FJORDS cruise - afraid of getting sea sick - which itinerary?

[mamalovestraveling]

hello,

 

i hope you can give me some feedback on a norway fjord cruise.

 

i would only be able to secure a balcony all the way in the back of the ship if we go with 14 days emerald princess in august.

 

AUGUST 2016 -- 14 days - EMERALD PRINCESS: leaving from southampton- stavanger-flam-olden-trondheim-honningsvag-tromso-lofoten islands-alesund-bergen-southampton)

 

or

 

MAY 2016 -- 7 days - KONINGSDAM HOLLAND AMERICA: leaving amsterdam-flam-sogne fjord-stavanger-kristiansand-oslo fjord - oslo - amsterdam.

 

we did the baltic last may 2015 and fell in love with the oslo fjord which now triggered us to wanting to do a norway cruise.

but now i am nervous about getting sea sick on the 14 days Emerald Princess cruise since it goes all the way up to the north cape, or am i mistaken about that? please tell me i am :cool:.

obviously a 14 days cruise is allowing us to see so much more,but if that means, i could experience bad sea sickness, i would much rather book the Koningsdam in May. maybe i am way off with my thoughts....

ps. i did a cruise on azamara mediterranean in october last year, and would have paid to get off the ship because i was horribly sea sick on two rough sea days.

 

any feedback/experience you can share, is much appreciated! :)

[CruiserBruce]

Our experience in that area is relatively calm waters. BUT....that experience might not happen for you. Seas can be rough any time, any where, and our experience means nothing for your cruise. If you get sea sick, you must be prepared any time you are on a ship, in any location.

 

No one is going to be able to promise or guarantee you a smooth sailing.

[Hlitner]

There is simply never a guarantee of calm seas on any cruise! It is just a matter of weather luck. We have cruised up to the North Cape on two extended cruises (both on the small Prinsendam) and had calm seas on all but one day when we did some real rocking and rolling :). As to the mal de mer, one can take some precautions. For example, although DW has spent more than 3 years on cruise ships and never been sick, she still worries enough to take Bonine the night before we get on any cruise ship... And if the seas start to get a bit rough (or the forecast is bad) she will again pop some Bonine. Others rely on the "Patch" or other drugs. The key to seasickness meds is that you need to take them BEFORE you get sick.

 

Hank

Edited March 5, 2016 by Hlitner

[Thejuggler]

The 7 day trip only goes to Sognefjord, Oslo isn't actually on a fjord, so you wouldn't see much of what Norway has to offer.

 

If you want to see more of Norway choose the 14 day trip. The fjords are very calm, but any open sea can be rough. Our worst crossing was Oslo to Southampton a few years ago when it was a 5-6m swell and very high winds across the bow, but the ship hardly moved.

 

We have considered the Emerald Princess trip as having been to the southern fjords we want to see more. The only issue putting us off is the Grand class ships have no crows nest bar and none of the public areas have great external views, which on a fjord trip is a necessity. Celebrity Eclipse was ideal for fjords.

[Keith1010]

As others have said you just don't know.

 

I have sailed close to 100 times.

 

On one of our Norway sailings we did have rough seas. The rough seas were not in Norway but getting to Norway. You just never know.

 

Being all the way back on the ship is not as good as mid shop but much better then being all the way forward.

 

I would just come prepared. For us we use Bonine and the key is to take it before you feel sick and for us rather than taking the maximum two tablets in 24 hours we take 1. There are other remedies from Ginger tablets to Apples.

 

This is a beautiful area to sail. I would go with the 14 day cruise.

 

Keith

[mamalovestraveling]

Thanks everyone for your feedback!!!!!

I agree, I always have to have some kind of sea sickness meds with me and I always do... but sometimes, I just cant stomach it even with the meds.

Here is to hoping for smooth sailings :)

[Pet Nit Noy]

hello,

 

i hope you can give me some feedback on a norway fjord cruise.

 

i would only be able to secure a balcony all the way in the back of the ship if we go with 14 days emerald princess in august.

 

AUGUST 2016 -- 14 days - EMERALD PRINCESS: leaving from southampton- stavanger-flam-olden-trondheim-honningsvag-tromso-lofoten islands-alesund-bergen-southampton)

 

or

 

MAY 2016 -- 7 days - KONINGSDAM HOLLAND AMERICA: leaving amsterdam-flam-sogne fjord-stavanger-kristiansand-oslo fjord - oslo - amsterdam.

