Rough Seas!

[Screasy]

Hello all,

 

My wife, daughters and I have only gone on one cruise.  We went to the Western Caribbean in February, 2017 out of Mobile, AL.  My wife was nervous about being seasick, and her worst fears were realized.  The seas were very rough!  I asked our waiter how bad on a scale of 1-10 the ride was, and he said in 15 years of working on a ship he would rate it as a 7.  It was so bad that they ran out of barf bags and the performers were not allowed to dance in the show.  They only got to sit on a stool and sing their songs.  You could see the curtains rocking back and forth! 

 

My wife and one daughter had the seasick patch, which was way too much medicine for them.  They had cotten mouth, and their eyes dialated.  Me and my other daughter were not affected and had a GREAT time.  Not sure of the ship, but it was a Carnival cruise that held about 2,500.  One of the smaller Carnival ships.

 

I had been told by some friends that cruised a lot that "you couldn't really feel the ship moving at all" and this was NOT the case for us.  When walking down the corridor, my daughter and I had to basically run from one side of the corridor to the other to prevent ourselves from stumbling.  

 

Now, I am hoping to get my wife to try another cruise, but she is super scared of the rough seas now.  She believes that it will always be rough like that.  We are retired now, and want to try some lines like HAL, Oceania, Celebrity, etc. which are not so much the party type atmosphere we experienced on Carnival.  I have watched many of Gary Bembridge's videos on Tips for Travelers, have contacted a travel agent he recommends in the US, and feel like I am prepared, but I just need to stories to share with my wife to alleviate her fears.  I know we will SOMETIMES have the possibility of rough seas, but I am hoping some of you seasoned cruisers can give us a percentage of the time we could expect rough seas vs not.  I know this will depend on the time of year and destination somewhat...

 

Thanks in advance for your encouragement!

[ColeThornton]

You're not going to get the answer you want.    As answered so many times when these type of posts come up the answer is:  Could be rough, Could be smooth.  No telling when or where that will happen.  All you can do is plan accordingly with the appropriate medicinal precautions.

 

Sorry.

[Screasy]

10 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

You're not going to get the answer you want.    As answered so many times when these type of posts come up the answer is:  Could be rough, Could be smooth.  No telling when or where that will happen.  All you can do is plan accordingly with the appropriate medicinal precautions.

 

Sorry.

OK, I thought this might be the case, so let's expand the discussion a bit.  If you or any of your party are prone to sea sickness, what type of medicinal precautions have worked for you?

[LHT28]

I  do not get  seasick very often so may not have the answer for you  but many use the sea bands  ..works with pressure points no meds

I found if I am queasy  take some flat ginger ale & sip it    or ginger capsules 

Some lines will have candied ginger out  or green apples ...just ask

Go to the lower decks mid ship  until you feel better

 

We have had some rough  seas  & this works for me  but  it may not work for others

 

 

[Heidi13]

19 minutes ago, Screasy said:

OK, I thought this might be the case, so let's expand the discussion a bit.  If you or any of your party are prone to sea sickness, what type of medicinal precautions have worked for you?

 

DW is afflicted by motion of the ocean, but has cruised extensively - 2 World Cruises, multiple trans-Atlantics, multiple trans-Pacifics, Tasman Sea and the Great Australia Bight. All are renowned as being susceptible to motion. On our last WC we experienced 2 cyclones and a deep frontal depression.

 

Her strategies include:

 - Cabin selection - midships on a lower deck, which minimises the motion. Our preferred cruise line has no inside cabins, but if they are available, they also have less motion

 - When the ship is moving, stay on lower decks, closer to midships. In the restaurant, we request tables at the entrance, as it has less movement than back aft.

- Seabands - she starts with these on her wrists, ensuring they are properly positioned.

- When heavy weather is expected, she applies a "patch" 12 hrs before required and replaces it every 3 days, as required. She has no side effects and has used them for over 20-years.

[Flatbush Flyer]

41 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

DW is afflicted by motion of the ocean, but has cruised extensively - 2 World Cruises, multiple trans-Atlantics, multiple trans-Pacifics, Tasman Sea and the Great Australia Bight. All are renowned as being susceptible to motion. On our last WC we experienced 2 cyclones and a deep frontal depression.

 

Her strategies include:

 - Cabin selection - midships on a lower deck, which minimises the motion. Our preferred cruise line has no inside cabins, but if they are available, they also have less motion

 - When the ship is moving, stay on lower decks, closer to midships. In the restaurant, we request tables at the entrance, as it has less movement than back aft.

