Rough Seas- what's the worst?

[ehfl]

Our last cruise was during Hurricane Sandy- I will NEVER take another cruise during hurricane season. My BF & I were lucky enough to not get sick, our cruise mates however were in their rooms for most of the cruise. There wasnt a moment we were rocking and rolling, and it continued with me for a couple weeks after we returned. I would wake up and swear I was onboard.

 

Too bad. Statistically speaking, hurricane season has the calmest seas (unless, of course, you happen to be in the area influenced by the hurricane).

 

The winter (non-hurricane season) has constant winds, which result in high seas in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The summer time, is relatively calm, and is known for the doldrums.

[ebk2795]

This year on the Explorer, March 5-15. On day two I woke at 4 am and the ship was already rocking... and it lasted almost 24 hours. The captain told us that it was 110 knots and waves 25-28 feet. There was even 3 broken windows in the dining room.

 

It was only my second cruise, but I haven't decided yet if it was my last. :(

 

I was on that cruise, too. It sure was a wild ride!

 

The captain was still in the dining room with his guests when the windows blew out. We were at the table next to him, but had left about 20 minutes before.

 

Up on deck 11 or 12, a couple of the slanted panes of glass on the railing must have been blown out or damaged. I'll post those pictures when I get to my home computer.

 

Eileen.

[drarill]

I haven't really experienced anything really bad. My worst was last November on Independence sailing through Bay of Biscay. The sea was rough enough for the pool water to be spilling out.

 

Crossing the Bay of Biscay on the Independence was the worst for us too. The Ice Show was cancelled due to the rough seas.

[Mikey22]

Going past the Cape of Good Hope in 1975 SS Australis, I was only a young boy but the seas were huge and they placed ropes and cordons across public areas to hold on to, several people were injured and one passenger died.

 

Pretty rough seas on this one, thankfully I was not there.

 

Edited April 16, 2013 by Mikey22

[NMG318]

I was on the Carnival Pride leaving Baltimore the day after Christmas a little over two years ago. We ran into a coastal storm off the east coast and had 12-15 foot seas if I recall. Winds were 60-70 kts.

 

They cancelled the main dancing show that night due to the rough seas and replaced it with a juggler. While he was on stage, on a 10 foot unicycle juggling machetes he indicated they had cancelled the dancing show because they were afraid one of the dancers would stub a toe.

[genegri]

For me it was the infamous Drake Passage, between Cape Horn of South America and South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. On top of it, like most Antarctica expeditions we were on a smaller ship which let us feel the full impact of the seas.

 

It wasn't fun.

[critterchick]

We were on Vision last September on a 5-night Norway cruise. One night we had 10 meter seas, and one of the big statues outside the Masquerade Theater toppled over. They had started the show but ended up cancelling it.

 

It was Big Band night in the Centrum and DH and I went out and cut a rug. The water fountain kept overflowing (it took them awhile to turn it off) and he kept dancing me too close to the band. I could see the fear in the sax player's eyes, LOL.

 

That was the night we decided that duct tape would be a good addition to our luggage. We listened to drawers opening and slamming, and the TV going in and out on its stand until about 3 am when Don remembered that we had some twist ties. He got the TV stablized and we shoved slippers and socks in between the drawers that kept them closed. Our stateroom attendant got a laugh out of our new decor the next day.

[katiegirl1219]

This past year on our honeymoon cruise in late October/early November in the Mediterranean on the Grandeur of the Seas. 3 or 4 nights they had seasick bags tucked in the stairwells. I remember one night they said 12 foot waves, and I can't remember any of the others (I think I just stopped listening--I would rather be surprised). A few ships that were scheduled to leave Venice after us had to stay put a few days because of high winds, and we had delayed departures out of some ports on the other side of Italy because of high winds. The pool = tidal wave. Carts rolling away at dinner, things falling off the table in the room.

 

We brought Dramamine "just in case," and came back with none.

[ebk2795]

Here are the pictures of the damage on the Explorer 3/5/13 sailing.

[edjny]

Here are the pictures of the damage on the Explorer 3/5/13 sailing.

 

I saw several of the same glass panes blown away on the Hurricane Sandy cruise on Explorer.

[colby cruise]

This year on the Explorer, March 5-15. On day two I woke at 4 am and the ship was already rocking... and it lasted almost 24 hours. The captain told us that it was 110 knots and waves 25-28 feet. There was even 3 broken windows in the dining room.

