What Cruise Line Do You Want to Try Next and Why?

[Smitty77]

Would love to try a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

But, my husband gets seasick, and is hesitant to give it a try.  I thought if we went in the summer months it might not be bad.

 

Also, wondering if a patch from the doctor would work well.

 

Any comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

[navybankerteacher]

20 minutes ago, Smitty77 said:

Would love to try a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

But, my husband gets seasick, and is hesitant to give it a try.  I thought if we went in the summer months it might not be bad.

 

Also, wondering if a patch from the doctor would work well.

 

Any comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

If he is able to handle any cruise, a transAtlantic on QM2 should not be a problem.  She is designed to, and is able to, handle rough seas better than most cruise ships - and, in point of fact, the route between NY and Southampton is not likely to be any rougher than most other areas.

 

The patch seems to help most people, and picking a cabin on a lower deck close to the center of the ship will expose him to the least motion.

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Smitty77 said:

Would love to try a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

But, my husband gets seasick, and is hesitant to give it a try.  I thought if we went in the summer months it might not be bad.

 

Also, wondering if a patch from the doctor would work well.

 

Any comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

 

Being dizzy, nauseous, etc for a vacation isn't anyone's first choice.  If someone gets the symptoms during  car rides or ferry rides, maybe there is a way to test the patch before booking a cruise.  

[mom says]

2 hours ago, Smitty77 said:

Would love to try a transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2.

But, my husband gets seasick, and is hesitant to give it a try.  I thought if we went in the summer months it might not be bad.

 

Also, wondering if a patch from the doctor would work well.

 

Any comments/suggestions greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!

Have you cruised at all before? If not, have you considered taking a shorter cruise first to see how he handles it?

 

Has he tried any other motion sickness remedies? The patch has a lot of pretty significant side effects, and many doctors would only prescribe them as a last resort. This is something he really needs to discuss with his primary health provider.

[Smitty77]

Thanks all for your responses!  Just to clarify...we have cruised lots of times before, but never did a transatlantic.  My husband handled all the other cruises pretty well, except for the last one we did on Oceania.  We both took Dramamine, but didn't really help much.  I'm guessing this may have been because it was a smaller boat, and not sure about any stabilizers.  I've never been seasick, except for that one cruise also! Because of that he's concerned about rough waters, and being sick for that long stuck on the ship.

Having said that...we really love the idea of cruising on the Queen Mary!  I read that ship is built to handle that type of weather.  So we are being openminded about it, and wanted to hear the experiences of others.  Thanks!!

 

[mom says]

OK, then, here's my thoughts FWIW. We've done one cruise on QM2 and absolutely loved the whole experience. We had one day (first day at sea) with high winds and seas, and I did get a bit sea sick. And this was WITH the patch! Unfortunately I also had some of the more common side effects of the patch, so discontinued it after the 2nd day. Switched to Bonine and was fine for the rest of the trip. And yes the ship was built with the North Atlantic in winter in mind. 

 

You never know what the Seas will be like, and our rockin' day was under clear skies, not a storm. But you could also just as easily  encounter this in the middle of the Caribbean.

 

 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, Smitty77 said:

Thanks all for your responses!  Just to clarify...we have cruised lots of times before, but never did a transatlantic.  My husband handled all the other cruises pretty well, except for the last one we did on Oceania.  We both took Dramamine, but didn't really help much.  I'm guessing this may have been because it was a smaller boat, and not sure about any stabilizers.  I've never been seasick, except for that one cruise also! Because of that he's concerned about rough waters, and being sick for that long stuck on the ship.

Having said that...we really love the idea of cruising on the Queen Mary!  I read that ship is built to handle that type of weather.  So we are being openminded about it, and wanted to hear the experiences of others.  Thanks!!

 

Oceania ships are small - and will give a rougher ride in heavy seas, so that exception should not be part of the equation.   If he handled other ships well, QM2 should be a breeze.   The middle of the Atlantic is not likely to be any rougher than anywhere you have cruised before, and you will be on a much steadier riding ship.

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Smitty77 said:

So we are being openminded about it, and wanted to hear the experiences of others.

 

QM2 ought to provide you with the best possible "ride" even if King Neptune is upset during your voyage.  Book a lower deck stateroom, keep your husband's tummy full of food, and void alcohol as much as is reasonable.  That's what I do and I have not experienced seasickness.  (Although, I do often "cheat on my alcohol recommendation and still have had no issues.)  

[iancal]

Depends on the itinerary.

 

One thing for certain, we want to move away from the mass markets, HAL, Princess, Celebrity, etc and try something different.  Smaller, more regional perhaps.  Language or cruise line does not matter as much as ship and itinerary.   With English and a smattering of French we can get by just fine.

 

Our feeling is the majors are owned by 2 or 3 corporate conglomerates and have all  been rapidly moving towards the lowest common denominator over the past few years, with minor exceptions. 

 

Besides, post covid may be a different ball game.  In any event we are always up for a change and trying something new.  Same old same old gets 'old' really fast for us.  We are more in the why not group than the why group.

 

The only exception might be Cunard.  We no longer have an interest in playing make believe or pretending we are in cafe society any more.  Well past that or having our respective egos stroked.

 

We expect to pay more per diem. The trick is to get an even  larger increase in perceived value. All inclusive or pay as you play.

Edited November 8, 2021 by iancal

[mom says]

3 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

Book a lower deck stateroom, keep your husband's tummy full of food, and void alcohol as much as is reasonable.

May I suggest that if you are actually voiding alcohol, then any nausea or dizziness would likely not be due to seasickness. 😁

[iancal]

We did a  FLL bound November TA several years ago. 

