Is Eclipse very stable in rough seas ?

[blueboo]

Hello

we are booked for Baltics in June and I have been in the North Sea in rough weather before and it was not nice ! Does anyone have experience of the Eclipse in rough seas and is she nice and stable ?

Thanks very much for any responses

[ImpulsivePuppy]

yes

[cocker2]

Yes, in rough sea she is very stable. Enjoy the Baltic, we shall be there in July 2017.

 

 

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[DrivesLikeMario]

I can only comment on the Solstice, which is the Eclipse's sister. I thought it really handled big waves well in addition to high wind. If you've been on Princess' Grand Class ships for a comparison, I thought the Solstice handled the rough weather much better and was much more stable.

[blueboo]

thank you everyone, that all sounds very reassuring

[Project_gal]

Hello

we are booked for Baltics in June and I have been in the North Sea in rough weather before and it was not nice ! Does anyone have experience of the Eclipse in rough seas and is she nice and stable ?

Thanks very much for any responses

 

If your North Sea experience was on a ferry, Eclipse will be more stable than that but, as you know, the North Sea can be very rough and, unlike many areas, the Captain can do little to avoid it.

 

Cruise ships [which Eclipse is] are not as stable and liners [such as QM2].

 

We have been on Constellation [10 years ago] on a very rough North Sea and it was very bumpy. The Captain ordered flat shoes for formal night and the MDR was very empty.

 

We have been on Eclipse at the edge of a transatlantic storm. Not as bumpy but that was more because the Captain had the space to sail round the storm.

 

Of course, it is not always rough in the North Sea and you are only passing through it.

[chemmo]

If your North Sea experience was on a ferry, Eclipse will be more stable than that but, as you know, the North Sea can be very rough and, unlike many areas, the Captain can do little to avoid it.

 

Cruise ships [which Eclipse is] are not as stable and liners [such as QM2].

 

We have been on Constellation [10 years ago] on a very rough North Sea and it was very bumpy. The Captain ordered flat shoes for formal night and the MDR was very empty.

 

We have been on Eclipse at the edge of a transatlantic storm. Not as bumpy but that was more because the Captain had the space to sail round the storm.

 

Of course, it is not always rough in the North Sea and you are only passing through it.

 

 

 

I would also recommend a midship cabin...you do feel less movement.

[Emmandjay]

We cruised to Norway on the Eclipse a couple of years ago. Whilst the sea wasn't rough, there was a noticeable swell giving a slight rolling effect for some of the time. The captain said he was using the stabilisers and I think this helped a lot. Depends really on how much you personally suffer from motion sickness - I felt a little unsteady, DH not affected at all.

[ClaudiaB]

And.....some people handle it better no matter where on the ship. Apparently I have no problem at least up to 20 foot seas.

About 4 or 5 years ago we were on a transatlantic from Southampton to Miami on Eclipse and a bad early winter storm in the northeastern US crossed the ocean and created some mess in the Atlantic off the coast of Europe. The captain had to scrub our time in the Azores and opt for two ports tucked into the northern part of Spain. He avoided 40-50 foot seas! But we still had 20 foot seas for about a day and a half.

The ship was rolling and there were probably half the passengers MIA [in their cabins]. Serving bowls in the buffet at lunch were sliding and lots of people fell. The captain came on the PA a couple times during the day (the worst was during the day and into the night - probably 18 hours was the peak of it) and said for the beautiful ladies NOT to wear their heels for formal night! I don't think he needed to say that.

Chris and I spent a good bit of the day just playing rummy and watching the sea and honestly laughing at how rough it was. But we were never sick. I felt bad for those who were, and it seemed like half the ship. Showering was a bit of a challenge! Our cabin was deck 11 corner aft.

 

But...Eclipse handled it very well. You just never know about weather. It can be absolutely calm or really rocky one week to the next in the same part of the world. Just like your own weather: if you don't like it, wait 10 minutes, it'll change! The ports change was a bit disappointing but that happens and when you book a cruise you know that going in. It added an 8th day to our crossing instead of 7, with the shuffle, as we did 4 port days in a row, but we arrived on time, and once we got out into the Atlantic a bit we had an entire week of gorgeous smooth weather. It still remains one of our favorite cruises for the two days spent in the Normandy area of France (private tours that were beyond wonderful) and because it was our first TA.

