Alaska & Sea Sickness

[lucia1024]

I am planning a trip to AL in May or June of 2007. Haven't decided on the month yet.

 

I was curious to know if the waters are rough during these months? My DH is sensitive to getting sea sick. The NCL ships are smaller than many of the other lines and I think that may contribute to my concerns. We always carry Dramamine, but would we need something stronger?

 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[CruisinMK]

The weather is more variable at the edge of season, may or september.

Mostly the ports and routes are fairly protected except around skagway.

[garycarla]

To get really good and extensive answers to Alaska questions, go to the PORTS OF CALL and select ALASKA

 

Good luck.

 

By the way, those are great months to cruise AK.

[bonvoyagie]

For the most part, the inside passage is quite calm and is usually recommended for first time cruisers or for those who get sea sick. This is because for the most part, you have land on both sides of you that buffer the waves associated with open ocean sailing. That said, the area above Vancouver Island and Prince George Island is open ocean, as is the entire trip on the outside of Vancouver Island. On both of my AK trips, the worst weather and seas were along these stretches of open water. I am not sure that bigger ships have less problems - but newer ships are better than older ones.

[Budget Queen]

Smooth sailing in Alaska is a myth. If you are prone to motion sickness, TAKE PRECAUTIONS. I just returned - again- and again, plenty of sick passengers from rough sailing.

[Seacruise]

If your cruise sails from Seattle and travels outside of Vancouver Island (this is NOT the inside Passage) either departing or arriving back then weather can be a problem. Holland America just had 3 sailings coming up the coast and a force 8 storms delayed 3 ships as much as 10 hours arriving into Vancouver.

Weather north of Vancouver Island to the Queen Charlotte Islands can be very rough at this time of the year. One also can look at the Norwegian Wind cam just to see the weather she has had for her first sailing as well as her 2nd sailing to get a idea.

 

Sailing from Vancouver round trip through the inside passage is more protected but you leave that protection at the north end of Vancouver Island. NCL has taken the more scenic route BC Ferries takes past Bella Bella in the past, but I think it depends on weather. Some of the passages are very narrow. I am not sure what effect the sinking of the fery the Queen of the North will have on some cruises this year on using the narrow passages.

 

Phil in Vancouver

[Druke I]

Ship's size a smaller factor in ride qualities than "fineness of hull" (length/breadth/draft).

 

Some large ships ride very poorly (Princess Grand class) in heavy seas. They are beamy, flat keeled, and hence very wind prone. They are also prone to pitch in heaving seas, gale force and above.

[jerhardt]

Seacruise, I will have to totally agree with you.

 

Somehow, the cruise lines have people believing that most of the cruises out of Seattle take the Inside Passage which we know is not true. You are in open waters and it can be very unpredictable until the ship is North of Prince Rupert, then you are in _part_ of the Inside Passage.

 

One of the reasons that the Inside Passage was discovered was to allow safe passage of vessels in the winter (stormy) months up and down the coast of BC - although, don't tell BC Ferries that. :rolleyes:

[sowhynot]

Somehow, the cruise lines have people believing that most of the cruises out of Seattle take the Inside Passage which we know is not true.

 

So, for instance, even though the Star shows "inside passage" on the itinerary and the map shows going up the east side of Vancouver Island that isn't the case? That was one of the primary reasons I booked a port-side cabin.

 

Is this one of those things that you don't know until you actually depart?

[ladymacwilly]

I found the Inside Passage like floating across a pond. Of course if you are mid ship or aft you will have a little less rocking than being near the bow.

 

Also, you may want to consider sea-bands as opposed to dramamine. They're only about $10 work great and will not make you drowsy

[electricron]

Winds cause high sea states, and you can have high winds on any day of the year anywhere in the world. With or without storms. Dramamine should be enough to avoid sea sickness.

[bonvoyagie]

I suppose one needs to define "Inside Passage" Actually all of the islands along the coast of SW AK and NW Canada create many channels of various widths and depths. A gap occurs between Queen Charlotte Island and Vancouver Island. Once above Vancouver Island you are once again in the inside passage as you have islands between you and the open sea. So I guess that technically you are not getting the full inside passage experience if you travel on the west side of Vancouver Island during your trip. I suspect that the large amount of ship traffic and the bottleneck created by the narrows is what is driving the cruise lines to using the seaward side of Vancouver Island for both directions.

[Seacruise]

Norwegian Star leaves Skagway and it's next port is Victoria. This almost assures that the Norwegian Star will sail south and west of Vancouver Island. It will be in open water just north of Prince Rupert to the enterance of Juan de Fuca Straight. Further loking at the map on NCL's web site it shows both northbound and southbound as being west of Vancouver Island.

 

Norwegian Sun is seen as inside passage north bound and west of Vancouver Island south bound.

 

Norwegian Wind depats from Vancouver so it is inside passage both north and south bound.

 

It has been said here that yes one can be inside once you clear the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Norwegian wind has done this in the past. I am not sure if she is doing it this year.

 

Princess for instance does NOT follow the same route because their ships are bigger than the Wind and thus don't manouver the same in the narrow channels. It is something to go past Bella Bella in a cruise ship and other small towns. I wonder if Norwegian Star stays more outside because of her size.

 

Phil in Vancouver

[brunolvr]

So, for instance, even though the Star shows "inside passage" on the itinerary and the map shows going up the east side of Vancouver Island that isn't the case? That was one of the primary reasons I booked a port-side cabin.

 

Is this one of those things that you don't know until you actually depart?

It is Alaska's "inside passage" but not British Columbia's. If you look at the map posted on NCL's website it does indicate the Star cruises west of Vancouver Island then east of Queen Charlotte Islands which is the route we followed last year.

 

You will enjoy your port-side cabin in Glacier Bay!:)