How many kt seas before they divert route?

[sr4mjc]

I can’t remember how rough the seas were when Anthem got tossed around and RC took a lot of flack for sailing through the storm. We are on Eclipse next week and the forecast has a considerable low forming, particularly bad the day we sail from Belfast to Reykjavík. 35 kt seas. Personally I don’t want to sail through this.

 

When would they call it and how far in advance? Frankly if the seas are this bad with no itinerary change, I’m scared to get on. And if we don’t sail to Iceland, where could we go? Norway? South to France? Doing my best thoughts that the storm fizzles, but am wondering what the options will be. The meteorologist on twitter says the Eclipse and Indy are being watched next week.

 

 

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[GUT2407]

I doubt wind force is the determining factor, rather wave height and swell

[sr4mjc]

I doubt wind force is the determining factor, rather wave height and swell

 

 

 

Here’s the wave view. This Windy app is awesome btw

 

 

 

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[laslomas]

Although not always comfortable for passengers, the ships manage very well in high seas. On a transatlantic crossing (southern Atlantic) in November 2016 (NCL Jade) we had two days where the waves were noted as 4 - 6 metres (12 - 18 feet) and wind 39 kt. Another two days were almost as bad. In fact before we hit the major storm mid-Atlantic we had high winds and seas and were unable to dock in Lisbon. Each day I followed the storm on the in-cabin TV on the Navigation channel and before we hit the worse, the Captain was interviewed by the CD and explained how the ship copes with storms and hurricanes.

 

I understand that to many people it is scary to be in the middle of an ocean in these conditions, and many did stay in their cabins, but the ships are built to withstand the conditions and usually the Captain has time to change the route to ensure the worst will be missed.

 

Try to enjoy it, and if you are one of the braver ones you will find the ship very uncrowded and no queueing for anything, except guest services where they will give advice and sea sickness aid.

 

In fact looking back I think I actually enjoyed it.

[gek]

Wind speeds of 35 knots and 4 metre waves should be no problem for a ship the size of the Eclipse. I've sailed through worse without any significant problems.

[sr4mjc]

Up to 6 meters depending on where you click in the map. We got in some rough weather in the Med on the Splendor many years ago, everyone was sick. I wish I knew how many meters for comparison.

[ghstudio]

A couple of years ago, we had 25-30 ft seas for almost a full day...(Bay of Biscayne)...on a transatlantic. We were on the infinity on Deck 11 in one of the new rear cabins....(worst place to be on the ship from a comfort standpoint). The ship and most passengers really had few problems, although almost every bottle of liquor in the liquor store broke, doors and drawers slammed open and shut (until taped), etc.

 

If you are concerned about safety...don't worry, these ships can take quite a heavy sea.

 

Note: if you find yourself in this situation, Guest Services will give you over the counter sea sick pills...free.

[cruisestitch]

35 Kt would be winds, not seas.

[phoenix_dream]

35 Kt would be winds, not seas.

Yes, you are correct, but wind speeds definitely affect wave height and swells. If there are already high waves and then high winds on top of that, it makes the situation even worse.

[sr4mjc]

A couple of years ago, we had 25-30 ft seas for almost a full day...(Bay of Biscayne)...on a transatlantic. We were on the infinity on Deck 11 in one of the new rear cabins....(worst place to be on the ship from a comfort standpoint). The ship and most passengers really had few problems, although almost every bottle of liquor in the liquor store broke, doors and drawers slammed open and shut (until taped), etc.

 

If you are concerned about safety...don't worry, these ships can take quite a heavy sea.

 

Note: if you find yourself in this situation, Guest Services will give you over the counter sea sick pills...free.

 

We are on Deck 12. Not totally rear, but on the aft hump by the aft elevators.

[sr4mjc]

35 Kt would be winds, not seas.

 

Yes, sorry I meant winds there.

[TeeRick]

Wind speeds of 35 knots and 4 metre waves should be no problem for a ship the size of the Eclipse. I've sailed through worse without any significant problems.

 

We were recently on Solstice which is near identical to Eclipse. We sailed through very high seas and winds on the crossings from Australia to New Zealand and back. Similar to the conditions you describe. We certainly felt movement on the ship but it handled it very well. Most passengers went about their normal routine.

[wrk2cruise]

We were on the Eclipse TA in November of 2014 where the itinerary was altered due to a storm in the North Atlantic. We were due to sail from Southampton to New York. Instead we sailed from Southampton south to Madeira and then to New York arriving New York 2 days later than planned and skipped the overnight Bermuda stop entirely. The change was announced as we boarded in Southampton. Even still we had some rocking and it was reported that we had a > 70 kt gust just prior to entering the channel in NY. We were in a lounge where the ship was rocking back and forth then it rocked to 1 side and didn't rock back, some things on the shelves fell over. It was noticeable but wasn't scary at all.

[gerelmx]

you are suggesting before boarding, I recommend the sea bands and have fun.

[jkgourmet]

I can’t remember how rough the seas were when Anthem got tossed around and RC took a lot of flack for sailing through the storm. We are on Eclipse next week and the forecast has a considerable low forming, particularly bad the day we sail from Belfast to Reykjavík. 35 kt seas. Personally I don’t want to sail through this.

 

When would they call it and how far in advance? Frankly if the seas are this bad with no itinerary change, I’m scared to get on. And if we don’t sail to Iceland, where could we go? Norway? South to France? Doing my best thoughts that the storm fizzles, but am wondering what the options will be. The meteorologist on twitter says the Eclipse and Indy are being watched next week.

 

 

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What site are you using to get this data, please? I can't figure it out from the .jpg image.