- Seabands - she starts with these on her wrists, ensuring they are properly positioned.

- When heavy weather is expected, she applies a "patch" 12 hrs before required and replaces it every 3 days, as required. She has no side effects and has used them for over 20-years.

Agree with all but the inside cabin. Fir so many folks, sighting the horizon through a large ocean view window or balcony glass can make a world of difference.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Screasy said:

Hello all,

 

My wife, daughters and I have only gone on one cruise.  We went to the Western Caribbean in February, 2017 out of Mobile, AL.  My wife was nervous about being seasick, and her worst fears were realized.  The seas were very rough!  I asked our waiter how bad on a scale of 1-10 the ride was, and he said in 15 years of working on a ship he would rate it as a 7.  It was so bad that they ran out of barf bags and the performers were not allowed to dance in the show.  They only got to sit on a stool and sing their songs.  You could see the curtains rocking back and forth! 

 

My wife and one daughter had the seasick patch, which was way too much medicine for them.  They had cotten mouth, and their eyes dialated.  Me and my other daughter were not affected and had a GREAT time.  Not sure of the ship, but it was a Carnival cruise that held about 2,500.  One of the smaller Carnival ships.

 

I had been told by some friends that cruised a lot that "you couldn't really feel the ship moving at all" and this was NOT the case for us.  When walking down the corridor, my daughter and I had to basically run from one side of the corridor to the other to prevent ourselves from stumbling.  

 

Now, I am hoping to get my wife to try another cruise, but she is super scared of the rough seas now.  She believes that it will always be rough like that.  We are retired now, and want to try some lines like HAL, Oceania, Celebrity, etc. which are not so much the party type atmosphere we experienced on Carnival.  I have watched many of Gary Bembridge's videos on Tips for Travelers, have contacted a travel agent he recommends in the US, and feel like I am prepared, but I just need to stories to share with my wife to alleviate her fears.  I know we will SOMETIMES have the possibility of rough seas, but I am hoping some of you seasoned cruisers can give us a percentage of the time we could expect rough seas vs not.  I know this will depend on the time of year and destination somewhat...

 

Thanks in advance for your encouragement!

It’s the Ocean - so no guarantees. That said, Oceania would be a far better experience than the other lines you mentioned.

[broadwaybaby123]

I've been cruising since I was 5 (I'm now 34) and can count on ONE HAND how many times I was sick on a ship. I can count using ONE FINGER how many times I was seasick. 

 

You can pick up some OTC Dramamine, I would suggest the low- or non-drowsy one. DO NOT TAKE IT until you need it. Ask your pharmacist where you can find it. 

 

I take it with me on every cruise. I was even on a boat cruise recently and took it. Guess who didn't need it, despite the Canal being rough? Most folks didn't take it....guess which ones almost regretted it!

 

It's always better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

 

Also, get a stateroom on a low deck, midship, that will help A LOT!

Edited August 8, 2022 by broadwaybaby123

[Heidi13]

3 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Agree with all but the inside cabin. Fir so many folks, sighting the horizon through a large ocean view window or balcony glass can make a world of difference.

 

It's based on science and ship stability.

 

Inside cabins experience less transverse motion, as they are closer to the centre of rotation.

 

DW finds it better not to watch the horizon, as it extenuates the appearance of movement.

[Screasy]

I should have said, but we DID have an inside cabin midship.  I always do extensive research before I do anything, and thought I had planned as best I could, and I guess I did, but the seas were just abnormally rough.

 

Having said that, I believe that based on all the additional research I did, we will have a balcony going forward, but still midship both laterally and vertically.  The lack of a view hindered more than helped, I believe.

 

The patches my daughter and wife used were not dramamine, but Scopolamine.

[XBGuy]

OP, what if you tried a river cruise?  While your one experience was exceptional, as you know, it happens.  I think a river cruise could give you the experience, but would minimize the risk for your wife.  If she enjoys it and doesn't become ill, she might then be more open to then trying an ocean cruise.

 

Some people are hypersensitive.  I know one person who can get "seasick" sitting on a beach watching the waves.  I see no reason to even suggest cruising to such people.  It is not their fault, and, happily, there are many alternative vacation options that are available.

