Sea roughness comparison question

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

We just got back from our first ever cruise, Alaska. We loved it!! We did an OBB placeholder but have no idea what we would want to use it on. With the new itineraries being released I want to decide if we would enjoy any of those.
When there was land on both sides of us the boat was calm. We could tell we were moving but everyone found a way to feel fine, (looking aft made us feel worse if we looked out, watching the water fly past from our deck 2 window when sailing faster had to be avoided) On the part where it's open to the ocean and the captain warned the seas would be rougher, 2 of our party did not feel so well. Slept fine but moving about the ship was quite bothersome to them. Or sitting watching the shows. They tried Sea bands and still felt rough. Didn't try meds. They both also felt ill on parts of the Skagway train ride.
The servers told us we definitely wouldn't like a Panama Canal cruise then as that can get quite rough when out in the open Pacific. Said even the crew sometimes has to go lay down on those. No thanks!!
How do other routes compare to Alaska in terms of boat motion? Carribean, Mediterranean, East Canada, Norway?

3/6 of us were nervous going into this cruise knowing we easily get motion sick. 4/6 of us tolerated it fine. The other 2 aren't sure they can take a rough sea day if we cruise again.
Thanks for any comparison! We don't want to drop the cash of DCL and have people feel sick for most of it.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We just got back from our first ever cruise, Alaska. We loved it!! We did an OBB placeholder but have no idea what we would want to use it on. With the new itineraries being released I want to decide if we would enjoy any of those.
When there was land on both sides of us the boat was calm. We could tell we were moving but everyone found a way to feel fine, (looking aft made us feel worse if we looked out, watching the water fly past from our deck 2 window when sailing faster had to be avoided) On the part where it's open to the ocean and the captain warned the seas would be rougher, 2 of our party did not feel so well. Slept fine but moving about the ship was quite bothersome to them. Or sitting watching the shows. They tried Sea bands and still felt rough. Didn't try meds. They both also felt ill on parts of the Skagway train ride.
The servers told us we definitely wouldn't like a Panama Canal cruise then as that can get quite rough when out in the open Pacific. Said even the crew sometimes has to go lay down on those. No thanks!!
How do other routes compare to Alaska in terms of boat motion? Carribean, Mediterranean, East Canada, Norway?

3/6 of us were nervous going into this cruise knowing we easily get motion sick. 4/6 of us tolerated it fine. The other 2 aren't sure they can take a rough sea day if we cruise again.
Thanks for any comparison! We don't want to drop the cash of DCL and have people feel sick for most of it.

I've done 25 cruise (many locations), including Alaska (twice). The roughest cruise days I've experienced were one night (Alaska) when on the "open" ocean before entering the inside passage. And 4 days on the Eastbound TransAtlantic when we were traveling in the North Atlantic.

Rough seas can happen anywhere where the ship is in open waters.

 

[lklgoodman]

I've done 5 cruises so far. 1 Alaskan, the rest Caribbean(East and West) I've gotten seasick on two of the Caribbean cruises, but only when we encountered rough seas. I take bonine, wear seabands, and on our last cruise I would suck on ginger candy whenever I started to feel ill. The ginger candy really helped me feel better, never got sick. We have another Caribbean cruise coming up next Jan. I have noticed that on the Caribbean cruises I usually start to feel queasy the first night as we cross the gulf stream, after that I'm good. Going outside for fresh air also helps. If you decide to cruise again, I would recommend having those who felt sick to take Bonine. I start the day before the cruise begins. Also get some ginger candy, make sure it's real ginger, not fake flavoring. You could also try a cruise that has a lot of port days so if anyone gets sick at least they can get off the ship for a break.

 

[Strawberry's mom&dad]

I had acupuncture done for sea sickness. Works well.

 

[Jessicabr]

This is a hard question cause the weather is so unpredictable. I have done many cruises and I am happy to say that rough see doesn't bother me. You are asking where to go... I have done the Cape of Good Hope and it was flat as a mirror and once in the Med going to Monte Carlo... soo rough it broke a window in the dining room. So really hard to tell. Maybe select a cruise with lots of port days.
For seasickness. there are some little tricks. Ginger will settle the stomach. So ginger candy or even ginger ale. I heard eating a green apple helps. And definitely have something in your stomach. No alcohol and try not to drink too many fluids.
For best cabin positions on the ship that will be as low as possible and in the middle of the ship.
Good luck and I hope you guys will give cruising another try!

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

I've done 25 cruise (many locations), including Alaska (twice). The roughest cruise days I've experienced were one night (Alaska) when on the "open" ocean before entering the inside passage. And 4 days on the Eastbound TransAtlantic when we were traveling in the North Atlantic.

Rough seas can happen anywhere where the ship is in open waters.

This is nice to know that Alaska can be rough in the scheme of things. The captain came on and warned of rough seas telling everyone not to be bothered by all the noises the ship would make, how it's normal, etc. But I was worried he just meant "rough for Alaska" as the rest of the cruise had been calm, vs this is what actual rough seas feel like. I was afraid rough in Alaska might be "average" on other cruises.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This is nice to know that Alaska can be rough in the scheme of things. The captain came on and warned of rough seas telling everyone not to be bothered by all the noises the ship would make, how it's normal, etc. But I was worried he just meant "rough for Alaska" as the rest of the cruise had been calm, vs this is what actual rough seas feel like. I was afraid rough in Alaska might be "average" on other cruises.

