Pacific Ocean Seas

[Fortknox]

Hi we are looking at a cruise & part of that itinerary is Astoria to Los Angeles 2 days at sea & Esenada to San Francisco which would have 1 day at sea.

I'm a motion of the ocean lover but hubby is not & some passages of sea are worse than others.

What can we possibly expect sailing in September in this area?

Travel will be on a smaller cruise ship Oceania Regatta due to having the itinerary we are looking for.

Thanks

[Flatbush Flyer]

36 minutes ago, Fortknox said:

...some passages of sea are worse than others.

What can we possibly expect sailing in September in this area?

Switch the position of those two sentences and you will have answered your own question. 

 

In addition, "sailing" (in a sailboat) on the California coast (where direction makes a big difference) is a vastly different experience than "cruising" on a ship.

Bottom line for Regatta (either north or south) in September): smooth unless it's not.

[CruiserBruce]

It could be rough. It could be calm. Likely it will be somewhere in between. The seas are not predictable more than a few days in advance. 

[navybankerteacher]

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Switch the position of those two sentences and you will have answered your own question. 

 

...

 

...smooth unless it's not.

 I think you got it wrong: it’s more likely to be rough unless it’s not.

[Flatbush Flyer]

59 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 I think you got it wrong: it’s more likely to be rough unless it’s not.

Either way you say it, any ocean can be unpredictable in terms of long term predictions.

That said, I can add that, at least in a sailing vessel, beating to weather northbound on the US Pacific Coast can occasionally test anyone's mettle. 

But, OP is talking about a cruise ship, albeit a "smaller" one. Perhaps s/he should look at the positive side of "rough." You get rocked to sleep and may even come to understand what is meant by "white knuckles."👀

 

[evandbob]

September is prime time for tropical storms and hurricanes off the Mexican Pacific coastline and Cabo.  You'll probably sail around and away from the storm, but that won't mean you won't be in bouncy seas if a storm is any where in the area.

[Fortknox]

Thanks everyone I realise that was a big question - like how long is a piece of string?

We are Aussies & have only cruised the South Pacific & around New Zealand both times with extremely bad weather with pending cyclones. It was so rough (yes white knuckle) & we were on larger ships.

We have no idea on what this area could be like on a smaller ship & as the trip is 20 days it's a longtime if the weather & seas are not kind.

 

[bbwex]

As has been mentioned, predicting the sea state more than a day or two in advance is nigh unto impossible.  That being said, if there is no storm in the area or has not been one for a few days, the seas shouldn't be too rough.  Although Regatta is not one of the cruise world's largest ships, we have spent a fair amount of time aboard her, and there was only one evening when rough seas made the motion very noticeable.  If possible in light of getting somewhere, the crew tries to minimize motion but that might not be entirely possible.

 

I have been in the Pacific when it was as calm as a bathtub, and I have been in the Pacific with 50-foot seas causing not spray but green water over the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.  Those seas were on a simply beautiful, cloudless day, but obviously the seas were created by wind elsewhere. 

 

I could spend a fair amount of space talking about what to do about avoiding any motion sickness, but the long and short of it is, eat normal meals, skipping greasy foods, and when things are moving the most, make sure you are able to see outside and see the motion.  Motion sickness is caused by different signals between the eyes and inner ear.  If the inner ear says "we are moving" and they eyes say "no we aren't," then, if you are subject to motion sickness, you might feel ill.  The solution, go somewhere where you can see the motion, if the motion is pitching where the bow and stern are going up and down, go somewhere amidships (close to half way between the bow and stern), and preferably be outside where the air is fresh.  In any event, the sensation will generally pass as you get used to the motion.  If not, the number of cruisers would be very small, and that simply is not so.   It is aslo important as well to not "talk yourself into getting seasick."  Lastly, if you think it is going to be a problem, take anti-motion sickness medicine, available over the counter, before you even leave port.

[ReneeFLL]

I don't know if the Oceania Regatta does, but I know that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity hand out motion sickness pills. I used to buy them and then they would expire. I now just get 1 from guest services of I think there might be a problem.

[msmayor]

My husband and I normally are fine when we cruise, but we always start every trip 'prepared'.

 

We've found that it is normal to experience some motion the first night leaving port as the ship crosses currents (more in the FL area, crossing the Gulf Stream) and we try to get our 'sea legs'.  We will each take ginger pills before  casting off, and normally another the first morning.  Other than one trip to Bermuda where the seas were rolling quite a bit the first full day, we've had no issues.

 

I also either ask our cabin steward or grab from the buffet some individual packages of saltines.  Always good to have that snack on hand in the stateroom.  When we sail on HAL, we usually are offered fresh fruit in our stateroom and I always ask for a green apple or two.  Those are wonderful for settling a bouncy stomach.

 

We're sailing from Vancouver next month down the west coast and I'll be fully prepared, just in case.

[MicCanberra]

Pacific means 

• calm
• friendly
• neutral
• quiet
• amicable
• at peace
• conciliatory
• gentle
• placid
• serene
• tranquil

chances are it could be any of these unless the weather is bad, in which case it wouldn't be.