Smoothest seas of these choices?

[ead79]

I'm in the early stages of planning for my 40th birthday trip, and I'd really like to take a Disney cruise. I can sometimes get motion sickness, so smoother waters are better. I've been on 6 cruises in the Caribbean, and we've only encountered rough seas once (12-15 feet). But for the big 4-0 we'd like to do an itinerary we've never done before. Of these options, which do you think is likely to be smoothest?

1) Mediterranean
2) Northern Europe
3) Alaskan

 

[dclpluto]

I'm in the early stages of planning for my 40th birthday trip, and I'd really like to take a Disney cruise. I can sometimes get motion sickness, so smoother waters are better. I've been on 6 cruises in the Caribbean, and we've only encountered rough seas once (12-15 feet). But for the big 4-0 we'd like to do an itinerary we've never done before. Of these options, which do you think is likely to be smoothest?

1) Mediterranean
2) Northern Europe
3) Alaskan

Med
Northern Europe definitely the worse

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm in the early stages of planning for my 40th birthday trip, and I'd really like to take a Disney cruise. I can sometimes get motion sickness, so smoother waters are better. I've been on 6 cruises in the Caribbean, and we've only encountered rough seas once (12-15 feet). But for the big 4-0 we'd like to do an itinerary we've never done before. Of these options, which do you think is likely to be smoothest?

1) Mediterranean
2) Northern Europe
3) Alaskan

Agree - Med cruise

 

[hanscarlet]

seems like out of those choices Med would be the best for calm seas but will defer to the experts as I have never been on a Med cruise yet

 

[Dug720]

My only caution with Med is if there is any time in the middle of the Med. My 12-night Med cruise ended with a Sea Day and pretty much diagonal route across the middle of the Med from the tip of Italy's boot up to Barcelona. Well, around 2am we hit a random pop-up storm that was just shy of Tropical Storm (I turned on the tv to the nav channel and looked at wind speeds, etc.) even though the forecast had been for smooth sailing. And from my understanding it is not totally unheard of for those to happen.

Alaska was probably the smoothest I've had.

 

[amberwc]

I'm in the early stages of planning for my 40th birthday trip, and I'd really like to take a Disney cruise. I can sometimes get motion sickness, so smoother waters are better. I've been on 6 cruises in the Caribbean, and we've only encountered rough seas once (12-15 feet). But for the big 4-0 we'd like to do an itinerary we've never done before. Of these options, which do you think is likely to be smoothest?

1) Mediterranean
2) Northern Europe
3) Alaskan

Alaska only had a few hours of ANY movement. The Caribbean I did, I felt the ship moving the whole time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Alaska only had a few hours of ANY movement.

Yeah, but those "few hours" can be really rough. I've taken 2 Alaska cruises and both of them they closed the doors to the outside decks several times due to rough seas. In fact, on one of then, the captain came over the speaker requesting the ladies to "not wear high heels to dinner" that night.

 

[amberwc]

Yeah, but those "few hours" can be really rough. I've taken 2 Alaska cruises and both of them they closed the doors to the outside decks several times due to rough seas. In fact, on one of then, the captain came over the speaker requesting the ladies to "not wear high heels to dinner" that night.

Goes to show, you never know. I guess don't book your trip based on what you *think* the seas and weather will be. It's always a gamble.

 

[jdb in AZ]

It really depends on the weather you experience on your cruise. We've always had smooth sailing on our Alaskan cruises. In Northern Europe the seas were exceptionally calm except one night as we were leaving the dining room the ship swayed, sending DH sideways into a tray of stacked crystal goblets. He was fine; the goblets were not.

 

[xlxo]

Day 2 and Day 6 will be the roughest in Alaska as you are in unprotected Pacific waters. It's calm in the passages.

You might want to think earlier in the season to avoid the August-September storms.

 

[MeeskaMooskaMickey]

Obviously you could get a freak storm anywhere but when we cruised the Med in the summer we never felt a wave at all! When we woke in the mornings in our inside cabin we couldn't tell if the ship had docked already or not! Also when we got off the ship we never had the wobbly 'sea legs' feeling that you often get when you walk on land again. I was so worried beforehand and stocked up on seasickness meds for the family which was a total waste of money (luckily!). However it may be a different matter when we cruise the Bay of Biscay this summer!

 

[mlayton14]

Rough seas can happen on any itinerary , see for yourself Disney magic in Mediterranean in video below. If you wants odds, I would agree Northern Europe worst. Weather biggest driver for wave heights

Important to note that The chances of the above happening are slim on any route, but possible

I would also like to add that the least amount of open ocean/sea is Alaska, by far

Sent from my iPhone

 

[jrabbit]

Alaska from Vancouver BC is mostly "inside Passage" and you're "protected" by land on both sides --- right? Our cruise there in 2011 was very smooth.
Northern Europe / Baltic - we did that a few years ago and it was some of the smoothest seas we have ever had!!
Med - mostly calm waters, but between Villifrance and Barcelona was pretty rocky.

 

[bbel]

I've done whole Alaska and Med seasons. Alaska is the only itinerary that I haven't missed a port due to weather. For the majority, I don't really recall much of a difference tho between Alaska and the Med in water calmness.
However, the weather at sea in Alaska can be worse, it can get cold and wet and windy on the open deck, and it's not uncommon to see one side of deck four 'closed off'.

The Baltic however, for the majority of one cruise it was worse than when I went through the hurricanes...

I can't comment on Northern Europe, always missed that itinerary

 

[xlxo]

Waters around Alaskan ports are protected.... however, I have heard Skagway and Ketchikan ports get skipped in strong winds. Here's one boat that decided to take a chance. Advance to 1m40s...

 

[ead79]

Thanks everyone! I would've guessed Alaska, so I'm surprised to see the Med. But those ports are more appealing to me anyway, so that's good news.