 

We did spend our daytime hours lower in the ship at Cafe al Bacio at a table playing cards - so we were more or less mid ship and lower down. It was kind of a weird day obviously because of the weather but also because most people were in their cabins. Not trying to discourage you, but a ship can withstand a whole lot more "weather" than that. It's not comfortable for many people but not for a moment did anyone think we were going to sink or anything like that! And the captain *did* come on the PA system a number of times to give us updates and do his best to reassure people that he was sailing for the least amount of waves that he could. Kind of like a pilot looking for the clearest air to fly in. He was really awesome that day and the crew was so nice and helpful. People (like us) who were up and about and apparently not having issues with motion really were having a bit of fun with it, laughing and making the best of the rocky situation, and feeling bad for those who weren't.

Edited May 11, 2016 by ClaudiaB

[bobndee]

I can't speak specifically to the Eclipse, but we were on a transatlantic on her sister ship, the Silhouette, last month. On one day of our crossing the captain reported 20 to 25 ft waves and sustained winds in the 50mph range.

 

The ship rode the waves beautifully. While I could feel more motion than under better conditions, it was in no way upsetting. We didn't notice any reduction in passengers out and about, either, so I'd guess that sea sickness wasn't running rampant. :rolleyes:

 

On subsequent days even the captain made mention of how proud he was that the ship handled the storm so well.

[blueboo]

ooer ClaudiaB that sounds pretty hairy !

Edited May 11, 2016 by blueboo

[Banjo]

I can't speak specifically to the Eclipse, but we were on a transatlantic on her sister ship, the Silhouette, last month. On one day of our crossing the captain reported 20 to 25 ft waves and sustained winds in the 50mph range.

 

The ship rode the waves beautifully. While I could feel more motion than under better conditions, it was in no way upsetting. We didn't notice any reduction in passengers out and about, either, so I'd guess that sea sickness wasn't running rampant. :rolleyes:

 

On subsequent days even the captain made mention of how proud he was that the ship handled the storm so well.

 

I was on the Silhouette TA also and recall attending the captain's lecture in the Theater describing how skillfully he handled the high seas. Only thing I recall you could not use the indoor pool.

 

I was on the Eclipse for Canary Island cruise a year and half ago and when we in the Bay of Biscay it was 'rock and roll' time. Very high waves and high winds. Everyone handled it fine for what I could see.

 

Never forgot sailing on a car ferry from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to Portland, Maine back in the early 80s. I recall the ship's name was the Scotia Princess (no relation to the Princess cruise line). It was unbelievably rocky. Everyone, including yours truly, could not wait to be on terra firma :)

Edited May 11, 2016 by Banjo

[ClaudiaB]

ooer ClaudiaB that sounds pretty hairy !

 

There were people taking videos in the buffet of the big salad bowls sliding all the way down. Of course it wasn't like some of the You Tube videos one sees from time to time. There were no tables or chairs moving. We did put the glasses and wine bottles in our cabin sideways on the couch.

I can't imagine it would be fun with higher than 20 ft. waves. That'd be like Deadliest Catch - those crab boats with the 50 ft. seas. No thanks. 20 was plenty fun enough

[north29]

No modern ship is really bad when it comes to waves, Having sailed on the Eclipse and Equinox, in rough seas they react a little differently than other ships. However the rock and roll motion it all depends on the angle the Bridge has to steer into them, Quartering them or running straight into them or running in a following sea makes a big difference.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I beg to differ about the QM2 being smoother at sea than other cruise ships. Yes, she is supposed to be that way but in my actual experience, that's not what I found. That ship pitched like crazy! I was shocked at how much movement there was in calm weather. There was a decent headwind and big swells but no white caps for most of my journey.

[DrivesLikeMario]

No modern ship is really bad when it comes to waves, Having sailed on the Eclipse and Equinox, in rough seas they react a little differently than other ships. However the rock and roll motion it all depends on the angle the Bridge has to steer into them, Quartering them or running straight into them or running in a following sea makes a big difference.

 

Now that is SO true! Wind seems to be a really big factor too.