Cruise

[billandtedsexcellentadventure]

Considering a cruise for the first time. Think it would be up our street however I am worried about sea sickness. Any one got any experience of cruises? Got a five year old.

@billandtedsexcellentadventure we had connecting cabins , though some ships have family suites , I’d suggest ringing one of the big cruise travel agents ( we used ROL and have just used CruiseKings ) and speak to someone who knows what they’re talking about ( I mean , us lot in your phone do know , but can’t make a booking for you ! ) thye can book flights if necessary and have the ABTA and ATOL

What was that like? Did you cope

Sounds tricky

Some I’ve seen before have bunks that fold out of the walls but yes possibly a pull out sofa bed. We booked separate rooms with connecting door but my kids are both teens.

This photo shows an inside cabin with two Pullman beds. The Cabin Steward will put them away each morning and out each night.

i would price up the difference between a suite and also 2 connecting cabins, with NCL we went for a suite as it was same price as 2 cabins and it was big enough with a lovely balcony. Ive had an inside cabin before and they have one double bed with a pullman that they pull down every night. Depending where you going and how long a suite may be preferable. Have a look at https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk loads of helpful advice.

What some families do is book an inside as super cheap and then the balcony cabin opposite ( it’s easy to chose cabins from deck plans ). That way everyone gets sleeping space but with a balcony to sit on or dry out swimwear etc. Insides tend to. be smaller.
if you bring a voile curtain you can attach them to the wall with magnets ( your cabins are basically shipping containers!). Gives the teen a bit of privacy if they are on the sofa bed.

If your kid gets car sick you probably do need to get them sea sickness pills. There is nothing on earth worse than motion sickness when you can’t get onto stable land.

In general, the modern bigger cruise ships have stabilisers and offer a smooth sailing experience. I'd recommend having a cabin with a balcony not an internal cabin as it's nice to sit out, watch the land drawing near, spot some wildlife. If you didn't feel well it's good not to feel too enclosed.
I think it's unusual but when we sailed Drake's Passage it was fine - not at all heave ho! People still feel seasick sometimes and can get free meds on board to deal with that.

When looking for a cabin ideally you want cabins above, below, either side and opposite. Also relatively low down near mid ships but that is more expensive.

That's why we're flying to Barcelona to start our cruise. The thought of sailing through the Bay of Biscay would put me off.

When we went on a cruise the cabin steward folded the beds down from the walls every evening and our double bed was below in the middle of the room, it was fine. That was with royal Caribbean.
We went through the bay of Biscay and I just took a travel sickness tablet for that day and took it easy, not too much walking about but it was hardly noticeable.

As someone who has been seasick in a swimming pool I was very apprehensive going on our first cruise. I needn’t have worried though as I never felt I’ll in the slightest. If I didn’t look out and see the water,I wouldn’t have known I was on a ship.I never needed to take any of my supply of seasick tablets.

For the two who get travel sick, start the travel sickness medication 24 hours before boarding and then for the first 24 hours of travel. After that, wean off the medication if they’re okay.

We love cruising but have one out of six of us that feels the motion.