2, the 2019 BEIS/Defra Greenhouse Gas Conversions report estimates that a long-haul flight burns 102g of CO2 per passenger kilometre. By contrast, Carnival Cruise Lines estimates that its ships emit an average of 251g of CO2 per available lower berth kilometre (which is roughly comparable to passenger kilometres). So, more than twice as much. And there are other environmental factors to consider with cruise liners too such as sewage treatment, food waste and general water pollution. The 2019 Friends of the Earth ‘Cruise Report Card’ makes for sober reading. A significant number of well-known cruise lines received an overall ‘F’ grade and seven were noted as subject to criminal proceedings due to environmental violations.
So, as terrible as it is, travelling to the US by air appears to be the least worst option.
Further Reading:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-mr-green/which-better-for-environment-flying-or-sailing
https://foe.org/cruise-report-card/
So what about a more basic transatlantic crossing on a 21st century packet steamer? That’s got to be less expensive, right? Wrong! The first problem is that they don’t really exist anymore. There is only one boat that operates as a transportation vessel across the Atlantic, the Queen Mary II. It’s a super-luxurious mode of transport and the cost reflects that. It’s advertised as starting from £899 ($1,170) one way, but by the time you add in extras such as dining service charge, drinks (which aren’t included in the all-inclusive price) and occasional WiFi (which is eye-wateringly expensive), you won’t have much change out of £1,000 ($1,300) and a more realistic estimate will be £1,200 ($1,550). So, roughly the same price as a cruise but only reaching as far as NYC and not all the way down to Florida.
Of course there’s another option that’s REALLY creative – sea freighter. Plain, no frills transportation. That’s GOT to be lower cost. Unfortunately, no, and also less convenient. There are only a few freighter companies that take private passengers (such as the Grimaldi Line, The Bergen Line, RMS St. Helena and Hamburg Sud) and their schedules are restricted since cargo is the priority rather than passenger comfort and/or convenience. In terms of costs, €100-€200 ($130-$250) per day is a reasonable estimate and UK to Florida (Miami usually) takes roughly 14 days with stops in a few ports along the way. So, the total cost would likely come in at £1,200-£1,600 ($1,550-$2,050).
So, it IS possible to get from the UK to Florida by boat, but the costs are two to four times higher than the price of flying.
Still, the experience needs to be factored into the equation. Travelling by ship across the Atlantic has to be a wonderful experience and arrival into the US by boat can’t possibly be as bad as arrival by air. Plus, it’ll be a more environmentally responsible form of transport right? Sorry, wrong again. In fact, this is where the whole concept really goes up in smoke.
To illustrate the point, the QM2 get around 45 passenger miles per gallon at cruising speed. At full speed this drops to 20.5 passenger miles per gallon. By contrast, an Airbus A380 gets 74 passenger miles per gallon, and a Boeing 737 Max8 gets 110 miles passenger miles per gallon. In terms of CO2, the 2019 BEIS/Defra Greenhouse Gas Conversions report estimates that a long-haul flight burns 102g of CO2 per passenger kilometre. By contrast, Carnival Cruise Lines estimates that its ships emit an average of 251g of CO2 per available lower berth kilometre (which is roughly comparable to passenger kilometres). So, more than twice as much. And there are other environmental factors to consider with cruise liners too such as sewage treatment, food waste and general water pollution. The 2019 Friends of the Earth ‘Cruise Report Card’ makes for sober reading. A significant number of well-known cruise lines received an overall ‘F’ grade and seven were noted as subject to criminal proceedings due to environmental violations.
So, as terrible as it is, travelling to the US by air appears to be the least worst option.
Further Reading:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49349566
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/ask-mr-green/which-better-for-environment-flying-or-sailing
https://foe.org/cruise-report-card/
