Silver Whisper on Open Seas vs. Larger Ships

[Fattony]

Considering the 7-night cruise starting and ending in Copenhagen and going to several ports in Norway, starting July 19. Silver Whisper listed as having a bit over 28k tons. Not small, but considerablysmaller than other ships we've taken, weighing over 100k tons. I'm not concerned about the portions in the fjords, and in fact there the ship's smaller size is an advantage, but wonder about seasickness on the open ses with this size ship between, for example, Copenhagen and Bergen. I did read the reviews onthis site, but I saw no mention of rough seas, etc. Because of the trip, the ship, or just the type of people who would take a smaller ship? Wife is still leaning towards the Emergald Princess Baltic Sea cruise, but the Silver Whisper cruise looks even more scenic and something we might want to do while we're "younger" (62 and 53).

[newlondon]

Rest assured Whisper is fine in rough seas, at least as good as any larger ship. The key always is which direction the seas are coming from. Into the swells is no problem and a following sea also will generally be no problem. The issue is a sea from abeam. No ship handles this well if the waves are significant; but obviously a smaller ship will react more.

DW and I spent 2 days in a hurricane in southern SA with 120mph winds and 25'-30' seas. We did have to be careful walking around and of course the decks were closed; but, all meals went on as scheduled and the attendance was in general good. We certainly did not go hungry.

Unless you know you are particularly sensitive-and this would apply to all cruise ships-don't sweat it.

[wripro]

The nice thing about the Whisper is that drinks are included so no matter how rough the seas you won't care!!!

[Fattony]

The nice thing about the Whisper is that drinks are included so no matter how rough the seas you won't care!!!

 

My wife is a doctor and may not buy into that theory, but what medical school doesn't teach you everything. Drinks included, and bigger rooms. This is starting to sound interesting. A bit more expensive than the option she first thought of (Emerald Princess Baltic cruise), but maybe we can do that in the future. To paraphrase an old, old advertising line, maybe there's a fjord in our future. Nice to hear about the stability of the Silver Whisper.

[Seafairer]

If there's any concern at all about seasickness, I'd suggest taking something with you, just in case. Bonine, an over-the-counter medication, is very effective (meclizine HCl, 25mg). In my own experience, it doesn't cause drowsiness.

 

One tablet lasts 24 hours and you need to take it before you start to feel ill. Since the Captain often announces if rough seas are ahead, that could be your indication to take the tablet. Or you could just plan to take it as a preventive measure if there are long stretches at sea during the daytime. If you have any question about drowsiness, etc., you could try a tablet at home and see if you notice any effects.

 

I understand that the medication the ship's doctor provides is very effective but that it also makes you seriously sleepy. And, of course, since your wife is a doctor, she's the one who's most eminently qualified to advise you of the best options!

[Fattony]

I used Dramamine on one cruise, and it helped, though did make me sleepy. We both bought wrist bands on board the ship and they may have helped, too. Wife does not like the chemicals used for the ear patches. Lots of time to work on that. Looks like the cruise would be feasible.

[CanadianKate]

There's usually ginger in a bowl by the dining room door and I find a piece of that is good on a rough night. Based on that success, this last trip, I used ginger capsules and they were wonderful. No drowsiness. On the other hand, it wasn't a very rough cruise.

 

We've been very lucky on our cruises. Did a trans-Atlantic and rough waters around Alaska on the Shadow (Whisper's sister ship), outran a mild North Atlantic hurricane on the Whisper off Nova Scotia but no major seasickness to report. On the other hand, we have yet to do Drake Passage and Tasman Sea which are usually a challenge.

[Dmgmd50]

There's usually ginger in a bowl by the dining room door and I find a piece of that is good on a rough night. Based on that success, this last trip, I used ginger capsules and they were wonderful. No drowsiness. On the other hand, it wasn't a very rough cruise.

 

We've been very lucky on our cruises. Did a trans-Atlantic and rough waters around Alaska on the Shadow (Whisper's sister ship), outran a mild North Atlantic hurricane on the Whisper off Nova Scotia but no major seasickness to report. On the other hand, we have yet to do Drake Passage and Tasman Sea which are usually a challenge.

 

I was concerned about the same issue since I will be crossing the Tasman on the Shadow in January. From the board I read about it, most felt the Shadow can handle that sea about as well as the larger ships. If you are not normally prone to motion sickness, I would certainly prefer a cruise on Silversea to one on Princess. In either case, it would be better to have a cabin that is midship and not on a high deck.

[newlondon]

The Drake Passage can be tough no matter what ship. The Tasman Sea is well within the capabilities of the Shadow.

[wripro]

Fattony,

 

Since your wife is a doctor have her prescribe herself some Zofran. Half a tablet and she'll never feel anything.