The Spirit and rough seas: Barcelona to Canary Islands

[tikkas]

OK, so having booked a last minute cruise to the Canary Islands in a couple of weeks on the Spirit, I´m now worried we may have scarily rough seas.

 

How does the Spirit fare in waves? I have cruised the Med some 6 or 7 times, but this is the first one into the Atlantic.

[KeithJenner]

I couldn't tell you how the spirit deals in big waves, because we never encountered then when onboard.

 

We did however do the Canary Islands cruise at around the same time as you seem to be, so by no means should you expect that it will be rough.

 

There was a bit of gentle swaying one night and other than that it was like a lake.

[tikkas]

I couldn't tell you how the spirit deals in big waves, because we never encountered then when onboard.

 

We did however do the Canary Islands cruise at around the same time as you seem to be, so by no means should you expect that it will be rough.

 

There was a bit of gentle swaying one night and other than that it was like a lake.

 

 

As my husband says in German, "your words in God´s ear"! I do hope you´re right! Thanks! :D

[Trevor Fountain]

Could be rough. Luck of the draw I'm afraid. Are you going to Lanzarote? If so you'll be tendering if it's not too windy. Can get pretty scary using tenders here.

[mush71]

We were on the Spirit in the Caribbean 9 years ago, one night we had some rough water and we were fine. We were in an inside cabin and the only issue we had was the closet door kept opening and slamming shut in the middle of the night. We stuck a shoe in the way and went back to sleep.:D

[Mac15]

We were on the spirit at Xmas. Smooth sailing and no tendering in Lanzarote. Enjoy she is an lovely ship

[Canuker]

I'd say it's more about the sea than the ship.

You say you're off to the Canaries.

If you're coming from Western Europe, then you'll be traversing the Bay of Biscay (off western France). Best to assume some swell in this area. Be prepared.

English channel is notoriously unpredictable, too.

Don't ask how rough will it be; ask how am I going to prevent (not cure) the effects of it.

Personally, I use the wrist bands. I went to dinner on Cunard one evening in the Atlantic (the Captain told us he had not experienced rougher seas in 12 months - the waves were crashing over the Bridge - we could see it on the webcam, which they sensibly turned off at one point!), having donned the wrist bands in good time (you must put them on before (repeat, before) things start to rock n roll) I at a hearty supper. The dining room was all but deserted (it was lobster night) and our waitress, God love her, was a distinct shade of green that evening.

I remember, in typical British understatement, the PA announcements asked (asked!) that passengers not go out on any open deck. If you did, you would have been swept away in a few seconds.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Canuker

[KeithJenner]

They're going from Barcelona, so two days are in the Med. No messing about in the Channel or the Bay of Biscay.

 

Typically, it is pretty calm. I've seen lots of pictures from the same cruise this week, and not a wave in sight.

Edited March 14, 2015 by KeithJenner

[ColinIllinois]

They're going from Barcelona, so two days are in the Med. No messing about in the Channel or the Bay of Biscay.

 

Typically, it is pretty calm. I've seen lots of pictures from the same cruise this week, and not a wave in sight.

 

 

Having said that and at the risk of being called Captain Obvious I will say no one can predict what future seas will be like. Be prepared, just in case. :D

[KeithJenner]

Having said that and at the risk of being called Captain Obvious I will say no one can predict what future seas will be like. Be prepared, just in case. :D

 

 

Of course.

 

I'm just making the point because the OP seems to be particularly concerned about this itinerary. Any cruise can be rough (the roughest I've had was in the Med in June), but I don't think this is a particularly bad one, especially at this time of year.

 

They run this route right through the winter. The rougher journeys are the ones in December from what I've seen and read.

[ainecaine]

We did this cruise last year over Easter. The seas were not rough at all. One day it was so calm the sea looked like a mirror. It was magnificent at sunset. Pinks oranges and blue reflected. The next evening just before sunset about 30 dolphins swam alongside the ship. It was amazing and even the crew were looking out, and the captain announced it. We felt really privileged to have seen it.

