Are the Disney ships stable???

[LaurieSal]

Hi, all. My parents want to take my brother and I, and our families, on a cruise. My DH and I cruised once on Norwegian and the ride was awful. We didn't take any seasickness medication beforehand, I'll admit, and the boat was only 42,000 tons, and...well, we got sick. DH is EXTREMELY reluctant to go on another cruise but is willing for the sake of the family. (Of course, we will arm ourselves with seasickness remedies this time.)

Between our two families we have three kids ages 3, 10, and 13. I found space on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, which sounded like a good bet because it is enormous and might not rock much. RCL also offered us cabins in the middle of the ship on a low deck. Of course, I really want to go on RCL's Oasis of the Seas because apparently that humongous ship barely feels like it moves at all, but it's booked in July when we want to go. My SIL now thinks we should do a Bahamas trip on the Disney Wonder, and my only concern is that at 83,000 tons, the Wonder may rock quite a bit. Any thoughts? Anyone been on RCL's huge ships and can offer a comparison? We also thought of Carnival, but my friend said senior citizens would be bored to tears on that line. Wouldn't they also be bored on Disney? I thought RCL might offer something for everyone. Help!!!

 

[inkkognito]

Don't worry, there are stabilizers to prevent motion and they do a very good job. We've sailed RCCL's Voyager and I didn't really notice any difference between that and the Disney ships. Of course, it depends on sea conditions and where you are (forward and higher are the worst areas for motion on any ship...think of it as a giant upside down pendulum). But over the DCL ships are very stable.

 

[lovethedream]

Hi, all. My parents want to take my brother and I, and our families, on a cruise. My DH and I cruised once on Norwegian and the ride was awful. We didn't take any seasickness medication beforehand, I'll admit, and the boat was only 42,000 tons, and...well, we got sick. DH is EXTREMELY reluctant to go on another cruise but is willing for the sake of the family. (Of course, we will arm ourselves with seasickness remedies this time.)

Between our two families we have three kids ages 3, 10, and 13. I found space on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, which sounded like a good bet because it is enormous and might not rock much. RCL also offered us cabins in the middle of the ship on a low deck. Of course, I really want to go on RCL's Oasis of the Seas because apparently that humongous ship barely feels like it moves at all, but it's booked in July when we want to go. My SIL now thinks we should do a Bahamas trip on the Disney Wonder, and my only concern is that at 83,000 tons, the Wonder may rock quite a bit. Any thoughts? Anyone been on RCL's huge ships and can offer a comparison? We also thought of Carnival, but my friend said senior citizens would be bored to tears on that line. Wouldn't they also be bored on Disney? I thought RCL might offer something for everyone. Help!!!

It's funny, but we thought the same thing. We had two DCL cruises under our belt and then booked the Freedom of the Seas. We figured the bigger ship would rock less. FOTS rocked more, in our opinion. And the weather, from what I could tell, was about the same for all three cruises.

 

[lovethedream]

Don't worry, there are stabilizers to prevent motion and they do a very good job. We've sailed RCCL's Voyager and I didn't really notice any difference between that and the Disney ships. Of course, it depends on sea conditions and where you are (forward and higher are the worst areas for motion on any ship...think of it as a giant upside down pendulum). But over the DCL ships are very stable.

Never thought about the height of the ships, our staterooms for all three were on the highest deck you could go and still be in a stateroom, and near the front of the ship. So that may have very well been the difference as I am sure we were higher up on the FOTS than on the Wonder. Interesting to note that the place my better half seemed to feel it the most was when we were on the lower decks, and near the front of the ship. I do remember the water in the pools (and the hot tub) sloshing around on the FOTS where I do not remember the pools on the Wonder sloshing around.

 

[shaylahc1]

We cruised the Wonder in Jan and we felt lots of rocking the first night. I remember walking up and down the stairs and it was like a fun house---the stairs were moving up and down I am very prone to motion sickness (I get vertigo and it makes me throw up) but I didn't have any sickness at all. The rocking was more of a gentle swaying and it felt comforting....it made me sleepy We didn't feel much motion the rest of the cruise and I'm kind of suspicious that if a ship is on a strict schedule and needs to get somewhere in a hurry they are less likely to use the stabilizers since it creates a "drag"....when we had a sea day and the ship wasn't in a hurry and moving much more slowly we felt almost no movement at all.

