Your worst storm at sea

[Onelife]

Reading Carole's review last night got me thinking about storms at sea.

We have only experienced one really bad storm which isn't surprising as we have only ever been on five cruises.

We were on our outward leg of our18 night cruise around the Med and had just passed through the straights of Gibraltar when we encountered the storm of storms...well it became that when l recall the experience to all my friends. It was officially rated as force nine storm according to the captains log (the thing they give you when you depart) this was surprising as it came over the tanoy that we were experiencing a force eleven storm.....talk about holding on for dear life, if you didn't hold onto the bed you would have been on the floor. Thankfully before experiencing the full force of the storm l had managed to surround our daughter with pillows as she was on the top bunk....she actually slept right through the storm.
My wife did wake up with a few cuts and bruises but then it was her own fault as she knows l have two sugers in my cuppa tea.






Quite a thrilling first time experience but not one l would like to repeat too often.

[BrianI]

Our worst storm was in the same location. This was on Arcadia in Nov 2013. We had left Cadiz and entered into the Med overnight. We went down to the restaurant for breakfast and remember trays of fruit juice sliding off the serving hatches. The storm continued for most of the day.
Brian

[Ray Scully]

Again the Med, some 16+ years ago, overnight on board the Topaz. It was that bad that getting out of bed to go to the loo was dangerous. Another overnighter was sailing from Bermuda to New York on board NCL's Dreamward. It kicked off as soon as we left port, however, an acrobatic show scheduled, took place until it became apparent that it was too dangerous to continue. We should have docked early morning but did not arrive in New York until mid-afternoon.

[david63]

I'm sure I must have encountered some storms in my time but as they do not bother me I cannot recall any.

if you didn't hold onto the bed you would have been on the floor.
...
My wife did wake up with a few cuts and bruises

Too much information

[Onelife]

I'm sure I must have encountered some storms in my time but as they do not bother me I cannot recall any.

if you didn't hold onto the bed you would have been on the floor.
...
My wife did wake up with a few cuts and bruises

Too much information

Yeah! she did comment it was a bit rough

[Happydays]

One of our worst was last October while on Ventura after we left Barcelona it was very windy with gusts over 75knots. The pictures on the walls were flush at the top but hanging away by 3inches at the bottoms! The stabilizers and ballast were being used to their full potential, it was very difficult walking around the "sick" bags were out every where. When we went to bed you could feel ourselves slipping down the bed it was a strange experience.
There were a lot of people missing the next day at meal times luckily we were OK

[Stephen]

Storm Stephen.
First cruise (Med) on Oriana 2006. I was already feeling seasick and bedridden, which wasn't helped, A. Being right up the front of the ship and, B. The front of the ship raising out of the water and crashing down.

[Quizzical Bob]

Storm Stephen.
First cruise (Med) on Oriana 2006. I was already feeling seasick and bedridden, which wasn't helped, A. Being right up the front of the ship and, B. The front of the ship raising out of the water and crashing down.

Enjoy it. If you went to Alton Towers you’d be paying for rides like that.

[Stephen]

I'd rather not.

[oldbluefox]

Not exactly a cruise but an overnight ferry crossing from Holland to UK in December. The drive over to the Hook of Holland was pretty horrendous with the wind blowing.
It was relatively calm in the shelter of the harbour but once we moved away it was pretty horrendous. I don't think the ferries in those days had stabilisers so the ship was literally bouncing up and down and corkscrewing. Our berth was down in the bowels of the ship and every so often it slapped the water with a crashing BANG! I thought for sure the water would be coming in such was the crash but there was nothing we could do but hang tight and try to gt some sleep.
Thankfully nothing like that in all our cruises so far.

[Ray Scully]

Storm Stephen.
First cruise (Med) on Oriana 2006. I was already feeling seasick and bedridden, which wasn't helped, A. Being right up the front of the ship and, B. The front of the ship raising out of the water and crashing down.

