North Sea Advice

[Arthur2010]

Hi everyone. I want to take a transatlantic cruise with Holland America on August of 2019 . We are going from New York to Greenlan then Iceland than Holland. I am a first time cruiser and I am scared of storms . Do you think it is stormy at North Sea in August ?   I hate storms . I feel like I will die from heat attack when I get into the storm.   Thank you .

[CruiserBruce]

Is it likely? Probably not. But the weather is not that predictable, and there is every indication things are changing.

 

Seas move. And ships on seas move. That is unavoidable.

 

I am thinking maybe cruising, certainly that particular cruise, is not for you.

[Heidi13]

You are crossing the North Atlantic and although August is one of the better months, the Atlantic can be unpredictable at any time of the year.

 

Our last crossing visited Iceland in mid July and from departure UK to Iceland we had 25 kt winds. Having worked at sea, I don't consider that a storm or even uncomfortable, but some pax were uncomfortable.

 

If you are that adverse to rough/heavy weather, I suggest this is not the type of cruise for you.

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, Arthur2010 said:

Hi everyone. I want to take a transatlantic cruise with Holland America on August of 2019 . We are going from New York to Greenlan then Iceland than Holland. I am a first time cruiser and I am scared of storms . Do you think it is stormy at North Sea in August ?   I hate storms . I feel like I will die from heat attack when I get into the storm.   Thank you .

It's an ocean- - smooth sailing unless it's not.

[John Bull]

Both the North Atlantic (especially the northern bit of the North Atlantic) and the North Sea can cut up rough.

I wouldn't choose that itinerary in the winter - but then cruise ships don't sail that way in the winter.

 

August is about the best time for that route.

But no guarantees.

 

I'm sure that a storm wouldn't give you a heart attack.

But rough seas aren't something you want ruining a trip that you're taking for pleasure.

And even a ship just gently rolling in decent weather can be nauseous for some.

 

Have you sailed on any ships? Even ferries?

If you're not too sure how you'd cope with the movement of the seas I'd be much more inclined to start with something like a Caribbean cruise. Much more reliable seas, even - believe it or not - in the hurricane season because ships can re-route at short notice.

 

JB   

Edited December 3, 2018 by John Bull

[paul929207]

It is a big ocean. Last summer we went NYC to Iceland to Dover. We were schedule to go to St. Pierre et Melceron and two ports in Scotland. Seas were too rough so we skipped the three of them, but added a stop in Belfast..

 

The captain will do his best to avoid the storms, but no guarantee. 

[Arthur2010]

Thanks guys for your advice. It,s just a while  I stopped flying . Thats the reason I am crossing the Atlantic with ship. Its Queen Mary 2 . Once a year its not going straight to Southampton. It will take the Northern Part of Atlantic with stops in Newfoudland , Canada then Iceland then Scotland to Southampton. I will be bored 7 days at seas that why I too this rout.

[Host Hattie]

Queen Mary 2 was built to handle the North Atlantic but even she moves around in poor weather.

I would make sure you have a cabin low down and midships.

[MCC retired]

A Transatlantic along with the North Sea is a big step for a first time cruiser with such concerns .

Seas are totally unpredictable especially where and when you are cruising.

IMO , take a  7 day Caribbean Cruise first to see how you handle cruising.

 

[Arthur2010]

John Bull Thanks for the info. I cannot fly by airplane( health reasons).  I wanted to visit family in Europe and my only choice is ship. I choose the best month ( August ), Best ship ( Queen Mary 2 ), And taking the rout that has only 3 sea days nonstop was the best I could find.  I have never been in storms. I just wanted to know if it is safe for the ship even if we hit a storm ?

[Host Hattie]

If you want more advice about Queen Mary 2 and how she handles the weather, I would post on the Cunard board.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/32-cunard-line/

[AmazedByCruising]

26 minutes ago, Arthur2010 said:

 I just wanted to know if it is safe for the ship even if we hit a storm ?

 

I think it's safe to assume Cunard wouldn't let a $900,000,000 ship sail if it couldn't handle a storm several times more severe than the worst ever recorded on your itinerary. 

 

Also, there's a doctor on board who can handle a lot 🙂

 

You might want to do a tiny cruise to get a feeling of what a cruiseship is like, but as you say QM2 and August and this being the only way to visit family, I'd go for it.

[MCC retired]

2 hours ago, Arthur2010 said:

John Bull Thanks for the info. I cannot fly by airplane( health reasons).  I wanted to visit family in Europe and my only choice is ship. I choose the best month ( August ), Best ship ( Queen Mary 2 ), And taking the rout that has only 3 sea days nonstop was the best I could find.  I have never been in storms. I just wanted to know if it is safe for the ship even if we hit a storm ?

QM2  good choice for a speedy crossing , but it will be 7 sea days , not 3 ?

as suggested , come over to the Cunard Forum .

[Arthur2010]

MCC Retired.  This Itinerary is different. Its once or twice a year at August they cross Atlantic up North. New York to Canada to Iceland to Scotland to Southampton . 

