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Ever since the young Thunberg crossed the Atlantic on a ship (no, not a cruise ship, but whatever), I have thought either her way or a cruise ship might be fun. But I am prone to motion sickness on buses and as a passenger in cars, especially on curvey mountain roads and some of the very few times I was on a boat/ship on a large body of water. Would any cruises next to a shoreline be the same with regard to seasickness as crossing the ocean? How do they compare in that regard? I wouldn't want to try a cross-ocean ship trip without having a way to get back to land if any arising seasickness couldn't be dealt with properly.
Predicting weather and sea condition's is never going to be 100%. Sometimes a transoceanic crossing can be as smooth as a lake, other times really rough. Even a short crossing like the Irish Sea can be very rough. Most people that are prone to motion sickness can prevent it, by taking meclizine starting a day or two before embarking. It is not as strong as dramamine, but does not make you nearly as drowsy.

If you still are concerned, you can always take a riverboat cruise on the inland waterways. They go thru nice areas, and not likely to cause seasickness. The only problem is they cost more than twice as much per day, as a typical ocean cruise...
 
Predicting weather and sea condition's is never going to be 100%. Sometimes a transoceanic crossing can be as smooth as a lake, other times really rough. Even a short crossing like the Irish Sea can be very rough. Most people that are prone to motion sickness can prevent it, by taking meclizine starting a day or two before embarking. It is not as strong as dramamine, but does not make you nearly as drowsy.

If you still are concerned, you can always take a riverboat cruise on the inland waterways. They go thru nice areas, and not likely to cause seasickness. The only problem is they cost more than twice as much per day, as a typical ocean cruise...


There are also many other seasick remedies that are non-medicinal. I've used sea bands (accupressure on the wrists) , eat a large dill pickle or a green apple. Each has been very effective for me. I rarely get seasick but have had nausea on a transatlantic trip crossing the north sea on the QM2. The QM2 was built for such crossings and she is quite safe und sturdy under such circumstances. Generally though, cruise ships are very stable and most people have no problems.
 
You don't take Cunard for leisurely traveling and for on-board circuses.

It's true, during the in-season for European trips, QM2 does sail many crossings of the pond. Even then, there often is scheduled a short July 4th cruise from New York that features a stop, probably in Boston, for the fireworks. Sometimes, a short New England/Canada cruise will also be scheduled for the Summer months.

Other times of the year, all three of the Queens are engaged in cruises. Queen Elizabeth has had at least one partial season in Alaska and was scheduled for 2020.

t would have been no fun but just a bunch of old people showing how rich they are by dressing up at nightly formal dinners

I sailed on QM2 during a November Caribbean cruise from New York. The on-board experience was much like any other Caribbean cruise on which I have sailed. There were 2 or 3 formal nights where a sport coat/tie for a gentleman was appropriate dress. Some wore more formal attire, but they were in the minority. (I do understand--have not experienced it--that the trans-Atlantic crossings are more "formal" for the evening.)

QM2 is a lovely ship.
 
We were on the last cruise of Hurtigruten's splendid hybrid expedition ship, Roald Amundsen,

Ah, the Hurtigruten! I know you had a splendid experience! I have wanted to sail on one of their ships in Norway since 1980 and have yet to do so.
 
Would any cruises next to a shoreline be the same with regard to seasickness as crossing the ocean? How do they compare in that regard

Has another poster said, there's no guarantee what King Neptune has planned for anyone sailing on his ocean. I have witnessed a cruise guest or two start to become "queasy" and the ship has yet to sail very far from the pier.

My remedy to protect from seasickness is to keep one's stomach full. In my opinion, there has to be a reason why cruise lines keep plentiful food available during embarkation even well past "normal lunch time". Then. usually, immediately after Muster Drill, food availability resumes.

How about a NW cruise, like Seattle to Skagway? At least in the right season.

An Inside Passage Alaskan cruise is a good suggestion for Barb Stout. There is, though, a small stretch of water that is open to the Pacific Ocean and not sheltered by various islands. That stretch can sometimes be "bumpy".
 
Well, while you weren't directing that question to me - I thought that I'd chip in anyway.

Hey! The more the merrier!

Interesting that you had praise for the Cove Balcony. I have wondered about that when Carnival first introduced it on some of their ships. What did you see when you sat on your deck chair on the Balcony? Did you see the ocean? Or, did you see sky and no ocean?

I had a Cove Balcony on QM2 and found that the solid steel railing was so high that the only view that I had while sitting was that of sky. I had to be standing to see anything horizontally.
 
Hey! The more the merrier!

