Question about rough seas in Alaska

[fondtravel]

We would appreciate some advice about potential rough seas in Alaska.  Our family has done some cruises of on larger ships in the Caribbean and around Hawaii. Very little motion on our Caribbean mega ship cruise, more motion on a medium large ship in Hawaii.  On that Hawaii cruise, my daughter and I both felt seasick, especially me as I tried to pack on the last night with the ship rocking back-and-forth —pretty unpleasant! Just what can we expect on a northbound inside passage Alaska cruise in August?  I’ve heard that rough seas are a possibility. I’m wondering if we’re biting off more than we can chew....  We are currently reserved on and a medium large size ship, forward, mid upper deck. 

[Eaglecw]

If your coming out of Seattle on the first full sea day you'll be out in the open ocean off the coast of Vancouver Island. It can get a little rough on that day if your going early in the cruise season. We've done the Alaska cruise out of Seattle 15 times and have only experienced rough sea conditions a couple of times. I wouldn't let it spoil my cruise.

[Ashland]

Inside...Northbound...We sail from Vancouver (4 trips in May) and have never had rough sea's...usually like sailing on glass...Hope you experience the same.

[vozzie]

If you are doing the Inside Passage from Vancouver....the only open ocean is crossing the Gulf of Alaska after Glacier Bay. That's only a night and a bit....and whether it will be choppy is anyone's guess. It wasn't on ours, which was in June.

[CruiserBruce]

Seas can be rough anytime, any location, and they are not predictable. As indicated above, you have not given enough info for a reasonable answer.

 

We have cruised 21 times. The roughest seas were crossing the Tasman Sea from New Zealand to Australia, and the Straits of San Juan del Fuca, which is where you come out of Puget Sound to go north to Alaska if sailing from Seattle. 3 hours of "throw you out of bed" roughness. Many sick people.

 

If sea sickness is a problem, you must be prepared every time you are on a ship.

[Anita Latte]

We sailed the last week of June from Vancouver. The inside passage route is quite protected, which land mass on both sides of the ship. Our sailing was smooth the entire time we were in the SE Alaska protected waters going to Ketchikan, ISP, Juneau and Skagway. When we exited the more protected waters and entered the Gulf of Alaska around midnight on the evening before our Hubbard Glacier day...we rocked and rolled all night. I was actually being shifted in bed in our forward deck 9 cabin.

 

Turning into the approach to Hubbard, the seas smoothed out again...but leaving Hubbard and reentering the Gulf of Alaska...DH got extremely sea sick. He is prone to motion sickness but even DS was starting to feel it. DH couldn't handle staying in the cabin at all...we sent him midship to a lower deck...to hang out in the Rendezvous lounge and step outside to get some fresh air too. There are tablets that are available free of charge in the medical facility. There's a wall mounted bin with single dose packets there. You don't have to ask or see anyone. DH did end up taking some.

 

As others have said, and I'm sure you know, the weather is a crap shoot. But I had read prior to our sailing what has been reported here...if you sail out of Seattle, that first sea day has potential to be rough...and any sailing in the Gulf of Alaska has the potential to be rough. The majority of sailing time for Alaska though...when you are sailing the straits and the waterways with land mass all around is generally calm, and usually not rough enough to rock the cruise ships in those waters...

 

BUT if you are on a small boating sailing... We took a small boat whale watching excursion out of ISP and the seas were rough and our little boat was rocking all around. The cruise ship was solid but the little boat, with Glacier Winds, had potential to induce sea sickness in the sensitive. DH was fine on that boat though...probably because we were on the move so much, with sporadic time spent not moving to watch. We were so focused on the horizon though...and looking for whales, I think that was another contributing factor for DH not being affected on the small boat.

 

Just be prepared...definitely don't let it stop your sailing. Alaska is wondrous...

[fondtravel]

Thanks for the advice and the context. We’ll be sailing out of Vancouver, so hopefully that means we’ll miss the potentially rough patch outside of Seattle. But there will be some time in the Gulf of Alaska at the end - we’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope for the best! 

[worldtraveller99]

Do you know what the pills are? I was aiming to buy Dramamine - but is that the best one to take? (I feel sick in a ferris wheel gondola when it swings!) I intend to take them twice a day every day.

[GPStoryteller]

What about traveling South, from Seaward to Vancouver?  Do we Have a rocky last night on board?  Shall I take meds the day before we get off the ship?  Thanks much!

[JCBAY4]

We bought Transdermal Scopolomine patches.  Generic is pretty much unavailable so about $85 for 4 patches which last 3 days each but better than a ruined trip.  RX required.

 

[Anita Latte]

2 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Do you know what the pills are? I was aiming to buy Dramamine - but is that the best one to take? (I feel sick in a ferris wheel gondola when it swings!) I intend to take them twice a day every day.