 

[Donald_Quackers]

We cruised the Wonder in Jan and we felt lots of rocking the first night. I remember walking up and down the stairs and it was like a fun house---the stairs were moving up and down I am very prone to motion sickness (I get vertigo and it makes me throw up) but I didn't have any sickness at all. The rocking was more of a gentle swaying and it felt comforting....it made me sleepy We didn't feel much motion the rest of the cruise and I'm kind of suspicious that if a ship is on a strict schedule and needs to get somewhere in a hurry they are less likely to use the stabilizers since it creates a "drag"....when we had a sea day and the ship wasn't in a hurry we felt almost no movement at all.

Same thing here...you're passing through the gulf stream (I think) as you're leaving Port Canaveral/Florida. I enjoyed the swaying during the show and dinner, it was fun feeling it rock.

Can't wait to see how the Eastern compares.

 

[DisneyJenn23]

I think it really depends on the seas and the person. My first Disney Cruise was in June and the boat did not rock at all, I did not use any seasickness medicine, and I did not get seasick. My next 2 cruises were January and April and I wore a seasickness patch and still felt a little sick. This past September the seas were very calm, no patch and I was very seasick one of the nights. Disney does a pretty great job at keeping the ship stabilized. I think it is really a case by case thing.

 

[Edd]

If you get sick on one ship you probably will get sick on another ship. Basically they are all built with the same idea in mind, a smooth ride. But the weather will have some adverse effects on it. You have got to get used to it or your body will react by making you sick.

I have been on the FOTS and it rocks just as much as the smaller ships when you get into a storm. The bigger the ship doesn't mean a thing. It's the size of the swells that make it rock.

 

[moochpuppy]

Same thing here...you're passing through the gulf stream (I think) as you're leaving Port Canaveral/Florida. I enjoyed the swaying during the show and dinner, it was fun feeling it rock.

Can't wait to see how the Eastern compares.

The Eastern is very similar. Especially the first 24-48 hours when you're cruising at about 21 knots.

 

[Rob1559]

It depends on the weather and the ocean swells.
I have been on the Magic when it has been very noticeable when walking.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We were on the Magic last March when the stabilizers were not working. However, the seas were smooth and it was kind of nice being rocked to sleep at night. Took Bonine and never felt any sea sickness.

 

[TitanBrett]

I just wanted to post my agreement with the posters saying its the weather not the ship. Even the largest ships are at the whims of mother nature. Stabilizers can help the side to side motion but thats it. If you get into some swells you are gonna feel it.

 

[tvguy]

If you get sick on one ship you probably will get sick on another ship. Basically they are all built with the same idea in mind, a smooth ride. But the weather will have some adverse effects on it. You have got to get used to it or your body will react by making you sick.

I have been on the FOTS and it rocks just as much as the smaller ships when you get into a storm. The bigger the ship doesn't mean a thing. It's the size of the swells that make it rock.

Exactly. You probably will be seasick on every ship you go on.
For those of us who have cruised on older ships without stabilizers, the difference is amazing. There were a few folks sick on our Magic cruise, and we NEVER noticed any motion. My first cruise, on a ship half the size of the Magic, with no stabilizers, there were several times over a 2 week cruise where you'd be walking UPHILL, and 20 seconds later you were walking DOWNHILL in the halls the ship was moving so much, it was like a giant teeter totter

 

[Tinkerkell123]

Was on the Magic this January and as it was our first cruise I was WAY paranoid about someone getting seasick, although we never have had any motion sickness before. I had every remedy known to man, just in case!

The first night we had dinner at Parrot Cay and it was pretty bumpy. My DS said she felt kind of bad so I tried SeaBands 1st. 10 minutes later, she felt fine and at a huge dinner. Left those on until bedtime. Next day she said she felt "weird" again. SeaBands back on. She took them off a couple of hours later and never had another problem. Only a couple of nights was the motion really noticeable. I only really noticed it in Parrot Cay that night. The other night I might have noticed more because I had on high-heels...

 

[lovethedream]

If you get sick on one ship you probably will get sick on another ship. Basically they are all built with the same idea in mind, a smooth ride. But the weather will have some adverse effects on it. You have got to get used to it or your body will react by making you sick.

I have been on the FOTS and it rocks just as much as the smaller ships when you get into a storm. The bigger the ship doesn't mean a thing. It's the size of the swells that make it rock.

This is what puzzles me. I would say the seas for both cruises were fairly calm. I would say that the weather was about equal for both cruises, yet we seemed to feel the FOTS rock more than the Wonder. There was no indication of any mechanical problems concerning the stabilizers on either ship. The only difference I can think of is the speed of the ship. I thought I read somewhere on these boards that the speed of the ship also plays a role, but via my hand held gps, both ships, at one time or another, were going about the same speed.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

This is what puzzles me. I would say the seas for both cruises were fairly calm. I would say that the weather was about equal for both cruises, yet we seemed to feel the FOTS rock more than the Wonder. There was no indication of any mechanical problems concerning the stabilizers on either ship. The only difference I can think of is the speed of the ship. I thought I read somewhere on these boards that the speed of the ship also plays a role, but via my hand held gps, both ships, at one time or another, were going about the same speed.