 

It was only my second cruise, but I haven't decided yet if it was my last. :(

 

We were there too! Quite the ride. We were also on the Jewel of the Seas Repo from Boston to Tampa in Oct 2011. We were in 120mph wind field from 2am to 4 am and seas up to 40 feet. The Captain showed a picture of the waves breaking on the 5th deck.

[TBone2K]

Rhapsody one day out of Seattle. We had 4m waves. The crew were very good and had sick bags on the rails and customer service was handing out seasick pills to whoever was in need. This was during the evening, so dinner attendance in the MDR was spare, to say the least.

 

The kids on the ship on the other hand, thought it was hoot. Jumping off the stairs at right time, travelling all the way down and landing on the floor with no effort.

[ihavecats]

 

Pretty rough seas on this one, thankfully I was not there.

 

 

Yikes! I wonder how big the waves were for this to happen!

[ddaniel337]

We were on the Diamond Princess in March 2006 trying to get to the fiords in New Zealand and ran into a typhoon. It is a pretty wild ride - water was coming up to the windows in the library on the 5th floor and they had outside doors locked and water was pouring in and the crew was trying to stay ahead of the water. When we finally turned away from the storm and got to our next port, the large sign on the side of the ship that previously said DIAMOND princess now had some of the large letter missing from the side. Guess they were blown off in the wind. We were then the DI OND Princess. I was also on a smaller cruise ship going from NYC to Bermuda and this was in the days when you could go on the bridge. We walked up there and they let us in - after your eyes adjusted to the total darkness you could see the waves crashing way over the bow of the ship - well that was a little scary. Fortunately, sea sickness doesn't usually bother me, but there were very few people out and about including the crew.

[jetspurs]

On Sept 9, 1998 we sailed from Harwich to Boston on "Vision of the Seas" inaugural Transatlantic (Northern route).During the crossing we encountered 40ft. waves and 60MPH winds. Damage was caused to the ship including a porthole which was smashed during the night on passenger deck 3 causing some minor flooding . Very few passengers suffered mal de mer (older,seasoned travelers) but quite a number of the younger crew members suffered. This experience has not deterred my wife and I from cruising , having just returned from our 117th.

[Snowrose]

We were on the infamous NCL Jewel that was called out by name last year by The Weather Channel for leaving port in NYC and skirting between Hurricane Sandy and the coastline. The first evening was so-so, a lot of rolling but it wouldn't have been bad at all if they'd closed the blinds in the main dining room. As long as you didn't look at the horizon going from the bottom of the windows to the top of the windows, it was okay.

 

We had 20-30+ foot seas that night and the Captain told us the next day that we'd had 120 mph winds that night. At one point - around 2AM - I did get worried. We'd already had our closet opening and the chairs on our balcony moving all around, but when we hit a swell that almost sent DH and I rolling out of our bed, that was a bit scary.

 

Strangely enough, we left the rough waters just about half an hour later and from then on the waves were a comparatively smooth 15 ft or less.

 

Amazingly, damage was relatively light. A few broken things in the shops, and we heard some liquor bottles broke in storage, one cracked window in the shops, and a railing above the pool deck that snapped at one weld and had to be taken down and re-welded. No injuries, to my knowledge.

 

We got by on 1/2 pill doses of Dramamine on days 1 and 2, and had a great rest of the trip. :)

Edited April 17, 2013 by Snowrose

[Alan13]

We were there too! Quite the ride. We were also on the Jewel of the Seas Repo from Boston to Tampa in Oct 2011. We were in 120mph wind field from 2am to 4 am and seas up to 40 feet. The Captain showed a picture of the waves breaking on the 5th deck.

 

I was on the Jewel cruise also. It was the 1st night of the cruise heading south right into the Nor'Easter. I left the theater at 1030p and could hardly walk back to my cabin on Deck 4 forward. We were slapping the waves all night and I barely slept. When I opened the curtains around 530a, the waves completely covered my window (outside cabin).

 

But very few people were scared or got sick.

It was quite a ride!

 

Alan

[FL Donna]

The very first cruise we were on . It was mariner. I did not know I was prone to sea sickness. Threw up outside Chops and was trying very hard to pass out. I had to be taken to infirmary and given a shot in the butt. I slept it off that night. I was however sick the entire cruise. Hubby found out he loved to cruise and it did not bother him at all. I have to use the transderm patch.

