southampton departures - sea sickness

[gillyg]

Hi everyone

We have done 2 fly cruises (both with Thomson) and are now hooked on cruising.
Wanted to try our next cruise with P & O direct from Southampton, but I am not a good sailor and have heard that the 1st couple of days can be 'choppy' to say the least!
Any advice gratefully accepted.
Thanks
Gilly

[Thejuggler]

Whether it is choppy depends on the weather, not the fact you are leaving from Southampton! Watch the forecast and take usual precautions if you suffer from sea sickness. We had a force 7/8, 75 mph winds and 3-5m waves a couple of weeks ago, the ship hardly moved.

[cruiseluvva]

Yes it can be lumpy, but equally the Bay can be dead calm. To be honest in 25+cruises, we have only twice had it rough and that was mid- Atlantic when we caught the tail end of a hurricane and once a severe storm in the Bay.

I would suggest you take a little antiemetic before you sail, "just in case" and after a couple of days you'll almost certainly not need any more.

[Chunky2219]

You can get heavy seas wherever you cruise; we've had interesting times running in front of a hurricane on a fly-cruise in the Caribbean.

That said, we've also had a few up and down days when crossing the Bay of Biscay on our two trips to the Med with P&O. Two friends of ours who travelled with us and who are VERY motion sickness prone (I would say irrationally so) managed okay. The trick was that we had booked them a mid-ships cabin and when they felt a bit iffy they laid down for a while and it all went away. Some ginger and the magic magnetic voodoo bracelets might also have helped.

It really isn't anywhere near as bad as you might imagine, but of course, it's easy for me to say that. I've been horrendously ill on a cross channel ferry but have easily managed wicked weather in an aft cabin several times. Cruise ships are bigger so seem more stable if things get bad.

For the most part, cruise ships also try and navigate around the worst of the weather.

If you have a serious problem your options are limited. Fly cruise to the Med and hope that weather is reasonable. Maybe ex-Southampton to Norway, but even then the North Sea isn't always perfect. Always try and get a mid-ships cabin, preferably on a lower deck and never, ever take an inside cabin.
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[Host Sharon]

I have had flat calm in the Bay of Biscay and some of the worst seas in the middle of the Med. The problem with the Bay is its unpredicatability. If you are worried wear wristbands for the first couple of days or take some over the counter medication and you should be fine.

It is so worth it to drive up to the terminal, get the porters to take the luggage and stroll on board in time for lunch!! None of the airport hassle and wasted time waiting around.

[snow flake]

We have been cruising for a number of years now from Southampton and I still worry about being sea sick. I take a tablet (Avomine) a few hours before we are due to sail (just in case) and another one the flowing morning and have been fine. The Captain will usually announce if lumpy sea is predicted so I take another tablet as a precaution. Should you be really sea sick an injection from the ships doctor does the trick.

Sandra

[LibraLass41]

Originally Posted by Chunky2219

You can get heavy seas wherever you cruise; we've had interesting times running in front of a hurricane on a fly-cruise in the Caribbean.


For the most part, cruise ships also try and navigate around the worst of the weather.

If you have a serious problem your options are limited. Fly cruise to the Med and hope that weather is reasonable. Maybe ex-Southampton to Norway, but even then the North Sea isn't always perfect. Always try and get a mid-ships cabin, preferably on a lower deck and never, ever take an inside cabin.
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The worst weather I've had at sea was Fjords back to Southampton along the top of Scotland on the north sea !

[Tug10]

I have sailed from Southampton on all but one of my cruises and never had any problems going through the bay of biscay but I suppose it was down to luck. Rough seas can happen anywhere and last year when we went through the sea/bay of Lyons the sea was extremely rough but luckily it was during the night so as I was lying down it didn't affect me, although I was being rolled all over the place in bed! The ships are so big that they cope very well in rough weather and as someone has stated previously, most captains keep you updated of any forthcoming bad weather and will take a different route if need be.

[LibraLass41]

Yes the Captain has a well mapped out forward route and will give passengers a few hours advance warning if the ship will be sailing through some 'frisky' weather, time then to take a sea sickness tablet - take a packet with you, when you see the sick bags hung in corridors you will know some bumpy weather is coming up. Personally I've never ever been seasick, even though as a child i was always feeling car sick and was sick.

[Britiscruizin]

We've had some rough seas in both the Atlantic & North Sea. I'm susceptible to any form of motion sickness as I suffer from vertigo. However, I take 2 Stugeron (from chemist) the night before a cruise, then 1 an hour before sailing & 1 every 8 hours until I get my sea legs. I also take 1 if the Captain warns of rough weather. Touch wood so far I haven't been sick!!

