Jump to content

Will a small ship make me more sea sick than the bigger ones?


slh182

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

DH and I are thinking of going on a small ship like the monarch of the seas or the vision of the seas. We have been on the Liberty and the Allure and they both made me sea sick. Do you feel the motion more on the smaller ships, or are they all about the same?

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've found that size really doesn't matter when it comes to swaying. On both of our cruises, the ship moved one or two of the nights. It all depends on the weather that the ship is sailing through and the speed at which it is travelling. So I'd say you can't tell for sure if the Monarch or Vision will be "movers", until you sail them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The smallest ship I have been on is Celebrity's Constellation. I am used to RCI's Voyager class and above. I got the most sea sick on the Constellation. I always cruise in April/May and the Caribbean. The seas were a bit rough on a few days but I did feel the movement more on the smaller ship.

 

Is your cabin towards the center of the ship? That would be best.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monarch of the Seas.....73,937GT

Allure of the Seas.....225,282GT

 

OP, it helps to book a cabin midship on a lower deck where movement is less likely to be felt.

 

NowTHIS is a small ships......47,413GT

Sailed on this ship a number of times in rough seas.:eek::D

 

zenith.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did a Trans Atlantic on Vision in Sep. Now, I don't get seasick. Bay of Biscayne was very rough. Probably wouldn't matter much, but I suspect Allure would still ride better. I believe that Vision class and newer all have stabilizers. That'll help. Monarch may not. But the larger the ship the better she should ride. An engineer can answer that better, but RCCL ships seem well designed. Did one class on Carnival years ago and all they did was add 2 decks to the smaller class. This rose the Center of Gravity, and there was, in my opinion, much more movement. RCCL doesn't seem to do that so their ships seem more stable. By the way, I'm not a ship expert. Just opinion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone,

 

DH and I are thinking of going on a small ship like the monarch of the seas or the vision of the seas. We have been on the Liberty and the Allure and they both made me sea sick. Do you feel the motion more on the smaller ships, or are they all about the same?

 

Thanks.

Under exactly the same sea conditions on a smaller ship you are absolutely going to fell more motion than a much larger one as the Allure. If seas are glass, no motion for either. I sure wouldn't go on a smaller ship than you have been on until you find something to control your issue.

What have you tried so far?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi everyone,

 

DH and I are thinking of going on a small ship like the monarch of the seas or the vision of the seas. We have been on the Liberty and the Allure and they both made me sea sick. Do you feel the motion more on the smaller ships, or are they all about the same?

 

Thanks.

 

Not long ago, that "small" ship you refer to was one of the largest cruise ships afloat and many pax with a tendency toward motion sickness chose it for its size and stability.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get VERY motion sick :( IF I don't take anything for it. I start Bonine (meclazine) 3 nights BEFORE the cruise and take it every night before bed on the cruise and then 2-3 nights AFTER the cruise. So far it's worked like a charm. (taking it before bed lets me sleep through the drowsy effects) The only time I was seasick was in the shower the morning after a very windy rough night. Once I got up on deck, had a ginger ale and a lot of deep breaths I was good to go.

 

I recommend BONINE. I'm going to bring ginger tablets this time around too. Never used them but heard a lot of good things and will use them in addition to the bonine IF I start to feel queasy.

 

Good Luck!

 

~Connie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm guessing it depends how prone you are to sea sickness. DW has trouble on the smaller ships sometimes, she says they move more. I don't get sick on any ship. In fact, I sort of like the extra rocking of the small ships especially at bedtime.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get VERY motion sick :( IF I don't take anything for it. I start Bonine (meclazine) 3 nights BEFORE the cruise and take it every night before bed on the cruise and then 2-3 nights AFTER the cruise. So far it's worked like a charm. (taking it before bed lets me sleep through the drowsy effects) The only time I was seasick was in the shower the morning after a very windy rough night. Once I got up on deck, had a ginger ale and a lot of deep breaths I was good to go.

 

I recommend BONINE. I'm going to bring ginger tablets this time around too. Never used them but heard a lot of good things and will use them in addition to the bonine IF I start to feel queasy.

 

Good Luck!

 

~Connie

 

Taking the Bonine is the best way to go. We start the Bonine on the morning of the first cruise day. We have never gotten even the symptoms of being seasick. On our first cruise we waited till the evening of the first cruise night and started feeling a bit 'green' until we took the pill. The Bonine worked great keeping us feeling good when we took the Hurricane Irene cruise on Explorer back on Oct 28th. That was rough water and many of those who did not take the pills or wear the patch spent a lot of time hugging the toilet.

 

On our last cruise, we took and excursion on the mainland that included the 45 minute ferry ride from Cozumel to the mainland. We were warned about rough water and to take the seasick pills. They handed out little plastic baggies to everyone who wanted one when we got on the ferry. The waves were easily 8 feet high and roughly 30 percent of the passengers lost their breakfast into the baggie. We had taken the pills and did not get sick, but after a half hour we were looking forward to getting on solid ground. Eight foot seas are nothing to a cruise ship, but caused extreme motion on a little ferry..... :eek:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard some people recently talking about motion on the Oasis and Allure. I'm wondering if their massive profile makes them more susceptible to motion caused by the wind. Perhaps they cut through waves effortlessly, but are pushed around a little more by forces above the waterline. Just a thought.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As other posters have said, all current RC ships are big by the standards of just a few years ago. That said, I think that the smaller ships of the fleet have some increased tendency to be moved around by the sea. I'm not a marine architect, but I'm sure there is some formula for it - something like if you double the size of the ship, it will take double the wave size for the same movement.

