Looking for Smooth Sailing!!

[TAYLORCPA]

My husband is very susceptible to seasickness. I love cruising but he generally does not tolerate it well. Any tips on where to go for smooth sailing? How is it in Europe?

Edited May 9, 2018 by TAYLORCPA

[wowzz]

Europe is a big place. The seas can be rough anywhere, but I guess a Med cruise mid-summer might be OK, as long as you're not sailing from the UK, and having to traverse the Bay of Biscay.

[wheezedr]

Consider the inside passage to Alaska. Can be as smooth as silk.

[TAYLORCPA]

Consider the inside passage to Alaska. Can be as smooth as silk.

 

We did a Seattle-Vancouver cruise and coming back into Vancouver was terrible!! We both got sick on that one (of course we were in the very front of the ship so we had a lot of motion).

[LHT28]

River cruises are pretty smooth sailing

 

There is no guarantee ocean cruise will be smooth we have had good seas on one cruise then bumpy seas on the same area another time

[Bizmark'sMom]

Smooth seas are never guaranteed.

 

I use sea bands and carry bonine with me in case the ocean is rough. Between those two, I cruise happily.

[Shmoo here]

Consider the inside passage to Alaska. Can be as smooth as silk.

Yes, the passage itself can be pretty smooth.

 

But getting to the passage and back out of it and into your debarkation port can be pretty darn rough. Our first Alaska cruise, they closed the doors to the outside decks those nights due to the high wind and rough seas.

[Floridiana]

River cruises are pretty smooth sailing

 

There is no guarantee ocean cruise will be smooth we have had good seas on one cruise then bumpy seas on the same area another time

 

All true!

[diane.in.ny]

Eastern Med is a good suggestion.

 

Generally, pick a cabin on a low deck, in the middle of the ship, to minimize motion.

[Hlitner]

Smooth sailing is only guaranteed on land...far from an earthquake zone :). One fact we have learned after spending more than 1000 days on cruise ships in waters all over the world is that the only thing predicable about the seas are that they are unpredictable.

 

Hank

[jocap]

We were caught in the Mistral blowing down from France this Easter, alongside the brand new Symphony OTS, which was doing the same north western ports for her first cruise. It's not the first time we've been in those winds down from the Pas de Lyons. The Med is a vast stretch of water, and can be still as a pond or as rough as mid ocean.

[ldubs]

I'm not completely sure but it might be worth looking at the Baltic.

[Hlitner]

I'm not completely sure but it might be worth looking at the Baltic.

 

Why? If its about the seas we have been in the Baltic when the seas were calm and glassy and we have also been there when the swells were awful and our ship moved all over the place.

 

Whenever the issue of sea conditions is mentioned there are always some folks who will say things like "I was there once or twice and it was always calm." But likewise, there are those who could probably say :"I have been there once or twice and there were always 20 foot seas! Anecdotal stuff is just that....stuff! And it has no bearing on what will happen to a future cruise. We used to try and reassure cruisers about ship movement, but we now know better. DW and I have been on cruises when we were happy as clams, barely felt any movement, and then we heard from others how they were sick and the ship was always bouncing around (and we had no clue). We have even witnessed a nice German lady get badly seasick while we were still tied up at the Port of Rotterdam....which is in an absolutely calm river. Go figure.

 

Hank

[ldubs]

Why? If its about the seas we have been in the Baltic when the seas were calm and glassy and we have also been there when the swells were awful and our ship moved all over the place.

 

Whenever the issue of sea conditions is mentioned there are always some folks who will say things like "I was there once or twice and it was always calm." But likewise, there are those who could probably say :"I have been there once or twice and there were always 20 foot seas! Anecdotal stuff is just that....stuff! And it has no bearing on what will happen to a future cruise. We used to try and reassure cruisers about ship movement, but we now know better. DW and I have been on cruises when we were happy as clams, barely felt any movement, and then we heard from others how they were sick and the ship was always bouncing around (and we had no clue). We have even witnessed a nice German lady get badly seasick while we were still tied up at the Port of Rotterdam....which is in an absolutely calm river. Go figure.

 

Hank

 

"Why?" To answer your question, I think the Baltic is generally thought of as being relatively calm. That was the basis of my bringing it up. Just trying to help the OP. I think everyone knows there are never guarantees.

[Hlitner]

"Why?" To answer your question, I think the Baltic is generally thought of as being relatively calm. That was the basis of my bringing it up. Just trying to help the OP. I think everyone knows there are never guarantees.

 

I do not live in the land of "thought" or "heard" or "rumors." Instead I try to live in the land of having done it (usually many times). Too many here on CC post stuff they have "read" or "heard" or "think." I prefer first hand experience which sometimes does verify what one has heard or read...but also can show the folly of what one has heard or read.

 

There is a tendency for we cruise lovers to paint the cruise life in very glowing terms. But often this flies in the face of reality. If somebody, who has a concern about ship movement, takes a cruise there is a fair chance that they are going to have issues. If they are willing to live with their personal issues, perhaps take some precautions (such as Meclizine)...then we salute them :). But if they are looking for reassurance that they can take a cruise on guaranteed calm waters...this would be a fairly tale. For the record, both DW and I truly love being on cruise ships and would love to encourage everyone else to love the experience as much as we do....but that is not reality.

 

So I will be very blunt. Having cruised extensively for over forty years we have met too many cruisers who spend lots of their time on a ship either not feeling great...or always worried about not feeling great because they fear that the ship will rock and roll. I no longer offer these folks encouragement. They either learn how to deal with their own demons....or perhaps they should stay on land.

 

Hank

[bob brown]

The best guarantee of smooth sailing is on a riverboat cruise, if you can afford them...either here or in Europe.

If you are doing an Alaskan cruise...its a toss-up...the round trips out of Seattle travel on the ocean side of Vancouver Island, while the cruises from Vancouver sail up the inside passage...however most of those are one-ways, that continue on up across the Gulf of Alaska, which can get rough at times....

[ldubs]

I do not live in the land of "thought" or "heard" or "rumors." Instead I try to live in the land of having done it (usually many times). Too many here on CC post stuff they have "read" or "heard" or "think." I prefer first hand experience which sometimes does verify what one has heard or read...but also can show the folly of what one has heard or read.

 

There is a tendency for we cruise lovers to paint the cruise life in very glowing terms. But often this flies in the face of reality. If somebody, who has a concern about ship movement, takes a cruise there is a fair chance that they are going to have issues. If they are willing to live with their personal issues, perhaps take some precautions (such as Meclizine)...then we salute them :). But if they are looking for reassurance that they can take a cruise on guaranteed calm waters...this would be a fairly tale. For the record, both DW and I truly love being on cruise ships and would love to encourage everyone else to love the experience as much as we do....but that is not reality.

 

So I will be very blunt. Having cruised extensively for over forty years we have met too many cruisers who spend lots of their time on a ship either not feeling great...or always worried about not feeling great because they fear that the ship will rock and roll. I no longer offer these folks encouragement. They either learn how to deal with their own demons....or perhaps they should stay on land.

 

Hank

 

I have been on many cruises including the Baltic, but do not consider myself to be the oracle of all cruise knowledge. I believe I was responsive to the OP. Sorry you don't. Either way, your opening sentence does not seem called for.