Our cruise wasn't on DCL, and the captain announced there was going to be rough seas that night, and ...."ladies, please, no high heels for dinner". They closed the doors to the outside promenade deck, also.

 

[ironz]

On the westbound Panama Canal cruise this past year (Spring 2019), the Pacific side was smoother than the Caribbean side, which was the opposite of what I expected. DH and I are not prone to seasickness, however, and didn't mind much.
We did have definitely rough water on one of the NYC to Bermuda cruises last year, because there was a tropical storm nearby. Quite a few people on the ship didn't enjoy that part.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

I’ve only been on 3 cruises (1 Alaska, 2 Caribbean) and the most rocking I’ve encountered by far was the first night and following morning on the Alaska cruise. It’s the only one where I had a moment where I didn’t feel so great (in Tiana’s for dinner). Also the only one where sometimes going up and down stairs you had to hold on to the railing or there’s no way you could remain vertical.

Everyone talks about the first night leaving PC being rough so I was really nervous that it would be worse than that night in Alaska! Ended up with barely any motion at all, in fact the entire cruise (on Dream) I could barely tell we were on a ship. So I think there are just too many variables to say one route is better than another.

 

[PurdueLion]

On the westbound Panama Canal cruise this past year (Spring 2019), the Pacific side was smoother than the Caribbean side, which was the opposite of what I expected. DH and I are not prone to seasickness, however, and didn't mind much.
We did have definitely rough water on one of the NYC to Bermuda cruises last year, because there was a tropical storm nearby. Quite a few people on the ship didn't enjoy that part.

We were on the first NYC Bermuda cruise last year with the bad sea day outbound. Can confirm it was really rough.

 

[Justacruiser]

I have been on 41 Disney Cruises and i feel great 95% of the time. I take a prescription medicine kinda like the Bonine. I start taking the day before and take regularly until a day after i get home. I have worn the bands on occasion and drink the Ginger ale on board if needed. The motion has never impacted my whole cruise, usually a day or evening. A key tell all is when the captain it is going to get rough, it will be. With the occasional sickness, it hasn't stopped me from cruising. Just got off a Alaska cruise and there was some motion due to the fronts coming in from the North and West. Don't let that stop you from cruising.

 

[ironz]

We were on the first NYC Bermuda cruise last year with the bad sea day outbound. Can confirm it was really rough.

Yep, that day was bumpy! I can't even remember which storm it was in the Atlantic that was stirring things up. (Priscilla?) And then we got home and found out about how hurricane Michael sprung up and pummeled the Florida panhandle.

 

[smmco]

Any cruise can be rough, but of the choices you mentioned I think Norway would be your best bet. The fjords are similar to Alaska as far as having calm water and the Baltic will most likely be calm in the Summer. I don’t know the exact route, but I believe you are surrounded by land most of the cruise.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

The only time I ever felt seasick on a DCL cruise was the first night of our Alaska cruise, and that was fleeting.

However, by far the most motion I experienced was on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. The whole cruise was very rocky. I didn't feel seasick, but my son did one evening. He's never been seasick aside from one night on that cruise.

We've sailed on five cruises, btw.

 

[hcox31]

The only time I ever felt seasick on a DCL cruise was the first night of our Alaska cruise, and that was fleeting.

However, by far the most motion I experienced was on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy. The whole cruise was very rocky. I didn't feel seasick, but my son did one evening. He's never been seasick aside from one night on that cruise.

We've sailed on five cruises, btw.

I agree on the Eastern. It was rough for us. We've been on 4 cruises and I was perfectly fine on our first 3, but on the two sea days in a row on the Eastern I had to take sea sickness meds for myself. And my son was seasick pretty bad one day on this one.

 

[julie tinkerbell]

We are doing Vancouver to Hawaii Cruise next April, can anyone tell me what the seas will typically be like. I don’t get seasick but my other half does poor thing. Can’t wait.

 

[smmco]

We are doing Vancouver to Hawaii Cruise next April, can anyone tell me what the seas will typically be like. I don’t get seasick but my other half does poor thing. Can’t wait.

It's hard to predict. There won't be hurricanes, but there's always the possibility of Winter type storms in April. It's still pretty early in the year.

 

[PhoenixStrength]

I've only been on one cruise, a Bahamas one. I don't really ever get motion sickness but I felt a little off the first day. My husband is prone to car sickness and had a bit of an issue on the ship but we found the best option to be Dramamine Naturals. It's non-drowsy and is basically just ginger so it helps without feeling the side effect of sleepiness that many motion sickness drugs can cause. Once I took that my issues were gone, and I didn't need it again as I could barely tell the ship was moving after that. My husband felt off a few more times but each time he took the Dramamine Natural it was gone in minutes.

 

[msmama]

I've done NYC to the Bahamas in a storm, and the North Atlantic from Iceland to Norway in 15 foot seas. The ONLY time I've felt seasick is when I add alcohol into the mix. Seas can look like glass, but if I have a drink, I feel totally seasick.

I do travel with Bonine (I need that for flying and at theme parks). I've taken it if I start to feel sick and then through the end of the cruise. Some cruises I haven't taken it at all (the ones when I haven't had a drink).

 

[fredandkell]

It really depends on the cruise. Alaska was rough for us too and I have heard several other people say that it is rough so that could just be that itinerary. The smoothest cruise we have been on has probably been the Mediterranean.