Rough seas in Alaska?

[CaribbeanCrushed]

We have a sailing booked for Alaska in May. I have seen several reports about rough seas, particularly when sailing back to Seattle. I know that on a cruise you should alway be prepared, especially if you tend to deal with motion sickness. I’m interested to hear if others have experienced this and if so, how extreme it was. My wife doesn’t have motion sickness issue, but if it is really rough I might need to be prepared for her as well.

[Ozark_Kid]

We cruised Alaska on Ovation 2 years ago May.  It was a very smooth sailing..... until the day before we reached Victoria and it got very rough to the point RC hung bags at the bottom of each stairs. It eased up after we left Victoria and headed to Seattle. 

Each cruise is different.   Your whole cruise may be smooth. One thing that shouldn't change is the beauty of Alaska. I bet y'all will love it.

My wife at times deals with motion sickness.   She takes Bonine each morning.   She did not get sick on the roughest night.

  Alaska is one of our favorites .

Enjoy the cruise.

[CaribbeanCrushed]

39 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We cruised Alaska on Ovation 2 years ago May.  It was a very smooth sailing..... until the day before we reached Victoria and it got very rough to the point RC hung bags at the bottom of each stairs. It eased up after we left Victoria and headed to Seattle. 

Each cruise is different.   Your whole cruise may be smooth. One thing that shouldn't change is the beauty of Alaska. I bet y'all will love it.

My wife at times deals with motion sickness.   She takes Bonine each morning.   She did not get sick on the roughest night.

  Alaska is one of our favorites .

Enjoy the cruise.

Thanks!

[SbbquilterUT]

We have been lucky to not encounter any real seas on five sailings, some swells but that was it.  Have a fabulous cruise, Alaska is beautiful.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Our first Alaskan cruise was awesome but we couldn't visit the Glaciers in 2022 due to large waves. I've never been that seasick before or since.  I recommend a balcony cabin for fresh air. 

[kevin1551]

I've cruised out of Seattle in May and July to Alaska. Very smooth every day, didn't feel like you were on a ship at all. However I know people that have had rough seas when on the open ocean the first and last sea days. 

[Jimbo]

3 hours ago, CaribbeanCrushed said:

We have a sailing booked for Alaska in May. I have seen several reports about rough seas, particularly when sailing back to Seattle. I know that on a cruise you should alway be prepared, especially if you tend to deal with motion sickness. I’m interested to hear if others have experienced this and if so, how extreme it was. My wife doesn’t have motion sickness issue, but if it is really rough I might need to be prepared for her as well.

Find a round trip from Vancouver, from there they don't sail as long in the open sea because they take the Inside Passage, Don't be locked into sailing on Royal Caribbean,  Alaska is for the scenery and Ports, not the ships. Take the best itinerary, don't judge it by cruiseline and be stuck just looking at Royal.

 

 

An itinerary like this, also has Glacier Bay which is a must see for sure!

 

Hollland America : Ship : Koningsdam

 

• • Day 1: Vancouver, B.C., CA
  • Sat May 18 2024 | Depart 04:00 PM
• • Day 2: Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage
  • Sun May 19 2024 |
• • Day 3: Tracy Arm Inlet
  • Mon May 20 2024 | 09:00 AM To 09:30 AM
• • Day 3: Juneau, Alaska, US
  • Mon May 20 2024 | 01:00 PM To 10:00 PM
• • Day 4: Skagway, Alaska, US
  • Tue May 21 2024 | 07:00 AM To 08:00 PM
• • Day 5: Glacier Bay
  • Wed May 22 2024 | 07:00 AM To 04:00 PM
• • Day 6: Ketchikan, Alaska, US
  • Thu May 23 2024 | 11:00 AM To 07:00 PM
• • Day 7: Scenic Cruising The Inside Passage
  • Fri May 24 2024 |
• • Day 8: Vancouver, B.C., CA
  • Sat May 25 2024 | Arrive 07:00 AM

Edited January 2 by Jimbo

[Teeara]

We did a northbound Alaska cruise on Diamond Princess in May 2008.  We were told when we arrived in Skagway that a storm was coming later that day.  And it did.  We had quite a bit of rocking and rolling on the ship after we left that night.  I actually missed dinner because it was messing more with my head than my stomach (I wear SeaBands when I cruise).  My roommate who was in the cabin next door with her mom told me the next day that the motion almost threw her mom out of bed at one point.  So as you can see on the map Jimbo posted above, even though the area looks protected, it can still get a lot of motion on the ocean.  Be prepared and if you get smooth seas consider it a bonus!

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

I seldom get seasick, but on our last Seattle itinerary I most definitely did. 🫤 We've done the Seattle route three times and the other two were okay, but I would absolutely recommend going in prepared!

[CynBeth6]

Our first cruise on Royal was to Alaska from Vancouver and we had one rough night. We never got actually got sick but my other family members felt like they were going to. Ever since we always wear the patch behind the the ear to be on the safe side.

[ajtaylor29]

We've been on 3 Alaska cruises and never have had an issue, ie it was a little rocky but not that bad. I know it can be bad, and also some people are more susceptible to motion sickness than others. Take some things with you just in case!