Rough Seas/British Isles cruise?

[GloriaF]

I have a travel mate that is prone to motion sickness.  We are booked on a British Isles cruise on Regal Princess, but I am concerned that even with taking motion sickness meds the seas could be too rough in April.  I never have experienced true seasickness, but came close with the rough seas on the ferry from Holyhead, Wales to Ireland.   While in Ireland we were unable to visit the Aran Islands due to rough sea conditions on the day of our tour.  The only other British Isles sea experience I have is coming into the port at Southampton and I did not find that rough.  My question is for those that have travelled the seas around the British Isles, are the rough seas between Wales and Ireland the norm or exceptionally rough for a cruise of the British Isles?   Thanks!!

[ontheweb]

You never know with weather. In 2014, we had the remnants of a hurricane when we sailed out of Dover.

[Harters]

Impossible to predict, I'm afraid.

 

I've sailed from Southampton through the North Sea to the Shetlands with no problem. I've also taken  the ferry from Holyhead to Dublin with no problem. However,  the fast ferry between Liverpool and the Isle of Man earned its nickname of the "vomit comet".  Ferries between Dover and Calais have been mixed but generally OK (fortunately, there's only 22 miles to cross O not a major issue even if rough)

Edited October 13 by Harters

[Thejuggler]

Any body of water can give rough conditions.  However it does have to be extremely rough for ships such as Regal Princess to be thrown around.

 

4-6m waves are handled by them with no real issues and thise height of waves is what we have encountered in the Atlantic off Scotland and the North Sea on a trip from Norway.  We take Stugeron which we find excellent, proven with similar 4-6m waves on a very small ferry between the UK and Guernsey in December.

[GloriaF]

Thanks, everyone. I think all I can do is tell her what I've experienced and what you have said and let her make her own decision.  My husband and I are on the TA and the British Isles cruise whether she comes or not.  She's not doing the TA, just the British Isles, traveling as a single in a balcony cabin and that's a lot of money to spend if she's not sure about it.  Final payment isn't until January, so she has time to think it over.

Edited October 13 by GloriaF

[edinburgher]

1 hour ago, GloriaF said:

traveling as a single in a balcony cabin

Conventional wisdom when unsure about seasickness is to play safe and book a room on a low deck and close to midships for minimal motion. Even an inside would do, because views are not the priority here, stability is.  She should definitely reconsider that balcony as it could be higher  up where the worst of the motion is usually experienced.☹️

Edited October 13 by edinburgher

[Cotswold Eagle]

9 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Even an inside would do, because views are not the priority here, stability is. 

On the other hand, fresh air and a view of the horizon assist with motion sickness. 

[Planning to cruise]

Its not the seas so much as the ship.  The Holyhead ferry is known not to be the most comfortable of trips.  Its can be the same with Channel Island ferries.  I am not prone to sickness but once found the north sea difficult on a smaller older ship whilst numerous travels on larger modern liners have been fine.  

I dont think that British Isles weather and sea conditions is any more of a worry than other areas such as the Atlantic, Bay of Biscay etc. 

 

[princeton123211]

5 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

On the other hand, fresh air and a view of the horizon assist with motion sickness. 

Was going to say the same-- I'm not normally prone to seasickness but the most nauseous I've ever been on a ship was in rough seas in an inside cabin without fresh air and a view of the outside. 

 

Best advice on seasickness I ever got was from an officer on the QE2 on a particularly rough crossing: drink soda with bitters and then chew ice. Works every time. 

[GloriaF]

Thanks All!  I suggested an inside cabin to her but she rejected it, felt fresh air and seeing the horizon was more important.  We are in adjoining balcony cabins on level 10, which with Regal's 18/19 decks is midship, the cabins as close to midship (a little more aft than midship) as availabie.  My husband and I usually prefer a higher deck cabin but made concessions to accommodate everyone. As mentioned, large ships feel less motion than car ferries such as the Holyhead ferry due to their structure and stabilizers. 

2 hours ago, princeton123211 said:

 

Best advice on seasickness I ever got was from an officer on the QE2 on a particularly rough crossing: drink soda with bitters and then chew ice. Works every time. 

 I planned to have ginger ale cold and ready for her with ice available, and I'll look into adding bitters. Thanks for passing on the good advice. When she visits us at Thanksgiving, I'll lay out all I have learned, let her read these posts if she wants, and the final decision is hers.  I appreciate all the helpful answers!!