Interesting that you had praise for the Cove Balcony. I have wondered about that when Carnival first introduced it on some of their ships. What did you see when you sat on your deck chair on the Balcony? Did you see the ocean? Or, did you see sky and no ocean?

I had a Cove Balcony on QM2 and found that the solid steel railing was so high that the only view that I had while sitting was that of sky. I had to be standing to see anything horizontally.
Since I don't have a web hosting spot to upload photos to yet, I'll have to defer to the many, many pictures already online or You Tube videos that specifically address the cove balcony. We could see straight out to the horizon when seated. They are on deck two, so you are very close to the water. The sound of the ship cutting through the water is audible, and you do get some spray on your balcony - even in fairly calm seas. The wooden rail obscured my wife's view while seated, but I could see over it easily. The seclusion and privacy is very welcome. With the exception of a narrow strip along the edge of the divider door, you don't see your neighbor. Most of the balconies are under the keels of the lifeboats, but I specifically selected the open spot under where the gangway came in on the starboard side. That gave us a little more sunlight on the balcony, and an upward view - but since it was below an area where there is normally no pedestrian traffic, we had plenty of privacy too. The typical dislikes from others were the salt spray and the shade from the lifeboats. We didn't have either complaint. We kept a face towel out there to wipe the rail and chairs down. We had slightly more direct sunlight than others, but when not moving that wasn't always a blessing in the southern Caribbean (Belize, Roatan).
 
Ever since the young Thunberg crossed the Atlantic on a ship (no, not a cruise ship, but whatever), I have thought either her way or a cruise ship might be fun. But I am prone to motion sickness on buses and as a passenger in cars, especially on curvey mountain roads and some of the very few times I was on a boat/ship on a large body of water. Would any cruises next to a shoreline be the same with regard to seasickness as crossing the ocean? How do they compare in that regard? I wouldn't want to try a cross-ocean ship trip without having a way to get back to land if any arising seasickness couldn't be dealt with properly.
Modern ships have built-in stabilizers to minimize the rolling and the seasickness. Given that, some people still get seasick and, if the waves are high, even I have felt queasy. My wife was worried about cruises so our first trip was a short one to the Bahamas out of Charleston. After that we did a transatlantic and, while it was bumpier for a few days, we had a little queasiness but did not get sick and soon either the sea calmed or we got our sea legs and had no further trouble for the rest of the trip.
 
\

I've been on a number of crossings on QM2 and take exception to your stereotypical comments about: ...a bunch of old people...,elevator music concerts...,and unemployed college lecturers. It sounds like you have never been on a Cunard ship but have assumed so much. Granted, there are no rock climbing walls, waterslides, racetracks, etc. for 'entertainment'. No drunks partying during spring break, no incessant rock music blasting away 24 hours a day,etc. I have seen a cross mix of people of all ages, no one flashing their wealth, and typically, lecturers such as a National Geographic explorer talking about his adventures. I find that fascinating.
So if it is not your cup of tea, I suggest you stick to a more 'fun' type of cruise. I won't criticize you and I won't make gross generalizations about your choices.
Lighten up. We had reserved one trip but canceled it. That was about 10 years ago. I carefully looked into it at the time because we had picked the QM2 precisely because it was a short return (after a two week outgoing trip on Celebrity and 2 weeks in Scotland visiting friends). We love to dance but the QM2 apparently did not have rock and roll dancing at that time and for all nights , "gentlemen were requested to wear jackets and ties" and we NEVER do formal nights when that is a requirement. Their entertainment, while interesting, was quite limited and I can only take so many lectures from those professors even if they are like Professor Jones, the guy that chased the Ark. As to rich people, all kidding aside, it seemed there was a lot of amenities reserved for those in the more expensive cabins vs what one finds on a typical cruise ship.

I admit that they had surprisingly reasonable room prices for the "great unwashed" and I guess they stopped keeping the third class passengers from boarding the lifeboats before the first class ones (Hint: another joke) since the White Star Line (which merged with Cunard) made that movie about the iceberg.

Rock music blasting away 24 hours a day? Only if it is from the '60s! Which ship is that? We're on our way!
 
Predicting weather and sea condition's is never going to be 100%. Sometimes a transoceanic crossing can be as smooth as a lake, other times really rough. Even a short crossing like the Irish Sea can be very rough. Most people that are prone to motion sickness can prevent it, by taking meclizine starting a day or two before embarking. It is not as strong as dramamine, but does not make you nearly as drowsy.