 

[John Bull]

1 hour ago, MCC retired said:

QM2  good choice for a speedy crossing , but it will be 7 sea days , not 3 ?

as suggested , come over to the Cunard Forum .

 

I think the OP means only 3 consecutive sea-days between ports.

Makes it a longer crossing, but I know where the OP is coming from - I get itchy with just two sea-days on the trot.

 

QM2 is a purpose-built ocean liner, designed with the NYC - Southampton crossings in mind, and head-and shoulders the best ship for the job.

And August is the right time of year.

If you're that keen to visit family in Europe, you can't fly, and Starship Enterprise & its transporter are fictional,  then this cruise is the way to do it.

Probably it'll be a smooth crossing, but you'll have to accept that you might be unlucky.

 

What about heading back to the USA?

Into October is much more prone to bad weather.

 

JB 

[MCC retired]

52 minutes ago, Arthur2010 said:

MCC Retired.  This Itinerary is different. Its once or twice a year at August they cross Atlantic up North. New York to Canada to Iceland to Scotland to Southampton . 

 

 Strange , I don’t see the QM2 doing that itinerary in Aug 2019 or Aug 2020 ?

What is the sailing date ?

Edited December 3, 2018 by MCC retired

[Host Hattie]

8 hours ago, Arthur2010 said:

MCC Retired.  This Itinerary is different. Its once or twice a year at August they cross Atlantic up North. New York to Canada to Iceland to Scotland to Southampton . 

 

There is an itinerary like that in 2020 but next year the crossing via Iceland is from Southampton to New York. 

[Arthur2010]

MCC Retired.  This Itinerary is different. Its once or twice a year at August they cross Atlantic up North. New York to Canada to Iceland to Scotland to Southampton . July 31 2020.

[Arthur2010]

One question that I have it may sound funny for you guys that have a lot of experience but I need to ask.  Are these big ships safe ? They don't sink easily right ? I did some research and the last big ship that had sank was Titanic ( not counting Costa Concordia ) . When I say I worry about storms I don't mean seasickness or not having fun. All I worry about is in those conditions they don't sink right ?  ( of course anything can happen . I guess 000.1 chance) . 

[Arthur2010]

And by the way it's very nice to have forum of cruisers like this. I hope I will like the crossing and be one of you. Thank you guys for all the advice.

[John Bull]

13 minutes ago, Arthur2010 said:

One question that I have it may sound funny for you guys that have a lot of experience but I need to ask.  Are these big ships safe ? They don't sink easily right ? I did some research and the last big ship that had sank was Titanic ( not counting Costa Concordia ) . When I say I worry about storms I don't mean seasickness or not having fun. All I worry about is in those conditions they don't sink right ?  ( of course anything can happen . I guess 000.1 chance) . 

 

Neither Titanic nor Costa Concordia were sunk by storms.

 

The risks crossing the Atlantic by cruise ship are similar to the risks of travelling by air - by far the most dangerous part of the journey is the drive to the port / airport

 

JB  

[MCC retired]

1 hour ago, Arthur2010 said:

MCC Retired.  This Itinerary is different. Its once or twice a year at August they cross Atlantic up North. New York to Canada to Iceland to Scotland to Southampton . July 31 2020.

 

Okay, I see that one now , 14 nights . I was only searching August departures .

Still 7 days at sea total that you could encounter what you fear .

First time cruisers often have unreasonable concerns about their first cruise .

Those can be eliminated with their first cruise. 

 

[Arthur2010]

MCC Retired what I like about this crossing that its not 7 straight days. Most is 3 days and its near Greenland. then stops again in Iceland then 1 day seaday  to Scotland .What I am worried about as a first time cruiser is that how safe this cruises are ?  I don't worry about seasickness .   My concern is that do they sink easily ?  I need some encouragement . LOL. thank you.

[MCC retired]

1 hour ago, Arthur2010 said:

MCC Retired what I like about this crossing that its not 7 straight days. Most is 3 days and its near Greenland. then stops again in Iceland then 1 day seaday  to Scotland .What I am worried about as a first time cruiser is that how safe this cruises are ?  I don't worry about seasickness .   My concern is that do they sink easily ?  I need some encouragement . LOL. thank you.

As a former TA booking cruises for 17+ years I thought that I have heard all concerns of 1st time cruisers , but this concern is a first for me to hear ?

I have no answer except that only a cruise can cure you of your unfounded fear.

 

[BDRebel]

1 hour ago, Arthur2010 said:

What I am worried about as a first time cruiser is that how safe this cruises are ?  I don't worry about seasickness .   My concern is that do they sink easily ?  I need some encouragement . LOL. thank you.

Is it possible? Yes - anything is possible, including a pig sprouting a pair of wings and flying away😉

Is it likely? I cannot think of any modern cruise ship or ocean liner that has sunk because of weather. Although I cannot legally claim to be able to see the future, I predict that your cruise liner will arrive intact.