There are so many variables you cannot quantify what causes the issues:-

Speed is a factor.

Ballast, the captain will decided how much ballast the ship has, ie take on more, will weigh the ship down, make it more stable, but it will use more fuel and go slower. Less, it will be higher in the water, move faster, but will vibrate more.

The actual sea conditions, from glass-like to rough, but also the currents the direction of these, is it the same as the ship, favorable, or against the ship, or cross the ship, all cause different conditions. IE people say just out of PC is the worst as you go over the gulf stream at an angle, a cross current.

The ship overall looking at it from forward (front) is square shaped for the majority of its body. It has a small pointy bit which makes people think it moves like a upside down pendulum, this is actually incorrect. Its square so if top left moves, bottom right moves with equal movement, and the same if top right moves, bottom left moves, again as everything is welded together generally the same but the ship flexes in the water.

So Midship/ middle deck is best, as it is the centre of everything with everything up/down side/side. moving a bit more. But as mentioned before the ballast can change the centre of gravity a bit.

Generally speaking vibration is another issue, as many PP stated places like Parrot Cay, Animators palate, Lumiere's, as they are lower decks vibrate more, and as you have smaller windows you cannot see the horizon so you feel more and get seasickness more.

Having a wide view of the horizon, fresh air, reasonable amounts of water, not over eating all help. In fact 'we' all feel things differently, and what you have eaten or drunk also effects your perception of movement, a big fatty meal late at night will make you notice the movement far more.

 

[abdmom]

It's best to be proactive about the seasick meds. Take them a few hours before you get on the ship, and if you're feeling OK the first day, taper off. I felt a little seaskick my fist two cruises just at the beginning of the cruises, but have been OK since. Didn't even take the meds the last time. I also like the rocking at night, helps me sleep very well.

 

[nails62040]

We just got back from the Magic today (saturday 2/6/10) and that ship was rockin'! I noticed much more at night (I'm pretty sure they haul it at night while everyone is sleeping). We travel the caribbean every year at this time and I will say that I felt more motion on the magic than I had any other ship we've been on (we've been on larger ships also). I think alot of it was the captain speeding up more so than weather.

My daughter and her husband were sick (even with taking motion medication), but fortunately I didn't get sick from the motion. However, the one night I wasn't asleep when they kicked in at high speed and I did have alot of trouble getting to sleep with the rocking motion.

 

[Edd]

It was the swells and the wind. I was at the Port today. The Carnival Dream who docked right next to you and a bigger ship, probably had the same problems. It really doesn't matter the size of the ship unless you are going out on a fishing boat compared to the cruise boats.

 

[Chris_Ronda_Evelyn]

We just got back from the Magic today (saturday 2/6/10) and that ship was rockin'! I noticed much more at night (I'm pretty sure they haul it at night while everyone is sleeping). We travel the caribbean every year at this time and I will say that I felt more motion on the magic than I had any other ship we've been on (we've been on larger ships also). I think alot of it was the captain speeding up more so than weather.

My daughter and her husband were sick (even with taking motion medication), but fortunately I didn't get sick from the motion. However, the one night I wasn't asleep when they kicked in at high speed and I did have alot of trouble getting to sleep with the rocking motion.

We also just got back from the Magic yesterday (2/6/10). We also did a 4-night on the Wonder back in September.
This cruise was rockin' much more than Wonder ever did. There were 2 major differences: speed, weather.
The Wonder was never faster than maybe 10-12 knots while we were always in the 19-21 knot range on the Magic.
Weather and time of year were a big factor too. It was quite windy all week often across the deck or across the deck at an angle. In spite of nice skies most of the cruise, we were under the influence of a couple of strong frontal systems which kept the seas disturbed, especially passing the Bahamas.
The last night we passed through the front that brought the blizzard to the east coast. In doing so we went from 35 mph winds from the east to 35-40 mph winds from the west. That was the worst of it.
Summer cruises don't deal with the frontal systems, so there is less wind. Getting anywhere near a tropical system will give you some pretty rough seas though.
Personally, I (DH) like the motion. I find it very relaxing. But I know I'm weird. Most of the kids don't seem to mind it much, especially the younger ones.
Our high profile vehicle was worse driving up I-95 and I-10 in Florida. Everyone was weaving in the wind gusts.