Sea conditions affecting dining choice

Hi there. For reasons that aren't worth going into, we have discovered that the Alaskan cruise that we have booked is possibly the least sensible choice. We are travelling in September ex Seattle which I understand can experience quite unpleasant sea conditions. We have cruised five times before (and did experience bad weather on one of them) however I am a bit concerned about this one. We had intended to purchase the 3 night dining package and wanted to use it at least twice for Muranos however the thought of eating there during bad sea conditions worries me. Would anyone who has gone on this route be able to advise whether the first and last nights are the nights that would be least likely to be rocky or should be wait until we get past the open sea crossing (which I think is on the first full sea day i.e. day 2??)?

Any help or advice would be gratefully appreciated.:)

I don't think anyone can predict the weather.....

The OP is asking a question for which nobody can give a good answer. Whenever you on are on a ship, there is the possibility of rough seas and/or swells which can make the largest ships move to and fro. Cruising in September versus June, July, Aug, etc. makes no difference. You might have glassy seas...or you might get rocked. Most cruisers understand this situation and many bring along various medications (such as Bonine (Meclizine Hcl, Transderm Scop, etc). We would add that this does not apply to Alaska. We have cruised all over the world and had good and bad sea conditions just about everywhere.

Hank

In our experience it was the time spent in the "open water" that was the roughest (not that bad though). That would be right out of Seattle and the last day/night returning. The time sailing among the islands on the coastal route was the most calm. Have a great cruise.

Cheers!

We were blessed with fabulous weather on our early September Alaskan cruise but the weeks before and after us were poor....as others have said, you really can't tell. From what I remember our first night was the only one where we could really feel the ships movement....

We sailed in September out of Seattle. We had absolutely no problems. A co-worker went on the same route and both got sea sick. My husband gets sea sick easily. Our very first cruise coming back from Cabo was very very rough. You walked down the hallway like a drunkard. Most of the folks failed to show up for dinner. It was interesting that he said he slept very well that night due to the rocking (if that is what you want to call it).

However, it is difficult to predict what will happen. Our second cruise was very calm but the bartender said that the last voyage was so rough they had to take all the liquor bottles down because they were falling all over. One voyage we had water sloshing out of the hot tubs and DH is fine.

Go see your Dr. and get a patch if you are susceptible to motion sickness.

Like the others have said, the weather and the sea conditions are always a crap shoot at best. We did Alaska last July and saw a lot of "liquid sunshine" for the first 3 days. Seas were ok but it was chilly and damp, in July. The other side of your question is specialty dining. We found it is almost always on sale once you board the ship. On our Alaska trip they offered 30% almost every day, on our September Med cruise it was 50% off a lot of the time, on our most recent Asia cruise, We got comped one night because one member of our party of 4 had a problem with something else and guest relations offered a freebie to make up of the problem, a booking issue and other nights our MDR waiter always mentioned he could get us 30% when evern we wanted. We got a bit greedy one night and asked him to do better, he came back with BOGO....that equaled 50% off. Do not feel pressured to buy a package, there are almost always sales on dining.

In our experience it was the time spent in the "open water" that was the roughest (not that bad though). That would be right out of Seattle and the last day/night returning. The time sailing among the islands on the coastal route was the most calm. Have a great cruise.

 

Cheers!

Agree; for this itinerary rough seas are more likely to occur during the first and last night since you are in open waters; the rest of the cruise is in more protected waters, so rough seas are less likely.

OP, is an S class ship your preference? You could fly into Vancouver (Air Canada rouge flies non stop Dub to YVR) and sail the inside passage which is way more scenic and sheltered water . However, that would be on Millennium or Infinity which are M class ships and not as glitzy as the S class which are newer ships. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy your cruise.

The roughest seas we have ever encountered in many cruises were outside of Sitka in September but you won't be going that far north. We have also sailed in May and had smooth sailing. Neither time was out of Seattle.

I agree with the previous poster who suggested that you take remedies if worried about seasickness. We sailed from Seattle in late June to Alaska inside passage because our friend was nervous about possibly getting seasick. She went to her doctor and got the patches as a precaution. Unfortunately, after reading the possible side effects that comes on any prescription medication from the pharmacy, she decided not to put the patch on and see what happened. First night out she got seasick and had to go to the ship doc. for some meds. She was able to dine every evening the rest of the cruise. As far a pre-purchasing the dining packages, there always seem to be sales on board, especially if you can be flexible about what time you're willing to dine. Have fun and take binoculars, Alaska is amazing!

We sail out of San Francisco to Alaska every other year, sometimes more often ... usually in Sept but once in May and once in August. We've had everything from extremely rough seas to seas when you couldn't even believe you are on the water. There is no anticipating what kind of weather you are going to get when you book a cruise way out in the future. We were supposed to have nasty weather during our August cruise and the seas were pure glass .... in areas that are normally pretty rough. We were also once supposed to have great weather in Sept .. or so the forecast said ... but it was just crazy with 100 mile and hour winds while in the inside passage. The captain warned the passengers not to go out on the open decks and pleaded with those with small children to take them outside. He even recommended that women put fashion aside and wear flat shoes for the formal dinner. It turned out to be one of my favorite cruises of all times but guess I couldn't say that if I had been sea sick the whole time.

Anyhow, there is just no way to tell what the weather is going to be like this Sept. We are going in a couple of weeks and just not sure what the weather will be like then. It can change in a flash. But, weather shouldn't deter you from this beautiful part of the world. We've had a great time on all our Alaska cruises ... we keep going back, don't we??

The story I have heard is the weather is clearer in May and Sept. We have done 5 Alaska cruise not had any problems. All times May or Sept. As another said 1st night and the last might be a little ruff.

... but it was just crazy with 100 mile and hour winds while in the inside passage. The captain warned the passengers not to go out on the open decks and pleaded with those with small children to take them outside.

Remember this the next time someone asks if Celebrity is for kids! :p

Hate to jump in to this as I have not done the Alaska cruise on Celebrity (but have on NCL) so I don't know when it leaves Seattle ( I assume 5P) or when it stops in Victoria (assume 5P) or if it even does. However, I am familiar with Puget Sound from Seattle up to the Straight of Juan de Fuca. Those are prime fishing areas for Salmon and Sept. is when Coho and Pinks run. Puget Sound does not get Ocean Swells anywhere near Seattle until you get near the east end of the Straights and even there its not that often.

WIth that said, your first and last night should be the most likely to have calm seas.

Ships travel North out of Seattle through Puget Sound then hug the south coast of the Straights until Port Angeles to drop off the Pilot. I don't believe they even enter Canadian water until the last night. Unless you eat really late, if their was some type of wind blasting through the straights, you should be finished with dinner before noticing the ship rolling.

However, when you get near the Pacific, thats when it can get rough as the Straights are merging with the Pacific. But that is 4-5 hours out of Seattle. On the last night I thought you had Victoria as a stop. Isn't the ship in port at Dinner time? If it was rough, you would have noticed it improving as soon as the ship enters the Straights which is several hours before dinner.

Sept. here can be really nice. Fog is a more likely chance than a strong wind. Hope this helps. Notice I didn't make any obvious statements which I am sure you already knew.

Remember this the next time someone asks if Celebrity is for kids! :p

hahaha...I meant, pleaded with the parents NOT to take their children outside on the open decks. I can see my error and am cracking up at myself. :D