Planning a loop cruise: concerned about sea sickness

[Poodle Lady]

Okay, I'm going to take another stab at this. I have planned and canceled two Alaska cruises in the last 5 years, due to health matters.  We will only have time enough for a 7nt cruise, so I'm pretty sure that a loop cruise would be best for us. I've heard that leaving from Seattle can make for a rougher beginning, so I think departing from Vancouver would be a smarter move for us (especially me!) I've done some reading here and elsewhere and I have to admit, it's pretty overwhelming (and I'm a big planner.)  So, maybe you can help?

 

We are both 63. DH has some mobility and stamina issues, due to heart/lung disease, past strokes, and arthritis. We have a transport chair, if we need it. At the moment he's doing well, but we never know when that could change.  When we travel we like to take HOHO tours, because it limits the walking so much. So, excursions which don't demand too much walking are ideal. We both like historic things, museums, and nature. DH would love whale watching (I love watching the boat leave the pier without me!) 

 

I am very concerned about getting sea sick. Obviously, I will seek advice from my doctor.  I have only been on one cruise (Caribbean) and did okay with Bonine and sea bands. Only felt queasy one night, when we had 12ft seas, and I just went to bed and slept it off. But the Caribbean waters are not Alaskan waters. 

 

I know most of the ships go up through the Inside Passage and go back through open ocean. Do any of them go up AND back through the Inside Passage? I'm thinking that might eliminate most of the rough waters. Or maybe not?

 

Thanks for your help.

[CruiserBruce]

Seas can be rough any time, any where. Yes, sticking to the Inside Passage will tend to calm things, but nothing is an absolute. And one of the roughest periods on our 22 cruises was the Straights of San Juan De Fuca, which is where you enter into the Puget Sound area. It was "throw you out of bed rough" for about 4 hours. But we sailed in and out of the Straights this summer, and barely noticed a thing.

[Great Sky Girl]

I get sea sick very easily. I had bonine with me on my first cruise. It went with the luggage to the ship and I got sick on the train!! Thank goodness I did not throw up or they would have not let me on the ship (I did not know that at the time). The bonine worked. But with my second cruise I found ginger chewing gum and it really worked! Did not even have to use it before the sickness started. We were on an excursion out of Seward and it was quite rough, but I did just fine! Of course I had a zip lock bag full of helpful things!

 

[Eaglecw]

We've taken the Alaskan cruise out of Seattle many times and we have never gotten real sea sick, once my wife didn't feel well but it only lasted a few hours. Most of the time the ocean has been very calm. Talk to your doctor about Bonine and or sea bands. I wouldn't stress about getting sea sick. We prefer to cruise out of Seattle, it's easier to get to than Vancouver. 

[mapleleaves]

5 hours ago, Poodle Lady said:

 

I know most of the ships go up through the Inside Passage and go back through open ocean. Do any of them go up AND back through the Inside Passage? I'm thinking that might eliminate most of the rough waters. Or maybe not?

 

 

Most Vancouver sailings go up AND back thru the inside passage of Vancouver Island.   You'll need to look at the itinerary map of each cruise that interests you to ensure they sail between the British Columbia mainland and Vancouver Island.  And yes this is usually smoother (and more scenic) than the Seattle sailings which go on the west side of Vancouver Island, in basically open sea.

It can also get rough near the Queen Charlotte Islands,  north of Vancouver Island.  There's no guarantee of good weather/ smooth sailing  for any trip, but certainly the odds are in your favor if you leave from Vancouver. 

 

[skrufy]

5 hours ago, Poodle Lady said:

Okay, I'm going to take another stab at this. I have planned and canceled two Alaska cruises in the last 5 years, due to health matters.  We will only have time enough for a 7nt cruise, so I'm pretty sure that a loop cruise would be best for us. I've heard that leaving from Seattle can make for a rougher beginning, so I think departing from Vancouver would be a smarter move for us (especially me!) I've done some reading here and elsewhere and I have to admit, it's pretty overwhelming (and I'm a big planner.)  So, maybe you can help?

