PG and Sea Sickness

[time2play]

We are very close to booking a trip on the PG for next year. This is our dream trip, and I am very excited. However in looking at some messages on this board from last year, from a couple of posters it sounds like the PG has a lot more movement and causes motion sickness, even among those who normally don't have problems. I have managed my issues with this on other ships, but am concerned if this ship is 'worse' than others that it could become a problem.

 

I realize that there are variables such as weather, that can cause problems on any ship.

 

If anyone could shed their insight on this topic it would be greatly appreciated. Especially on cabin location and itinerary. We were leaning towards the 10 day cruise, but some of those older posts indicated that the 7 day cruise was 'smoother sailing'.

 

thanks!

[Cruisedreamer1]

We were on the PG for 7 days in October of 2006 and only had 2 days that were a little uncomfortable for some passengers. It usually occurs initially and then at the end of the cruise. It is nothing that seabands or Bonine won't fix. We will be on the their 10 day cruise this December and will let you know how that goes for us.

[2manyplaces]

I think how you handle the PG depends on what your experience is and your tolerance. Have you been on cruises before? Have you ever cruised on a small ship? We experienced some rough weather on our PG cruise 2 years ago for one evening and during the night. We don't get seasick, so it was not a problem for us, and we didn't notice a lot of people who uncomfortable or who talked about being seasick. We were on a Princess cruise last year (1800 people) and had some really rough weather. Again, we were OK but there were seasick bags taped to the handrails, waste containers, etc. all over the ship because many people had problems. We are going on the 14 day trip to the Cooks on the PG next year, and I doubt anything will be any worse than our experience on Princess in the Caribbean.

[Texed]

We sailed from Fiji to the Society Islands. Smooth as silk. :)

[south seas sue]

It really does depend on your tolerance. My hubby and I get motion sickness VERY easily, which is why we cannot take a sailboat, except for a catamaran. Also why we never booked on the Windsong, when it was cruising Tahiti. However, I have taken the 7 day PG cruise twice. On one occasion, the ship was rockn' & rollin' on one particular evening, coming back from Bora Bora to Moorea. I think the captain really wanted to make time! In any event, after practically sliding down the hallway to dinner, lurching from one side to the other, we retired to our cabin and ordered room service - soup! and stayed in bed. I've found that when push comes to shove, a prone position is the only answer.

 

HOWEVER, all the rest of the time we were fine. We swear by sea bands, purchased at your local drugstore. Some people use ginger capsules or candied ginger. And of course there's always Bonine, which I think has a less drowsy effect than Dramamine. We wear our sea bands continuously (maybe not in the shower), from just before we board the ship. These remedies should be enough for you, as most of the time iit is pretty calm sailing....:D

 

glenda

[Travelcat2]

In the past, I have felt mild seasickness on board a ship that doesn't go anywhere (just a restaurant). You asked if the PG was worse than other ships . . . from my experience, it definitely is not. I use electronic sea bands on cruises but did not need them on the PG (we took our cruise during the winter when the seas are a bit rough). I've found that taking 1/4 to 1/2 of Bonine helps. Book the trip and enjoy!:)

[Wendy The Wanderer]

My PG experience only includes the 7-day Societies itinerary, 4 times. But it's often not completely smooth, as some of my shipmates can attest from 2005. I have been on her in several storms around Bora Bora, so don't let the 10-day itinerary scare you.

 

My first ever cruise was on the PG, and I was terrified about motion sickness, since I have been sick on ferries and sailboats in the past. Now, about to take my 7th Regent cruise, always with my Bonine in hand, I have never been ill. the tenders can be a little shaky, so I usually just stare at the horizon if I feel iffy.

 

But, I have seen people on the PG who have experienced problems. So, take your medication, or bands, or whatever along just in case, but expect to not need them!

[Jancruz]

Wendy is right..take your remedys with(ginger is excellent) but it may and probably will be smooth..have a wonderful trip the PG is a great ship!!

