Please advise on cabin choice/best deck for motion sickness

[yls]

Hi, We are looking to cruise on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam Eastern Carribean itinerary.  Several years ago we did RCL and were on the main deck midship with connecting rooms (as we have 5 in our family, 3 kids).  RCL deck plans were nice in that it was nice and quiet, there were passenger cabins above us (no noisy casinos, bars,etc).  We are going to cruise with HAL with my parents now and I was going to book an outside on the main deck midship, category C.  The HAL ships are laid out differently and decks 2 and 3 seem to be noisy decks. The BB Blues Club is above some of the category C cabins and the HAL rep steered us a bit further away (not under them but not sure how far sound carries?? All of category C cabins are in the vicinity of the club) Ones they recmmended were farther down, but they were close to the elevators and men's bathroom as the flip side.

 

The issue is we want the most stable cabin as I have a kid who gets very easily motion sick.  I also want us all to sleep well so want to avoid noise.  Main deck category D is farther down the ship (so maybe more a bit more motion) but I think by the kitchens (therefore noisy at times...they start cooking early in the morning,etc). 

 

So I was researching more and some say the quiet decks are between 2 passenger decks. So looking at the deck plans, deck 5, The Veradah deck, seems to fit this description.  I could do category V midship there.  But it's 4 decks higher.  My question is do you think that there will be a difference in motion??  Or is the most important part being midship?  (I was looking at deck 4, categories G and H....well they seem to have the lifeboats there and probably be obstructed view. But the issue is there seem to be no connecting cabin options at all.  It's above the shops so I would think it shouldn't be too noisy but who knows).

 

So what would you recommend: main deck midship or deck 5/verandah deck midship?

 

Thank you!!

[CruiserBruce]

Low, midship is always the best for least movement. 

 

Do you know you have a motion issue?

[DFD1]

The lower in the ship, the better....and midship always

[yls]

yes one gets motion sick over everything...........so you think deck 1 will be noticeably better than deck 5 it sounds like? (I was reading how some say the fresh air on the verandah is nice too).

 

If we are doing main deck what is the quietest part of the main deck? (Preferrably connecting but those are limited). I was looking at C1078 and C1080, Ir C1045 and C1047.

The concern her is the BB Kings Blues Club location close by that....how far will the sound carry?  I don't want loud bass as the kids (and us) won't be able to sleep well.

Thank you!

 

 

 

[0106]

This is an excellent site for looking at what is above and below your cabin.  https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/deckbydeck.php?ship=Nieuw-Amsterdam&deck=5
Personally,  I think the fresh air of the balcony is very useful to someone prone to motion sickness. Maybe look at some of the mid ship verandahs on deck 4.  The shops underneath won’t be noisy and you’ll have cabins above

[RuthC]

45 minutes ago, yls said:

I was looking at C1078 and C1080, Ir C1045 and C1047.

You should be fine with any of these cabins. Both sets of adjoining cabins are connecting, which meets your first requirement. 
C-1078 and C-1080 are not under BB King/Rolling Stone Rock Room (whichever is on your ship at the time you sail); they are under a hallway leading out of that venue. Those cabins are about as close to mid-ship as you can get. They are a decent distance from the bandstand, so should be quiet. 

C-1045 and C-1047 look as if they are under a dead area just before the edge of Billboard Onboard. I haven't been in an outside cabin along in there, and don't remember being in an inside that far forward on that side of the ship, so don't know for certain, but think they would also be all right. 

Besides, the music venues close down so much earlier than they did in the good old days, I would take a chance on either set of cabins, but think your best bet is port side. 

[abuys]

1 hour ago, yls said:

yes one gets motion sick over everything...........so you think deck 1 will be noticeably better than deck 5 it sounds like? (I was reading how some say the fresh air on the verandah is nice too).

 

If we are doing main deck what is the quietest part of the main deck? (Preferrably connecting but those are limited). I was looking at C1078 and C1080, Ir C1045 and C1047.

The concern her is the BB Kings Blues Club location close by that....how far will the sound carry?  I don't want loud bass as the kids (and us) won't be able to sleep well.

Thank you!

 

 

 

Lower mid ship is best. They do offer medication for sea sickness. Usually at the guest service desk and medical office. I also get sea sick east so they suggest you take one every 12 hours before the boat even leaves port. I find after two days I don’t need to take it anymore. 

[yls]

Thanks and for the link to the deck plans.