 

I’m sorry. I don’t recall what the exact pills are. IIRC they aren’t a brand name, just a generic package, they have the active ingredient listed, which I can’t remember. I do recall that there is an interaction warning with alcohol, in that alcohol could make you very sleepy in combination with the active ingredient. Idk if that’s true of most sea / motion sickness meds or not.

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you all - will try to take at night!

[Sunny AZ Girl]

7 hours ago, worldtraveller99 said:

Do you know what the pills are? I was aiming to buy Dramamine - but is that the best one to take? (I feel sick in a ferris wheel gondola when it swings!) I intend to take them twice a day every day.

The better choice would be Bonine.  It doesn't make you as sleepy.  However, it works better as a preventative.  For acute sea sickness Dramamine (available in the infirmary) is your best option.  The one and only time I took it I missed the rest of the day/night activities as I was sound asleep in my cabin.   BTW, I avoid all carnival-type rides as I get deathly ill.  But, I do ok on a ship.  I actually like mild and moderate motion, especially as I try to fall asleep.

 

5 hours ago, GPStoryteller said:

What about traveling South, from Seaward to Vancouver?  Do we Have a rocky last night on board?  Shall I take meds the day before we get off the ship?  Thanks much!

You need to take most pills (Bonine is what I would recommend) before you get seasick for best results.  

 

5 hours ago, JCBAY4 said:

We bought Transdermal Scopolomine patches.  Generic is pretty much unavailable so about $85 for 4 patches which last 3 days each but better than a ruined trip.  RX required.

 

The patches are probably the best choice for preventative action.  DH uses them.  I have seldom had a problem getting seasick, but will take Bonine before a small ship excursion.  We have two of those booked on our next Alaska cruise (whale watch in Icy Strait Point and Adventure Bound to Tracy Arm Fjord in Juneau.)

 

Another preventative measure are the wrist bands for people who may experience mild sea sickness and don't want to take a pill.  It works for my DD. 

[Heidi13]

On 3/18/2019 at 9:11 PM, fondtravel said:

We would appreciate some advice about potential rough seas in Alaska.  Our family has done some cruises of on larger ships in the Caribbean and around Hawaii. Very little motion on our Caribbean mega ship cruise, more motion on a medium large ship in Hawaii.  On that Hawaii cruise, my daughter and I both felt seasick, especially me as I tried to pack on the last night with the ship rocking back-and-forth —pretty unpleasant! Just what can we expect on a northbound inside passage Alaska cruise in August?  I’ve heard that rough seas are a possibility. I’m wondering if we’re biting off more than we can chew....  We are currently reserved on and a medium large size ship, forward, mid upper deck. 

You indicated Northbound, so the assumption is Vancouver to either Whittier (Princess) or Seward (Others)

 

Shortly after departing Vancouver and clearing 1st Narrows, you enter Georgia Strait. This transit takes approx 5 hrs depending on time required at Seymour Narrows. On many days in August seas will be fairly calm (10-25 kts are common); however, you can experience summer winds, which are predominantly NW or head winds. Shouldn't be too much movement, but that is my perception and DW has a different opinion.

 

Your first evening is within the sheltered Inside Passage, where the only movement is navigating the big turns. Mid-morning you will drop the pilot at Pine Island and head out to and then transit Hecate Strait. Being fairly shallow, it does have the propensity for a little movement, if the wind is blowing. The remainder of the day is open water until across Dixon Entrance and enter the Alaska Inside Passage.

 

For the SE Alaska portion you are in narrow channels, so even when windy the ship shouldn't move much. On departing Glacier Bay/Icy Strait you enter the Gulf of Alaska/Pacific Ocean heading North to Prince William Sound. Depending on wind/seas you might get some ship movement. On this section, I have experienced everything from almost millpond to 70kt storms at end August/September.

 

The size of the ship has little impact on the ability to handle seas, the design has the greatest impact. Example is the classic liner QM2, which is smaller, but  is vastly superior to any of the new mega ships, in any seas. Best place on a ship for the least movement is a lower deck about midships. Interior cabins also experience less movement than balcony cabins.

[worldtraveller99]

We went to the Galapagos on a very small ship. I took a Bonine before bed, but woke up feeling so nauseous - and it didn't have any balconies, so I had to hurriedly dress and rush up to deck to breathe and feel better. And it was a mill pond!

 

Then I took one of the free pills in reception morning and night as well as sleeping with the sea bands on my wrists, which I will do again. I am guessing they were Dramamine as they were unmarked?

 

I was so good, that when one stormy evening only half the ship were in dinner, and the rest were  in their rooms being sick, my husband and I were in dinner and happy - unheard of! 

