Definition of rough seas?

[Skipper's Mom]

I think almost everyone who was on the Nieuw AmsterdamTA last fall would be able to tell you what rough was - 35 ft. waves and hurricane force winds. Captain Mercer said that we experienced some of the worst weather he had seen in a long, long time.

 

Georgina:

 

Good to see you here on the boards. That was an exciting voyage from Cadiz to Funchal. I have pictures from the TV showing our path and the wind speeds.

 

My best,

 

Lynne

[Skipper's Mom]

I think almost everyone who was on the Nieuw AmsterdamTA last fall would be able to tell you what rough was - 35 ft. waves and hurricane force winds. Captain Mercer said that we experienced some of the worst weather he had seen in a long, long time.

 

Looks like you're beating us on the Maasdam in March. We're booked for the trip from Montreal to FLL in October, barring any problems.

[SwissMyst]

Two weeks of constant rough seas crossing the Mozambique Straights off Africa from Mauritius to Capetown - up and down and back and forth constantly. Called "cork-screwing". Horrible. From what i understand later this is a chronically turbulent stretch of ocean and we noticed the senior captain and his wife left the ship for this stretch and then returned at Capetown. The Amsterdam often does this stretch on their round the world trips and what one sees in this part of the world is well worth the trouble - but be prepared.

 

Stayed in bed most of the time (before I knew about the ginger/bonine combo) but it had that terrible elevator feel where you stop but your stomach goes someplace else all the time you stood up and tried to do anything. Many on that ship literally sailed right through it, happily enjoying every meal.

 

I crashed but the horrible feelings disappeared immediately when we were in port - clearly a movement disturbance. Many others kept the ship's doctor busy night and day - his solution was an injectable tranquilizer type drug that many of the British/Austrailan passengers knew about: Phenergen.

[sullaRaffaello]

This is from the maiden transatlantic of the Queen Elizabeth, January 2011.

Winds were 70 knots, force 11.

Taken from the balcony of Princess Grill Suite 8076.

 

[fatcat04]

We have had busy seas (rocky rocky back and forth, wee bit woozy if you thought about it) and then we have had one night of what I would call rough seas.

Our one and only Carnival cruise. We had to barrel through a storm system off Baja a few years back to get back to the Port of Long Beach in time, we were disembarking the next morning.

Oh my goodness. When you hear the ship creak, go way up, and slam down into the sea... when you are being rolled around in your bed and hear folks tripping along the corridor... when you get up the next am and are assaulted by the smell of ummm well other people regurgitated dinner left and right, that is my definition of rough seas. All I wanted was for that night to be over and to get off the ship safely.

I personally feel for the mess the poor cabin stewards have to deal with the next day... like being a mom with 50 kids with the stomach flu at the same time!! :(

[sarafinadh]

The height of the waves and the force of the wind are part of the equation, but the interval, "the period" which is the distance in time between the cycle of the wave from one to the next has a big influence on how bad it *feels*.

 

Additionally the direction of the current, the vessel and the wind all come into play against each other as well.

 

Just imagine the wind pushing the waves and the boat above water in one direction and the current pushing the hull and the waves below the water in a different direction and the engines pushing the ship in a third direction, and now make it 3D with the ship climbing up and over the crest of each wave... where's the green barf face when you need it?

 

So you could have lower winds and waves, but with a shorter interval be more affected by it. Or you could have bigger wind and waves, but if the waves were spaced and the ship was traveling in a kindly direction you might not feel sick.

 

At the end of the day what ever makes me chum is rough weather. That makes it easy to tell ; -P

[woan]

I think a fair indicator of rough seas is when plates are crashing in the main dining room.

 

We had hurricane force winds and 37' waves in the Drake Passage at the beginning of this year on the ms Veendam between Antarctica and Cape Horn. It lasted a couple days.

 

In general cruise ships try to navigate around rough seas and bad weather...

 

Ron

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what defines rough seas?

[THE BUDSYS]

We ssailed on the Hawaii holiday circle cruise out of San Diago. We sailed at 5pm and by 8:30 it was rough enough the Captain announced nobody was to go outside . By the next morning we had 17' swells and the ship was rolling side to side. We could hear the stabillizers with each roll; they sounded like giant airguns. This went on the rest of the day but by the next morning it was smooth sailing.The crew members told us this was common on this route (something about it being rough until we cleared the continental shelf) so plan on ordering the "high seas" menu the first day out and remind yourself this isn't going to last. The island portion of the cruise is great and I hope you enjoy!

