Sea sick on a small ship in Alaska?

[jdarlick]

Hi, My family is in the planning stages of a trip to Alaska and we are strongly considering Linblad. However my wife and daughter(19) get very motion and sea sick and we are concerned that a small ship will pose a problem for them? I would appreciate any thoughts about this?

Thanks a lot.

[Keith1010]

Each person is different. If your wife and daughter are much more prone to motion sickness than the average person then maybe a small ship is not the way to go and you should go with a medium size ship instead and also take precautions with you such as bonine, a patch, etc. and if very severe consult with a doctor in terms of which of these would be better.

 

Keith

[GMoney]

Is it Lindblad Expeditions you are considering?I just found them the other day online. Their website is impressive and I was considering using them for excursions.

 

As far as your question goes, their ships are very small - less than 100 pax. On a ship like that, any movement will be pronounced. However, it looks like the itineraries are mostly in coastal passages along the panhandle, not in open seas, any that will help.

 

I would try to get a mid ship cabin, and then go prepared with other medications just in case.

 

Just curious - why have you selected Lindblad?

[Budget Queen]

I have a friend who is a naturalist with Lindblad, a TOP line to consider. They run about 6 naturalist's on their boats for 100 passengers. :)

 

Frankly- IF they are prone to sea sickness, it is also just as likely to happen on a bigger ship too. I've seen plenty of sick passengers on Alaska cruiseships.

 

I suggest you consult a health care professional, there are several very effective medications that are available.

[AkSusan]

We did a National Geographic Family Cruise with Lindblad in Galapagos. We were on the M/V Polaris. Only I think 44 cabins. Small ship, great itinerary and the crew and the naturalists were great. We never docked the whole week we were on her. We did Zodiacs the whole trip even for embarkation.

 

I would have no problem sailing with them again. Never had any problems with seasickness on them, but again, I've learned taking small boats up here in Alaska (we call them 6 packs - little fishing boats that take out 6 passengers) sometimes didn't go well, so I automatically take something before I sail.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[qiangf2]

I found it is the slow gentle rolling motion that gets to my nerve. We had 8-12 ft wave when we sailed from Hawaii to Fanning Island and I didn't feel a thing. But I did feel uncomfortable last year when we sailed out of Seattle. It was only 4-5 ft wave. So big ships won't add too much advantage, I guess.

[jdarlick]

Hi, thanks for all your responses..it is Linblad that I am looking at...the reason is that when I have spoken to people who have been on some of the large ships(ie. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc) when I ask what they did they mention bingo, casinos, shows, pool(?), etc but this is not really what I am interested in doing...going across the entire country to play bingo(not that there is anything wrong with that)...they often return from the cruise without even seeing a whale...they certainly have alot going on during the Linblad trips and this why we are considering them.

My wife has tried just about everything available including patches, dramamine, other prescription meds, etc but when the going gets tough she still gets sick(as does my daughter). What I was hoping was that because the trip is so far inside the inner passage that the water will be very still...so any help will be appreciated.

THANKS,

Jay....

[allentownahoy]

You absolutely can see Alaska from a mainstream cruise line. We sailed north on HAL, south on Princess and never set foot in the casino or played bingo and only saw 1 show in 2 weeks. I preferred to be on deck enjoying the scenery.

 

At port stops what you see and do depends on your interests. We went on whale watches, visited glaciers,rented a car to drive into the Yukon. You can hike, kayak,fly. Some people choose to shop. Not why I traveled to Alaska but to each his own I guess.

 

Read through these boards. They are full of posts about experiencing Alaska.

 

My point is that if you want to go on a small ship, can afford it and can handle the motion sickness then go for it. But please don't feel you can't have a wonderful Alaska experience on a regular cruise line. All of us that post here have and can't wait to do so again.

 

Ruth

[wolfie11]

I agree with Budget Queen - Linblad is without a doubt the best way to see Alaska if you are looking for whales, glaciers, bears, etc. rather than bingo, gambling, and shopping. In addition, you are probably less likely to get seasick on a Linblad boat, as they are small and tend to hug the coastline, anchor in protected coves, etc. The bigger ships cross open water and can rock and roll quite a bit.

 

Gmoney - Lindblad doesn't do shore excursions for cruise ship passengers - their excursions are strictly for their own passengers.

[Budget Queen]

Hi, thanks for all your responses..it is Linblad that I am looking at...the reason is that when I have spoken to people who have been on some of the large ships(ie. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, etc) when I ask what they did they mention bingo, casinos, shows, pool(?), etc but this is not really what I am interested in doing...going across the entire country to play bingo(not that there is anything wrong with that)...they often return from the cruise without even seeing a whale...they certainly have alot going on during the Linblad trips and this why we are considering them.

My wife has tried just about everything available including patches, dramamine, other prescription meds, etc but when the going gets tough she still gets sick(as does my daughter). What I was hoping was that because the trip is so far inside the inner passage that the water will be very still...so any help will be appreciated.

THANKS,

Jay....

 

 

Your "regular" cruiseline perception isn't accurate, if you choose correctly. Your reports are from people who CHOOSE to go to the casino, bingo etc. In no way do you have to. For me, I don't even do the ship shows at night, the show is outside the ship. :) It all depends what you make of it. Whale watch tours are excellent out of Juneau with 99.999% chance of sighting humpbacks.

 

You have some problems with the seasickness issue and being that you are on water, no way to give you any answer that will tell you it won't be a problem, it most certainly can on any boat.

 

Only your group can decide if this is something the are going to be able to live with. As an alternative, there is plenty of fantastic Interior Alaska touring to consider.

[Chat Noir]

I have yet to play bingo in Alaska, and visited an onboard casino for all of 10 minutes (shallow breathing!!!) on a rainy way-out-to-sea day.

 

We have spent hours on deck and sitting by windows enjoying the scenery. We have enjoyed naturalist lectures and an occasional game show or evening show.

 

I believe a cruise is what one makes of it regardless of the cruiseline. However, if you can afford Linblad, lucky you!!!:) Or maybe it's just that I prefer quantity over quality...:confused:

 

As far as motion sickness, I am very prone... land, sea, air, I have been sick on all three Alaskan cruises we've taken, whether inside passage or across the gulf. A few hours of sickness is still definitely worth days of fantastic scenic viewing, my opinion. Do not expect water of the inside passage to be very still, waves and currents are still very much at play (or work?!).

 

To compare two day trips we've taken via small boat (much smaller boats than Linblad), I was quite ill for about an hour on one sailing slightly into open water (Kenai Fjords Nat'l Park), and not ill at all on one sailing in protected waters (Tracy Arm - Sawyer Glaciers).

[Searching4Sun]

I would recommend using ginger pills for seasickness. I have taken other meds, and while some helped they knocked me out. I just took a couple ginger pills three times a day and was fine. MythBusters (on the Discovery channel) also found ginger pills to be the best cure for seasickness.