First timer

[ant101]

Hi all, 

I am hoping some seafaring folk can help out a soon to be first timer. We are a young family who are about to purchase our first cruise - the Transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2. We wish to spend Christmas and New Year in NYC and spontaneously decided to sail there, rather than fly.  I will purchase the tickets in the next few days but need some help. 

When calling to book, I was notified of the remaining rooms available for our family of 3. The thing that I really need to keep in mind is my wife's tendency to become seasick (visions of her in Venice spring to mind! She gets motion sickness in the car at times too! Although she was absolutely fine on ferry crossings.)

This is where I would like some advice. The remaining balcony suits are midship on deck 8. I have read that mid ship is best at a lower deck (for those prone to seasickness). There are none available. Would deck 8 midship be safe enough for someone with a queasy stomach? We are sailing in December and from what I hear, the sea can become really rough?

I would like to hear from anyone who has had a relatively smooth (ish!) December sailing (I pray there are at least some people out there). 

 

Another question I have is pre purchasing  drinks. Is the beer, wine and spirits package worth it in any of your opinions?  My wife does not drink very much, maybe a couple glasses of wine with dinner, so I think I would skip that with regard to her. As for wine packages. I have not been able to locate these. What wine options do they have on board?

Can we bring bottles on board? If so, how many per person? I was thinking about wine if we decide to have a night in the room, rather than going out. 

 

Finally, have any of you traveled with young children? We have a sociable 5 year old and we are wondering about children's activities on board. 

 

We are very much looking forward to this and I am pretty sure the excitement will go up a notch when booking the tickets this weekend!