Cruising from SF to Hawaii - how are the seas?

[mfinster007]

I would love to hear from past pacific cruisers from California West Coast to Hawaii.  I have cruised often but never from SF, but we're currently booked on the Ruby Princess traveling earling October RT to Hawaii.  Can anyone please share their experience on the ocean seas during this time?

 

Thanks so much, 89 days to go 🙂

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, mfinster007 said:

I would love to hear from past pacific cruisers from California West Coast to Hawaii.  I have cruised often but never from SF, but we're currently booked on the Ruby Princess traveling earling October RT to Hawaii.  Can anyone please share their experience on the ocean seas during this time?

 

Thanks so much, 89 days to go 🙂

It’s the Pacific: smooth as silk unless it’s not.

That said, do add a land stay at both ends. SF has plenty to see, do and eat. And once you’ve tasted Hawaii, you won’t want to leave (my advice: add some days on Kauai.

[ColeThornton]

Standard answer to this oft-asked question:   Seas can be smooth, seas can be rough.  What's happened at a particular time in the past is no real indicator of what future seas will be like.

 

Bottom line:   If you think you or someone in your party will have motion sickness issues then plan in advance and bring medications to take care of the issue.

[mfinster007]

Thank you both.  I live near SF and it's the first time sailing from the port.  We are doing a 15 day RT and visiting the islands.

[wcook]

I’ve never actually sailed in the Pacific, but if Ferdinand Magellan says it’s the Peaceful Ocean, that’s good enough for me. I predict smooth sailing the whole way. Have a great trip. 

[rkacruiser]

48 minutes ago, wcook said:

I predict smooth sailing the whole way.

 

🤣    An optimist!  Sailing from Vancouver, our Captain predicted good weather and calm seas for the next 24 hours.  The next morning, West of Vancouver Island, we woke up to an unexpected storm and rough seas.  Even seasoned mariners and forecasters don't always get weather forecasts right.  

[chengkp75]

1 hour ago, mfinster007 said:

Thank you both.  I live near SF and it's the first time sailing from the port.  We are doing a 15 day RT and visiting the islands.

For at least the first couple of days, there will likely be some smooth rolling, as the ship is crossing the California current, which runs north to south.

[wheezedr]

5 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

It’s the Pacific: smooth as silk unless it’s not.

That said, do add a land stay at both ends. SF has plenty to see, do and eat. And once you’ve tasted Hawaii, you won’t want to leave (my advice: add some days on Kauai.

Agree with your assessment of sea conditions.  Remember they are on a closed loop so the number of days they can add in Hawaii is exactly zero.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, wheezedr said:

Agree with your assessment of sea conditions.  Remember they are on a closed loop so the number of days they can add in Hawaii is exactly zero.

Plan B: SF pre-Cruise; CA north coast post-Cruise.

[navybankerteacher]

Absolutely unpredictable -- on our round trip San Diego to Hawaii in February, the sea was like glass going out-- two of our five day return were moderately rough --- but nothing worse than we expeerienced in the Med, Caribbean or North Atlantic crossings... The rule is:  you get what you get.

 

[wcook]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

The rule is:  you get what you get.

And you don’t pitch a fit. 

[CruisinginWonderland]

We did Los Angeles to Hawaii in October 2019. The first full sea day was pretty bad. I do not get sea sick, but my husband does. He got sick, I didn’t, but was nauseous a lot. I remember thinking, “Oh no! We made a mistake!” Laying down on our bed, I could feel us going up & down & around. The captain acknowledged it was bad & was doing his best to get through it. After that, it was smooth sailing the rest of the 14 days. It was the best vacation I’ve ever had! It felt like 3 separate vacations! 5 days there, 4 days on the islands, and just when I was sad we were leaving, I realized we still had 5 more days of total relaxation! I would do it again in a heartbeat! 

 

Edited July 12, 2022 by CruisinginWonderland