How rough is the sea from Seattle to Alaska?

[Florida_cruisers]

How rocky does the ship get leaving out of Seattle to Alaska? The only time I've been sea sick was one night on our Baltic cruise leaving England. We have some friends coming on our next cruise with us and they have never been on a cruise. I am worried they would get sea sick (2 adults, 3 children). Worse case they can take Bonnie but I was wondering how rough is the sea from Seattle since it's not protected water.

[CruiserBruce]

As discussed here frequently, if the ship goes out to sea- the normal route for Seattle sailings- it can be rough. In fact, entering that area- the Straights of San Juan de Fuca, was the roughest cruise (in 18) we have ever experienced. 3 hours of throw you out of bed roughness.

 

Seas can be rough any time, any place. There are several discussions on this board about extreme wind situations in September that have closed ports in Alaska the last 2 or 3 years. And these were seas in the protected areas!

 

You are on a ship. Seas move, causing ships to move. If you have sea sickness issues, you must be prepared every time you step on a ship.

Edited November 5, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[kctwinmommy]

We didn't have any problems this past July. We were prepared and had Bonine with in case we needed it, but never used it. We had much rougher seas when we were diverted last year because of a Tropical Storm in the Caribbean. We were supposed to go to St. Thomas, but went to the Dominican Republic instead. That night, was kind of rough for a few hours, but even still nothing serious.

 

The only time I've been seasick was on a glass bottom boat in Key West, which is often expected. You go below, to look through the glass, and it's really disorientating. I had to go up top after just a few minutes. My son came up shortly after, he threw up just a bit. And neither of us had any problems in Alaska.

[mamasylvia]

What is Bonnie? I've never had a problem with sea sickness but I like to be prepared.

[Keith1010]

You just never know.

 

We book our room location and bring over the counter medications with us (Bonine) to be on the safe side.

 

mamasyvilia, bonine is an over the counter drug. You can take up to two pills (you chew them) every 24 hours. In our case we use one. A major ingredient is Meclizine . It is used to treat symptoms of motion sickness such as nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.

 

The actual ingredient is found in other brands such as Dramamine.

 

Like most medications there can be some side effects. Some people become drowsy from it.

 

For those who have not taken it I would consult with your doctors office. It is not a problem for most people but always wise to do that. And assuming doctors office says it's fine I would try it while on land.

 

We only take it on occasion. If the Captain predicts rough seas than we might take it. The key is to take it before you feel sea sick.

 

On some cruises we never use it. On others we do as needed.

 

Keith

[diesel1973]

I believe it is Bonine,not Bonne. Use it all the time when fishing on the ocean in Alaska. There is also Dramamine. They have an all natural type which is a heavy dose of ginger and seems to work OK. Both Bonine and Dramamine have a non drowsy version also. Hope this helps as being seasick is no fun!

[Keith1010]

It is Bonine.

 

Keith

[rockdoctor]

You will not get sea sick, but there is chop in the open Pacific around Vancouver Island. With stabilizers you'll be OK. We don't even take Bonine to Alaska. We were on the aft of the Volendam once and the sea was 15 degrees to horizontal, but the ship was not rocking.

[Keith1010]

rockdoctor, I really think it is unwise to say that someone will not get sea sick. I have been at sea when I felt great but someone else felt sea sick. We are all different.

 

Keith

[CruiserBruce]

You will not get sea sick, but there is chop in the open Pacific around Vancouver Island. With stabilizers you'll be OK. We don't even take Bonine to Alaska. We were on the aft of the Volendam once and the sea was 15 degrees to horizontal, but the ship was not rocking.

 

I am not sure how you can predict this???? How can you speak for everyone??? DW was definitely sick in the situation I mentioned in post #2.

Edited November 5, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[Glaciers]

Although we’ve been lucky and not encountered rough seas on our Seattle departures to Alaska, there are many posts on this board of sick passengers due to rough seas while traveling to the west of Vancouver Island.

 

Hope for the best but be prepared. We always have Bonine with us just in case.

[mamasylvia]

I could have misread it as Bonnie rather than Bonine. I've never been seasick, carsick, or airsick, but I sure don't want an Alaska cruise to be the first time. Taking along something strikes me as cheap insurance.

[LEtue]

You should definitely plan on it and if the seas are calm - great. It is often too late once you get sick and relief may not come for hours - if you wait to take something.

 

Some people find that if they start ginger tabs a few days before sailing they can avoid it. Easy enough to do.....

