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With air travel to and from most parts of Europe grounded for the past week by a cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland, thousands of stranded passengers have been wondering how they’ll get home. And in somewhat of a “Back to the Future” twist, some are discovering that a leisurely cruise across the Atlantic may once again be “the only way to cross.”

Of course, crossing the pond by boat was the only way to travel between Europe and North America for hundreds of years until commercial plane travel arrived in the 1940s. In addition, travel by cruise ship had been growing in popularity since 1867 when Mark Twain chronicled his six month-adventure at sea in his wonderful book Innocents Abroad.

Despite the romantic image of sailing, facilities aboard passenger ships were pretty rudimentary until the early 20th century. However, with the growing need to transport immigrants to America and advancements in technology, shipyards were able to build bigger and better vessels that minimized the discomfort of an ocean voyage and provided more public space.

Not long after, cruise lines began to attract more wealthy tourists and businessmen by offering better accommodations, more elegant dining, and onboard activities at sea. As a result, passenger service grew dramatically and shipping companies from England, Germany, France, Holland, Italy and Sweden began to build better and grander ships to compete for this growing business. In fact, by the mid 1950s Cunard Line alone was operating up to 12 ships year-round on the trans-Atlantic route. 

However, when jet travel was introduced in 1958, it wasn’t long before passengers abandoned ships in favour of a much faster crossing by plane (eight hours versus five days). This situation led to the collapse of cruising as a means of transportation from point to point, and eventually its reinvention as a form of floating vacation to exotic destinations. 

Of course, that was before the cloud of volcanic ash arrived over Europe last Wednesday and began to shut down most of the continent’s airports. As a result, some stranded passengers looking for a way back home have rediscovered that cruise ships still cross the Atlantic, albeit in much smaller numbers than they once did during the Golden Age of Cruising.

For example, Cunard still offers regularly scheduled crossings, with weekly sailings between New York and Southampton on the Queen Mary 2 each week from April through November. And most major lines offer trans-Atlantic cruises each spring and fall as they reposition ships between European and American markets.

These trans-Atlantic cruises, which are sometimes difficult to sell, are suddenly filling up at with travelers seeking a reliable way home. In fact, the Queen Mary 2 sailing from Southampton to New York departing April 22 is already oversold with a waiting list of more than 500 people. And similar crossings from Florida with other cruise lines are also filling up quickly.

But while news of fully booked ships crossing the Atlantic may seem like we’ve gone back to the future, no one is expecting it to continue once air travel returns to normal. However, some of these reluctant cruisers may soon discover that in this age of long security lines at airports, unreliable schedules, and extra fees for checked luggage, a leisurely voyage across the Atlantic may still be the only way to cross.

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