Motion on the Sapphire?

[TanyaTravels]

Really concerned about the motion of the ship! How much motion was there and when should we expect the most motion? (will need to stock up on the meds:o )

ps....our cabin is on the Lido and close to the front of the ship

[chrysalis]

every day sea conditions can change and therefore, so can the motion of the ship.....take your meds, and if you are really concerned, move the location of your cabin.......the front is the worst place for motion....the best place is mid-ship....and the lower the deck, the better. Plaza deck, mid-ship would be the best.

[rico]

We were on the Diamond, the sister to Sapphire, for a Mexican Riviera cruise in January 2005. Had cabin L209 on Lido deck. Sounds close to your cabin.

 

Typically these ships are very stable. However, being far foward and high up you'll notice motion more than in most other places. For most of that cruise any motion we felt was minimal, no more than you would feel on any other calm day. That was a bit different on the last day. Heading back north from Cabo to LA, the ocean looked pretty calm but there were long drawn out rollers. Combine that with the high speed the ship needs to maintain to reach LA in time and the ship was really pitching. We could feel the bow rising and dropping dramatically.

 

Not trying to scare you, but you need to be prepared for anything when it comes to motion. Ships are at the mercy of the sea, and sea conditions can change quickly. If it's really a concern and you know you're prone to sea sickness, you may want to consider a cabin move.

[Druke I]

Sapphire and other Grand class ships, because of hull shape, beam and draft, do not ride was well as some of the smaller ships in the fleet. Regal Princess, the late great Royal Princess, and late Sky Princesss all ride better in heavy seas.

 

As noted above, you'd be better off midships, and on a lower deck. Up on Lido, should you hit heavy seas, you will be subjected to pronounced pitch, bounce, and roll motion.

[cjh]

It's a big ship but it's an even bigger ocean. Sometimes it calm sometimes it's not. The best thing to do is to start taking sea sick meds the day before you sail because if you wait until you are sick it's to late. If you get sick usually once you throw up you can go to the doctor and they will give you a shot and you won't be sick again. That is until you see the price of that shot then that's a different sick feeling.

[cjh]

It's a big ship but it's an even bigger ocean. Sometimes it calm sometimes it's not. The best thing to do is to start taking sea sick meds the day before you sail because if you wait until you are sick it's to late. If you get sick usually once you throw up you can go to the doctor and they will give you a shot and you won't be sick again. That is until you see the price of that shot then that's a different sick feeling.

[sueandkent]

We were on her sister ship the Diamond last year with a far forward cabin on the Emerald deck which is a lower deck. Then this year we were on the Star in the Caribbean in a mid-ship upper deck (Aloha) balcony cabin. We noticed a HUGE difference in the movement of the ship. Firstly, the Mexican Riviera is much rougher than the Caribbean was. Secondly, the mid-ship location definitely limited the movement alot.

We needed meds constantly on the Diamond cruise and not at all on the Star cruise.

My advice, take ginger pills for the daytime (these work great with no side effects) and non-drowsy dramamine (which will still make you a bit drowsy) at night time. This worked for us. If you can change your cabin to more mid-ship than I would advise that also.

Good luck and you'll love the Sapphire itinerary. The Mexican Rivieria is one of our favorite places both by land and sea.

Happy cruising!!

[MSN-Travelers]

Really concerned about the motion of the ship! How much motion was there and when should we expect the most motion? (will need to stock up on the meds:o )

ps....our cabin is on the Lido and close to the front of the ship

 

The prevailing ocean currents and winds along the coast of California & Baja can make for a bumpy ride when the ship is north of Cabo. You might expect it to be rougher northbound at the end of the cruise because the ship is normally bucking a headwind in addition to sailing against the current. The severity may vary by time of year.

 

We sailed in February. It was too cold on deck to do much of anything when the ship was north of Cabo (both ways) and the northbound run at the end of the cruise had many people looking for their meds.

 

Once the ship was near, and south of Cabo, the waters smoothed out, the temps climbed into the 70/80's and it was a very smooth and enjoyable cruise.

 

Enjoy!

[Pam in CA]

The first day and a half out of Los Angeles and returning can be very rough. The larger ships are actually far less stable due to hull design, particularly the Grand-class ships. It's a complete fallacy that they're more stable. They can really bounce around since they have a broader beam and shallower draft and you'll feel it no matter where your cabin is located. The most stable part of the ship is the lowest passenger cabin deck in the middle of the ship. It'll be more stable but you're also more likely to hear and feel the stabilizers which can be very noisy and vibrate a lot. Make sure you bring your meds if motion bothers you. Personally, it rocks me to sleep.

[Quacker]

Just off the Sapphire today and noticed very little motion all week. We did have a great location: mid-ship on Dolphin so I'm sure that helped.

[cr1]

I'm glad to hear someone experienced very little motion. I was beginning to think it was unavoidable. Glad there's still hope!! (we will be mid ship on Caribe - so maybe not so bad)

[kayred]

YES, it is good to hear because I am also on the dolphin, in room 408, so I am also mid ship. I really hope the motion won't be too bad. I get nervous when people say stuff fell of the tables, or they had trouble walking down the halls...That sounds scary to me.

 

Thanks for the encouraging post..