 

The roughest seas I have experienced in Alaska was between Hubbard Glacier and Sitka. Lots of barf bags were put out in containers by all the elevators and there were a lot of empty tables at dinner!

 

So be prepared if you have had a bad experience in the past. It can get rough :(

[Budget Queen]

I have first hand experience of at least 25 ++ cruises in/out Seattle. It certainly is possible to have rough sailing, with my experiences- seeing numerous sick passengers.

 

This message board is NOT the place to get medication advice. Consult your health care professional.

[Budget Queen]

You will not get sea sick, but there is chop in the open Pacific around Vancouver Island. With stabilizers you'll be OK. We don't even take Bonine to Alaska. We were on the aft of the Volendam once and the sea was 15 degrees to horizontal, but the ship was not rocking.

 

Very inaccurate information. I have seen numerous sick passengers on multiple Alaska cruise ships sailing in/out of Seattle.

[mamasylvia]

> This message board is NOT the place to get medication advice.

 

No, but it's a great place to find out what other people have used and how it has worked for them. That is a better starting point IMNSHO than just staring at the rows of OTC meds in the pharmacy. Most physicians I have encountered these days don't mind a "Such-and-such worked well for someone I know, is there a reason I shouldn't use it?" as long as I don't mind a response of "I don't think it would be advisable with your history" if that is the professional's evaluation.

[TheCalicoCat]

How rocky does the ship get leaving out of Seattle to Alaska? The only time I've been sea sick was one night on our Baltic cruise leaving England. We have some friends coming on our next cruise with us and they have never been on a cruise. I am worried they would get sea sick (2 adults, 3 children). Worse case they can take Bonnie but I was wondering how rough is the sea from Seattle since it's not protected water.

 

1. Have them start taking the Bonine prior to the cruise (Ask a Dr. how far in advance or if ginger is a valid alternative), not when they feel sick. (Drs. can prescribe a patch that goes behind the ear as another option.) The Bonine is not a magic bullet that will make you feel better as soon as you take a pill.

 

2. Eat green apples.

 

3. I've seen youtube videos that show rough seas... (That may be luck or all the time, I'm not sure.)

Edited November 9, 2016 by TheCalicoCat

[TheCalicoCat]

 

The roughest seas I have experienced in Alaska was between Hubbard Glacier and Sitka. Lots of barf bags were put out in containers by all the elevators and there were a lot of empty tables at dinner!

 

 

Thanks for the heads up, that leg is on our itinerary.

[diesel1973]

When my nephew moved to Alaska he took the ferry up to Alaska with all his belongings and his dog. He said the seas were so rough that he AND his dog got sick! True story:eek::eek::eek:

[Eaglecw]

When my nephew moved to Alaska he took the ferry up to Alaska with all his belongings and his dog. He said the seas were so rough that he AND his dog got sick! True story:eek::eek::eek:

 

There is no comparison between an Alaska State Ferry and a large cruise ship.

 

We’ve sailed many, many times out of Seattle to Alaska between May and September and have never encounter really heavy seas. Last year in June we encountered some rolling on the first sea day out of Seattle for a couple of hour, but wasn’t anything major. We’ve never taken anything like Bonine or Dramamine. Here’s an interesting link http://www.livestrong.com/article/72233-bonine-vs-non-drowsy-dramamine/

[Herfnerd]

I am very motion sickness prone and chewing two meclizine (brand name Bonnie) tabs a day ( they last up to 24 hours) does the trick for me. You can get generic Meclizine from the pharmacist much cheaper than the branded. Dramamine (Diphenhydrinate) only lasts up to 6-8 hours and can make you sleepy - Benadryl (diphenhydramine) breaks down to diphenhydrinate and is used as a sleep aid. You can talk to your family doctor and they may prescribe the Scopolamine transdermal patch but that makes me extremely loopy, knocks me out and gives me the worst case of dry mouth. I have heard of people cutting them in half to minimize these side effects but since finding meclizine have given up on them. I wouldn't hesitate using them in extreme seas, though.......

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

Meclizine is an OTC drug. You don't need to see the pharmacist. Costco has a great price on it.

[Herfnerd]

Meclizine is an OTC drug. You don't need to see the pharmacist. Costco has a great price on it.

 

 

Yep - but I was able to buy a bottle of 100 tabs for about $5-$10 vs the brand name Bonine from the pharmacist

 

 

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[CruiserBruce]

Yep - but I was able to buy a bottle of 100 tabs for about $5-$10 vs the brand name Bonine from the pharmacist

 

 

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Costco, $4.50, 100 chewable, which work a little faster. Generic or Costco brand, not sure.