Alaska cruises and rough seas ?? Is it possible ??

[red725]

I see most Alaskan cruises stay inland for most of the cruise, but is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

[Northern Aurora]

Definitely.  The Vancouver to either Seward or Whittier itineraries cross the Gulf of Alaska.

[crystalspin]

57 minutes ago, red725 said:

is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

I don't know about white caps, but the MOTION (swell?) crossing Gulf of Alaska had several members of my family group quite seasick.

[SirTomster]

Back in 2012, my wife and I did a round trip cruise from Seattle to Alaska.  It was in September.   The sea day (day 2) to get up to Alaska hit rough weather.   The ship was moving significantly.   Luckily, my wife and I were fine and we went up to the Crows Nest (HAL Westerdam) and had a blast with the ship pitching up and down.   We stayed up there so long that the MDR and Lido had closed for dinner before we scrounged something to eat.  It was also fun walking about as the ship did have a lot of motion.  The joke was that the only people walking straight were those that were very drunk.   While everyone not drunk could not walk a straight line to save them with the ship's motion.   We luckily did great and had a blast.   It helped make our 1st cruise a blast.

 

A large percentage of the passengers were in their rooms or in their room's bathrooms because they did not enjoy the motion.  The crew also were affected.

 

So Yes, but as stated above, it does depend on the route.  RT Vancouver has the most protected path to Alaska and likely has very little or no sea action affecting the ship.  I also believe larger cruise ships leaving Vancouver go outside the inside passage.   RT Seattle goes outside Vancouver Island and can be affected.   Then the one-way (northbound or southbound) will do the Gulf of Alaska and will also be affected.

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

2 hours ago, red725 said:

I see most Alaskan cruises stay inland for most of the cruise, but is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

Of course it's possible. It's possible any ocean, any time. To think it's not possible is not understanding how the oceans and weather work.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

Smooth as silk…

….unless it’s not.

[wolfie11]

3 hours ago, red725 said:

I see most Alaskan cruises stay inland for most of the cruise, but is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

Absolutely.  Whitecaps and 6-10 foot sea is a normal sea state in the North Pacific.  If you want to avoid the 20+ foot seas, sail out of Vancouver from mid-May through mid-September.

[GeezerCouple]

3 hours ago, red725 said:

I see most Alaskan cruises stay inland for most of the cruise, but is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

 

"Inland for most of the cruise"?

What do you mean by that?

There is the "inside passage" that SOME ships take for the very first part of the trip, usually for the cruises that start in Vancouver.  The cruises from Seattle tend to go ouside of Vancouver Island, and those aren't "inland".

 

As mentioned, heading across the Gulf of Alaska can definitely experience more "motion of the ocean", and how much depends upon the weather.

 

Also, what do you mean by "Alaska cruise"?  There are some that barely get to the panhandle, and then return to the starting port.

Or, there are the "Alaska cruises" that sail TO Alaska, and end up in (usually) Seward or Whittier.  Those are the cruises that sail across the Gulf of Alaska.

Those are also the cruises with some truly stunning scenery (and if one is fortunate, a chance to see Hubbard Glacier, which was *the* high point of our cruise a few years ago!).

 

The most sheltered would be the Vancouver to Vancouver, with a few stops in the more southern Alaska ports, not a cruise that ends IN Alaska.

 

It's beautiful up there!

GC

[red725]

Thanks for your replies. I get what you're all saying, and here's the itinerary, and what I consider mostly inland. 

 

[MBP&O2/O]

IMHO, White caps and 6-10 ft seas isn't exactly rough.😏

[donaldsc]

Yes.  But sometimes No.

 

DON

[wcook]

If you are interested in anti sea sickness drugs, meclizine works great for me. 

[dmwnc1959]

The screenshot from yesterday as the Norwegian Jewel had departed Hubbard Glacier and was en route to Seward...

 

[cruiseryyc]

If you don't want to feel motion - don't go on a ship in the ocean!

[wolfie11]

The greatest possibility for rough seas will be the first night out of Vancouver in Queen Charlotte Sound and the last day crossing the Gulf of Alaska.  Storms are more frequent and severe in April-May and September-October.

