Yacht vs Cruise ship

[cruizingOmi]

Hello, We have done 3 cruises so far with 3 different cruise lines, with about 2000 -2500 passenger capacity each. I tend to get nauseous just watching people swing or rock in a rocking chair. 2 of the cruises were fine with no issues, so my question is how much does one feel the motion rocking side to side or up and down? I would like to do smaller boats but motion sickness is a concern to me.

 

thank you 

Chris

[msears101]

So, everyone is different.  I find the motion on windstar's  sailboats more relaxing than nauseating.  Think of a cradle rocking a baby to sleep.  When the boat is really moving, that is what I think about.

 

In my opinion it depends on three things. 

 

1 - The weather (out of anyone's control).  Waves (size and direction) , wind, current, and the direction the boat is heading all impact how much and how the boat moves.  

 

2 - Size of the boat.  A bigger boats can push the waves and water out the way much easier than the smaller windstar ships.

 

3 - Individual person and individual circumstance. Alcohol, ear infection, what you had to eat can impact how you feel.

 

 

Tips to feel better, stay away from things that might make you sick.  For me, If I think about the motion too much it can make me feel unsettled. Going to the front of the boat, looking forward, with a stiff breeze, makes me feel better again.  Also Try looking at different points like the horizon to see if there is something can help make you feel better.  It is very easy to do this on windstar ships, and more difficult to do this on larger ships.

 

All Anti-seasickness medications and treatments should be started BEFORE you get on the ship.  They do help.

 

Caribbean sea tends to be more calm than ocean passages (like in Tahiti).

 

Good luck.

[texasstar]

I too am bothered by seasickness.  It really does depend on your location and the weather.  Generally, I find that if I put on the wrist bands and eat ginger chews before we sail, I am not bothered.  I was bothered in Scotland, but the sea was quite rough.  I was not affected in the Greek Islands, Tahiti,  (Wind Star and Spirit) or on the Venice to Rome cruise on the Wind Surf.  Give Windstar a try and you will probably not go back to a large ship.

[Strenz]

Been sailing my entire life. Sea sickness is misery. I tell people to do this. 

Cabins: mid ship, and on the lowest level, it is there you feel the less movement.

Drinking not a lot of liquids, eat salty snacks if do drink

Stay outside in the middle of the ship look towards the horizon

Drugs I bring  them all for my friends wrist bands, behind the ear patches, ginger,  Dramamine, what works is individual. Good Luck and Happy Sailing ( I think the Sailing ships have less movement )

[rafinmd]

Msears1, you missed a 4th factor, ship's design.  A deep draft is usually better than a ship with shallow draft, and a bow that is narrow, especially near the water line will be buoyed less by a wave, essentially cutting through the wave rather than completely rising and falling.  A well designed ship that comes to mind is Queen Mary 2, really superbly designed for the North Atlantic but even she can be tossed around if conditions are right.  I'm not really sure how Windstar's design compares here but I suspect it's pretty good.  I have sailed both Wind Star and Wind Surf transatlantic and did not feel like the motion was excessive with one exception.  I did find the motion a bit bothersome when the engines were shut down and the ship moved exclusively by the sails as it wasn't fast enough to give the stabilizers a bite, but that was only for very short periods.

 

Roy

[avalong]

For what it's worth, I am very prone to seasickness and have never had a problem on the sailing ships. And on the Windsurf we sailed through a hellacious storm around the heel of Italy.  Of course, we were mid-ship on the lowest level and I was wearing my wristbands. But still, the movement didn't seem that bad on the upper levels either. I think there's something about the low-slung profile of the sailing ships that lessens movement. JMO

[CruiseOrLand]

cruising Omi, I just want to note that the term "Yacht" is not really right for the Windstar ships. Definitely "Small Ship cruising", but there are other lines with well under 100 guests on every boat, and that gets closer to the idea of "Yacht". We were on a non-luxury ship (in Croatia) with only about 32 cabins, and it was a remarkable experience. (That company went out of business in the Great Recession.) But I get "college travel" brochures all the time for really small, luxury ships.

 

You got good advice in the observation that rough seas are out of your control. Even at the Windstar size, we've had three or four really rough nights. You really need to ask your regular doctor to say what he thinks is the most appropriate pill. When we went to the Galapagos (100-guest ship) we each asked for an extra Scopalamine patch to try in advance, and I'm glad we did. We both had "bad trips" and would not consider using them on a boat, under any conditions.

[sb44]

I have had the feeling of motion sickness on large ships such as Holland America going through the Gulfstream.  Have never had a problem on the Wind Surf and have been in 50 knot winds off of Spain. I do feel the motion on the Star ships and while I haven't gotten sick on them I would advise the sailing ships, especially the Wind Surf.  She is absolutely stable and beautiful. Bad weather can be a game changer on any ship.

[AllisonJames]

Years ago we sailed on the Seabourn Legend (now Star Legend) after several cruises on very large ships. The first night I was really feeling the motion and was a bit worried because the entire next day was at sea. I’d never been seasick before, and fortunately I didn’t get seasick on the Legend but the motion (in the Caribbean in April) was very obvious. If you have a tendency to get seasick I wouldn’t risk it.  Our cruise prior to that one was on Navigator of the Seas which at the time was the largest cruise ship in the world at about 138,000 tons, of course now they are much larger. So night and day experiences in many ways but especially the motion!

[beachtrl]

Check out a product call Reliefband, I have used it on all my Windstar cruises (6 of them). Non medical FDA approved. If you start to feel seasick just put it on your wrist and set accordingly. I have seen a few other people on board with the same device. Looks like a watch.

[Redtravel]

If you cruise, eventually you will have rough seas. My most recent Star Breeze cruise had really rough seas. We had been waiting out a storm until it was safe. When we sailed, it was exciting. Standing up was tough. My spouse rolled across the bed to get to the bathroom. It was one bad day out of 18 good days. 

[MNgardens]

Those prescription behind the ear patches have changed my life. If your doctor thinks you would do ok on them, just be proactive and put it on the morning of embarking.

 

edited to add: each patch lasts three days so you don't need to get too many.

Edited July 23, 2019 by MNgardens