Jan

*****

[micked10@earthlink.net]

We just returned from the 14 day cruise and the first 2 days were very rough. This was on the way from Huahine to Tubuai. The worst part was from Huahine to the port of Aitutaki. The cruise was on Sept. 1st and I think the weather was unusual for that time of year. My husband and I are not bothered by motionsickness but of all of our cruises ( 24) this was the roughest, even including crossing Cape Horn for our Antarctic cruise. Our cabin was in the middle of the ship, on deck 4, so we didn't seem to feel it as much as some people that had cabins at either end. Cabins on the upper deck ( 7 and 8) had a lot of complaints about how rough it was. There were several seasick people but the ones with wrist bands seemed to do very well. First of all, I don't think you go to those islands on the 10 day cruise. I would book a cabin in the middle of the ship. Ours was 428 and it was perfect. About 10 doors down from reception, travel concierge and the elevators. Very convenient and nice and quiet. At first I was disappointed that we didn't have a balcony cabin ( they were all booked for those) but after being in our cabin I would do the same one again. We were on deck most of the time anyway. I would also wear wrist bands and I think you will be fine. if you are prepared you will do fine. After that part of the cruise it was very smooth sailing. Hope this helps you.

Micked10

[mythologist]

I get seasick so I understand what you are saying. We did a 7 day trip...and I spent every minute meeting people, enjoying Siglo and all the shows. I feel sympathy in listening to what you are saying about doing a longer cruise, however, as others seem to know a great deal more about how rough it can really be. It sounds as though you have dealt with these issues in the past with other ships. If you were able to do that, I would tend to think you could do that with the PG as well.

[Cowgirlup]

I completely agree with micked10 - try to get a cabin in the middle of the ship. This July we were on the 11 day cruise, and to my great surprise my 16-year-old daughter got very sick the first night (she's usually not affected by anything). Part of the problem I think was the 2 am departure - very disorienting. She had the very front cabin on deck 4 and you could even tell the difference between her cabin and our cabin, one back. She spent most of the night up on the pool deck where the fresh air helped. She felt ill again a few days later when we were somewhere at sea (can't remember exactly where). But not nearly as bad the second time. You really do get used to it after a day or two. We had brought along bonine but she hadn't taken it ahead of time so it didnt' make much difference. Members of the crew were so nice - sent candied ginger and green apples to her room (both are supposed to help). The registration desk gave us some medication which helped but made her sleepy (at that point she didn't care!). Anyway, I would suggest a mid-ship cabin and if you have any concern, take medication before you sail.

[AtA]

Two years ago I was on the Navigator and we were going through some rough seas. I was fine. Maybe a bit lightheaded at the roughest point, but it didn't stop me from enjoying the ship or from eating. One of the officers told me something very interesting when we were on the bridge questioning him about the ship's stablizers. He said those people who have good balance generally tend to get seasick whereas those who don't, don't get sick. It made sense since to me since I have a tendency to trip over air.

[RachelG]

We were in the middle of the ship on deck 4, 411 and 409. A couple of nights, we felt quite a bit of motion while in the Compass Rose eating. My son got queasy and went back to his room and just went to sleep one of them. I felt fine, but don't really get seasick except once on a small fishing boat in the ocean when it was really rough.

The lower deck and midship idea really helps as far as limiting motion.

[tnr]

On my last cruise, I tried Motion Eaze. It is a liquid that you dab behind both ears--no side effects. The big plus for me is that it will take effect even though you already have a problem. I felt better within 10 minutes.

[Island Cruiser]

The PG was designed to cruise in French Polynesia. On her 7-day runs, she only cruises lengthy open waters twice a week, on the run from Tahiti to Riatea on Saturday and from Bora Bora to Moorea on Wednesday. She encounters more open waters on the longer itineraries. By virtue of her design, she handles rough seas less gracefully than larger ships and those of different design. So come prepared with appropriate meds. The pills are better because they take effect much more quickly than the patches. There are no guarantees when you sail. Not on any ship. You usually won't get tossed around. But it can happen. And if it happens on the PG, the experience will be more dramatic than on a ship of alternative design. On our 14 days on the PG we only had one rough night. It started as dinner did. The dining room was half empty when we finished our meal. We started the meal at a table of eight. It was quickly a table of four. We were fine with it. Went up to the bar to dance. That was an experience--dancing on a floor that dropped frequently three feet under your feet. Stuff like this can happen when you cruise. If you want to play it safe, stay at home. Otherwise, come prepared and enjoy! Patrick

[time2play]

Thank you so much for all the different insight and thoughts. I especially appreciated the 'scientific' explanation of the ship itself. I really do understand that motion sickness problems can occur anywhere, on any ship - but feel MUCH better about the PG after reading all of your posts.

 

thanks again!