[Screasy]

Just now, XBGuy said:

OP, what if you tried a river cruise?  While your one experience was exceptional, as you know, it happens.  I think a river cruise could give you the experience, but would minimize the risk for your wife.  If she enjoys it and doesn't become ill, she might then be more open to then trying an ocean cruise.

 

Some people are hypersensitive.  I know one person who can get "seasick" sitting on a beach watching the waves.  I see no reason to even suggest cruising to such people.  It is not their fault, and, happily, there are many alternative vacation options that are available.

That is DEFINITELY on our radar!  I retired last July, and a river cruise was supposed to be our first big vacation, but then our buddy Covid paid a visit.  We will most assuredly do one, it is just a matter of timing and restrictions.  

[LocoLoco1]

Try a river cruise

[shipgeeks]

The river cruise option sounds like a good one, as a stepping stone.

Regarding ocean cruises, I understand your concern, and your desire to get a feel for "what are the chances?"  For what it's worth:

Our experiences: 46 cruises, approaching 500 days.  Two of us.  Number of rough days?  Some/a few. Number of times feeling seasick: zero.  Meds or products used: none.

Another experience, this one a very small sample, but very specific outcome.  42 days at sea, with perhaps five days of extreme weather, mid-Pacific.  Ship was turned around by the seas, passengers tossed out of beds, meals served on wet tablecloths to keep dishes on the tables. Only one passenger out of the 12 aboard missed a meal or reported being uncomfortable.

 

The advice above, especially from Heidi, re cabin location, is good.

I wish you luck in finding the perfect solutions!

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Heidi13 said:

 

It's based on science and ship stability.

 

Inside cabins experience less transverse motion, as they are closer to the centre of rotation.

 

DW finds it better not to watch the horizon, as it extenuates the appearance of movement.

Agreed that horizon sighting doesn’t work for everyone. But, for others, it gets all the sensory   Items to jive.

[K32682]

Another vote for a river cruise. Spending a vacation adorned with magic amulets, wearing goofy glasses, eating ginger pills, wolfing down Gravol or doped up on Scopolamine while constantly keeping an anxious on the weather forecast is, I would suspect, not your wife's idea of what makes a great holiday. 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by K32682

[CPT Trips]

I am a great fan of river cruising. And I also enjoy ocean cruising on the big mass market boats. The two experiences have, almost, nothing in common. I don’t view one as a substitute for the other.

 

 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

DW finds it better not to watch the horizon, as it extenuates the appearance of movement.

I agree  I feel worse watching the horizon  or the side of the ship going up & down

But still prefer  an outside cabin 😉

 

[WESTEAST]

Always choose mid-mid cabins, take along Gravol and ginger tablets to be prepared. However, the best solution for motion sickness is the Relief Band which is 100% better than the sea bands. No drug or other side effects. It delivers pulses from the band that signal the median nerve on the underside of the wrist. The signals have a rebalancing effect, normalizing nerve messages from the brain to the stomach and reducing symptoms of nausea, etc. Link: https://www.reliefband.com

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, Screasy said:

  If you or any of your party are prone to sea sickness, what type of medicinal precautions have worked for you?

 

I am not prone to seasickness.  The only time I felt a bit "odd" was when I was walking along a long corridor on Nordic Prince and the ship was pitching quite a bit.  My feet were hitting the floor sooner or later than I expected and that, for some reason, was a bit unsettling to me.  

 

Low and mid-ship cabin is the location I recommend.  And, keeping a full tummy while watching one's alcohol intake seems to work for me.  

[AKJonesy]

Know when the hurricane and typhoon seasons are and avoid those.

  

There are two big currents off the California coast; one from the north and one from the south which can make for more rough water.  That is why I will not do a circle Hawaii cruise from California.  It is the wind that makes the waves and out there in the Pacific there is nothing to stop the waves IF it's windy.

 

Cruises to Alaska are better from Vancouver than from Seattle generally because the cruise ships get behind the islands vs those that go out along the Pacific.

 

Book rooms lower and toward the middle of the ship where there is less movement.

 

I would not use any medication because it made me feel worse and doped up.

 

River cruises.

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

2 hours ago, XBGuy said:

OP, what if you tried a river cruise?  While your one experience was exceptional, as you know, it happens.  I think a river cruise could give you the experience, but would minimize the risk for your wife.  If she enjoys it and doesn't become ill, she might then be more open to then trying an ocean cruise.

 

Some people are hypersensitive.  I know one person who can get "seasick" sitting on a beach watching the waves.  I see no reason to even suggest cruising to such people.  It is not their fault, and, happily, there are many alternative vacation options that are available.