[FrankNJ]

When they start taking all the merchandise down in the shops and packing them away in boxes then you know its coming. That's what happened in 97 on the Song of America to Bermuda . We had 30 foot seas and you could not walk down the hallways and were not allowed outside on any deck, not that the doors to the outside could be opened anyway

in the tremendous winds . It lasted through the night and in the morning was the calm after the storm and all the sea sick bags were all put away.

[rplc882]

When you start stepping up on the bulkheads (walls) walking down the p'ways (halls). Thats when its rough! Havent had the experience on HAL yet but did see our worst back in 10/07 coming out of Ft Lauderdale on the Maasdam and catching the edge of the Tropical Storm, very few people walking around and even less at dinner. Speaking from experience rough is going through Hurricane Hugo on a Spruance class destroyer back in '89.:D

 

US NAVY (RET)

[Riversedge]

There are many definitions of rough seas, depending on where and when any cruise is going. As to Hawaii, you can be sure the first two days out of Cal. will be rough enough to have some effect on walking, a lot of rocking when trying to sleep, and for those who get seasick best to prepare with medication. On our cruises to Hawaii we have not had more than the two days of rough seas.

 

We didn't have rough seas on our trip from California to Hawaii so it doesn't happen on every cruise. I just don't want someone to get scared off thinking they are going to be miserable. It was very calm (but chilly) for us.

 

I remember our trip to Alaska where we were woken up in the night because we were literally bouncing off the bed. Don't know how big the seas were. Too lazy to get up and look off the balcony to see what it looked like!

[Amuse Bouche]

We didn't have rough seas on our trip from California to Hawaii so it doesn't happen on every cruise. I just don't want someone to get scared off thinking they are going to be miserable. It was very calm (but chilly) for us.

 

I remember our trip to Alaska where we were woken up in the night because we were literally bouncing off the bed. Don't know how big the seas were. Too lazy to get up and look off the balcony to see what it looked like!

 

I'd never thought about all this, since the ships are so big, but now I'm thinking twice about a few itineraries!!!!!!! Thanks for posting that Lauren!

 

Poor OP! Yes, all this could happen, but the extreme's we've read here aren't common.

 

Last year, I was on a 7 day Alaskan that took the gulf route to Glacier Bay, then down the inside passage. I don't know how big the seas were, the wind wasn't bad, and no rain- but we were rolling side to side pretty good. In the middle of the night, DH and I woke up rolling into each other. We got up and had a soda, then saw an island off our port balcony. The captain had changed routes and pulled us into the inside passage. We still made it to glacier bay on time.

The rolling really didn't bother me, to my unbelievable shock. I just wasn't that hungry at dinner.

[mearsfansinboise]

I'd never thought about all this, since the ships are so big, but now I'm thinking twice about a few itineraries!!!!!!! Thanks for posting that Lauren!

 

Poor OP! Yes, all this could happen, but the extreme's we've read here aren't common.

 

Last year, I was on a 7 day Alaskan that took the gulf route to Glacier Bay, then down the inside passage. I don't know how big the seas were, the wind wasn't bad, and no rain- but we were rolling side to side pretty good. In the middle of the night, DH and I woke up rolling into each other. We got up and had a soda, then saw an island off our port balcony. The captain had changed routes and pulled us into the inside passage. We still made it to glacier bay on time.

The rolling really didn't bother me, to my unbelievable shock. I just wasn't that hungry at dinner.

 

LOL - indeed! I don't think it would deter us from booking...hasn't yet. I think I would just rather know the potentials. At least no ships have turned over....well, due to rough seas anyway ;)

[Amuse Bouche]

I don't know, that video was pretty freaky!!

 

Imagine what it would do for business if they had hooks over the beds, and hammocks underneath the bed for rough sea days! Ha! I'll be happy if I never see the B-bags come out again.

 

Oh, I've seen all the solutions for seasickness but one. After that rolling day at sea, my aunt, a first time cruiser, had a hard time recovering her tummy for the rest of the cruise. We used a soda card and loaded our fridges with ginger ale. She was amazed how well it worked. And they delivered two twelve packs to the cabin in record time.

[cruzn single]

We "thought" seas were rough between San Diego and Hawaii. HA! Last May on the Volendam the seas were 40-45' and Captain said we had been in a Force 12 storm. When we arrived in Kodiak, shopkeepers were talking about the storm!

