How much do you feel the ship "move"

[mrhistory]

I am trying to convince my DW and DD to take a cruise next year and they are worried about the "bobbing" movement. How noticeable is it? A family friend told my wife that their whole family was sick for the duration of the cruise.

 

[kcashner]

Well, as to sea sickness, everyone is different. I lose my lunch on small boats, in backseats of cars, etc. Don't even think about "thrill" rides. I have never had a significant problem on the ship, and I've had a few rough seas.

The ship has great stabilizers. There is a rough current between Port Canaveral and your first port--we seem to go thru it the first and last night of each cruise. Sometimes it is mildly rough, other times we've seen servers literally get slammed into walls!

The bottom line for me is that the ship's motion doesn't bother me. There is free generic bonine at the health center (actually in a container by the door) on board, and there are lots of other things you can do if the motion bothers you.

 

[onlyn2urmoney]

Ive only been on the Disney Wonder and it was REALLY rocky the week we sailed. I kept hearing comments about people joking they felt drunk cause everyone kepts swaying while walking. My 10 month old got really seak sick as well and was tossing his cookies all day/night. In fact I me and DH felt like we were still on the ship for almost a week after we got off.

Now I have been on bigger ships though the Princess and 1 or 2 times it got rocky but nothing like I felt on the Wonder.

 

[mommy2tati]

Like the OP said everyone is different. I can do thrill rides & everything else so you would think the motion of the ship wouldn't bother me. It didn't really except for that one time I felt the sway in Animator's Palate. It wasn't violent but I did feel it & it made me slightly queasy but it didn't stop me from eating!

My last carnival cruise I stood on the top deck & couldn't take the motion. It felt like a thrill ride!

 

[bombygriz]

To make you feel better, we didn't rock on our first Wonder cruise. The weather was so-so, but there wasn't really swaying. As PP said, Bonine is available if someone feels wonky, but don't let seasickness keep you from going on a Disney cruise! You'll have so much fun you won't notice the movement!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Part of the rockin and rollin depends on the weather and the destination. When we're sailing to Alaska, part of the cruise has land on both sides, and the sea is so smooth you hardly notice any movement.

 

[tvguy]

Everyone nailed it, it just depends on you.
Now, if you cruised years ago on a ship without stabilizers, there is relatively little movement compared to that. But there will be some noticiable movement.

 

[doberlady]

I felt the ship move all week. I was mainly seasick the first night but I could not watch the shows as the curtains were moving and it was making me ill. We had very rough seas. All 5 of us were sick here and there. Hoping for the best our next trip. I also was aftaid to take meds so we just used the seabands. They worked great for the most part. I am going to try Bonine way before we cruise to see if I get any side effects

 

[indigodisney]

I find when I am in the front and aft, I feel more movement. When we were in a cabin mid-ship and high up, we felt next to nothing. The first time I felt more and then the cruises after have had no nausea.

Good luck!

 

[tngal]

We felt slight movement..esp. coming out of port canaveral to nassau, but that is always rough. We always just start popping the meclizine the day before and have not had any issues. There was one time i got a little queazy, but i had some ginger candies with me and got one of those and some fresh air and i was good. the las cruise we took, the last night was somewhat rocky to me, but no one else in my "crew" seemed to feel it, so maybe it was just me Now i will say on my very first cruise ever, on Carnival, We couldn't even walk down the hallway to our room without being slammed into the walls and the water in our glasses was sloshing out on the table. Def. an exciting experience on your first cruise!!

Lisa

 

[Gigi22]

The weather you get is hard to predict even from year to year. DCL seems to do a very good job of avoiding rough seas if at all possible, IMO.

As to being worried about noticing the motion on a ship--have you ever travelled by train? A train is a lot bumpier than a ship.

 

[cherokeemamma]

For less movement do you recommend top decks or lower decks? Does that really matter as much as whether you are aft, front or mid ship?

 

[tastefullyjenn]

For less movement do you recommend top decks or lower decks? Does that really matter as much as whether you are aft, front or mid ship?

I have always heard midship and low to reduce feelings of movement but my recommendation is to go with the Dream or Fantasy. While yes everyone's different and while yes weather is a factor, the Dream was so smooth we actually had no idea when we had stopped/started from a port.

We remarked at Palo that we never saw the water in our glass move at all the whole cruise.

That said, I felt like I was moving for the week following the cruise! I think my body just wanted to get back on the boat!

 

[DundasDad]

Seabands!!

I get a wee woozy on rollercoasters so I was a little concerned. We were on the Magic in March.

I felt a bit of movement every now and then - nothing dramatic. I wore my Seabands and never had a problem at all!

 

[Dec6]

My experience has been, when the ship is leaving US water, it get's rough...it seems like that transition is the only time (going and coming) that I've felt anything and that seems to be late night...I've never felt anything during the day or early evening...(maybe a slight motion). That's why I think the best time to sail is during the summer...but not hurricane season....

 

[Makayna]

Seabands!!

I get a wee woozy on rollercoasters so I was a little concerned. We were on the Magic in March.

I felt a bit of movement every now and then - nothing dramatic. I wore my Seabands and never had a problem at all!

Sorry to sound ignorant, but I've never been on a cruise before. What are sea bands?!

 

[CandyMandy]

Bottom line: the amount of motion a given cruiser will experience is a function of many factors (itinerary, particular weather situation while they are cruising, their subjective sensitivity etc.) so all the well-intended generalizations here are just that and are not guarantees. Below is an example of what can happen on a Disney cruise in terms of sea conditions:

Disney Magic - Force 10 storm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzvaxOOpj24

 

[slmarkert]

I would definitely say you don't feel "bobbing" like the OP stated, but I think you can expect to feel some movement. We had rough seas our first night and when laying in bed it felt a little like I was getting rocked to sleep. A couple of times I had to hold on, but it was actually kind of soothing. When we hit calmer water, you couldn't feel much at all. Being on a cruise ship definitely has a completely different feel from smaller boats. I got used to it pretty quickly and felt more like I was bobbing when I got off of the ship!

 

[tinkmom2]

On both my cruises it has been really rocky coming into and leaving port. So much so that I fell out of bed when we were coming into port once. And the Chrismas tree on the stage even though it was teathered by lines was rocking back and forth. Walking in the halls I sometimes have to grab the arm rails. Once you are out to sea you can't feel the ship move at all but I go right away to guest services when I board to get the free sea sickness pills. My youngest DD always gets car or bus sick on the way to port but is fine on the ship. Just-in-case I brought kids Bonine for them. Also all of us get a case of "sea legs" I like to call them for a good day after the cruise. You feel the ship rocking when you are on dry land lol! But as previous posters have said everyone feels the affects differently.

 

[drparoo]

Sorry to sound ignorant, but I've never been on a cruise before. What are sea bands?!

You can google them....they're wrist bands that use accupressure points to treat nausea. Some people swear by them, others don't find them as useful. I had friends use them when they were pregnant, too, but they are generally used for motion sickness.