If you still are concerned, you can always take a riverboat cruise on the inland waterways. They go thru nice areas, and not likely to cause seasickness. The only problem is they cost more than twice as much per day, as a typical ocean cruise...
Yes, I have taken a few river boat cruises and just LOVED them!
 
\

I've been on a number of crossings on QM2 and take exception to your stereotypical comments about: ...a bunch of old people...,elevator music concerts...,and unemployed college lecturers. It sounds like you have never been on a Cunard ship but have assumed so much. Granted, there are no rock climbing walls, waterslides, racetracks, etc. for 'entertainment'. No drunks partying during spring break, no incessant rock music blasting away 24 hours a day,etc. I have seen a cross mix of people of all ages, no one flashing their wealth, and typically, lecturers such as a National Geographic explorer talking about his adventures. I find that fascinating.
So if it is not your cup of tea, I suggest you stick to a more 'fun' type of cruise. I won't criticize you and I won't make gross generalizations about your choices.

Keeping with its legacy as a traditional, Old World ocean liner, Southampton-based Cunard Line is one of the only luxury cruise lines to offer secluded dining areas for select passengers, meaning guests staying in standard staterooms dine in a different restaurant than passengers staying in suites.

What's that called, Segregation. Or is it just to keep the riff raff from mingling
.
 
How about a NW cruise, like Seattle to Skagway? At least in the right season.

Therein lies the big promotional question about that "INSIDE PASSAGE" ?
There is the Canadian Inside Passage north of Vancouver (Campbell River Narrows) that links in with the Alaska Passage.
Cruise ships departing Seattle take the Ocean route around Vancouver Island and join the Alaska Inside Passage south of Ketchikan.
Cruise ships departing Vancouver use the Canadian really narrow Inside Passage getting to that open ocean point meeting Alaska.
This is tied in with that USA PVSA requirement of a Canadian port call originating at Seattle.

Alaska waters are rather calm most of the time - inside passage predominately - the passage on the Pacific Ocean side of Vancouver
Island is and can be the harry one depending on seasonal weather. If taking the one-way trips from Vancouver to Seward (port of Anchorage)
the area north of Glacier Bay adjacent to Hubbard Glacier is again back in open water not sheltered by the inside passage islands.
Port stops at Icy Strait Point Skagway (Haines) Juneau and Ketchikan are well sheltered - the Port call at Sitka requires a short transit
in open Ocean.

For more detailed discussion join the forum at Cruisecritic.com specifically: Norwegian Cruise Line

The big cruise lines in Alaska are Holland America - Princess and Norwegian
All are on a Covid 19 virus hiatus till maybe spring of 2021

Railroading - At Skagway is the White Pass and Yukon a must do !!! LINK: Book Alaska Shore Excursions with White Pass & Yukon Route Railway
Arrival at Seward or Whittier catch the Alaska RR for travel to Anchorage and Fairbanks LINK: Alaska Railroad | Alaskan Tours & Vacations | Train Packages
Don't miss this either !
Most all of the Alaska RR trips are in the daylight except the shoulder spring fall events.

Have had 11 cruise trips to Alaska and looking forward to next year to resume the adventure.
Platinum Plus on Norwegian
 
Keeping with its legacy as a traditional, Old World ocean liner, Southampton-based Cunard Line is one of the only luxury cruise lines to offer secluded dining areas for select passengers, meaning guests staying in standard staterooms dine in a different restaurant than passengers staying in suites.

What's that called, Segregation. Or is it just to keep the riff raff from mingling
.

Hardly.

First of all, Cunard is not what is widely considered a "luxury cruise line", in the industry. It is a "premium main stream line", that offers a wide selection of cabin categories. There is no more "steerage class" geared to carrying poor immigrants. While your category of cabin selection determines which of the main dining rooms you are assigned, and the top levels do have an exclusive lounge and sun deck, the rest of the ship's facilities are shared by all passenger's...the theater, the planetarium, the gym, the library, the shops, the promenade, swimming pools, pubs, and other entertainment and activity area's. There are no more barrier's between classes, as depicted in the film, "Titanic". The buffet and the specialty restaurants are available to all.
 
There are also many other seasick remedies that are non-medicinal. I've used sea bands (accupressure on the wrists) , eat a large dill pickle or a green apple. Each has been very effective for me. I rarely get seasick but have had nausea on a transatlantic trip crossing the north sea on the QM2. The QM2 was built for such crossings and she is quite safe und sturdy under such circumstances. Generally though, cruise ships are very stable and most people have no problems.
Yes, I have used the accupressure wrist bands along with chewing ginger gum and that definitely helped when I was on a tour bus in the Peruvian Andes. With dramamine, I just fall asleep or get super groggy and miss everything.
 