 

Be careful.  We took a cruise on a river boat from Montreal to Boston.  It included one day out in the North Atlantic and it was pretty rough seas for a small boat.  Worst of all the boat wasn't really rigged for rough seas.  It was their first time sailing this itinerary.  I hope it was the last because at least half the pax were seasick.

[GeezerCouple]

5 hours ago, Screasy said:

Hello all,

 

My wife, daughters and I have only gone on one cruise.  We went to the Western Caribbean in February, 2017 out of Mobile, AL.  My wife was nervous about being seasick, and her worst fears were realized.  The seas were very rough!  I asked our waiter how bad on a scale of 1-10 the ride was, and he said in 15 years of working on a ship he would rate it as a 7.  It was so bad that they ran out of barf bags and the performers were not allowed to dance in the show.  They only got to sit on a stool and sing their songs.  You could see the curtains rocking back and forth! 

 

My wife and one daughter had the seasick patch, which was way too much medicine for them.  They had cotten mouth, and their eyes dialated.  Me and my other daughter were not affected and had a GREAT time.  Not sure of the ship, but it was a Carnival cruise that held about 2,500.  One of the smaller Carnival ships.

 

I had been told by some friends that cruised a lot that "you couldn't really feel the ship moving at all" and this was NOT the case for us.  When walking down the corridor, my daughter and I had to basically run from one side of the corridor to the other to prevent ourselves from stumbling.  

 

Now, I am hoping to get my wife to try another cruise, but she is super scared of the rough seas now.  She believes that it will always be rough like that.  We are retired now, and want to try some lines like HAL, Oceania, Celebrity, etc. which are not so much the party type atmosphere we experienced on Carnival.  I have watched many of Gary Bembridge's videos on Tips for Travelers, have contacted a travel agent he recommends in the US, and feel like I am prepared, but I just need to stories to share with my wife to alleviate her fears.  I know we will SOMETIMES have the possibility of rough seas, but I am hoping some of you seasoned cruisers can give us a percentage of the time we could expect rough seas vs not.  I know this will depend on the time of year and destination somewhat...

 

Thanks in advance for your encouragement!

 

5 hours ago, Screasy said:

OK, I thought this might be the case, so let's expand the discussion a bit.  If you or any of your party are prone to sea sickness, what type of medicinal precautions have worked for you?

[emphasis added]

 

As others have mentioned, there's just no guarantee about the motion of the ocean.  Even with regions or seasons that "tend to be" better/worse, it's still not predictable.

Obviously, it will NOT "always be like that", but the problem is that there simply isn't a way to predict which times will or won't be "like that".

 

The idea of a river cruise may be a good one, at least so they have a good chance at a more pleasant experience on a ship/boat, although it won't be nearly the same type of "cruise".  (But that doesn't mean it can't be a wonderful trip!)

 

More importantly, for *ANY* medicine that you might be bringing along to take while traveling, or that you *might* need while traveling, ALWAYS discuss it carefully with your medical provider AND try it at home while there is still time to adjust dosages or even try a different medication if there are side effects that aren't okay.  Always!  The last thing one wants is to have a side effect - and especially any type of serious side effect - while on a ship and not near a proper emergency room.  (Ditto for any land travel to regions where medical facilities aren't what one might be accustomed to having nearby.)

 

It would be nice if "cruising" can work out for all of you (or even you and your wife), but if it can't, then perhaps you could focus on different types of travel where all of you can have a truly enjoyable experience.

 

GC

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Be careful.  We took a cruise on a river boat from Montreal to Boston.  It included one day out in the North Atlantic and it was pretty rough seas for a small boat.  Worst of all the boat wasn't really rigged for rough seas.  It was their first time sailing this itinerary.  I hope it was the last because at least half the pax were seasick.

I think you should give that cruise another try 😳

[CPT Trips]

3 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Be careful.  We took a cruise on a river boat from Montreal to Boston.  It included one day out in the North Atlantic and it was pretty rough seas for a small boat.  Worst of all the boat wasn't really rigged for rough seas.  It was their first time sailing this itinerary.  I hope it was the last because at least half the pax were seasick.

Yes, that was a cruise on a river. But if the cruise went out through the Gulf of St. Lawrence into the Atlantic your cruise wasn’t on the type of ship used on a river cruise. 

Representative river cruise ship