Fun Question: How far do we bounce up and down on a ship?!

[Mosaic]

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas? Whatever.... Your thoughts?

[sail7seas]

It doesn't

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been in many rough seas -- my head never went up and down.

Maybe yours will??

[RetiredRich]

Of the many cruises we have been on only one was rough. Normally you cannot even tell you are moving. But on a cruise into New England we got into a nor eastern with 12 foot seas. Most everybody including the crew got sick and some of the stops we were supposed to make were bypassed. One does not bounce as you say but it is sure hard to walk. And as the ship hits into the swells it sounded like it ran into a brick wall. I have found eating ginger is a great help if you are prone to getting sea sick or motion sick. So don't let it stop you if you are concerned about rough seas. It don't happen that much. You can pick your cruise when storms are out of season. Good Luck.

[mrmoviezombie]

I'm confused... In what way do you think your head is not moving up and down?

 

Your head (along with your body and the entire ship) most certainly do travel up and down with the large swells.

Depending on the length of the ship and length and size of the swell and where in the ship you are, I would expect that it could either larger or smaller than the stated sea swell.

[Sea Belle]

We have been in rough sea several times but I always figured if I swayed with the ship we were in it together!:o

[ger_77]

A number of years ago we encountered a storm system in the Black Sea. It was a trying evening for someone who suffers from sea-sickness, but I managed to get through it. That night after we went to bed, I found we were rolling from side to side, and was about to lose it when DH suggested we orient ourselves differently on the bed. Instead of sleeping with our heads at the top of the bed, we slept horizontally (across the bed) and the problem was solved, because then we were going up and down with the ship, instead of side to side.

 

Believe me, your head won't bounce up and down on the bed.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

[cb at sea]

It it's 20 ft. seas, you're gonna feel it. You will, however, stay on the floor (your feet, anyway)....you won't be thrown about! Really, anything under 10-12 foot seas, and you barely notice it.

Walking up or down steps can get tricky in rough weather....I've found being a bit "tipsy" helps!!!! You're sort of prepared for wobbliness!

[Hlitner]

The more you drink alcohol, the more your head bobs up and down :). As to the ship moving, that is what vessels do upon the sea when things get rough. The motion you feel will vary (greatly) depending where you are located on the vessel....especially if the vessel in pitching. Personally, DW and I enjoy feeling some ship movement and will often book a cabin near the bow (there are several reasons for loving this part of the ship) where any pitch motion is magnified. At night, that motion rocks me asleep like a baby.

 

Hank

[sail7seas]

Though we certainly had our share of rough seas, the most wild I remember were mistrals coming off of Africa as w e s ailed the med after leaving Spain

[TAD2005]

On a trans-Atlantic from Cadiz to FLL, we had 27-30 ft seas until we reached the Azores. It was early November on the Zuiderdam. There was a storm north of us in the Bay of Biscay. We were in cabin 6006, close to the bow. We had some pitching up and down, and you had to hang onto the railings walking to dinner. But we certainly were not "bouncing". And the term is "Swells" not Swales. There is a slow pitching up and then down if you are in forward or aft cabins. Very slow pitching, as the ship climbs over each swell. We find the rocking very relaxing, certainly not annoying or violent. The OP must be trying to associate rough seas on a ship with turbulence in a jet. Yes, in a jet caught in turbulence, you will bounce up and down. But in a jet, you are blasting through the air at 500+ MPH, while a cruise ship moves up and over the swells at a leisurely 18 knots. No bouncing !!

[Bill B]

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas?

 

20'

 

Is a swale a swell made by a whale?

[frankc98376]

You can tell who is drunk in rough seas- they walk a straight line down the hallway :-)

[UtterCaro]

I love to sip a cup of coffee out on deck and watch the wobblers when the swells are picking up. The trick is timing the sips so I don't end up spilling (and sometimes wearing) my coffee. Note to self: pack tan shirts.

[TAD2005]

20'

 

Is a swale a swell made by a whale?

 

Nice one !!! LOL

[Rala]

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas? Whatever.... Your thoughts?

