West Coast cruising

We've just booked 11 day West coach cruise from San Diego to Vancouver and have been told these waters can be really rough.

Can anyone with experience tell me if this is the norm.

We are cruising in May next year.

Thanks

The seas can be rough, they can also be calm, and the chances are they will be somewhere in between. We have sailed through 70mph winds (in May, northbound), and slept right through them, and had our roughest 3 hours in 18 cruises (in late June, northbound)on the West Coast.

That being said, the seas are not predictable. If you have sea sickness issues, you need to be prepared every day on a ship.

Yes the waters can be rough. Where the heck is this sailing that it takes 11 days to get from San Diego to Vancouver??

Gone northbound three times. One April we had extremely heavy seas. The two others, April and June, the seas were flat.

You can usually feel movement going northbound because of the Southbound Alaskan Current.

Before your cruise check the weather up and down the coast.

Yes the waters can be rough. Where the heck is this sailing that it takes 11 days to get from San Diego to Vancouver??

Yea, I want to know about this sailing also.

A little internet search gives you this:

http://*************.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=11243

In case this gets filtered it's a Celebrity Infinity 11 day cruise in May 2015 from San Diego - has an interesting itinerary.

Cheers!

Dennis

A little internet search gives you this:

 

http://*************.com/fastdeal.cfm?deal=11243

 

In case this gets filtered it's a Celebrity Infinity 11 day cruise in May 2015 from San Diego - has an interesting itinerary.

 

Cheers!

 

Dennis

May [b/]2015[/b] - We should have some reviews by now :P

In all seriousness... This does look like an interesting itinerary thanks for sharing!

Yes the waters can be rough. Where the heck is this sailing that it takes 11 days to get from San Diego to Vancouver??

Thanks for the information - better get the sea sick tabs ready

Cruise is Celebrity Infinity - departs San Diego 11 May 2016 goes to

Santa Barbara

Monterey

San Francisco x 2 days

Astoria Oregon

Seattle

Nanaimo - British Columbia

Victoria - British Columbia

Vancouver

2 sea days.

Yea, I want to know about this sailing also.

I've posted the itinerary below.

What are the seas like around Alaska - be are doing B2B Vancouver up to Alaska. I've imagined calm, tranquil waters and beautiful scenery. Hope I've got that bit right.

 

What are the seas like around Alaska - be are doing B2B Vancouver up to Alaska. I've imagined calm, tranquil waters and beautiful scenery. Hope I've got that bit right.

Again, they can be rough, calm or somewhere in between. They had severe winds for a day or two this season- ships missed ports, or Glacier Bay. Generally they are calm on the Inside Passage, but they are not predictable.

We have done a number to the west coast repositionings over the years and yes you can have some rough seas at that time of the year, particularly north of San Francisco. These are not gale type winds and seas but waves to 20 ft can be encountered. As I look a the itinerary the only port I would be concerned about missing would be Astoria as it can get rough around the influence of the Columbia River....once in a great while a ship will miss Victoria if there is a big south easterly blowing as the cruise terminal is quite open to the Straight of Juan de Fuca.

There is also 12 night coastal cruise next month to start the repositionings...

http://cruise.expedia.ca/Cruise/en-CA/Itinerary?item=630378

On my trips..... once outside of the Alaska and BC inside passages.... there is noticeable movement. At times it can feel like aircraft turbulance. After the cruise... I find myself still walking funny for a few days.

Thanks for the information - better get the sea sick tabs ready

 

 

 

Cruise is Celebrity Infinity - departs San Diego 11 May 2016 goes to

 

Santa Barbara

 

Monterey

 

San Francisco x 2 days

 

Astoria Oregon

 

Seattle

 

Nanaimo - British Columbia

 

Victoria - British Columbia

 

Vancouver

 

2 sea days.

Interesting that they go to Nanaimo then back to Victoria? Maybe just to kill time? It would make more sense the other way, but would probably be too quick, when you figure the ferry ride is under 2hrs between Nanaimo and Vancouver.

Celebrity does a couple of these out of the ordinary itineraries in the spring and fall each year.

How rough will the waters be if we are sailing south out of San Francisco to Ensenada and then back to San Francisco - the beginning of September. I don't get seasick but my DH does. Will he have a problem?

I know that every cruise I've been to that sailed north from Mexico going toward LA has had rough seas northbound

How rough will the waters be if we are sailing south out of San Francisco to Ensenada and then back to San Francisco - the beginning of September. I don't get seasick but my DH does. Will he have a problem?

It'll be either calm, rolling or heavy depending on the currents and weather.

I know that every cruise I've been to that sailed north from Mexico going toward LA has had rough seas northbound

Patty,

The seas aren't any "rougher" northbound than southbound...It's the SAME ocean...

The reason people tend to perceive rough seas northbound into LA is due more to the itinerary than to the seas themselves...

When the cruise ships have short distances to cover, they will use the stabilizer system--which has wings that spread out below the water and computerized engines that act to steady the ship and prevent the rocking and rolling.

But, the unfortunate byproduct is that it slows the ship down.

So, when the itinerary calls for the ship to move at a higher speed and to make up more ground, they pull those stabilizers in and turn them off...The ship goes faster...but it also rocks and rolls more...

Take a look at the itineraries...Say you have a Mexican Riviera cruise that ends with a long leg back to LA from Puerto Vallarta...THAT is where they have to pull in the stabilizers and YOU think the seas just got rough!

Overall, the Pacific can be a bit rougher than, say, the Caribbean or the Mediterranean--because those are somewhat enclosed and not subject to major ocean currents...The Pacific is more open...The North Atlantic (A TransAtlantic, anyone?) can tend to be rougher due to regional storm systems in addition to the currents...Parts of the Pacific Coast can be calmer--say routing in between the Channel Islands and the coast in SoCal or the Inland Passage in British Columbia and Alaska--you are in somewhat protected waters...Northern California to Washington may be the roughest due to more frequent storm systems in the area...But, also due to the distances between ports and the lack of the use of the stabilizers...

All in all, it's never terrible...If you have a sensitivity, get medication for it...

Pacific is bit of a misnomer. It was just more peaceful than what Magellan had just gone thru.

The Channel can be worse than the open sea because of their funneling effect on the current.