normal condition of ocean between LA and SF & motion sickness

[kimmiecruises]

I asked on the pacific coastal board but only got a few answers, and since I can't search right now I am asking this here.

 

I read a post by a cruiseline manager that the reason there aren't many pacific coastal cruises is that the sea is very rough with people being sick all the time. While I find it hard to believe that cruiselines would do any cruises with passengers and crew sick 1/2 the time, I do have a concern about DH and motion sickness.

 

The answers I got were 50/50 between we'll be fine, and huge swells and duct taping doors shut, glasses flying everywhere, and days at a time in the cabin being sick.

 

I know you can't predict the future, but I am wondering what is the "norm", rough or is that occassional? It will be the beginning of Oct that we go if that makes a difference.

 

We are currently on deck 8 (inside aft), and don't want to move lower unless we need to.

 

We have cruised out of LA 6 times but headed south, so we are familiar with how the water is there, we expect some motion and to feel like we are on a ship, as long as he takes bonine he's never been sick, and a patch won't work, we drink a bit.

 

thank you for any help you can give me. :)

[EddieCruzer]

My TA will not let me book one. She said in the industry they are known as the 'vomit cruises'.

[SuitCaseBears]

The problem is:

 

1. there is no norm

2. People respond to different levels of "roughness" differently. I actually feel more queasy when there are just gentle swells than when we're getting really rough seas.

3. People respond differently at different times. My ex and I used to sail a 42 foot sailboat out to the Channel Islands which are off the coast of California between SF and LA. He never got sick... except for once he DID get sick.

 

I can tell you the more you stress, the more stressed your husband will be and the more likely he will have some sort of negative reaction. If he's never gotten sick - relax.

[san diego sue]

For someone like myself that will get seasick, I think it depends on the

ocean when cruising. Last May did a coastal(in May) in a aft facing cabin. LA to San Francisco was fine, no problem.(on the Sapphire)

I have found that cruising from San Francisco heading north to Alaska has been really rough as soon as we left SF. But again, that may not always be the case.For that cruise we were on a small ship .

Edited February 26, 2014 by san diego sue

[DShock]

Just back fron the Star. We cruise 4x a year on Princess and have been to many places. I can tell you the Pacific can be very swelly and rough. Our cruise was the roughest seas ever. Many were seasick and prominade deck closes a lot due to sea conditions.My wife and I never get seasick but if you do I would highly suggest to take your meds or patch for any Pacific cruise.

[Pam in CA]

The issue is the California Current which is a swift and very cold current flowing from the Gulf of Alaska to Baja California. If you are sailing from SF to LA, you are sailing with the current and it'll be smoother. If you're sailing from LA to SF, you're sailing against the current and it can be rougher. Any cruise out of LA has a good chance of some rough seas whether you're sailing to HI, SF or Mexico. That's the "normal" condition.

 

Personally, I love the motion of the ocean and there are many who do. If you tend towards seasickness, you'd be better off in a mid-ship cabin on a lower deck.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Pam in CA

[kimmiecruises]

Thank you so much for your responses.

 

Eddiecruiser, well then it sounds like maybe it is more common than I thought it would be. :(

 

Suitcasebears - yeah, I was thinking that people can handle different amounts of "rough" before they consider it rough. I haven't really shared any of this with DH yet, wanted to get my facts together first.......I think maybe I'll just remind him of how it was rougher leaving LA than any of our cruises out of Florida, and if the whole cruise was like that how would he feel, and see what he thinks.

 

San Diego Sue - it sounds like the worst is usually farther north than we will be going, and we are inside, not all the way aft, we can move more mid ship, it's just near public areas and I wanted the quiet of the aft area. We can also go lower, but we don't want to be more than 4 decks below the pool area, and if we move it will put us atleast 7.

 

DShock-he takes bonine and maybe I will too, just in case....

 

Pam - we may just have to move lower, I keep thinking tho, we spend the least amount of time in our cabin, if it's going to be that rough we won't be able to go to the pool or any high decks at all, it's not just the cabin, it would be the whole ship. It's RT LA to SF, with ports every day, so we'll be cruising out and back every day.

 

For those that do experience motion sickness, is it worse when you lay down? The only time I have ever had a problem was in hurricane Gilbert, and just a touch on the fascination when I was going to bed, not even sure it was motion that caused it.

[Yehootu]

We did the costal on the Norwegian Ghetto ship the Pearl last May. No rough seas at all. We like being as far aft and highest deck as possible. Coming out of SFO heading north can be some of the roughest seas. Our cruise was maybe 1-4 feet and light winds. In 2010 we took a trip south from San Diego. Again highest deck farthest back. 2 days at sea coming home. Swells starting kicking up night before last day at sea, finally reaching 25ft. Yee ha. First pools where closed, then all outer decks. Cruise director was telling everyone to eat PBJ. Takes same going down as coming up! Barf bags all around.

I was raised fishing on small boats all around the Hawaiian Islands. What I learned from my elders was to have a few beers and stay out in the breeze. When you drink you mess with your equilibrium, and sea sickness is a function of your body trying to maintain it. Alittle helps, a lot hurts. My opinion, Don't lie down. Up and moving and getting fresh air is the best.