[jeanlyon]

The worst seas I have made on a cruise were in the Med! very lumpy in the Gulf of Lyons near Palma.

[Freecall]

Don't forget that it also depends which ship you are on.

Obviously for the same weather things are going to be a lot more comfortable on the Oriana than the Ventura for example.

[Essexlass2]

We have experienced very stormy seas in the Caribbean for 2-3 days to the extent that we were locked inside to prevent use of the decks. This was in January so one can never tell and we find that taking ginger in any form whatsoever will take away all feeling of seasickness, either that or slices of lemon or green apple.

Enjoy your cruise, you will love it! Chances are that you'll have smooth sailing all the way

[simonpjd]

We have found Boots Travel Calm tablets are very good. When we felt a tad queasy going across the North Sea they sorted us out in no time. But, as stated many times, the larger ships dont roll and it takes a lot to get them pitching. They shake a bit but its not like being on a small cargo ship which go all over the place (I speak from experience here!!).

[ellie1145]

We live near Southampton and often watch the ships leaving port, and unfortunately the one thing you cannot guarantee when leaving from the UK is the weather. We often watch chilly passengers standing waving on the decks below cloudy or rainy skies, shivering with cold, which this year seems to have been the norm as our weather has been awful.

Friends recently did a 2 week cruise on Independence of the Seas, and had 7 days of poor weather - over 3 days each way - so they felt that it was a bit of a waste. They have vowed never to do that again.

We have also sailed out of Southampton several times and have expreienced a force 11 gale the minute we turned into the Channel, which lasted 3 days and which meant we missed Gibraltar as the ship was so slow. People were very ill and the ship was like the Marie Celeste for the first 2 days as they stayed in their cabins.

We have also sailed across the Bay of Biscay when it was like a millpond, but you just cannot tell. This particular stretch of water is notorious, and we would avoid it like the plague. We also don't want to waste several days of our holiday looking at grey skies and even greyer seas. But you can be lucky - we certainly have been on a couple of cruises.

But some people must like doing it or P and O and RCI would not be sailing out of Southampton.

As has been said, you can get rough weather in the Caribbean, especially in the winter, but at least you have a hope that the sun will shine. Sail out of the UK and you have far less chance of warm sunny weather, let alone a heatwave! The Mediterranean can also be pretty choppy, but after all, the sea and the weather are in the lap of the gods - you cannot predict what it is going to be like. I also had friends who had an awful experience with weather in the Mediterranean, so any stretch of water can have its share of stormy weather.

Boots Travel Calm tablets are certainly worth taking - as are the Sea Bands which use acupuncture points, and which are non-invasive and quite effective. If all else fails then an injection from the Medical Centre will soon put you right!

[BORDER REIVER]

I'm not a good traveller and was worried about seasickness on my first cruise - on Aurora - to Greenland, Iceland and Norway. I bought tablets, and also took 2 pkts of ginger snaps. I had a few ginger biscuits before sailing, then a couple each end of the day until they ran out and I found that I didn't need any more assistance. Even with force 9-10 winds off Greenland, Aurora remained very composed and we never had any problems - just a little movement was noticed and occasionally the people on the dance floor put in a few odd steps.

[saltypeer]

I am fortunate in not suffering too much in choppy waters, but my partner Sally suffers now and again.....not too bad, but enough to concern her (i mean, us).

She has found Bonine Tablets work wonders for her. Not everyone will be the same of course but might be worth going on the interweb and buying some.

Whoever said 'avoid inside cabins at all times' is talking nonsense. We have sailed both inside and balcony, in choppy and not so choppy waters, and feel the inside can be a cost worthy alternative. So don't be put off.

Pete

[Flowerpower22]

We were on Oriana for a New Year cruise to the Canaries. It was pretty rough most sea days so I took my usual seasickness medication. However, I ran out of pills with the Bay of Biscay still to come and was very relieved to find out that a quick visit to the doctor on board provided a packet of pills which worked a treat. No need for an injection.

So whatever happens, you can always get help.

I do struggle with rough seas, but never ever retire to bed - I stay midships and engage my brain in some sort of activity. If the weather allows, I walk the prom deck. I avoid the top decks as the motion is worse there.

We've cruised about 25 times, so must be a glutton for punishment!

[HomelessBear]

Just come back from Azura cruise. The Bay of Biscay was relatively calm, although it was windy and cool and rained mst of the day on the way back! I suffer from sea sickness, but I had no problems at all. Didn't even take any medication.