Are the seas rough?

[Lori334]

Hi we are planning to take a cruise from Sydney to New Zealand mid March.  Are the seas rough during that time?

 

thank you

[The_Big_M]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

 

Basically, no way to be sure.

[Chiliburn]

I’ll second that,no way to tell but if is it would only for a day or so.

[Tranquility Base]

As an example for the forecast sea state in 10 days time. (not very accurate that far out)

 

Northern route ( Brisbane - Auckland ) light seas....up to 2m.

Southern route ( Hobart - Milford ) moderate seas .....4 to 5m.

 

If the forecasts are for high seas ...over 6m....itinerary / port changes are sometimes made.

 

If I was doing this route I would plan for a moderate crossing ( 3 - 4.5m), and hope for a smoother one.

 

 

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Tranquility Base

[GUT2407]

I’ll give you the definitive answer....

 

 

Maybe or even

Perhaps

[SinbadThePorter]

12 hours ago, Lori334 said:

Hi we are planning to take a cruise from Sydney to New Zealand mid March.  Are the seas rough during that time?

 

thank you

 

To answer the question a different way, there isn't a better time of year to take a NZ cruise.

 

You can't go in winter because there are no ships, and wouldn't want to if you could. Spring and Autumn are not much better.

 

Summer is the only worthwhile time to go and March (usually) counts as a bit of summer.

[OzKiwiJJ]

Most of the bigger ships are very stable. We passed through some 4-5 metre seas on Majestic Princess in November and hardly felt a thing.

[Stickman1990]

No one can forecast that far out - even the Met Office 

 

Having said that the Tasman Sea can be quite rough - so if prone to sea sickness I’d suggest you take something with you should you strike rough weather 

[Elorac123]

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Most of the bigger ships are very stable. We passed through some 4-5 metre seas on Majestic Princess in November and hardly felt a thing.

Good to know for next Feb,,

Cheers Carole

[NSWP]

And  in extreme cases, can be 10 to 12m.  Having experienced that.  Sept 2007. 

[VK3DQ]

See for yourself

 

 

[GUT2407]

But that doesn't go up to the Tasman or Bass level

[MicCanberra]

It is much easier to tell what happened than what will happen, the same goes for the weather. January is the optimal time for cruising to NZ but as for the seas, it is a lottery.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

A full moon seems to help flatten the seas.

[reedy8]

We were there mid March, seas were fine, but its just too hard to tell. Do take a few items of warm clothes, it was cool in NZ and friends I know who are posting FB pictures on a land based trip at the moment wearing warm clothing.

[MicCanberra]

You always need a light jacket in NZ and often something heavier as well.

[Bubbeh]

We traversed the ditch early last year (February 2018) and I have never been crook on a cruise before this trip.  I spent a night especially unwell but a trip to the ships medical centre and a jab in the bottom fixed me up very quickly.  A good nights sleep and I was right as rain the next day.  It was a very rough crossing, so much so tht the ship (Sun Princess) had sick bags located all over the ship, as a large number of passengers were crook like me.  

 

Having said this, I'd support the other responses of sometimes 'yes' and sometimes 'no'.  I suggest you take your motion sickness medication with you and be prepared to visit the Dr if necessary.

 

Good luck and have a wonderful trip.

[debeni]

Is the Tasman Sea known to be rougher than others?  Or is it that we were on a smaller ship?  

 

We crossed the Tasman Sea from Sydney to NZ back in late January 2019.  I had never experienced such rough seas before.  After dinner we swayed from side to side as we walked out of the restaurant. Most people were joking and having fun with the ship’s movements.   We did not experience any associated sickness although we heard some people say they were taking Dramamine.

 

We sailed the NCL Getaway (a large ship) on a Western Caribbean and then a Baltic Sea cruise and never noticed any movement. While on the smaller ship NCL Jewel (although still a large ship) we experienced a lot of rough seas when crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

One should always bring some Dramamine and/or Bonine just in case.

 

[GUT2407]

24 minutes ago, debeni said:

Is the Tasman Sea known to be rougher than others?  Or is it that we were on a smaller ship?  

 

We crossed the Tasman Sea from Sydney to NZ back in late January 2019.  I had never experienced such rough seas before.  After dinner we swayed from side to side as we walked out of the restaurant. Most people were joking and having fun with the ship’s movements.   We did not experience any associated sickness although we heard some people say they were taking Dramamine.

 

We sailed the NCL Getaway (a large ship) on a Western Caribbean and then a Baltic Sea cruise and never noticed any movement. While on the smaller ship NCL Jewel (although still a large ship) we experienced a lot of rough seas when crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

One should always bring some Dramamine and/or Bonine just in case.

 

Yes the Tasman Sea can be rough, nothing to the East, Nothing to the West (of NZ) so it blows.

[DDG 41]

3 hours ago, debeni said:

Is the Tasman Sea known to be rougher than others?  Or is it that we were on a smaller ship?  

 

We crossed the Tasman Sea from Sydney to NZ back in late January 2019.  I had never experienced such rough seas before.  After dinner we swayed from side to side as we walked out of the restaurant. Most people were joking and having fun with the ship’s movements.   We did not experience any associated sickness although we heard some people say they were taking Dramamine.

  

We sailed the NCL Getaway (a large ship) on a Western Caribbean and then a Baltic Sea cruise and never noticed any movement. While on the smaller ship NCL Jewel (although still a large ship) we experienced a lot of rough seas when crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

 One should always bring some Dramamine and/or Bonine just in case.

 

The Baltic Sea isn't like the ocean.

And the Caribbean is a lot calmer due to be protected a lot more than the Tasman.

[MicCanberra]

7 hours ago, debeni said:

Is the Tasman Sea known to be rougher than others?  Or is it that we were on a smaller ship?  

 

We crossed the Tasman Sea from Sydney to NZ back in late January 2019.  I had never experienced such rough seas before.  After dinner we swayed from side to side as we walked out of the restaurant. Most people were joking and having fun with the ship’s movements.   We did not experience any associated sickness although we heard some people say they were taking Dramamine.

 

We sailed the NCL Getaway (a large ship) on a Western Caribbean and then a Baltic Sea cruise and never noticed any movement. While on the smaller ship NCL Jewel (although still a large ship) we experienced a lot of rough seas when crossing the Tasman Sea.

 

One should always bring some Dramamine and/or Bonine just in case.

 

Yes, the Tasman Sea is likely to be rougher than the Baltic Sea, due to the various currents coming from the southern and the pacific oceans. Smaller ships are likely to feel the effects of rougher seas than large ships, although ship design has a lot to do with how a ship handles the seas as well.

[Russell21]

Let me put it this way, the Sydney to Hobart yacht race is considered the most dangerous yacht race in the world. No exageration.

[MicCanberra]

Some years it is fine, some years it is a mess, although that is more crossing the Bass Strait causing the issues.

[erewhon]

The Tasman is prone to be rough.Having said that, we have crossed it many times and always have had it smooth. It is just the luck of the draw.