Are Aft cabins more likely to be rough?

[mocrimlaw]

I assume it is at least a little rougher in the aft cabins than mid-ship, but I wonder how much rougher it is - can you really tell the difference? This is on the Jade, if that matters. Trip will be Norwegian fjords, and I keep reading that the aft facing balconies are great in the fjords, but worried about seasickness. I use a patch which generally works well, but I really don't like it when the sea is rough. It was so rough in the Mediterranean this May that they cancelled Amalfi because they couldn't use the tenders, and our tender in Sorrento was really tossed around the day before and was quite scary. That night the ship really rocked all night long. Not sure how much worse it would have been if we had been in an aft cabin?

[bonvoyagie]

I have been aft on two of my three AK cruises and love it. There is little to no wind. I have not noticed any problems with rock and roll either. BTW on the third we were mid-ship and also had no problems with motion.

[don't-use-real-name]

Generally the smoothest ride will be in an inside cabin on a lower deck near or below the center (water line) of the ship.

Higher decks center of the ship more noticeable rolling - rocking.

Front (bow) more up and down motion (porpoising).

Aft (stern) opposite of bow movement - down and up and then perhaps some side to side torgue twisting motion.

Have a balcony cabin expect the worst component of motion - living life on the edge. Upper-higher decks the effect is accentuated more and the larger ships

ya the ones with the amusement park on roof hang on for some thrilling rides !

Weather is the major factor of a smooth cruise gone awry.

Hurricanes and winter ocean swells are the usual likely suspects to avoid.

[Turtles06]

OP: the poster immediately above is correct. When a ship is pitching, you will feel the motion more in the bow and the stern than you will in the middle. And when it's rolling, you'll feel that more on a higher deck than on a lower one.

 

Just visualize the ship going up and down (bow to stern) in the water, or rolling side to side, and you'll see it.

[Crusin6]

We got an aft inside guarantee on deck 11 on the BA

 

Very bumpy Probably the bumpiest of my 12 plus cruises

 

 

So....now we are back to our deck 5 mid ship insides...where we pick our cabin

 

 

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[biker@sea]

Aft. Has more shimmy

 

Bow has more bounce & slap.

 

 

.

[pizzalady1]

We have been in 5 aft suites on NCL. There is a little shimmy, but it never has bothered us enough to take meclizine. Actually at night, it feels like you are being gently rocked in bed. We were in cabin 9170 on the Jade, when it was the Pride of Hawaii. The views from the back are great, 180 degree views. Aft cabins usually go very fast.

[Linda the Book Lover]

don't-use-real-name summed it up nicely. I am guessing you are concerned about seasickness. We stayed in SF-10164 on the Jade from Houston and felt nothing. We also stayed in SF-972 on the Star and also nothing. Other times we stayed forward and twice midship. The DH and I also do not get seasick on small or large craft. From what I read on CC ginger and seasick pills are something you should take with you if you are concerned about a rough voyage.

[memoak]

I will take the aft over the bow any day of the week - plus the anchor chains are usually in the bow and boy are they a noisy alarm clock

[old nutter]

Aft. Has more shimmy

 

Bow has more bounce & slap.

 

.

 

That accurately describes what we have found on Jade/Star and the big ships. We had a very odd sea crossing the Caribbean from Miami to Carthgena and the ship motion at the front was a sort of corkscrewing - made the juggler in the theatre earn his pay for sure! This movement did not pass down the ship and it was much less noticeable even a short way down and hardly noticeable at the stern at all. That corkscrewing motion was very disorientating and caused a lot of people a lot of trouble for a while.

 

We have also been in a Jade aft penthouse in a force 10 in the Med and felt little or no major movement. One of the benefits of those aft cabins is that you can leave the doors open when the ship is moving and the extra fresh air is a superb antidote to sea-sickness. At the other end of the ship, the wind is normally much too strong to keep the doors open overnight.

[my3sonsnj]

Had a deck 11 aft balcony on the Breakaway in February. We had some pretty rough seas traveling to and from the Caribbean but our cabin was great.

 

My husband and I don't suffer from motion sickness so I am not sure how those that do would fare. Mid deck and lower is the prevailing wisdom if motion is a concern but I like the motion which is why we cruise ;-)

[navybankerteacher]

I will take the aft over the bow any day of the week - plus the anchor chains are usually in the bow and boy are they a noisy alarm clock

 

Bow cabins are never at the bow - they are forward, but unless on a lower deck (below promenade deck level) usually about 100 feet aft of the bow----- while aft cabins are generally right at the stern. Unless hitting tender ports, the anchor chains are hardly ever let go - but the screws - or azipods- are directly below aft cabins and will give vibrations in any heavy seas.

[NLH Arizona]

Have done many cruises in aft cabins and never noticed it being an rougher then other parts of the ships.

Edited September 24, 2016 by NLH Arizona

[PelicanBill]

I've stayed all over on ships. Last year it was an aft on deck 14 on Breakaway. Some vibration and roll, and we have very rough seas one day, but being over the engines was the most stable point of the ship - it where the rest of the ship is pushed ahead, so the rest rises and falls, with a lot of motion at the forward cabins. But really, the aft cabin was very steady.

[bennybear]

Since you asked about Norway, the fjord area is very calm. The whole Baltic area has been much calmer than the Med in our experience. I too can feel mal de mer but find the aft okay. I love the views. Course each cruise can be different, and it depends where you are sailing out of. We had a good experience out of Rotterdam in the early fall.