[Dani24]

My boyfriend is prone to motion sickness, so we had him take dramamine every morning, starting on the day we left for the cruise. He didn't have any problems. I didn't take anything, since I never get motion sickness. And on the last night, my stomach did feel slightly queasy. But I don't know if that was from the motion, or from stuffing myself silly at Sabatini's. =)

 

However, we did notice a lot of motion. I got the sense that many people on here downplayed it, when I read about it before we left. The last day was the worst, and you could pretty much feel it where ever you were on the ship. If you were sitting or standing, the swaying was very noticeable. At one point, I was sitting on the bed in our room (Emerald deck, midship) and I noticed that the swaying felt a lot like a rolling earthquake. Not a huge one -- maybe a 3 or 4 pointer, max. But definitely noticeable, and hard to completely ignore.

 

Prior to that, on our first day, we did notice quite a bit of movement, too. Oddly enough, we found that if we stood in the bathroom or closet/hall of our room, we could really feel the ship moving. But, if we walked out towards the bed, it didn't seem as bad. The nightstand was also making a creaking noise as a result of the ship's movement, so my boyfriend wedged something between the nightstand and the wall, and the creaking stopped for the rest of the cruise.

 

That being said, as long as you take some sort of motion sickness medication, you should be fine. The size of the ship absorbs a lot of the movement, and as long as you don't sit there focusing on it, it shouldn't really get to you. We also saw a lot of people wearing those motion sickness wrist bands, so that may also be an option for you to check out.

[WHYTSHLDRZ]

I just got off the Sapphire 12/3 and was in cabin E225 on Emerald deck, towards the front.

We had lots of motion in this location all week. One night, the night we left Puerto Vallarta, my perfume fell off the bureau top during the night, and woke us up. I have never had a cabin this far forward, so am wondering if this was the reason. I did not notice much motion when dining or at the horizon court, so I think it was because of the forward location.

 

The motion was not enough to deter us from enjoying our cabin, and neither one of us was sea sick!

 

I loved this cruise to Mexico...........and the ship is AWESOME!

[5fathom]

I love the post on the RCI board where the lady says says she is leaving Princess and returning to RCI because their ships do nor roll . Guess RCI must have something there the other lines don't know about !

[cr1]

We were on the Radiance (Alaska-inside passage cruise) last summer. It was interesting because I also felt more motion when I was in the bathroom just like Dani24. I wonder if there is a different material under the floors in the bathrooms (sounds crazy, but there's definetly a difference in the way things felt there as opposed to the rest of the room).

[SuiteCruzin]

I'm one of those landlocked Cruise Fanatics and REALLY LIKE the motion of the boat :) All of my cruises have been Caribbean (all iteneraries and multiple lines and ships) or trans Atlantic (Cunard) but never have I been on the Pacific body of H2O. Reading here has increased my excitement for the Sapphire Mex Riv sail from LA, Jan 21 in terms of rocking and rolling on the ship. I like to feel I'm on a cruise ship out in the middle of a huge body of water without those others lurking about.

 

For a first, we've an aft suite rather than a midships. This is intentional as I've only SEEN the attitude of the Pacific with wave action from ashore:cool:

 

My question is...in an aft Baja suite will we get to enjoy the opposite movement of those in a spot forward?

 

Tom

[joand452]

I do suffer from motion sickness and forgot to take a Bonine the night before our cruise on Mariner of the Seas in April. Boy, was I sorry about an hour into the cruise! I've learned my lesson.

 

Just take a Bonine the night before you board the ship and every night thereafter and you should be fine. The Bonine doesn't make you as drowsy as Dramamine, and if it does, you'll sleep off most of the drowsiness during the night.

 

Happy cruising!

[Pam in CA]

I feel badly for those who get motion-sick but the reality is that you're on a ship on the ocean (or sea) and wind and waves are a natural occurance. The ship will move and there will be motion.

[davekathy]

We will be Cruising the Mexican Riviera in April on the Sapphire Princess. We are in Cabin C109, Caribe Deck, Forward. Spending time in the forward public areas during sea days on our past Cruises (Caribbean and Mexican Riviera) we’ve never experienced Motion Sickness. I can’t imagine being in our cabin will be any different. I guess we’ll find out.

[Lynda90]

Off the Sapphire on 12/3. I was in cabin C617 and felt a lot of motion. The first couple of nights were quite bad but then calmed down. Felt even more motion on the Diamond to Alaska. Just goes along with cruising. Had a wonderful time on both cruises!

[usgoobers5]

Off the Sapphire on 12/3. I was in cabin C617 and felt a lot of motion. The first couple of nights were quite bad but then calmed down. Felt even more motion on the Diamond to Alaska. Just goes along with cruising. Had a wonderful time on both cruises!

Hi Lynda, We will be cruising the Sapphire in January. I was wondering did you feel motion all over the ship or mainly when you were in your cabin? How did you like the location of your cabin? We are on Emerald right down the way from where you are.:D

[Lynda90]

Hi Lynda, We will be cruising the Sapphire in January. I was wondering did you feel motion all over the ship or mainly when you were in your cabin? How did you like the location of your cabin? We are on Emerald right down the way from where you are.:D

My cabin was in a great location and I loved it. Nice large balcony that's half covered. It was mid-ship but towards the aft of mid. The motion was felt all over the ship. When it was bad, I don't think it mattered where you were. I think you will be very happy with the location. I was directly across from the laundry room and never heard a thing. Have a wonderful time; wish I was going again.;) :)