One personal observation - it seems to me that when you are on a very small ship, the motion tends toward that repetitive up and down, up and down, that can make you sick. However, when on rough seas on a very large ship, wave action tends to "knock you around" in random movements, not so sickening.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get motion sick as well...ship, plane, car - you name it. I do find the smaller ships worse. My husband feels no motion and is perplexed by the whole thing. People who do not get motion sick cannot relate. I'm going to try taking bonine before getting on the ship and see if that helps next time around. Usually I don't feel well the first night, but after room service and sleep, I'm better the next morning. I guess my body adjusts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

o.k. so i have had vertigo, i get motion sickness, having said that i have also cruised 30 times. here's when i got sick, on the hal rydam, small ship i mean deathy sick i took bonine every night, didn't help. never going on that ship again. monarch of the seas first time didn't get sick, but the second time we were in the front, i got so sick we were on deck 5. we love the ship, but if you get a room in the middle you should be fine.l i take bonine every night before dinner. i take with me mecklezine(sp) just in case, and 1 patch. i am not taking any chances. so all the other ships have been close to 100,000 tons or over. good luck

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get VERY motion sick :( IF I don't take anything for it. I start Bonine (meclazine) 3 nights BEFORE the cruise and take it every night before bed on the cruise and then 2-3 nights AFTER the cruise. So far it's worked like a charm. (taking it before bed lets me sleep through the drowsy effects) The only time I was seasick was in the shower the morning after a very windy rough night. Once I got up on deck, had a ginger ale and a lot of deep breaths I was good to go.

 

I recommend BONINE. I'm going to bring ginger tablets this time around too. Never used them but heard a lot of good things and will use them in addition to the bonine IF I start to feel queasy.

 

Good Luck!

 

~Connie

 

I STRONGLY recommend a product I buy at my local Publix (on the ethnic food isle) to carry with you. Hokan Crystallized Ginger Sliced. it's basically sugar coated soft ginger slices. Kind of like candy. When I start to feel queasy I chew one of those (I get motion sick in the car, watching first person video games, etc) and it settles my stomach.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not knowing the sizes of these ships but they have to bigger than early ships I have sailed on.

The answer is yes you will be more prone to motion and seasickness.

Since the larger ships, I have not been seasick.

Id say you will be fine, take the bonnie.

Book cabin in middle of ship and not too awfully high.

 

'Iheartbda'... so true :)

zenith was a nice ship but I was always sick on her..lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some variables that we don't know that could have an impact, such as, what was the sea state on your Allure and Liberty cruises. Where were your cabins. Were you sick constantly or just at certain times.

 

But assuming all things are equal, a smaller ship will generally move more than a larger one. But all ships move. They are floating on a moving surface, I suspect that if you got sick on Liberty and Allure [the two largest classes] in relatively normal seas, you will get sick on smaller ships as well. If it was only in rougher seas, you might be fine. But I would go prepared. I have not had a problem with motion sickness on any of our cruises. But I have heard from those who have that it helps to start the treatment before you get sick. As other have said lower and middle is the best cabin location for sea sickness. That is because those cabins tend to be closer to the ships center of gravity. When a ship moves, it tends to pivot around its center of gravity which means that point moves less.

 

Anyway, it appears that despite the issues, you had a good enough time to try again. Good for you. I hope you get it figured out and have a great time on many future cruises.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got sea sick on the Mariner and the Allure so I don't think the size matters too much.

Not to minimize anyone's problems or experience, size does matter. For example, On our TA aboard independence, the day we arrived in Southampton, we barely noticed the motion. But later in the day we took a ferry to Cherbourg and a very similar sea state caused the captain of the ferry [a much smaller but still a good sized vessel] to warn the passengers it would be better to stay seated. Indeed it was difficult to walk a straight line due to the motion. Also, watch the relative motion of tenders and the ship when tendering. Size does matter, but -- all ships move.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get VERY motion sick :( IF I don't take anything for it. I start Bonine (meclazine) 3 nights BEFORE the cruise and take it every night before bed on the cruise and then 2-3 nights AFTER the cruise. So far it's worked like a charm. (taking it before bed lets me sleep through the drowsy effects) The only time I was seasick was in the shower the morning after a very windy rough night. Once I got up on deck, had a ginger ale and a lot of deep breaths I was good to go.

 

I recommend BONINE. I'm going to bring ginger tablets this time around too. Never used them but heard a lot of good things and will use them in addition to the bonine IF I start to feel queasy.

 

Good Luck!

 

~Connie

 

I have never tried Bonine before. The next time I go I will definitely try that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Monarch of the Seas.....73,937GT

Allure of the Seas.....225,282GT

 

OP, it helps to book a cabin midship on a lower deck where movement is less likely to be felt.

 

NowTHIS is a small ships......47,413GT

Sailed on this ship a number of times in rough seas.:eek::D

 

zenith.jpg

 

 

That isnt that small of a ship.

This is a small ship (2,300GT) :) And yes, on the Xpedition you could actually feel the sea.

CelebrityXpedition-Exterior.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have never tried Bonine before. The next time I go I will definitely try that.

 

Instead of paying the premium price for the "Bonine" brand product, get the generic equivalent (Meclozine). You can find it in the Walmart pharmacy area right next to Bonine on the shelf.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Instead of paying the premium price for the "Bonine" brand product, get the generic equivalent (Meclozine). You can find it in the Walmart pharmacy area right next to Bonine on the shelf.

 

I don't really understand the frequent "premium price" comments on Bonine. It's $5.00 for 16 chewable tablets. If you can drop thousands of bucks on cruise $5.00 shouldn't be that hard to swing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...