My head has never gone up and down...my lunch or dinner maybe !! LOL! :D

[ZN1300]

If you're not in a hurricane, the bigger the ship the less movement you feel. Last Nov/Dec we did a transatlantic on the Pacific Princess (a small ship) from Venice to Ft. Lauderdale. We had some rough seas here and there. Dishes flying in the Lido, glasses in the bars, people stumbling about.

 

Some days you may feel like you're on a roller coaster. If that bothers you there are motion sickness meds you can find at most pharmacies. I generally don't need them but there was a time on my first few cruises that they helped. Now, for me anyway, after a few days of bouncing at sea I just want it to stop because I'm tired of it and not because I'm sick. That being said, I don't mind being tossed about a bit.

Edited October 6, 2018 by ZN1300
added text

[dogo88]

On our honeymoon cruise in 1978 on the SS Rotterdam, we were on the typical 7 day cruise offered at that time. NYC to Bermuda then onto Nassau and back to NYC. And as typical in September there was a hurricane. So on this trip HAL decided to reverse the cruise so not to directly go through the hurricane and just skirt around it. Otherwise they may have cancelled it. Which was rare.

 

We bounced and pitched for the first evening. Dinner attendance was sparsely attended and the limited shows they offered in those days had the singer sitting on a stool instead of standing. Funny to watch the stool slide across the stage with the singer keeping balance. But we were young and this bouncing and ship movement wasn't that bad. Only downer was we had an inside cabin in the stern and they had the ship running as fast as they could. Those props were boom boom booming all night.

 

A year or so later we were on another cruise again out of NYC but this time it was only to Bermuda. It was on a new upstart line who had bought old HAL ships. I believe it was the old Volendam or Veendam and renamed The Bermuda Star. Had a lot of HALs silverware and linen. But was an inexpensive cruise. Being young and poor it was just right.

 

This time there was a hurricane and we had no choice to go through it. I guess they could have cancelled the cruise but a new line can't afford to lose a trip and they went.

 

We had a midship cabin which had portholes and had the waves washing up onto them. Up in the crow's nest they had a grand piano which was tossed across the room and broke up some glass panels. But the piano stayed together. We sat and watched the bow of the ship go under the waves time and time again. Reminded me of those old Humphrey Bogart movie "Action in the North Atlantic". But being young made it more fun than disconcerting.

 

 

So we sit up in the Crow's Nest watching the seas and notice a small sailboat nearby also heading into Bermuda. Sails down, hatches closed tight and bouncing like a cork in a pail. At that point we were very glad we were on the cruise ship.

 

Did our heads go up and down on these cruises? Yup, along with the rest of our bodies.

[Slarty]

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas? Whatever.... Your thoughts?

 

In heavy seas, usually not more than 3'.

 

If you enjoy weightlessness, take an elevator from the highest deck to the lowest -- if you time it right, you can be free floating in the air all the way down. Alternatively, if you'd like to see how it feels to be double your normal weight, just do the opposite.

[Haboob]

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas? Whatever.... Your thoughts?

 

Depending on where you are on the ship, you may see something close to 20' or

you may see zilch. (That's why folks worried about motion sickness are advised

to book low in midships). The Bridge is *not* going to want to take 20' on the

beam, so you'll primarily see the bow and stern going up and down rather than

the ship rolling from side to side -- and midships sinking deeper into the water

rather than going up and down as much.

 

Your 20kt winds are called a "moderate breeze", and will generate around 5' seas.

You'd need 40kt winds ("near gale") for 20' seas. Now, the Pacific will always have

*somewhere* blowing at 40kts or better, and if those seas head your way, they'll

spread out and arrive every 15 to 20 sec or so instead of every 5 to 10 and be

called "swells".

 

The worst swells I've seen were 36'. DW asked "Where is everybody?" came

dinner time. :hearteyes: That night we slept to the sounds of the hangers in the closet

going scritch to one side of the closet and then scritch back to the other.

[corkpopr]

:cool: I assume you mean when you are jumping on the bed in your cabin. Watch out, low ceilings !!!