 

Everything was wonderful. The ship was perfect as was our cabin.  Service, food, entertainment all very good.  It was a larger, Celebrity Solstice class ship. 

 

Sea was like glass. It got so warm on our port side balcony that some afternoons we could not sit out for more than an hour or two.

 

But...we disliked  the experience.  We were ready to jump ship by the end of day three.

 

One good thing...we discovered that two sea days on any cruise is our max.  DW will not even consider a Pacific crossing.

Edited November 8, 2021 by iancal

[rkacruiser]

18 hours ago, mom says said:

May I suggest that if you are actually voiding alcohol, then any nausea or dizziness would likely not be due to seasickness. 😁

 

Oh, darn it!  Another typo!  Should have had an "a" in front of "void".  I guess I flunked proof-reading and typing class yesterday.  

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Oh, darn it!  Another typo!  Should have had an "a" in front of "void".  I guess I flunked proof-reading and typing class yesterday.  

You cannot blame the spellchecker for that one.🤣

[mom says]

2 hours ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Oh, darn it!  Another typo!  Should have had an "a" in front of "void".  I guess I flunked proof-reading and typing class yesterday.  

I got what you really meant, but you've got to admit it made for a funny post. 😄

[MamaFej]

We cruised NCL in 1989 and 1991, then didn't cruise again until 2014. In the past seven years, we've sailed Celebrity and Princess, and we've got oodles of FCCs for both, due to many Covid-cancellations.

 

Our next cruise next month is on Windstar in Tahiti, we are eagerly looking forward to the small ship experience. We have an Ama Duoro river cruise in April and a Viking Ocean cruise in July. We anticipate enjoying these new types of cruises. 

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, MamaFej said:

We cruised NCL in 1989 and 1991, then didn't cruise again until 2014. In the past seven years, we've sailed Celebrity and Princess, and we've got oodles of FCCs for both, due to many Covid-cancellations.

 

Our next cruise next month is on Windstar in Tahiti, we are eagerly looking forward to the small ship experience. We have an Ama Duoro river cruise in April and a Viking Ocean cruise in July. We anticipate enjoying these new types of cruises. 

Actually, the Windstar, Viking - and probably also your river cruise - on smaller ships - are not "new types of cruises".  They are more like what cruising used to be like before the Walmarts of the seas of NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc. turned cruising into something new.

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, ontheweb said:

You cannot blame the spellchecker for that one.🤣

 

22 hours ago, mom says said:

I got what you really meant, but you've got to admit it made for a funny post. 😄

 

Always glad to make someone smile in what I post!  😁

[iancal]

What...give up a bottle of very pleasant  red plonk on our veranda on a sunny day watching the world go by while reading a good book?  And substitute what....lemonade??

 

Heresy.

[ontheweb]

46 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

Always glad to make someone smile in what I post!  😁

😁 and the whole world 😁s with you.

[ldubs]

22 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Actually, the Windstar, Viking - and probably also your river cruise - on smaller ships - are not "new types of cruises".  They are more like what cruising used to be like before the Walmarts of the seas of NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc. turned cruising into something new.

 

"Walmarts of the seas "

 

You are fond of this phrase.  What line(s) did you frequent prior to the pandemic?  Just curious.  

[mom says]

25 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

"Walmarts of the seas "

 

You are fond of this phrase.  What line(s) did you frequent prior to the pandemic?  Just curious.  

I'm going to give NBT the benefit of the doubt and say he was referring to the advent of the huge mega ships (which are only a part of those cruise lines), rather than being as elitist as his post sounded. 

 

However I also think he may have misinterpreted the other poster; that she was referring to types of cruises that were new to her.

Edited November 10, 2021 by mom says

[ldubs]

18 minutes ago, mom says said:

I'm going to give NBT the benefit of the doubt and say he was referring to the advent of the huge mega ships (which are only a part of those cruise lines), rather than being as elitist as his post sounded. 

 

However I also think he may have misinterpreted the other poster; that she was referring to types of cruises that were new to her.

 

Aw, I don't think any defense need be given.  Because it is a phrase NBT seems to frequently enjoy,  I just simply wonder what line he uses.   

[navybankerteacher]

33 minutes ago, mom says said:

I'm going to give NBT the benefit of the doubt and say he was referring to the advent of the huge mega ships (which are only a part of those cruise lines), rather than being as elitist as his post sounded. 

 

However I also think he may have misinterpreted the other poster; that she was referring to types of cruises that were new to her.

Which parts of those lines do not involve mega ships?  

[navybankerteacher]

7 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Aw, I don't think any defense need be given.  Because it is a phrase NBT seems to frequently enjoy,  I just simply wonder what line he uses.   

I have sailed HAL, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity (among others) which all seem to be introducing ever larger ships with ever decreasing levels of overall quality -- so I think likening bloating of cruising to bloating of retailing is not altogether inappropriate.  "Woolworths of the seas" somehow does not (these days) make the point, given shortening memory spans.

[ldubs]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

I have sailed HAL, NCL, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Celebrity (among others) which all seem to be introducing ever larger ships with ever decreasing levels of overall quality -- so I think likening bloating of cruising to bloating of retailing is not altogether inappropriate.  "Woolworths of the seas" somehow does not (these days) make the point, given shortening memory spans.

 

I see.   This phenomenon is not limited to cruise ships I think.  Even the posh department stores are not the same as they used to be.   So whichever line is the Harrods of the sea, I'm sure it has changed over the years.   However I agree there are still differences between lines and ships for the different measures of quality.