Yes, I have used the accupressure wrist bands along with chewing ginger gum and that definitely helped when I was on a tour bus in the Peruvian Andes. With dramamine, I just fall asleep or get super groggy and miss everything.
Unless you were to experience some severe weather, which is very unlikely on a West Coast or Caribbean cruise, you will not have a tendency to get sick like you may on a bus ride in the Andes. I've always taken a dramidine the first night on a small fishing boat to help get to sleep and have never gotten sick the next day regardless of sea conditions.
 
Railiner, your comment about the difficulty of making accurate predictions for transoceanic crossings is apt, and it reminded me of a time 20 years or so ago when I emailed the BBC weather department and asked if I was missing the extended forecast page. I was going to be booking a flight to the UK and needed to know whether the weather was going to be good enough to walk the South Downs way in comfort. If not, I was going to revel in the cold and go for a snowy walk in Scotland and I needed to make my hotel reservations. The BBC has the extended forecast now, but it didn't have it back then. I expected to get a canned email saying, "Look at the bottom left and click on the &%$# link there." Instead I got a very well written, cogent email apparently from the director of weather forecasting (probably by his assistant, but it was nicely done) at the BBC. The Right Honorable Sir Mallory Blythe Tolliver III KCMG DSc * was kind enough to share with me that due to the four main atmospheric drivers of weather in the UK, (Maritime winds from the west, Arctic winds from the north, continental winds from the east and tropical winds from the south) combined with the impact of the North Atlantic Drift, it was a bloody crapshoot just getting the weather forecast right for the weekend by tea time on Thursday. Not in so many words mind you, but that was the underlying message in his email.
Now we have extended forecasts for weeks in advance for the UK. I wonder if they are noticeably more accurate than they were in Sir Tolliver's tenure. I have my doubts.

*I can't actually remember the gentlemans name, so I entered a name of similar gravitas.


Predicting weather and sea condition's is never going to be 100%. Sometimes a transoceanic crossing can be as smooth as a lake, other times really rough. ...
 
It is all in your head - if you can stand (or sit) on an Amtrak train ride - the ride on a cruise ship is remarkably stable unless you are
flaunting a surf ride on a hurricane wave which ain't happening this year because of the virus.
Thousand foot long cruise ships are not corks floating around in a bath tub.
You can push the extremes of the ride being on the top deck forward - otherwise being in the mid ship atrium promenade is one
of the more stable least movement areas and the Captain of the ship is not piloting his ship into the eye of the tiger storm.
YES there are rouge waves - a bump in the road (ah er sea) compared to heavy RR freight traffic causing an unsettled effect on level track.

/s/
railiner said:
Predicting weather and sea condition's is never going to be 100%. Sometimes a transoceanic crossing can be as smooth as a lake, other times really rough. ...
/s/

Went to Europe on a 600 foot troop steamer July '61 the ocean was just like a sheet of glass - not a ripple
Came back in February '64 and someone ripped the rug from the ocean bottom with gale force winds - - -
fasten your seat belt one is in for a bumpy ride - military vessels are not built for comfort as the huge cruise ships are.

If susceptible to motion sickness - do take care - plan your cruise with care for destination and seasonal time of the year.
 
Since I don't have a web hosting spot to upload photos to yet, I'll have to defer to the many, many pictures already online or You Tube videos that specifically address the cove balcony. We could see straight out to the horizon when seated. They are on deck two, so you are very close to the water. The sound of the ship cutting through the water is audible, and you do get some spray on your balcony - even in fairly calm seas. The wooden rail obscured my wife's view while seated, but I could see over it easily. The seclusion and privacy is very welcome. With the exception of a narrow strip along the edge of the divider door, you don't see your neighbor. Most of the balconies are under the keels of the lifeboats, but I specifically selected the open spot under where the gangway came in on the starboard side. That gave us a little more sunlight on the balcony, and an upward view - but since it was below an area where there is normally no pedestrian traffic, we had plenty of privacy too. The typical dislikes from others were the salt spray and the shade from the lifeboats. We didn't have either complaint. We kept a face towel out there to wipe the rail and chairs down. We had slightly more direct sunlight than others, but when not moving that wasn't always a blessing in the southern Caribbean (Belize, Roatan).

Thanks for answering my post. Your description of the Cove Balcony is what I have thought it might be.