[sr4mjc]

Windy.com or the Windy app, it's great! You can toggle winds and seas, etc. Drag the mouse anywhere or search location. The bottom bar you can change the dates. (it's a bit of a resource hog on my pc, phone works a little better.)

 

Have my sea bands packed. And some ginger.

Edited May 4, 2018 by sr4mjc

[jkgourmet]

Thanks. I'll go play with it prior to our may 20 departure from Dublin to the fjords.

[Gonzo70]

I would think the seas, not wind, would have to be at least 30 feet before they would consider altering an itinerary; also this is highly unlikely something that would be done more than a day or so in advance (as these forecasts can change quite drastically this far out). Celebrity's fleet is built to withstand high seas and it is not uncommon for them to sail through 20+ feet seas. Definitely can be a rocky experience for passengers, but is safe for the ship to navigate in such seas. Roughest I had was my first transatlantic; was on Century (so significantly older and smaller ship than anything currently in the fleet); hit 25 foot waves near Bermuda. I had a blast, but some passengers were not enjoying it as much as myself (including my wife). Felt like the stateroom was haunted, we were all the way aft, so really felt it - that night the closet doors and dresser drawers frequently opened and shut on their own for several hours as well rolled over the swells. What is more likely than a diversion to another port is the Captain taking a longer route to avoid the heaviest of the seas. Usually there is some wiggle room built into itineraries, so might be able to do this without any impact on the itinerary. Treat it as an adventure; it might be bumpy, but they will not put you in significant harms' way.

[Mycron]

A year ago we were on the Equinox out of Miami. While the boat itself could handle the seas and wind, they were concerned about docking at Key West. More to the point, they were concerned that they wouldn't be able to leave Key West because of the wind and seas. So instead they canceled the port and puttered on to Costa Maya. The problem with that is the boat was going at a leisurely 9kts. This prevented the boat from having any momentum to plow through the seas, so the waves that we had made the boat move even moreso than it would have if we were going 18-20kts. That was the only problem we had as far as rough seas/high winds. Never felt that the boat was in danger though.

 

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[ECCruise]

Honestly, the predicted winds and seas will not be a safety issue by any means. It might be mildly uncomfortable for some, but not for everyone.

 

Having encountered much worse conditions and here to type about it, I would not even give it a second thought.

Some examples:

 

12 meter seas (~36 ft) for over 36 hours in the Atlantic on the way to Bermuda on the Horizon, 46000 tons (1/3 Eclipse).

14 meter seas (~42 ft) with stabilizers not engaged due to icebergs in Antarctica on the L'Austral, 11,000 tons (1/10th Eclipse)

Many, many sailings over 4 meters and/or 50Kt. winds.

 

Stop looking at Windy.com (yes, an excellent site) and go have an extraordinary time on Eclipse. Great ship and great itinerary. They will not put you in harms way under any circumstances.

[sr4mjc]

Honestly, the predicted winds and seas will not be a safety issue by any means. It might be mildly uncomfortable for some, but not for everyone.

 

Having encountered much worse conditions and here to type about it, I would not even give it a second thought.

Some examples:

 

12 meter seas (~36 ft) for over 36 hours in the Atlantic on the way to Bermuda on the Horizon, 46000 tons (1/3 Eclipse).

14 meter seas (~42 ft) with stabilizers not engaged due to icebergs in Antarctica on the L'Austral, 11,000 tons (1/10th Eclipse)

Many, many sailings over 4 meters and/or 50Kt. winds.

 

Stop looking at Windy.com (yes, an excellent site) and go have an extraordinary time on Eclipse. Great ship and great itinerary. They will not put you in harms way under any circumstances.

 

Thank you, I will. I have packing to do ;p and let's hope the forecast holds and doesn't get worse. If so, I vote for Norway!

Edited May 4, 2018 by sr4mjc

[Denny01]

The ship’s heading in relation to the wind and swells is a major factor also. If the ship is heading into the wind and swells, then you’ll get a pitching action, forward/aft) but the ship is a good 1000ft long so very high waves/swells are needed to really give you a ‘ride’.

 

If the ship is heading crossways to the wind/swells (they are abeam - from the side) since the ship is much narrower, the rolling action is much more colorful, and boy will you feel it.

 

If the ship must transit cross wind, and If possible, the Capt will set a heading at an angle (cutting back and forth heading in the required direction) to minimize roll.

 

A big impact on ship motion along with the swell height is the ‘period’, the distance between the swells. If a shorts period (tops of swells are close to each other) then the ship can really pitch/roll.

 

Don’t you Love it when I try to use ‘seafaring’ terms! Arrrhhhhh!!!

 

Den

[floridatravelersforlife]

We were on the Infinity in 2010 on one of the inaugural Antarctic voyages. The Captain abandoned the first attempt to visit Antarctica due to rough weather(second attempt two days later was successful). We diverted to Ushaia, but we still encountered 75 mph winds and 36 ft seas in the Drake Passage. The winds and wave direction were not parallel so for 8 hours we listed quite a bit. (The shower curtain bottom was about 8 inches inward from where it normally lay. The floating box of a ship did very well. Sometimes avoiding heavy weather is not possible.

[duck65]

To sr4mjc

 

Will see you on this trip, hope you bring many sea sick pills. Was on the third Solstice voyage in 2008, wells were very bad, one third of ship did not make it to dinner, but ship did OK though it all ( wife did not, ran into mens room to lose it). We will all still have fun on this trip.

[sr4mjc]

To sr4mjc

 

Will see you on this trip, hope you bring many sea sick pills. Was on the third Solstice voyage in 2008, wells were very bad, one third of ship did not make it to dinner, but ship did OK though it all ( wife did not, ran into mens room to lose it). We will all still have fun on this trip.

 

Thanks, Michelle