 

[chengkp75]

Many are the times when I was on a 10,000hp tanker coming from Nikiski, headed for Seattle, rounding the Kenai Peninsula, and crossing the Gulf of Alaska when there were 30-40 foot seas, and while steaming full power ahead, we were doing a couple of knots backwards.  Those seas will carry into the coastal areas around Seward, and actually build closer to shore.

[wolfie11]

I did research cruises year round in the Gulf of Alaska on a boat we not-so-affectionately called the Ralph-a Helix.  Many memories of being tossed out of my bunk at night and being called out to wield a baseball bat to break up ice freezing on the decks as we ran full speed for shelter in Prince William Sound.  Ah! The Good Old Days!

[SirTomster]

On 5/20/2024 at 12:41 AM, red725 said:

Thanks for your replies. I get what you're all saying, and here's the itinerary, and what I consider mostly inland. 

 

 

So that is a Southbound cruise.   You will have 2 days in the Gulf of Alaska before you enter protected waters when you get to Juneau/Skagway/Icy Straight Point.   The rest should be pretty calm as you will have islands outside of you to protect you from the Pacific.

[SirTomster]

On 5/20/2024 at 11:21 AM, dmwnc1959 said:

The screenshot from yesterday as the Norwegian Jewel had departed Hubbard Glacier and was en route to Seward...

 

 

How was Hubbard?  My wife and I will be there in less than 30 days.

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, SirTomster said:

How was Hubbard?  My wife and I will be there in less than 30 days.

Oddly enough I've never been. That was actually me just watching the ship's bridge cam while sitting in my apartment in West Virginia. My first ever visit to Hubbard Glacier will be in April 2025 on Norwegian Jade. I've been paying particular attention to the Norw. Jewel's bridge cam because she goes to Hubbard Glacier. I'm overly obsessed with my cruise to Alaska next year, even though I've already been to Alaska five times. I've heard about the only way you can get really close to Hubbard Glacier is to do one of the small boat excursions I think they run around $350 or more per person.

 

Here's the bridge cam shot from yesterday, you can tell it cuts out right at the best moments...

 

[KimHum]

I was on that Norwegian Jewel sailing. Hubbard was foggy, cloudy and raining. I didn’t do the excursion but, heard it was great. Glacier Bay was a beautiful sunny day. After Hubbard many people were sick that day due to the swells. We spent most of the day in our room. 

[GeezerCouple]

19 hours ago, SirTomster said:

 

How was Hubbard?  My wife and I will be there in less than 30 days.

 

We took an Alaska cruise several years ago (time out from Covid years, alas), and Hubbard Glacier was by far The Highlight Of The Trip.

I have no idea if we were there during a particularly active day, but the calving... it was phenomenal.  I'm not sure how much closer any smaller boats could have gotten (safely).

We stayed there for what seemed to be a very long time, with the Captain slowly rotating the ship repeatedly so everyone had several chances to see Hubbard without even needing to move.

 

And then, heading out, the ship seemed to veer off to the left, where there was only a tiny narrow channel.  We were all assuming that the ship would soon head to the right again, where there was a lot more "space", the way we had arrived.  But no...!

It was a very odd feeling... with jokes galore about "sucking it in so we don't get stuck!" and such.

I have no idea if that is the "way out" that most ships take, but it really added a nice touch as we were leaving.

 

We spent some extra time in Seward, and took some great excursions there.  And then the beautiful train ride to Anchorage.  We lucked out again, and saw a nice bore tide coming in.

 

It was one of our favorite cruises, one of our favorite trips including land.

 

GC

[Aquahound]

On 5/19/2024 at 4:42 PM, red725 said:

I see most Alaskan cruises stay inland for most of the cruise, but is there rough seas where they go, I'm talking like white caps and like 6-10 foot sea ??

 

6-10ft??!!  On my May 6 cruise to Alaska, we hit 20-25 footers on our northbound sea day.  That's because it was a Seattle cruise and we sailed outside of Vancouver Island.  

Edited May 23 by Aquahound

[SightCRR]

"The sea was angry that day my friends" George Costanza.

[catspaw1]

We went on a HAL cruise southbound about 30 years ago in mid- late August. Hit a gale storm & missed a port of call. We are blue water sailors so weren't bothered by it too much. When we went to the dining room it was over 90% empty. Everyone was seasick & in their cabins. I think better calmer seas are best in June - July. Once the northerly winds start, the seas get rougher. Bring seasickness meds & take a full 2 hours before it gets rough.