 

We are both 63. DH has some mobility and stamina issues, due to heart/lung disease, past strokes, and arthritis. We have a transport chair, if we need it. At the moment he's doing well, but we never know when that could change.  When we travel we like to take HOHO tours, because it limits the walking so much. So, excursions which don't demand too much walking are ideal. We both like historic things, museums, and nature. DH would love whale watching (I love watching the boat leave the pier without me!) 

 

I am very concerned about getting sea sick. Obviously, I will seek advice from my doctor.  I have only been on one cruise (Caribbean) and did okay with Bonine and sea bands. Only felt queasy one night, when we had 12ft seas, and I just went to bed and slept it off. But the Caribbean waters are not Alaskan waters. 

 

I know most of the ships go up through the Inside Passage and go back through open ocean. Do any of them go up AND back through the Inside Passage? I'm thinking that might eliminate most of the rough waters. Or maybe not?

 

Thanks for your help.

If sea sickness is a real concern plan your cruise round trip out of Vancouver. You will stay on the east side of Vancouver Island both ways until you enter the Inside Passage. Where the seas are calm. Departing Seattle, you go to the west side of Vancouver Island into the Pacific Ocean and possible rough seas.

[martincath]

I'd agree with the Vancouver RT plan giving you the best chance for smooth sailing, and taking appropriate precautionary meds/bands/ginger/all of the above - whatever gives you peace of mind that you can minimize your discomfort if things get bouncy. Also be picky about your room - aim for one as close to the middle of the ship and as low as you can find to reduce the motion you'll experience when sleeping.

 

Statistically May is the driest month in the area, i.e. has the lowest chance of big storm systems coming in that would also churn up the sea... June/July/August with temps warming also bring a bit more rain, Sep a lot more and much-reduced daylight hours. You could get a new record dry/hot/wet/cold day or week when you're cruising of course, but if you aim for early summer the odds are more in your favour. Vancouver the driest months are July/Aug, but anything May-Sep has been generally dry and warm for almost a decade (this summer was the least-annoying one I've ever experienced after moving here, the first where grass actually stayed green throughout, no drought warnings, and our portable AC was only fired up for a week at a time here and there instead of every night for months).

 

Your hubbie's situation also suggests Vancouver would be better than Seattle for pre-/post-cruise time - we're much flatter! I assume it's you who would be doing the pushing of the transport chair, and believe me you do not want to be pushing that around in Seattle - almost all the streets heading away from the water tend to be pretty darn steep in downtown. HOHO you have a choice of two companies - and some wheelchair friendly vehicles in case DH needs the chair regularly instead of just now & again. All our transit buses 'kneel,' SkyTrain fits tight to the platforms so even small-wheeled transport chairs can roll in and out no problem, ~17% of our taxi fleets are accessible vehicles, and even some of the little water taxi fleet are RORO format with no steps up or down. Visitors can even make use of the specialist accessible door-to-door bus service by filling out a form in advance - depending how DHs health is doing as the cruise approaches and how much help you're having to provide, you may want to sign up for that.

 

Many hotels have accessible rooms in case wider doors/supports in bathroom etc. would be helpful, but note that very few let you book them online so you may need to email or call the hotels directly to book them (this ensures folks who do not need them have to be deliberate in their a**holery to get one, as opposed to 'accidentally' booking one on the websites). A list of hotels, along with lots of other potentially-useful info, can be found on the local tourism board's website here.

 

Despite the feasibility of transit use, I'd suggest a downtown hotel rather than an airport one - there are several which have HOHO stops right outside, pretty much all the downtown core hotels have a HOHO stop within a couple of blocks walk, and our sidewalks (and the Seawall) are generally flat and wide with ramps at crossings. Your biggest issue with the chair will be in Alaska - even in town/popular tourist sites there can be gravel, grass and trails where the small wheels on a typical transport chair are a nightmare, so unless your chair already has very substantial wheels I would seriously consider renting a folding wheelchair with big bike wheels (not necessarily the full size ones regular wheelchairs have, but even 16" 'kids bike' size help enormously on rough/unstable ground). Pushing my granny around on her visits to Canada I quickly learned the transport chairs are problematic even on cobbles or poor quality sidewalks, so we rented a travel wheelchair and it made life so much easier.