 

Many people did not leave their cabins for 2 days! My husband and I never missed a meal, and as a matter of fact, we had trouble sleeping when we got into calmer waters!

[gerryl12]

On my very first cruise from San Diego to Vancouver we had 36 foot seas off Oregon and were four hours late getting in. It was great because we had most of the ship to ourselves as most people were sick. About 30 hours.

Last September we sailed from Vancouver to LA and had 28 foot seas off Oregon again and missed the port of Astoria because of it. Lasted about 30 hours.

In 2007 we sailed from Hawaii to Vancouver to in May and had seas like glass all the way.

[Viesczy]

Up to like 30' isn't a worry for me, but I am not prone to motion sickness. Once 30' is eclipsed, that is when the adventure starts!

 

Derek

[FrankNJ]

I can remember in 2010 staring out the rear windows of the main dining room on Noordam and thinking '" My God ! Look at those huge rolling waves behind the ship" , as the horizon went up and down , and up and down , ever so slowly .

But in the dining room there was really very little motion felt.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Those posting on blogs who are on the Amsterdam World Cruise have experienced rough seas as they headed north from Antartica to Uschaia (sp?). They will also be staying extra time in Punta Arenas until the direction of a south Pacific storm is determined. Now that would be exciting to experience.

[ricki]

2009 on Crystal Symphony, we were hit by 100+ winds in the Drakes Passage in the middle of the night. Waves broke three cabin windows on Deck 5, surprising the guests inside with broken glass and cold sea water. What a wake up for those guests! Captain Giske was able to turn the ship around, not an easy feat, and head back to Ushuaia. Fortunately, no one in the cabins were injured, and Crystal, in true Crystal fashion, moved the guests to veranda cabins on Deck 9, (and offered to move those guests on Deck 5 who were not effected). They laundered or dry cleaned all the clothing and the only thing damaged was one watch crystal. The same day, new windows were installed by the crew and we set sail again that night. This time it was rough, but not nearly as bad as the night before and we successfully made it to Antarctica.

 

Ricki

[RuthC]

2009 on Crystal Symphony, we were hit by 100+ winds in the Drakes Passage in the middle of the night. Waves broke three cabin windows on Deck 5, surprising the guests inside with broken glass and cold sea water.

Let that be a lesson to those who like to sleep with their veranda doors open!

 

How fortunate that the Crystal passengers weren't injured. And lucky, too, that there was a place to move them to.

[mearsfansinboise]

I just read on another thread that the front of the boat and the higher up is where you feel things a lot. We are in VD 4161 on the Oosterdam....if I am looking at this correctly, this is the back of the ship......and I'm not sure if that deck is considered high or not. Generally speaking, rough or not, how would this area be for feeling things, anyone?

[RuthC]

I just read on another thread that the front of the boat and the higher up is where you feel things a lot. We are in VD 4161 on the Oosterdam....if I am looking at this correctly, this is the back of the ship......and I'm not sure if that deck is considered high or not. Generally speaking, rough or not, how would this area be for feeling things, anyone?

Yes, your cabin is aft, not forward. And it's not all the way aft, either, so it shouldn't be too bad as far as movement goes. I prefer mid-ship, but rather go aft of mid-ship than forward, if I can't be where I want.

I wouldn't consider deck 4, out of all those decks, to be high. I have sailed on that deck my first time on the Noordam (same class of ships), and didn't find it bad at all.

[mearsfansinboise]

Yes, your cabin is aft, not forward. And it's not all the way aft, either, so it shouldn't be too bad as far as movement goes. I prefer mid-ship, but rather go aft of mid-ship than forward, if I can't be where I want.

 

I wouldn't consider deck 4, out of all those decks, to be high. I have sailed on that deck my first time on the Noordam (same class of ships), and didn't find it bad at all.

 

Thanks, Miss Ruth - you are always so helpful :)

[Hlitner]

We agree with the comment that "rough seas" means different things to different folks. In more then 2 years on cruise ships are worst day was when the Meridian (Celebrity) ran into Hurricane Bob and we experienced 40 - 45 foot seas for about twelve hours. My daughter (who was 9) and I thought it was good fun and it was comparable to a good carnival ride. Last summer we did a transatlantic on the Rotterdam from Rotterdam to NYC. The ship did not depart from Rotterdam (where we were securely tied to a pier) until about 10pm. During dinner, one of our table companions got seasick while we were still tied-up at the dock in the glassy/calm river (guess she thought it was "rough seas").

 

Hank