Question About Upper Decks on QM2

[MollyBrown]

What are Deck 12 and Deck 11 like in terms of movement of the ship? Is it hellish to be up there when the weather is rough?

 

I've noticed many upper grade cabins are either on the upper decks or fore and aft, all of which I think are less comfortable in rough weather.

 

I have stayed with the same grade because I like their position on the ship, in terms of avoiding seasickness in rough weather, however I'd like to try another cabin grade for a change.

 

If Deck 12 or 11 are not too bad (or perhaps 9 or 10), I might try a change.

[travel-to-go]

When you are on this size and this modern a ship, you will not likely be prone to mal-de-mer, unless you are truly very sensitive. The stabilizers on most modern ships are absolutely amazing. the times you will feel it most are when the ship is going very slow. It is easier to stay stable when cutting through the water at cruising speed. Think about your car with Rack And Pinion steering or no power assisted steering (if you are old enough, like I, you must have driven such a beast) Trying to steer at low speed takes a bit more muscle. Once you are cruising along at a nice clip, steering is effortless. Heck, if you live in Boston, you probably don't own a car! Think about riding a bike. Try to stay stable at low, low speed. Now try it a little faster. The bike doesn't wobble as much! Or at all!

 

By the same token, and I have been on a ship in rough water in both the Atlantic and Pacific, the movement tends to be either a gentle rocking, which I find very comforting to gently lull me to sleep, or occasionally some pitch (That would be the pitching back and forth on the axis through the midships from side to side. As if you had a round dowel going through the middle of the ship from port to starboard and tipped the bow and the stern alternately up and down) BTW, Yaw is the nose (bow) "wiggling" left to right and back. and Roll is the motion of the ship if you were to take that dowel and put it down the middle from the bow to the stern, and twirl it back and forth. (We are both also pilots, and these are the same motions one studies in an airplane)

 

As stated, I have cruised open waters of both Atlantic and Pacific, and this in ships built for 800 passengers. (the old Cunard Crown line) The only time we ever had a problem at all, was one formal night, circling in our own unburned exhaust while taking eight hours to get from Cancun to Cozumel, a trip which should take about an hour! It was the exhaust that made us both sick. - Being formal night, dinner was Beef Filets and Lobster. We won't have that problem on this ship.

 

If you are prone to queasiness, or just fear it, go to the purser the minute you get on board. they will give you seasickness pills. They are free. Be careful, I've heard they can make you sleepy, and of course, drink very carefully if you are taking them. Some people have reported good results with either the patch or the bracelets. I can't attest to either personally, because I am not prone to motion sickness and have never experienced it. But I have cruised with many who swear by each method. If you are worried about it ruining your trip, it is better to take an ounce of preventtion than to worry yourself sick, or to actually get sick.

However, as I said, the ships are amazing. The worst part is getting your landlegs back once back on terra firma! You tend to feel like you are rocking for a day or two.

 

Don't worry. You two are among friends! We'll take care of you both! Is your friend new to cruising? We'll make sure you will both be okay.

[travel-to-go]

What are Deck 12 and Deck 11 like in terms of movement of the ship? Is it hellish to be up there when the weather is rough?

 

I've noticed many upper grade cabins are either on the upper decks or fore and aft, all of which I think are less comfortable in rough weather.

 

I have stayed with the same grade because I like their position on the ship, in terms of avoiding seasickness in rough weather, however I'd like to try another cabin grade for a change.

 

If Deck 12 or 11 are not too bad (or perhaps 9 or 10), I might try a change.

Oops, Sorry, I was thinking that was posted by NBCNEWSGUY My apolgies!

 

Ship pricing goes like this. The higher the deck the more desirable. While it is true that the "fulcrum" or center of any motion is going to be lower and more amidships, if the upper decks were that horrendous, they wouldn't put the premium cabins there! The most important thing to remember if you are afraid you might have problems is that you do better with a horizon. Seasickness stems, in part, from the dichotomy between when cilia (the little tiny hairs gently waving in fluid) inside the ears move in a motions which is not consistant with what your body is perceiving. If you feel yourself starting to slip, get out on a deck, if possible, or at least fresh air, if you can, and put your eyes on the horizon. Our bodies tend to adjust silently to different movement, and it is confusing if you ears detecting motion but your environment (interior walls) are moving right along with you, so your eyes are not detecting the movement the cilia in your ears feel. Also, in certain circumstances, because the cilia are in a fluid, they can get into a kind of retrograde motion- like a backlash from motion, where they overreact and "bend" the other way- Like when you spin around and stop, and suddenly feel yourself spinning the opposite direction. To make your visiual reality match the reality you ears are perceiving, (or to negate the false sense from your ears) look at the horizon. Pilots tend to get vertigo when they either have their head down, looking at charts and maps, or if they are in fog and have no horizon (like John John Kennedy.) In those circumstances we are taught to believe our instruments, not our perceptions. The instruments don't lie. The horizon will help you.

[2moose]

What are Deck 12 and Deck 11 like in terms of movement of the ship? Is it hellish to be up there when the weather is rough?

 

I've noticed many upper grade cabins are either on the upper decks or fore and aft, all of which I think are less comfortable in rough weather.