 

For your excursion choices, I'd actually start with ship tours - not necessarily to take them, but they do tend to be good about breaking down how much effort is involved on a given tour (even down to how many steps there are to get in/out of buses, boats). Once you've figured out the tours you want to do a little research can usually figure out which company the cruiseline is buying the services of - and booking direct might save a little cash, or give you a smaller tour group size (NB: double-check it's not more hassle for the chair in a smaller vehicle of course!) If DH will be whalewatching solo you probably want to book that through the line - there are small boats tours available as well as the big 75/150pax cats if he's feeling up to it, but sticking to the bigger vessels will mean much easier access to things like a bathroom onboard. You would almost certainly feel more comfortable on one of those too in case you do decide to join him 😉

 

[Heidi13]

If ship motion is a big concern, then Vancouver is definitely a better choice than Seattle. Suggest also checking the itineraries of some of the smaller ships, as some of them still use more of the Inside Passage.

 

Unfortunately, many Cruise Lines take liberties when advertising sailing through the Inside Passage. Vancouver based ships use the sheltered Seymour Narrows/Johnstone Strait, which is East of Vancouver Island, but then most of the ships exit the Inside Passage, routing up Hecate Strait, which is open waters. However, a few ships, especially smaller ships of non-mainstream lines still use most of the Inside Passage up to Prince Rupert, which provides a smoother and more scenic passage.

 

Although storms can happen at any time, May to August has a better chances of smooth sailing. Have completed 2 full seasons cruising Alaska out of Vancouver and during both years we encountered at least 1 storm in September. However, the following week it was often smooth sailing.

 

DW is also afflicted with motion sickness and with m'ship cabins on a lower deck, she has not experienced issues on any of our trips to Alaska in May/June. Her sea-bands generally work.

 

 

[AlanF65]

On 11/3/2019 at 11:54 AM, Poodle Lady said:

Okay, I'm going to take another stab at this. I have planned and canceled two Alaska cruises in the last 5 years, due to health matters.  We will only have time enough for a 7nt cruise, so I'm pretty sure that a loop cruise would be best for us. I've heard that leaving from Seattle can make for a rougher beginning, so I think departing from Vancouver would be a smarter move for us (especially me!) I've done some reading here and elsewhere and I have to admit, it's pretty overwhelming (and I'm a big planner.)  So, maybe you can help?

 

We are both 63. DH has some mobility and stamina issues, due to heart/lung disease, past strokes, and arthritis. We have a transport chair, if we need it. At the moment he's doing well, but we never know when that could change.  When we travel we like to take HOHO tours, because it limits the walking so much. So, excursions which don't demand too much walking are ideal. We both like historic things, museums, and nature. DH would love whale watching (I love watching the boat leave the pier without me!) 

 

I am very concerned about getting sea sick. Obviously, I will seek advice from my doctor.  I have only been on one cruise (Caribbean) and did okay with Bonine and sea bands. Only felt queasy one night, when we had 12ft seas, and I just went to bed and slept it off. But the Caribbean waters are not Alaskan waters. 

 

I know most of the ships go up through the Inside Passage and go back through open ocean. Do any of them go up AND back through the Inside Passage? I'm thinking that might eliminate most of the rough waters. Or maybe not?

 

Thanks for your help.

A Lot of the ports in Alaska have "golf type carts" to transport 4-8 people that can't make the long walks from the ship to the excursion pickup area (Sitka, Skagway, I think ISP but not sure), on a 7 day loop the glaciers are seen from the ship (Tracy Arm, Endictot  /Dawes, Hubbard, Glacier Bay) and aren't "ports of call" that you get off to see.

Some of the larger whale watch ships have ramps and can take wheel chairs and scooters. Any of the smaller whale watch you would need to call and ask, some are step in and down. 

 

[Poodle Lady]

Y'all are amazing. This is exactly the info I was looking for.

[geoherb]

I sailed from Vancouver this past June. It was a remarkably smooth cruise, although some people mentioned feeling the motion. Nearly 80 percent of the passengers were first-time Princess cruisers. The worst we've had on an Alaskan was on a closed loop cruise from Seattle. The first night was very rough. My go-to preventatives for seasickness are ginger tea and candied ginger. DH likes to sip on ginger ale. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by geoherb