Hello everyone!

I have enjoyed reading this board. I am going on my first cruise with my husband in 18 days! I am very excited. My parents and younger brother are also cruising with us and my parents have never cruised before either. This is their 35th wedding anniversary gift to each other. We are departing from New Orleans (we live here) on May 26th on the Carnival Fantasy. We are all staying on the Riviera deck and I am a bit worried about it being the lowest deck on the ship. Is it better or worse to be lower on the ship if you are prone to being sea-sick? Also, we have Ocean view rooms. Are we going to see the horizon, or are we below the water line? I hope that is not a dumb question.

Thanks so much!

No question is a dumb question ... you will not be below the water line. We have cruised on the Ecstacy which is a sister ship to Fantasy and it is not bad at all. We were a little forward of mid-ship and had no problems.

By the way - welcome to crusing and to the "board".

Hi lanna15, welcome to Cruise-Chat. Congratulations on your upcoming cruise and your parent's anniversary. You will be able to see from the Riviera deck, you have decks below you for the engines, the machinery, the crew, etc., so you aren't on the very bottom of the ship. If your cabins are mid-ship, I doubt you'll feel much motion. The ships are so large now, that the motion isn't too severe unless there is a storm. I've sailed out of New Orleans before and it was rough for a little way out of the river, but calmed down quickly. There are plenty of over the counter remedies, the best natural ones are ginger and green apples. Best wishes for a wonderful cruise and once again, welcome aboard!

Hi lanna15, Welcome to Cruise-Chat!

Congrats on your cruise! The Riviera deck is not the lowest deck on the ship. It is just the lowest passenger deck, and is well above the water line by several decks. I personally think the middle to lower decks (midship) have less movement.

Welcome aboard,

Dwayne

Everyone on this forum is so friendly. I enjoy being able to listen to all the questions and and answers that are posted.
I have learned many interesting facts on cruising. Thanks!!

quote:

Is it better or worse to be lower on the ship if you are prone to being sea-sick?

Although motion isn't really noticeable anywhere on the ship, if you were in truly bad seas the lower the deck the better.

Look at this photo of the Ecstasy. The bottom row of windows is the Riviera Deck. Note it is a good 15 feet or so above the water line.

I cruised many times in my college years and the Riviera deck was my home on many ships. A category 6A room on the Riviera is still a category 6A room. Same view... just a tad lower. It is a perfect deck for first time cruisers who are unsure about ship turbulence. You will do fine and find yourselves as addicted to the cruise experience as the rest of us. Have fun!!

Yea it's above waterline, but how cool would that be if there was a window below waterline? Now that's a cabin I would pay extra for.

Ricks, I've been in seas that have made it seem like the Riviera deck was below the water line

That is funny Penny!

I was on the Celebration once and it actually looked like the front of the ship took a dip pretty close, if not beyond. This was in rough seas after a hurricane had recently passed though. Normally it is smooth sailing.

Ricks, The underwater view is an interesting concept.

Dwayne

if you are worried about seasickness, go to the dr and get those wonderful little transderm patches. better safe then seasick.
you are in for a true treat. you will have a great time

The Riviera Deck will have the least-noticeable motion of any deck, but don't put too much thought into letting the chances of getting seasick ruin your vacation. If you want to take the dramamine, they will give it to you at the pursers deck or ask your cabin steward. just take it BEFORE you feel any indication of seasickness and you'll be fine!

Hubby and my first cruise was on the Celebration. Formal night the ship was ROCKING like crazy. You couldn't walk down the hallways without running into walls. It was actually fun. I fully expected to be tossing cookies but it wasn't bad at all. This time around we are midship Cat 6A, Riviera. We're on the Conquest but I'm thinking that since we booked during the best of hurricane season, perhaps we should look into those patches. If you have never been seasick before that's no guarantee you won't ever be, is it?

Hi Ianna 15.
We have cruised several times on paradise which is also a sister ship. We always chose a cabin on Riviera deck as it is the most stable. We enjoyed every cruise and would certainly use that deck again.
Have a great time!

We were just on the River deck a little over a month ago. I think it will be smooth sailing for you there. My friend was really concerned about getting dizzy/sick, and there was some motion on the ship, but this area, I would say is the best to be loated in.

brneyes

I'm back!! I don't know if there was something abnormal happening on the Fantasy or what - but I could feel the motion CONSTANTLY. At night, in the Universe Lounge, at dinner... we were always rocking back and forth or bouncing up and down (the engines, maybe?) Winding through the river was a fun experience. We tipped so far that the ketchup bottles slid of the tables. I wore the patch for the first 3 days, took it off, got extremely sick, and put another patch on immediately and was fine after that. I don't get car sick or motion sick on rollercoaster rides, but this constant rocking motion was too much for me to handle!

quote:

the engines, maybe

No, that doesn't cause a ship to rock. It was more likely sea swells or you are more susceptible to sea sickness. The fact that you got ill after removing the patch would indicate this. Sea sickness can be quite different than getting ill in a car or on a carnival ride. The roller coaster only lasts a couple minutes or so, and the car allows you to be more aware of the surroundings and keep your bearings. Lots of people won't initially be sea sick, but after hours of the motion it hits them.

You are right - because I am fine on smaller boats (the catamaran that took us snorkeling was very rocky but I was fine, even though I wasn't wearing the patch at that time) and I think it is because I can keep my bearings in a smaller boat. When you are on a cruise ship, it feels like you are inside, on land, and it seems unnatural to feel the motion. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced! Overall I had a good time. The one night of sickness was absolutely awful, but thankfully it didn't last and I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip.

As with any type of motion (or emotion for that matter), the more that you concentrate on it, the more that you will experience it. I have found that copious amounts of rum or vodka tend to alleviate most of the unwanted side effects of ocean motion. The swaying motion of a ship is a negative experience. The swaying effect brought on by inebriation is (usually) negative. The rules of math dictate that if you multiply two negatives the end result is positive. Happy sailing!!

HAHA! Your first comment about focusing on it, yes, I agree with. I tried to watch a movie and focus on my breathing, but to no avail. Only medication worked for me! And to your second point, I found that alcohol made it worse. But that didn't stop me from enjoying my beverages.