 

I spoke with my parents earlier this today as we were concerned about the potential noise and the HAL agent as well for category C.......i wanted to keep midship but were looking at decks 4 and 5.  My parents want to do verandahs on deck 5 as honestly it's not much difference in price from cabin level C. So now looking at category V on deck 5/verandah level.  That is smack midship, midship is most stable so hopefully there won't be much difference in motion on deck 5 (deck 4 has the tenders in front/partial obstructed view.....not the worst but hubby and parents like the balcony idea as just one deck higher)?The agent was saying midship is most important, hopefully there isn't much difference in motion between main and decks 4/5, or that it's not super noticeable?? I've never gone off main deck but this particular ship is larger than the ones we sailed on (it's been a while on HAL, we did the Veendam, Ryndam, Westerdam,etc....this one is larger for sure so I'm hoping that alone will help). Of course it depends on the weather conditions.

  

 

[oakridger]

Deck 5 has all those nice verandah cabins mid ship.  They should work well for your family.  I really like the Nieuw Amsterdam!

 

Nieuw Amsterdam Verandah Deck Plans (cruisedeckplans.com)

 

~Nancy

Edited January 24, 2023 by oakridger

[yls]

Thank you all for your help!  Appreciate it:)

 

[cruzngal]

As everyone has said, mid-ship, decks 4/5 are good.  One other suggestion.  Get a minimum of an outside cabin, but veranda would be better.  No inside cabins.  If you feel sick, focus your eyes on the horizon and get some fresh air.

[Pickalily, Wilts]

In addition to the recommendations above, there are plenty of drug-free wristbands on the market which might help your child/children.  Whether their efficacy is real or imaginary who knows, but if they work, who cares?  They're not expensive 🙂.

 

Have a great time!

[BetsyS.]

I agree about low deck, midship and wristbands. I have bought 2 Seabands at Walmart for around $17. At CVS, they might be a little more. I wear one on each wrist. You only need to wear them when the ship is at sea. I think they're a big help. I agree also 

that fresh air and looking at the horizon helps.

[BetsyS.]

yls-  You can buy Seabands for children too.

[OlsSalt]

Caution if you have too many tender ports - on the longer rides,  things may get a little bumpy or wavy. Try to sit near the side openings and in the center too. 

[RMLincoln]

Seabands work for most people IF they are positioned properly. The bump on the inside of the band must be over the acupressure point. Seabands come with directions and a diagram. 
The acupressure point helps nausea from any cause from motion to chemotherapy to pregnancy. As an EMT in a rural mountain area, we were allowed by our Medical Director to use acupressure to comfort our patients’ nausea while riding in the ambulance, as well as ourselves!  Several of our EMTs got nauseated in the ambulance on the twisty roads especially disoriented by not being able to see the horizon. 
 

On one of our early cruises my husband said he wasn’t sure he’d feel like eating dinner, starting to be bothered by the motion! I got the Seabands out and on him. About 30 minutes later I asked him, How are you feeling?  He said fine, why?  😁

 

Other observations:

—Ginger candy and peppermint candy can really take the edge off mild nausea.
—Although midship moves least, towards the aft moves less than towards forward because of the ships’ weight distribution. 
—The main stage shows end relatively early, earlier than BB King’s which can be starting sets pretty late. 
—The galley is the worst to be under, they roll carts all night long. Avoid at all costs!  
—Being near an elevator has never been a problem for us. 
—If you wind up in a place where you are more stable but are concerned about noise, consider bringing a small white-noise generator. 
 Wishing you the best!  m—

Edited January 27, 2023 by RMLincoln

[cruiseaholic78]

Here another advocate of sea-bands, after an extremely bumpy ride on an excursion at the end of the day and being hungry I departed the coach (and then a tender) a weird shade of green.

Talked to friends on the ship about this dreading a long excursion to Borabodur the next day when she suggested using seabands I said I didn’t believe in them but she said try them anyway and they really do work.

Our coach plus police escort went from one side of the road to the other no chance of focusing on the horizon! DH kept asking me are you ok ? and I was.

 

Rosalyn

[Dutchman48]

On 1/23/2023 at 5:01 PM, 0106 said:

This is an excellent site for looking at what is above and below your cabin.  https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/deckbydeck.php?ship=Nieuw-Amsterdam&deck=5
Personally,  I think the fresh air of the balcony is very useful to someone prone to motion sickness. Maybe look at some of the mid ship verandahs on deck 4.  The shops underneath won’t be noisy and you’ll have cabins above

Use this site prior to booking any cruise.

The cabin checker tool will show you what is above, below and around you. Helps to eliminate rooms that may not be what you want.

Agree with mid ship mid height.