Mediterranean -- Sea sick??

I'd like to send my parents on a cruise of the Mediterannean for their 50th. My mom had a very bad experience in the Panama Canal where she and many others got sea sick. Can anyone fill us in?

Of course the Mediterranean isn't THAT calm, but it is compared to the Carribean. My wife took patches with her and had bonine, but didn't need either. Of course there can be storms with rough water, but that can be true anywhere.

Sam

On a recent trip to the Med.(June 06) it was so rough that the Ital. gov't closed the port of Florence on us and we had to go elsewhere.Other than that the seas were a mere 2-4 feet and not rough at all.

But then...........how can one forecast ??????????????

CIAO,

We were there last month - the beginning of September. It was so calm every day I never even knew I was on a ship. We started in Rome - went to Monte Carlo and then down the Italian coast to Greece - 5 Greek Islands and then finished in Venice. I tend to get seasick and had brought Bonine with me from home. I never opened the box.

Maybe it depends on the time of the year????

Good luck

Lynn

I guess it just depends? On our 12 day cruise, we had one day of bad weather. On our way from Rome to Villefranche, the waiter noticed that our table and the neighboring tables were feeling the effects of the motion of the ocean. It wasn't that bad, but after 10 days of previously smooth sailing, it was just a surprise. The waiter did warn us that the trip from Villefranche back to Barcelona the following day, was generally the worst sea conditions wise and to be prepared.

Sure enough the next afternoon after we left Villefranche the weather was rough and there were lots of white caps. About 2 hours after we left Villefranche the captain came over the loudspeaker and told us that they woudl do their best to make the conditions as calm as possible, but that he was asking that we all stay out of the outside decks as the winds were up to 90 knots. So for the rest of the evening the doors leading to the outer decks were closed off. The weather was rough, but since we were prepared and had been warned by the waitstaff the night before, we were all ok.

We recently sailed the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean. The Atlantic was violently rough (12 to 15 foot swells) in fair weather. When we got into the Med, I had to look over the side of the ship to be sure we were moving. It was that smooth. We've cruised the Med three different times and each time it was calm. Have to keep your fingers crossed, though.

We just got back, sailed out of barcleona. The water was very calm. Like KnoxvilleSam said it was more like a lake. Did hit a bit of a storm overnight on thursday but it didn't last too long. Never know when your going to get a storm but it seems like the odds of smooth sailing are pretty good in the mediterranean.

dj

We went in mid September last year and had calm waters the whole 12 days.

We left Athens on Sept 28, went past Istanbul into the Black Sea with several port stops there, then back to Istanbul, Rhodes, all the way down to Alexandria, back up to Dubrovnik and finally Venice on Oct 10. We sometimes wondered if we were even on a ship. I would definitely recommend a Med cruise for your parents. Maybe we were just lucky or the Fall is the best time for this itinerary.

nascar, florence is 100 miles inland, there is no port of florence.

anyway, with todays modern ships as the other posters said you usually need to look over the side to make sure the ship is actually moving. we are doing an atlantic crossing in december coming up. now that one we might feel the 25 ft waves!

We did the Med in Sept - it was like glass for most days except the last day at sea on way to Barcelona and it was very rough. Besides the rain and lightening storm. We do not get sea sick but a lot on board were sick.

Here is a picture of the calm seas.

Francine

We were on a Med. cruise Aug. 30th to Sept. 11th, Venice to Barcelona. The Med. sea was very smooth and we only felt some motion once or twice, and it didn't last very long, at least, we didn't notice it for very long-too busy having fun! It was sunny every day, in the 70s and 80s, just the way we like it. We didn't take anything for motion sickness, nor did we need it. Appears Sept. may be a good time for a smooth Med. cruise and we're sure your parents will enjoy it! :)

My mom had a very bad experience in the Panama Canal where she and many others got sea sick.

What?

My wife gets seasick very easily and for our 6 Carribean cruises always wore the patch. We have cruised 6 times on the Med and the only time she needed a patch was twice leaving the port of Livorno (the entrance port to get to Florence) which is known for its rough seas late in the day. Other than Livorno we have never had a problem cruising in the Med and we have been everywhere from the southern coast of Spain to Turkey. The Med in general has very calm waters but that is true particularly in the summer months along with late spring and early fall. The rest of the year especially during the rainy months of Jan-March the Med is much worse than the Carribean but then again you will be hard pressed to find a cruise catering to Americans at that time of the year.

My advice would be to go when the weather is at its driest which would be in the summer months. As far as the size of the modern cruise ships they are no match for rough seas unless you are talking about the Q2 or the new Queen Mary which were built for Ocean crossings. But that is another topic entirely.

Good luck.

Ok I have a question regarding this, not sure if i should post here or start another thread but does anyone know how rough the water is on the 5 sea days from Portugal to Half Moon Cay on the repositioning cruise?

It will be in October (next year)

We were in the Med June 9 2006 for 12 days. We had no problem at all with any storms.

It's a wonderful trip to celebrate a 50th anniversary, as we did.

Your Mother can always get a shot from the doctor onboard if she has a problem. You are a wonderful son to do this for them. :D

It is wise to be prepared for the worse. We had one very bad day at sea when the dining room was half empty because so many people were sea sick. Of course, it was on a formal night, but the 'Broadway Show" was cancelled and was substituted by a comic. It can and does happen! Has your mother tried wearing a 'patch'? Many people like them and wear them, just in case!