What are the chances of getting "seasick" on a riverboat?

[wags]

We have been on 28 ocean cruises but never tried a riverboat. We are booked on the Viking Hermod for the June 25th Danube Waltz cruise.

Some of us have to take something to avoid seasickness when ocean cruising so I was wondering if people get sick on the riverboats.

I haven't seen the topic discussed on these boards so I would appreciate any info you can give. Thanks

[notamermaid]

I think I am not leaning myself too far out of the window when I say that you have not read about this as indeed it is not much discussed on the river cruising board. The reason is that, well, people do not seem to get seasick. The question was raised, though, a few months ago. I seem to remember nobody replying that they have felt seasick. If you are sensitive, perhaps you could get "sea"sick, but it is unlikely. People have reported more about the noise level and vibrations from the engine. Also being woken up at night when going through locks. Turning a vessel on the river can cause some unwanted movement that is similar to a vessel leaving a harbour and going out to sea, but I have only found this uncomfortable with the small boats. Never had a problem with it on my river cruise.

 

Have a great trip.

 

notamermaid

 

[Bake apple]

32 minutes ago, wags said:

We have been on 28 ocean cruises but never tried a riverboat. We are booked on the Viking Hermod for the June 25th Danube Waltz cruise.

Some of us have to take something to avoid seasickness when ocean cruising so I was wondering if people get sick on the riverboats.

I haven't seen the topic discussed on these boards so I would appreciate any info you can give. Thanks

Hi, I am very prone to motion sickness whether it is train, car, boat or aircraft. We have taken two river cruises and I haven't had to deal with it at all. My only caution is that while dining I face the bow since the passing scenery can make me a little queasy if we are moving we quickly (if I am facing starboard or port). Otherwise, clear sailing! Enjoy your cruise.

[Roz]

I've been on 3 river cruises - 2 on the Danube and 1 on the Rhine.  I think a person would have to be EXTREMELY sensitive to motion to experience seasickness on a river cruise.  I never heard anyone mention feeling queasy, except for those who maybe spent too much time in the lounge after dinner. 🍷🍸🍺

 

Roz

[jklc123]

Ha! Good point, Roz!

 

I have had one seasick day on every ocean cruise I've been on (loved the cruises anyway), but only once, very slightly, on a large lake on our Moscow to St. Petersburg cruise, and that was during a brief thunderstorm. Definitely not an issue on the other five rivers we've cruised.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, jklc123 said:

Ha! Good point, Roz!

 

I have had one seasick day on every ocean cruise I've been on (loved the cruises anyway), but only once, very slightly, on a large lake on our Moscow to St. Petersburg cruise, and that was during a brief thunderstorm. Definitely not an issue on the other five rivers we've cruised.

I think it is Lake Onega in Russia - I was surprised there were times where we never saw land.

[sharkster77]

A relative who cruised the Rhine with Viking asked the waiter at dinner the first night when they would be shoving off.  He replied "20 minutes ago--look out the window!"  That's how smooth the river is vs. the ocean.

[wags]

Thanks everyone. It's reassuring to hear that it won't be an issue. 

Another thing I'm concerned about is the engine noise I've been reading about. We are in the last two aft cabins. 

Will noise be a problem ?

[Coral]

The main issue I have had is going through locks. They can be loud at night when sleeping. This last cruise, they wore me out so much, I must have slept through them.

[HBCcruiser]

I highly doubt you will. You hardly feel it at all. Most River Boats can’t handle winds or rough seas. No worries!


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[cormike1]

I suffer from motion sickness on ocean cruises but never on the 4 river cruises we have been on.  The only thing I can't do is walk the wrong way and look at the sites going by as I am walking.  That kind of makes me dizzy and queasy.  I also face the same way the ship is sailing.  But sitting on board and watching the amazing sites going by never makes me sick.  Don't even worry about it....go and enjoy!

 

[wags]

Thank you cormike1 for your tips. Bake Apple mentioned getting queasy in the dining room if facing either shoreline. Did this happen to you?

[VistaRio]

We purposely choose the window seating in the dining room.  I can not envision this being a motion sickness issue for most people.

[zitsky]

On 4/20/2019 at 7:37 PM, wags said:

Thanks everyone. It's reassuring to hear that it won't be an issue. 

Another thing I'm concerned about is the engine noise I've been reading about. We are in the last two aft cabins. 

Will noise be a problem ?

 

Have you read this thread?  It certainly could be a problem.

[cormike1]

On 4/22/2019 at 11:15 PM, wags said:

Thank you cormike1 for your tips. Bake Apple mentioned getting queasy in the dining room if facing either shoreline. Did this happen to you?

As a precaution I always face the way the ship is sailing.  I did not have a problem looking at the shoreline as we were sailing.  You should be fine.

 

[djett]

Just returned from our fifth Uniworld cruise: Milan to Venice. Although this is not really a river cruise since most of the time the ship is docked in the Venice lagoon, it was the first time I ever felt any motion on a river cruise. The water traffic in the lagoon caused the ship to rock at times.

[wags]

Thanks, everyone. Que sera, sera

[need2travel1]

On 4/26/2019 at 1:05 AM, djett said:

Just returned from our fifth Uniworld cruise: Milan to Venice. Although this is not really a river cruise since most of the time the ship is docked in the Venice lagoon, it was the first time I ever felt any motion on a river cruise. The water traffic in the lagoon caused the ship to rock at times.

 

I felt the same way on our Venice cruise. It was the first morning & a very fast moving vaperetto sailed by while we were still docked, the ship rocked sideways a bit & I felt a little queasy for a few minutes.  That was the only time over the course of the week (& indeed 2 other river cruises) that I felt slightly sick.