Needing to wipe down the balcony railing due to salt spray is something that I have not had to due, but, it's accurate that a residue of salt does form even on railings much higher in the superstructure. The most irritating situation to me regarding needing to wipe down balcony furniture was when I had an aft balcony stateroom on the Westerdam. Salt was not the issue. Soot was! My Cabin Steward wiped the area down twice a day, but in between, I was the "butler/maid/whatever".
 
Some folks feel "closed-in" by the surrounding hull. I didn't find it bothersome at all. Like I mentioned, my wife absolutely loved it. The sound of the passing ocean, excellent visibility of the marine life, and the fresh salt air. Plus, it was much better than the inside cabin we had on our first cruise, and it's an awesome upgrade from an Ocean View room too.

Turning the backs of your chairs to the direction of travel helps eliminate the salt buildup on the seating area.

Vista-Cove.JPG
Vista-Cove-2.JPG

And sometimes you get to see really cool things too:

Vista-Cove-3.JPG

That was the local ferry (Ultramar Lines) that picked up an excursion to the mainland from Cozumel.
 
Yes, I have used the accupressure wrist bands along with chewing ginger gum and that definitely helped when I was on a tour bus in the Peruvian Andes. With dramamine, I just fall asleep or get super groggy and miss everything.
I get car sick in the mountains or when in the back seat of a car, but I am ok on a train facing forward. I use accupressure wrist bands on cruise ships and I am not sure they help me that much even though I wore them during the entire cruise. During my last 2 cruises (partial Panama Canal from Fort Lauderdale and full Panama Canal from LA to Ft. Lauderdale), I took a half dose of generic bonine daily, and that seemed to help me. The dose was so small that I was able to consume alcohol without negative effects. I avoided meds during my previous cruises to and from Alaska, and got sick once, even though I was wearing the wrist bands, eating ginger chews and green apples.

I cannot imagine I will take another ocean cruise and certainly not transatlantic. I am hoping some day to take a Mississippi River cruise.
 
That motion on a cruise ship - well just like being on a train - when it leaves the station - if you don't have a rookie engineer at the throttle
the subtle departure as the motion begins and you just begun to feel it - as long as the track was not laid through a Hollywood amusement park
it will be like that until you meet a curve in the track or slack between the knuckle couplers catches up.
On a cruise ship the departure from the Pier is even more subtle - all of a sudden you are clear of the harbor and out to sea and you haven't
noticed anything unusual unless maybe you have had one too many of those drinks with the brelly in it setting your own rhythm in motion
contrary to the ships. Waves of 10 to 15 feet just tickle the bottom of the hull - at 20 to 25 occasionally bump the ship - watch you don't spill
that brelly drink. Now unless you are venturing forth into a storm of sorts everything will be business as usual the ships stabilizers kick in and
a smooth cruise is straight forward - none of that leaning into the curve of the track or crossing the siding junction block in the track.
And like the train with a seasoned engineer pulling into the station is pretty much uneventful except the trip is over - the cruise ship simply
slides next to the Pier and lines are secured and gangway is attached and you walk back onto terra firma.

Pack that motion sickness medicine - but put if off if you can to experience the smooth ride - stay away from windows where you can the
motion of the ship - the only place I have been sea sick was on the SS Badger a car ferry from Manitowoc WI to Lundington MI - I looked
out the port hole window saw Lake Michigan rise and fall and that was it too much motion - My travels to Europe on a troop steamer an
old salt crewman told me his secret is keep the belly full of food - one is a firm full object and not subject to the rolling tides of the stomach !
Too much exaggeration perhaps but try to control the motion on your own terms. Sometimes medicines may make things worse.
 
My travels to Europe on a troop steamer an
old salt crewman told me his secret is keep the belly full of food - one is a firm full object and not subject to the rolling tides of the stomach !

See Post #55 on this thread that I made. I said the same thing.
 
Some folks feel "closed-in" by the surrounding hull. I didn't find it bothersome at all. Like I mentioned, my wife absolutely loved it.

I appreciate seeing the photos you posted. Thank you. I can see why your wife loved it and, yes, it surely would be better than an Inside or just an Outside Cabin. If you booked a balcony cabin on a deck above where the Cove Balconies are located, I predict your wife would love it even more.
 
stay away from windows where you can the
motion of the ship - the only place I have been sea sick was on the SS Badger a car ferry from Manitowoc WI to Lundington MI - I looked
out the port hole window saw Lake Michigan rise and fall and that was it too much motion -

That actually makes sense. I was once on the Block Island Ferry, and when I was inside gazing out of a window, I noticed that the horizon was slowly rocking up and down. Then I started feeling a little queasy. When I got up and walked outside, the queasiness went away. The sea wasn't even all that rough or anything.
 
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