 

[Crew News]

I wear seabands only on the first night and can then remove them.  My body adjusts overnight and I need no other seasickness remedies for the rest of the cruise.  Amusement park rides are definitely NOT my favorite things.

[NEWLKAT]

On ‎3‎/‎20‎/‎2019 at 6:08 AM, GPStoryteller said:

What about traveling South, from Seaward to Vancouver?  Do we Have a rocky last night on board?  Shall I take meds the day before we get off the ship?  Thanks much!

GPStoryteller I have done that routing 4x, and one other out of Whittier, it is the first night/sea day that could pose a problem as you are in the Gulf of Alaska,  a couple of the times we have done that routing the seas got kind of rocky the first sea day.  It got better going into Hubbard Glacier then picked back up coming out of there. If prone to motion sickness I would take medication before boarding the ship. Once you get into the inside passage it usually much calmer.

Edited March 22, 2019 by NEWLKAT

[quack2]

On 3/20/2019 at 4:08 AM, GPStoryteller said:

What about traveling South, from Seaward to Vancouver?  Do we Have a rocky last night on board?  Shall I take meds the day before we get off the ship?  Thanks much!

 

The last night before arriving in Vancouver is in pretty protected waters.  Not likely to have issues.  That last day, and the following morning arrival in Vancouver, are absolutely beautiful.

 

Your bigger risk sailing from Seward is the first night into the next day as you are crossing the Gulf of Alaaka.  That's a big expanse of open water and could get rough.  Having said that, I've never had it bad (4 cruises from Seward). 

 

Highly recommend Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward, before you board the ship.  Lots of wildlife and awesome scenery.

[laurabegorrah]

19 hours ago, quack2 said:

Your bigger risk sailing from Seward is the first night into the next day as you are crossing the Gulf of Alaaka.  That's a big expanse of open water and could get rough.  Having said that, I've never had it bad (4 cruises from Seward). 

 

Highly recommend Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward, before you board the ship.  Lots of wildlife and awesome scenery.

 

We definitely had some rough seas on our final night, heading into Seward.  Thankfully, neither of us have issues, but a some waves were enough to give you that stomach bottoming out, roller coaster feeling. 

 

Side note, we did a Kenai Fjord boat tour, and that was some of the worst motion I've experienced.  They did tell everyone at check in that they were expecting rougher than normal seas and recommended taking something for seasickness.  They mentioned it again once we boarded.  Once we got out into open water, we over an hour of high winds and big waves.  I would guess over 1/2 of the passengers were on deck heaving or in their seats heaving into a bag.  I escaped onto the top deck, where I was pelted by rain and winds and had to hold on or be knocked down - I was pretty soaked but at least I was away from the all of the sick.  lol  The crew was amazing trying to help everyone, but if you are at all prone to motion sickness, make sure you either take something or carefully evaluate the weather before you go lol

[ErLee]

I usually take Bonine, which is meclizine, starting the day before I leave and then for the duration of the trip. I also take it when I fly. It works great for me. Good luck!!

[Katwoman007]

On 3/20/2019 at 2:06 AM, worldtraveller99 said:

Do you know what the pills are? I was aiming to buy Dramamine - but is that the best one to take? (I feel sick in a ferris wheel gondola when it swings!) I intend to take them twice a day every day.

Get the non drowsy kind, that has Meclizine in it. Bonine has this, as well as the "less drowsy" type from dramaine. You can always take half a dose and increase as needed. We needed patches going to Cabo, but on the way back did not use them and things got bumpy (Aft level 10) and one pill helped us both. lol I am also bringing the motion sickness bands, as I hate taking meds. I am just sad the generic patches are not available 😞 

[worldtraveller99]

Thank you - I will look out for this!

[FantasyGoddess]

I am very prone to motion sickness.  I have not tried the patch but I tried the wrist bands.   They did nothing.  What works for me are the non-drowsy generic seasick pills (like dramamine or bonine).  The trick is you have to take them BEFORE you get sick.  I take one or two when we board the ship and one or two each morning we are "at sea."  There is no need for me to take one in the morning on the days we are in port.  Once we board after a port day, I take the pills.  

 

One time I neglected to take the pills and I got sick.  It took 4-5 hours to feel any relief after I finally took the pills.  I won't make that mistake again!

 

Good luck!

[consmarci]

I've never seen meclizine free on a ship in our 20 + cruises, but if they have it, take advantage of it! We buy bottles of 50 at Sam's club and Cosco for about 3 dollars, so a significant savings to buy "in bulk".

[rick160158]

On 3/20/2019 at 2:06 AM, worldtraveller99 said:

Do you know what the pills are? I was aiming to buy Dramamine - but is that the best one to take? (I feel sick in a ferris wheel gondola when it swings!) I intend to take them twice a day every day.

The pills of choice for cruisers is Bonine