 

I have stayed with the same grade because I like their position on the ship, in terms of avoiding seasickness in rough weather, however I'd like to try another cabin grade for a change.

 

If Deck 12 or 11 are not too bad (or perhaps 9 or 10), I might try a change.

my wife and i sailed out of nyc on april 4, 2005 to the carribe we were on 10 deck and the 2nd day out we experienced heavy seas(40ft) and heavy winds (40mph) except for a little stutter step in the shower one time the ship was very stable. we never missed a meal or a drink. enjoy and bon voyage

[NBCNewsGuy]

Travel to Go - My friend and I were on a cruise in September - we were coming home from Bermuda and we had to Sail around a hurricane - Hurricane Ophelia... the SHIP was rocking!

 

Sadly, I do own a car in Boston. Thank god my building has a garage.... but it does come at a price!

 

My friend is also a pilot for United - What airline do you fly for?

 

Ryan

[minxtabb]

we were on the 26 October crossing with BIG seas (30ft waves) and there was very definitely alot of movement on the ship on ALL decks, even down at 3 and 4. they closed off deck 12 and it was almost impossible to walk around deck 7 due to the wind. there were ALOT of sick people down at the doctors. the movement is definitely worse the higher you go and at the front of the ship.

hope this helps,

Roz

[lannp]

I was on Deck 11 on a crossing in May. There is a more noticeable movement up there than further down. I didn't notice the movement while sitting in the dining room but did in my cabin even though we could see the water sloshing past the dining room windows. (There were a lot of empty tables that evening) One evening it was difficult to walk the length of the 9th deck to the Commodore Club without hanging on to the railings.

[travel-to-go]

Travel to Go - My friend and I were on a cruise in September - we were coming home from Bermuda and we had to Sail around a hurricane - Hurricane Ophelia... the SHIP was rocking!

 

Sadly, I do own a car in Boston. Thank god my building has a garage.... but it does come at a price!

 

My friend is also a pilot for United - What airline do you fly for?

 

Ryan

Oh heavens. We are not airline pilots. (Although I have friends who are- In fact we've been anxiously watching the mechanics strike at Northwest. One of our friends is a pilot for them. It seems that strike has fizzled out.)

I am a private pilot. I own a Cessna 172 (1956) which I am afraid hasn't gotten much action in recent years. When I think about spending a couple of thousand working on the plane or a couple of thousand on a cruise....

 

Marc hasn't been flying lately either. He is a Helicpoter flight instructor. There is no money in it. Airlines is about the only money in actual flying in the US. Other countries send their students over here to live and learn till they get their commercial, instructor or ATP licenses. It's worth the cost of living here. They get paid much better in Scandinavian contries and such. For air ambulances and such. (Question: how do you end up with a little money in the flying business? Start out with a LOT of money! Substitute sailboats, or your favorite hobby here!) When I got him into Skydiving, he started spending all of his weekends (and money!) at the dropzone. I was also manifesting there at the time. Sadly, we've also done no skydiving in the last three years! But we're both 51. We were thinking maybe it was time we thought about growing up? NAH!

 

I have been up to Boston a number of times recently. I went to see a show at the Somerville Theater (Cambridge area). Wow! That place is almost worse to park in than Boston! Of course last year we went to a concert at Berklee the night of a Red Sox game! Impossible! While I might love to live in Boston and have friends there, I think I would never want to own a car there!

Are you planning to drive, fly, or limo (or other) down to New York? I have been looking into our options from here (Colchester CT) It will cost $150.00 to park at the parking lots at the port. (cost for 1 month, or anything over 8 days) By the time we take a limo or the train and a taxi, it is likely to be about the same or more, with tips to everybody. (We are generous tippers) The port will have you park in a locked gated area for long term, and your car will not come out of that area until the day you return. It's a little safer that way. It is patrolled 24 hours. And no worries about luggage limitations and such! Woohoo! I can bring a streamer trunk! (Well, maybe not! <G>)

 

We're open to suggestion for other transportation ideas.

 

BTW, My REAL job is as a technician for Cingular Wireless. I had to do a lot of testing at night in all of Eastern Mass with the recent merger of AT&T Wireless and Cingular. I hadn't driven those areas in a long time, if ever, in some cases! I forgot how "Exciting " driving in the Boston area can be! And when I went to go home from Somerville, I discovered the entrance to the Mass Pike was closed! (They had been paving) I almost ended up in Cape Cod at 1 AM trying to figure out how to get back to Connecticut! Every road in Boston is one way going the wrong way!

 

It'll be fun to have you aboard. And we can talk aviation with your friend in case he misses it! <LOL>

[MollyBrown]

Although I have done the transatlantic route 8 times now, I still feel a bit queasy during rough weather. Or perhaps it's in my head, as my grandmother would have said. My grandmother's mother threatened to spank her if she became seasick, as she believed it was all a matter of willpower---which seemed the way of thinking of her day.

 

I've had cabins fore and aft, and found when I switched to mid-ship I felt 100% better. I've been told also that it is better to be on a lower deck. However, if others can assure me by their experience that decks 9 to 12 are just fine, when the weather is not, then I will give them a try.

 

I've tried the pursar's pills, by the way, and they work well.