[ColinIllinois]

Of course.

 

I'm just making the point because the OP seems to be particularly concerned about this itinerary. Any cruise can be rough (the roughest I've had was in the Med in June), but I don't think this is a particularly bad one, especially at this time of year.

 

They run this route right through the winter. The rougher journeys are the ones in December from what I've seen and read.

 

 

Oh yea, I'm not picking at you Keith, just a comment toward the O.P.

 

Cheers.

[Trevor Fountain]

[ColinIllinois]

 

 

I wouldn't call those seas all that rough but then again I served 21 years in the Navy. :)

[Demonyte]

We did Canaries in January and the seas after Gibraltar were the worst I've experienced in all our cruises - unless we had already booked the next cruise, our first cruise would have been our last. No way of knowing in advance how the weather will be.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Demonyte

[Trevor Fountain]

I wouldn't call those seas all that rough but then again I served 21 years in the Navy. :)

 

People who worry about seasickness before they travel would definately find those seas rough enough.

[tikkas]

People who worry about seasickness before they travel would definately find those seas rough enough.

 

 

We were aboard the Navigator of the Seas in such seas - it was August in the Mediterranean. The Navigator barely felt it, but I'm aware the Spirit is smaller.

[Cloudyrain]

We did this route the other year (albeit Nov/Dec) and had a few rough days where the pools were closed and one night where I nearly fell out of bed, but nothing really bad. There is always the Casablanca Swell to consider (you can see it coming into the buffet in YouTube) and the Canaries themselves can be unpredictable, but by March I would hope it would be better.

 

We have had 4 cruises, so not many compared to lots of people, but we have only ever had one that had smooth seas the whole time: and that was round Italy in June so what you would expect I suppose.

 

Anythings possible, but I'm sure you will be fine.

[catydid]

OK, so having booked a last minute cruise to the Canary Islands in a couple of weeks on the Spirit, I´m now worried we may have scarily rough seas.

 

How does the Spirit fare in waves? I have cruised the Med some 6 or 7 times, but this is the first one into the Atlantic.

Which dates are you going? I'll be on Spirit for the first time in a few weeks and am SO looking forward to it!

 

Enjoy your cruise; be sure to join the roll call!

Edited March 16, 2015 by catydid

[hawkeyetlse]

There is always the Casablanca Swell to consider (you can see it coming into the buffet in YouTube)

Is this the video you are referring to?

 

We did this itinerary on the Spirit last month, and the seas were quite rough for much of the Atlantic part of the cruise. Up to 4m according to the captain's announcements. Nothing too scary, but for someone prone to motion sickness, I am sure it was a miserable 2 or 3 days.

[Cloudyrain]

Is this the video you are referring to?

 

That's the one, thank you for finding it :)

 

That happened in Oct 2013 and if you look at reviews around that time it became a common theme that they couldn't stop in Lanzarote due to the weather: which is what happened to us.

 

Saying that though, we had a brilliant time and sad to see the Spirit leave Europe :(

[soloadventurer]

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

[tikkas]

Just off the Spirit today. We had around 6 days of non-calm seas - enough that on a couple of days they emptied the pool because it was sploshing around like water in a washing machine. I do think it does not fare as well in such seas as bigger ships. It was not scary, just uncomfortable.

[Trevor Fountain]

Just off the Spirit today. We had around 6 days of non-calm seas - enough that on a couple of days they emptied the pool because it was sploshing around like water in a washing machine. I do think it does not fare as well in such seas as bigger ships. It was not scary, just uncomfortable.

 

 

Any modern cruise ship will fare badly in heavy seas. The true transatlantic liners of a bygone age were built with a much bigger draft, whereas nowadays the designs are to enable ships to get into much shallower waters.

But at the end of the day Ships are tiny compared to an ocean.