Rough Seas Canada/NE in October?

We will be on the Royal Princess, embarking in New York mid October, hitting five ports up to Halifax, NS. Wondering if we will be experiencing rough seas. I want to get some motion sickness pills if needed. Any thoughts from experienced cruisers who have made this voyage? Thanks in advance.

I've done a south-bond cruise on that route several years in mid-October. Some cruises we hit rough seas, some we did not. The North Atlantic is notoriously rough (according to the sailors I know), so it's quite possible you'll encounter some rough patches. Unfortunately there is no real way to know until you're already there. If you're prone to motion sickness, I'd pack medication you know you can take and that works for you just to have. The same way I always pack a jacket on a cruise because even though it should't be cold enough to need one in the Caribbean, the one time I was there, I needed one. It's just a good idea to be as prepared as you can.

I live in New England, so I can tell you that mid/late October can bring storms that affect how rough the seas are. Not to scare you, but that time of year can be beautiful or stormy. It's not uncommon to get a heavy, windy rainstorm, and occasionally a Nor'easter (the "Perfect Storm" in 1991 was a combo Nor'easter and hurricane), a blizzard (Snowtober, 2011), or a hurricane (Sandy, 2012). Those big storms happened late in October, but there have been several Columbus Day weekends I can remember that were hit by soakers. Bring a rainproof jacket and a variety of clothes to layer: daytime temps can bounce around in the 50s to high 60s, while night temps are in the 30s and 40s.

I was on a NE/Canada cruise during Hurricane Sandy. When we were sailing from Halifax to Boston, after the storm hit New York/NJ, the seas caused (to me, a pleasant) rolling of the ship. Other pax complained.

I take Bonine every day during the cruise, starting the day before, as a preventative. I do not wait until I am feeling sick.

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I take Bonine every day during the cruise, starting the day before, as a preventative. I do not wait until I am feeling sick.

This is the best advice of them all , my wife does this ever since our 2nd cruise.

1st cruise we didnt know any better , and she was sick for 36 hours:(

dave

[quote name=Arusha

I take Bonine every day during the cruise, starting the day before, as a preventative. I do not wait until I am feeling sick.[/quote]

LOL, we do too. And we continue the Bonine for one or two days after getting home. I have been known to hit a few walls from landsickness after a cruise.

Fortunately I don't get seasick. But I was on an the Splendor in early October. 6 nights were just fine. Not really rougher than the caribbean. But the trip out of Halifax was very rough. Shows were cancelled that night. It was challenging to walk. But we took it in stride. Like one of the photographers told us, "Tonight, it's like you got drunk for free!"