[JoeO]

November 1999, on the Celebrity Horizon (47,000 tons), my then wife (ru arayn sholem), and other social dancing friends were to sail from Barbados to Antigua when an announcement told us that all Caribbean ports were to be closed the next day due to a hurricane. We therefore made a u-turn and sailed out into the Atlantic to escape. We wre informed that we would skip Antigua and then chase behind the storm to St Thomas the day after.

 

At one point we were dancing pre-show on stage of the Paladium Show Lounge. We took a dance step ...and the floor was no longer where it supposed to be, but about six inches lower. The bow of the ship had dipped that much. We smiled and everyone dancing went off the dance floor and back to our seats. The show went on anyway.

 

On an April 2001 cruise aboard the Celebrity Mercury we left Cartegena harbor, (a very protected port), sailing north to Grand Cayman.

We were hit broadside by an over 40 knot wind for the entire night.

One third of the passengers never went to the dining room that evening, (a formal night), my wife included, and the rest of us had our tables combined to make it more convenient for the (remaining) staff and more enjoyable for those passengers able to eat (and drink.)

 

Neither experiences kept us from sailing again. That's the beauty of cruising. The ship can go someplace else. Those on land cannot!:D

 

Joe O

Edited April 17, 2013 by JoeO

[Shelley61]

That was the night we decided that duct tape would be a good addition to our luggage.

 

Duct tape! Genius!

 

Although I've picked up so many tips on this website that my luggage is going to look like I'm planning an abduction rather than going on holiday!

 

We've only been on one cruise, but we had one very rough night. I had been concerned about the Bay of Biscay, but it was flat calm... we went through the Straits of Gibraltar and again it remained calm... we then set sail in the Med, and the Bay of Lyon hit us (no, I'd never heard of it either!).

 

Force 10 gales and 40 foot waves! Walking up and down stairs was interesting... one step would be like you were floating on air, and the next step would make you feel like you were being squashed into the floor.

 

All outside decks were closed, and they had locked all the balconies. Sick bags were hung on every stairwell, and by the time we ventured back to our cabin the sick bag holders were all empty. There were a few people who abandoned dinner part way through, and the waiters were very good, arranging for leftovers to be available for people, and were giving people advice on how to deal with sea sickness.

 

The theatre show went ahead as planned, as it was a singer. She was very good and has obviously been on the cruise circuit for a while, as she managed to build every sudden jolt into her movement on stage, while the drummer was clinging on to his drum kit like his life depended on it!

 

I never imagined I'd be able to hear the waves crashing on the hull while sitting in the theatre!

 

Was I sick? No. Thankfully... it would have been a miserable evening if I had been. I felt quite sick the first night we'd boarded, but acclimatised to the movement by the second day, and ended up being very pleased to have had one rough day... I loved it! I loved the challenge of trying to walk in a straight line! I'm sad... I know!

[BecciBoo]

Thank the good Lord, we are not prone to sea sickness, that said, we once followed a winter storm out of Galveston on the Splendour that almost did it for me. We were watching the welcome aboard show in the theater and the curtain was swaying to the right while the ship rolled to the left, people were scurrying out of the theater every few seconds. Stopped looking at the stage and I was fine, but later when we tried to go to our cabin, my DH had to lead me closed eyes and pinched nose down the corridor because of all the "deposits" people had left on the floor, including one right to the left of our door....if you get my drift. For the rest of the trip we had to listen to people gripe about RCCL and how it was the worst cruise and they would never do it again:eek: We loved the storm, the next day as we watched the waves on the outside promenade. Henry was kept pretty busy that trip.

Edited April 17, 2013 by BecciBoo

[SportsFanatic]

We sailed on Monarch during Hurricane Sandy and it was terrible!! I never got sick but awful headache and dizzy for days afterwards. We literally had the table fly from one side of the room to another. It was daughter's first cruise that I had finally talked her into going on and it was awful..Luckily, she has decided to give it another try.

[Cruzin Carol]

Hurricane Paul last October on Carnival Splendor and it was not fun. That will teach me to sail Carnival!

[ombrelle]

Hi, are Transatlantic cruises worst? In April or May. Have one booked and would like to hear your experiences. Are AFT cabins better or worse in these storms?:confused:

 

Thank You

[barbyj]

The worst seas I ever had was on a Trans Atlantic cruise from Venice to New York on the Norwegian Gem. About 3 days from New York, we ran into a Northeaster Storm. Waves were up to 70ft, balcony cabins on Deck 10 we getting flooded, the restaurants were closed almost 2 days, everything had to be room service, we were confined to our cabins for 2 days. What a wild ride.