Always eat something and keep hydrated.

Tim

[sashas_mom]

I've done the LA coastal round trip to SF a few times and didn't feel it was too rough, and I too take Bonine, even if I don't need it, just in case. We always book midship and Baja, but Emerald deck should be fine. We have done this itinerary in the Spring. Perhaps Winter would make a difference.

[RickEk]

The worst seas I've ever experienced were on Sea Princess heading north from San Francisco through the dreaded "potato patch". That first couple of days was quite the ride. I remember being in bed and the ship literally falling out from beneath me :eek:

[Shippy]

My TA will not let me book one. She said in the industry they are known as the 'vomit cruises'.

 

We have taken quite a few cruises out of San Francisco both to Alaska and to Mexico.

Although there have been times the ship did rock......on the way to Alaska...we have never been on a "vomit" cruise.

There is nothing as spectacular as going around Alcatraz and sailing under the GoldenGate.

There is stormy weather today so it would be rough.

We are doing another coastal in about 6 weeks.

October is great weather in the Bay Area.

We just returned from a Caribbean cruise where the weather was great and yet several people were sea sick.....it is really an individual thing.

If you are prone to seasickness....do not go...if not...have a wonderful coastal cruise.

[Drews_Cruise]

Vancouver to Hawaii on the former Royal was a pretty rough ride too. 3 Days of sickness. We loved the adventure, but not sure we would do the Pacific on a small ship like that again.

[Thrak]

I get motion sickness on winding roads and once spent a horribly miserable 4 hours on an offshore fishing boat (I was pretty much wishing for death) so I was terrified I'd be sick the entire time on our first cruise. We went from SF to Alaska.

 

On the first night out we hit really rough seas. I woke up that night in pitch darkness (inside cabin) but could tell that the cabin was moving in multiple directions at once. It was a weird feeling to be sure. The following morning and the entire first sea day people were literally staggering all over the ship. We hit waves where the ship would BOOM loudly and shudder. It was wild.

 

I had gone to the doctor before the cruise and requested seasickness patches. The ones he prescribed were Transderm Scop. (Timed release scopalamine patches that look like round BandAids and are worn behind the ear.) I didn't get sick at all. Not even a twinge. I had zero discernable side effects but some others have reported issues with dry mouth and some other effects. Each patch is good for 3 days (if you pay attention and don't wash it off in the shower like I did the first one...).

 

I am a confirmed believer and will never cruise without the patch. It allowed me to take my first cruise and discover that I absolutely love to cruise. That made my wife very happy and, as I always say, "A happy wife makes for a happy life". :D

[Jim Avery]

Good advice by all on this thread. I have only one cruise so far out of a west coast port but the seas were fine in a LAX r/t California Coastal in Sept/Oct. Of course, as has been stated, your mileage may vary. A number of years ago I ran a freighter ship out of West Coast ports to Canada, Alaska, and the Bering Sea. I will say that this ocean is misnamed "Pacific" when you are speaking of LAX and particularly SFO northwards. But to call cruises "Vomit Cruises" is a bit much IMHO.:D

[kimmiecruises]

Yehootu - a few beers, not a problem, we spend a good part of the day at the pool bar, fresh air there too :D

will have to lay down to sleep at some point, hope it's not like rickek

 

shippy - we will both take the bonine, and your description makes me look forward to it. (the cruise and ports, not motion sickness meds :eek:)

 

gardening_guy - I've read over & over LA to Hawaii is 3 rough days, 1 reason we haven't done it yet (also can't be gone long enough to do it right now)

 

thrak, did you drink with the patch? I've read that you shouldn't but am pretty sure I've seen people doing so.

 

sashasmom - I've been reading that the fall is better than the spring - hope so!

 

Jim, that makes me feel better, it seems north of SF is worse than our itinerary, not sure if we'll go thru the potato patch if we are heading back down south (?)

 

I've been thinking about all this, and I really have no idea how high the waves were that we've sailed in - Hurricane Gilbert must have been pretty high, and when we did Alaska we sat at the bar and watched the water slosh in the pool that they had closed due to the motion, so we have had some roughness and been fine - as long as DH has that meclizine!

 

thank you everyone, this has been really helpful, although I am concerned about the motion, I have been waiting to be able to do this itinerary, so I am definitely going for it and hope for the best!

[senior lady]

I live in Vancouver and have done the coastals several times. I have found the water to be rougher leaving Cabo to LA .

I always try to get a cabin mid ship and lower down. The movement will always be worse the higher up you go.

That's why most venues on cruise ships are in the middle......lol

[Working 2 Cruise]

We did an LA Coastal last year. We arrived 6 hours late in San Francisco due to rough seas. It was also rough from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. The tender in Santa Barbara almost capsized! But the rest of the cruise was smooth. We also love the motion so enjoyed it. It was a wonderful cruise!

[DrivesLikeMario]

My TA will not let me book one. She said in the industry they are known as the 'vomit cruises'.

