When and Where?

Hello again!  Today we are going to talk about the best times to go certain places.  I’m going to tell you a story and what I learned from it.

Our very first cruise was from Boston to Bermuda aboard the Royal Majesty.  She was not a large ship, but since it was our first, she was large to us!  We left the day before Memorial Day 1997 for our 10th Anniversary.  We had children that were 4 and 6 yrs old, so we really didn’t want to fly anywhere.  You know that fear of leaving your children the first time.  So we thought this was a great option.  Let’s just say, our love of cruising began, but it was not without its challenges.

The second night at sea the ship starting moving pretty steadily from side to side around 9pm.  Don’t ask me why, but there is a little part of me that was more excited than afraid.  I was one of those people trying to open the promenade doors just to peek out over the rail at the churning sea.  Alas, the wind really didn’t allow me to.  A little after midnight I woke up looking at my feet!  One of the things we learned on the cruise was that doors and drawers have those little lock mechanisms to keep them closed, much like the things you add at home to keep your toddlers safe.   Needless to say, the doors and drawers were opening and closing on their own as the ship pitched.  All I remember thinking was, “Go back to sleep……”

We were able to go back to sleep.  Honestly, I’m not even sure if my husband woke up during the night.  But when we awoke for the new day, the ship was still pitching pretty well.  I decided to take a shower, which was hilarious.  Thank goodness the showers are so small.  I couldn’t be tossed very far!  I got out of the bathroom to let my husband in and sat on the bed.  An INSTANT feeling of nausea gripped me, and I thought “Oh God, no!”  The hubby went into the shower.  I got dressed and told him I was heading down to the casino – mid-ship and the lowest part of the ship’s common areas.  I knew of anywhere on the ship (if it was at all possible) there would be the least amount of motion there.  Thankfully, I made the right move, never got sick, won $60 and bought two stuffed animals to bring home to the kids.  After a couple hours, I noticed something was missing….my husband had never arrived.

I decided to chance it and head back to the cabin to see if I could find him.  On my journey of pitching to and fro, holding onto every hand rail (yes, it was that bad), I was in awe at the number of people just lying in the middle of the hallways, on chairs and couches in common areas, even on the floors.  Empty barf bags were everywhere!  People definitely looked miserable.  I got back to the cabin and he was there, puking in the bathroom.  Poor guy didn’t make it out in time.  We talked briefly, and I could not coax him out of the cabin to a lower spot in the ship.  So I headed back out and told him where I would be.

I went to a lower deck again, but not quite as low as the casino, definitely mid ship and sat in one of the big windows watching the sea.  I personally thought it was pretty cool.  But I did feel badly for my husband and all those affected.  I also felt bad because there were a lot of elderly people on this cruise, and watching them try to navigate the hallways and stairwells without falling or being thrown against the walls was a little disconcerting.  A few more hours later, probably close to noon or 1pm, my husband showed up.  He literally hung out, looking green, for about 15 minutes then went back to the cabin.  With not much else to do I sat around and did a little walking around for a few more hours.

At 5pm things seemed to be calming down, so I returned to the cabin, determined to get my husband out of there.  I convinced him to come with me to the infirmary.  I had heard they had a shot they could give you of a high dose medicine like dramamine.  He came with me, and the line was unbelievable!!  All I can say is, BEST $40 WE EVER SPENT!!!!  Less than two hours later, we were in the dining room, and he ate a 5 course meal!!!

So how bad was this storm, really?  We were told there were 25 foot swells.  At one point I did make it up to the front of the ship on deck 10.  When the ship came down off a wave, the splash created by it went up, over the top of the 11 story ship!  When the front end of the ship pitched downward, the propellers at the back, came out of the water!  It also lasted for 17 hours.  This was almost unheard of.  The crew were all telling us they had been in storms like this before, but never for more than 3-5 hours.  So, this was a pretty unique situation.

So what did I learn from this?

1.  If you are going to cruise from Boston or other ports on the East Coast to Bermuda, you are better off going AFTER the 2nd week of June.  This was advice given to us by the locals on the island.
2. When you cruise the Atlantic, Pacific or any other really large body of water, if you might be prone to sea sickness, get a cabin mid-ship and on one of the lower levels.  We were all excited to have our beautiful ocean view cabin at the front of the ship up high for our anniversary trip, but it was a big mistake.  That’s why our cabin was pitching around so much.  We were up high and up front.
3. Don’t panic.  Have faith in your crew.  Despite this being our very first cruise, I was never scared….not once.  Should I have been?  Maybe.  But what good would it have done?
4. If there is ever a storm on your cruise, GET OUT of your cabin!  It’s TRUE that because cabins are small, the closed in feeling will make you feel worse.  Once you’re stuck, you’re stuck.  So get out early on and find a comfortable place to relax in the common areas.
5. When all else fails, go to the Infirmary!  They CAN help you, and believe me, it’s worth it!  My husband wished he had gone so much earlier than he did.

Despite our rocky first cruise, we had an amazing time.  Our other days at sea were wonderful, glass smooth.  I sincerely never thought my husband would cruise again, but this experience did not deter him.  Here we are fourteen cruises later.

Needless to say, these same rules of thumb would apply to the obvious – be careful selecting a cruise in the Caribbean during Hurricane Season – June to November, peak being mid-August to late October. Although storms can happen any time, be smart and avoid the obvious.  If the only time you can go is during this time, then be prepared.  Take dramamine beginning a week prior to your sailing, buy two wrist bands (a lot of people wear one, but two work better), or apply a patch behind your ear a few days prior to sailing.

Whenever you want to cruise and wherever you want to go, never let your fear of storms deter you!!  Rest assured that the crew has it under control, and you will be well taken care of.  The horror stories you hear are few and far between, just like the number of airplane crashes vs the number of airplanes in the sky at any given moment.  The chance of encountering something awful is very, very small.  But the benefits of an awesome cruise vacation are giant!

Goodbye for now…..cruise on……