Travelling from Southampton.......

Can I please have views on the crossing to America or caribbean from Southampton.? I am always very ill on the Dover to Calais ferry and very worried about the Bay of Biscay if we take a cruise. Time of year between March to Oct. Many thanks and a Happy New year,!

I think it's the luck of the draw whether the Bay of Biscay will be choppy. We were on the QM2 in early September 2008 and it was rocking and rolling, didn't both us but the ship seamed very empty whenever we went for meals. On the return section it was very, very smooth, so you just never know.

Size of ship makes a huge difference too. We did biscay on independence without more than the tiniest roll. From the crown bar though I could see smaller vessels being really thrown about.

OH has been queasy on ferries, but the only time he's felt that way on a cruise ship in the BOB was on the middle sized Aurora, and only whilst she was sailing north in a storm, when the waves were hitting the side...as soon as we turned right into the Channel, with the waves behind us, he was OK.. Now he takes a pill if the weather sounds as if it's going to be rough, and has had no queasiness since.

Jo.

On the fast ferry between Poole and Jersey, I was so ill I couldn't move in roughish conditions. On Aurora, between Greenland and Iceland, in force 9-10, I hardly noticed anything. It depends a bit on the size of the ship, a lot on the design of the ship (some ships are much more stable than others of the same size), and whether or not you've been out long enough to get your sea legs. I take a packet of ginger biscuits and chrystallised ginger - after a couple of days, they're no longer needed.

I know that in October, the wife, kids and mother in law were due to go on Azura to the Carribbean, but had to cancel due to my wife's back injury.

In hindsight, it was a good thing, because around that time the sea was unusually rough. So rough in fact, that Azura didn't set sail until the next day. Indy and another ship, Black Watch I think went out and had trouble just off the coast of Cornwall and entering the Atlantic. Never seen so much red on the marineweather website.

It really is a hit or situation for sailing through BoB, or across the Atlantic. If like me you struggle with getting sea legs, then you might want to take a few smaller cruises to get used to being on a ship more, and also stock up on the seasick tablets. Dare say it, but found RCI's tablets to be most effective..

ScrozUK

If you really get sea sick on a channel crossing and you really want to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean, I would suggest paying the ships doctor for and injection preferably before leaving port, a short snooze and you should be fine for the rest of the cruise. North Atlantic crossings are usually done by QM2, the cruise ships tend to go south to Madeira and cross fairly close to the equator, it tends to give a smoothish crossing. However as you have said, you need to cross BoB. I have done that in all sea states from flat calm to a force 9. It usually only takes the following day after leaving Soton, I missed dinner in the force 9 :( but as soon as you round the North Spain corner the sea goes much calmer.