 

we did the baltic last may 2015 and fell in love with the oslo fjord which now triggered us to wanting to do a norway cruise.

but now i am nervous about getting sea sick on the 14 days Emerald Princess cruise since it goes all the way up to the north cape, or am i mistaken about that? please tell me i am :cool:.

obviously a 14 days cruise is allowing us to see so much more,but if that means, i could experience bad sea sickness, i would much rather book the Koningsdam in May. maybe i am way off with my thoughts....

ps. i did a cruise on azamara mediterranean in october last year, and would have paid to get off the ship because i was horribly sea sick on two rough sea days.

 

any feedback/experience you can share, is much appreciated! :)

 

You've listed your ports. Do you have any at sea days between Southampton and your first port of call? Specifically, will you be transiting into the Baltic Sea via the Kiel Canal or will you be staying in the ocean? In part, the Kiel Canal was created to avoid the rough waters around the Jutland Peninsula. Admittedly, the Kiel Canal is pretty boring; there are no locks. The canal has a narrow enough channel that only one decent sized ship can pass, so ships are told to hold up at various points during the transit to allow ships coming in the opposite direction to pass. (At some points, your ship will be the moving ship and other ships will by holding up.) But if your goal is to avoid rough seas, this boring day will be a happy chance to avoid the North Seas around the Jutland Peninsula.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Neither itinerary will visit the Baltic or the Kiel Canal - they're Norwegian cruises, not Baltic.

 

As for seasickness, Norway is the best place on earth to avoid it. The fjords don't have waves or swell, and even some of the sea transits are sheltered by islands. The difference in likelihood of rough seas between going north and going south isn't that great, IMO - not enough to be a deal breaker.

[terri517]

The other option is that you can also visit the ship doctor. They do have stronger medications than Bonine and the cost is not too high. Years ago we sailed through a hurricane and my husband went there and got an injection that helped almost immediately. Just an idea

Edited March 5, 2016 by terri517

[mamalovestraveling]

Thanks for the advise, I was not aware of that. I wish I knew about that on my last cruise :).

 

Thanks everyone for your helpful feedback, I really appreciate it.

[Pet Nit Noy]

Neither itinerary will visit the Baltic or the Kiel Canal - they're Norwegian cruises, not Baltic.

 

As for seasickness, Norway is the best place on earth to avoid it. The fjords don't have waves or swell, and even some of the sea transits are sheltered by islands. The difference in likelihood of rough seas between going north and going south isn't that great, IMO - not enough to be a deal breaker.

 

You're right about the Kiel canal, but my original question still stands. Since everyone was focusing on the waters around Norway, I actually went to the both cruise line's web sites to look at the itinerary maps.

 

Whether leaving Southampton or Amsterdam, both itineraries include an at-sea day in the North Sea before reaching Stavanger on the Emerald or reaching Flam on the Koningsdam. (The last hours of the transit will be in the Norwegian Sea in, presumably calmer waters with barrier islands.) There are at-sea days, again through the North Sea, at the end of both itineraries.

 

The North Sea is definitely calmer in the summer than the winter, but it is one of the bodies of water that makes Cruise Critic's article titled, "The Roughest Bodies of Water."

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1226

 

I'm glad the OP has gotten useful seasickness information just in case.

Edited March 6, 2016 by Pet Nit Noy

[MotherofAurora]

Hi from Norway :)

 

Of the two choices you have I would choose the first one, just because the ports the ship visits and the scenery getting there is a lot more spectacular then the second one. Bergen and Aalesund are two of the most beautiful towns in Norway. Olden is as far in the Nordfjord you come on the fjord, I would take an excursion to visit the Briksdal glacier here. I happen to think this is the most beautiful place in the world :) Flam is in a sidefjord of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway, so you get Sognefjord on trip one also. Flam has a railway that takes you up through the valley up into the mountains, well worth it, you may also get to see the Hulder :D Lofoten is one of the most beautiful places in Norway.

 

The Oslofjord, and yes it is a fjord, I live by it :) is beautiful but no way near as beautiful as the western fjords. The fjord ends in Oslo, our capital. Nice city but no way as nice as Bergen and Aalesund.

 

I know you asked about possible seasickness and I drifted totally of topic, please forgive me for this, but you would miss out on so much of Norway if you choose trip number two. I have been on two cruises to Amsterdam, and we had smooth sailings both times. How much sea you will have on trip one is down too the weather I think, no problem ones you get in the fjords, but going north is totally dependant on the weather. But going to Honningsvaag you will get to see the midnight sun :)

 

Please excuse any spelling mistakes :)