 

That's ridiculous. I'm in the industry and have never heard of that. I've done so many of these cruises in the spring and the fall that I can't count them. I've experienced everything from 3.5' waves to 20' waves. I think it is the wind that makes more of a difference than the wave heights. Also, some ships "ride" better than others. Princess' tend to roll more than others whereas some tend to pitch more (Cunard, for example).

 

You just never know what you're going to get. If you're that worried about seasickness, then you might want to choose another route that you are sure to have calm waters - like a river cruise. Otherwise, if it's in your mind that it's going to be rough, you're already setting yourself up to expect it. If you go prepared and have a positive attitude, you're more likely to have a great time!

Edited February 26, 2014 by DrivesLikeMario

[kimmiecruises]

senior lady - I kmow what you mean, we have experienced that at Cabo several times, but if that's what it's like, we'll be fine, I am imagining (based on the posts on the pacific coast board) being horribly ill for days and the cruise not being worth it.

 

I know that lower and mid is the best, we've always been around deck 7 and middle, except our last cruise on the FOS (eastern caribbean) we were in a back facing aft and I never even felt the ship move. And we may have to move lower and mid, I just want to be sure it's necessary because we really don't want to.

 

working to cruises - what time of year? Did you experience roughness or did the captain just wait it out before heading in to SF? We were on a wild tender ride from Carnival's private island, that was fun! :)

 

DriveslikeMario - DH takes the meclizine and has always been fine, I was just concerned after reading posts like "vomit cruise", and "duct taping doors shut with glass flying everywhere" that it would be too much for him, and possibly me, but we aren't freaking out about it, just didn't want to be taken by surprise :D

[brentlym]

I did Northbound LA to Vancouver in May and Southbound Vancouver to San Francisco in Sept (both 2013). The Sept cruise was quite rough and tossed us around pretty good…enough to cause a thunderous crash of food and dishes into the floor in the Horizon Court. Both of those times of year were quite chilly out too. You'll need a hoodie for sure!

[IECalCruiser]

Conditions will vary. We have been lucky. On a 3 Day Coastal from Vancouver to LA the seas were good. Also did a 7 Day Coastal to San Francisco RT from LA and seas were good both ways. We have done 2 Mexico cruises and one Panama Canal cruise from LA. That cruising down the coast of Baja California was worse for us than sailing north from LA. I use then Scopolamine patches on occasion but have yet to need one on our CA coastal cruises. I still bring them every cruise because they have been necessary for me in other parts of the world such as part of the way from LA to Hawaii and in parts of South America.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[gingera]

DH never gets sea sick, and I have been known to get sick with swells of 6-8 feet in fishing boats.

I have never been sea sick in the slightest on the Pacific side on the cruise liners and I have experienced enough movement to cause plates to shift.

I was told once that the boat/ship moving side to side is harder on inner ear and causes more seasickness than the boat moving forward.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Kimmiecruises, we sailed on April 13, 2013... The reason we were so late is that the ship had to slow down because of the rough seas... But, to me, it was fun... It shouldn't be too bad!

 

It's a great cruise, enjoy!

[COMBOY]

I asked on the pacific coastal board but only got a few answers, and since I can't search right now I am asking this here.

 

I read a post by a cruiseline manager that the reason there aren't many pacific coastal cruises is that the sea is very rough with people being sick all the time. While I find it hard to believe that cruiselines would do any cruises with passengers and crew sick 1/2 the time, I do have a concern about DH and motion sickness.

 

The answers I got were 50/50 between we'll be fine, and huge swells and duct taping doors shut, glasses flying everywhere, and days at a time in the cabin being sick.

 

I know you can't predict the future, but I am wondering what is the "norm", rough or is that occassional? It will be the beginning of Oct that we go if that makes a difference.

 

We are currently on deck 8 (inside aft), and don't want to move lower unless we need to.

 

We have cruised out of LA 6 times but headed south, so we are familiar with how the water is there, we expect some motion and to feel like we are on a ship, as long as he takes bonine he's never been sick, and a patch won't work, we drink a bit.

 

thank you for any help you can give me. :)

 

Having been on 30+ cruises and several out of LA and SF I can't say that any of them have been any different then some of my Caribbean or Mexico cruises. Actually the roughest sees I've experienced were from St. Thomas to San Juan and from New Orleans to Cozumel and from LA to Puerto Varllarta. It was awful. No one can predict sea conditions nor how a ship will handle in rough conditions. This is just part of the cruise "experience." I have my sea legs and love the movement of the ship. No, it's not for everyone so maybe a land vacation might be better option if movement or sea sickness is a problem. On the coastal cruise the max sea day between ports are one day. Most of the time you are docked in port. So yes, Pacific coastal cruise can be "occasionally" rough. Jim

[azrose]

I get sea sick very easily....i have done the coastal cruise and now that I have learned how to virtually stop it, i am ready for anything (big talker)....I use a 3 pronged approach---bromine before i go on board and anytime the ship is heading north in the Pacific (just in case); 2 - ginger capsules all the time and #3, the sea bands on the wrist. I don't know what is working, but happy it is!!