Enjoy it. If you went to Alton Towers you’d be paying for rides like that.

[Jan Rosser]

Leaving Barcelona many years ago the seas were really rough and it was the first time we had persuaded my son's in-laws to come on a cruise with us - she was so ill - couldn't leave her cabin and swore never again but needless to say she did

Once did a transatlantic Southampton to Caribbean and back on Aurora and on the return trip we sailed through a Force 11 storm - quite exhilarating - we sat up in the Crows Nest and watched it.

First time I sailed on Oriana we had a cabin right in the front on A deck so high up and I remember that sliding up and down the bed feeling although I am lucky in that it doesn't make me feel ill.

Always a bad sign when the sick bags appear on the stairs

[Onelife]

Not exactly a cruise but an overnight ferry crossing from Holland to UK in December. The drive over to the Hook of Holland was pretty horrendous with the wind blowing.
It was relatively calm in the shelter of the harbour but once we moved away it was pretty horrendous. I don't think the ferries in those days had stabilisers so the ship was literally bouncing up and down and corkscrewing. Our berth was down in the bowels of the ship and every so often it slapped the water with a crashing BANG! I thought for sure the water would be coming in such was the crash but there was nothing we could do but hang tight and try to gt some sleep.
Thankfully nothing like that in all our cruises so far.

Hi Foxy.....talking ferries.....l do recall our passage from Malta to Gozo being a bit rough....and this was on a calm day. I think the stretch of water between the too are notoriously rollercoasterish.

[screwy]

One of our worst was last October while on Ventura after we left Barcelona it was very windy with gusts over 75knots. The pictures on the walls were flush at the top but hanging away by 3inches at the bottoms! The stabilizers and ballast were being used to their full potential, it was very difficult walking around the "sick" bags were out every where. When we went to bed you could feel ourselves slipping down the bed it was a strange experience.
There were a lot of people missing the next day at meal times luckily we were OK

Yep, we were on that one, took 4 days to dry the Carpet, did get a couple oo bottles of wine tho..

[screwy]

Again the Med, some 16+ years ago, overnight on board the Topaz. It was that bad that getting out of bed to go to the loo was dangerous. Another overnighter was sailing from Bermuda to New York on board NCL's Dreamward. It kicked off as soon as we left port, however, an acrobatic show scheduled, took place until it became apparent that it was too dangerous to continue. We should have docked early morning but did not arrive in New York until mid-afternoon.

The Topaz was our first cruise ship.!! Cruise and stay in the Carribean, saw her the following year in Funchal,apparrently she had been kicked out of the Carribean for failing the Health Standards.!!!

[Onelife]

Leaving Barcelona many years ago the seas were really rough and it was the first time we had persuaded my son's in-laws to come on a cruise with us - she was so ill - couldn't leave her cabin and swore never again but needless to say she did

Once did a transatlantic Southampton to Caribbean and back on Aurora and on the return trip we sailed through a Force 11 storm - quite exhilarating - we sat up in the Crows Nest and watched it.

First time I sailed on Oriana we had a cabin right in the front on A deck so high up and I remember that sliding up and down the bed feeling although I am lucky in that it doesn't make me feel ill.

Always a bad sign when the sick bags appear on the stairs

Absolutely Jan, but they also come in useful as dog poo bags

[Gill W]

Ours was sailing from Southampton into Storm Imogen in February 2016.

For most of the first day of the cruise, we just laid on the bed, and the ship was crashing around so much, but we decided to make the effort to go to dinner.

While we were at dinner, there was an almighty bang, and glasses and empty chairs went over. We had been hit by a freak wave, and it had cracked one of the dining room windows, just the other side of a divider from where we are sitting. They started clearing that part of the dining room, and the medical team were called for an older chap who'd had a nasty shock by all this. Various crew were milling about, and all of a sudden I saw one crew members turn away with his hands over his head and the whole glass panel shattered. The curtains were blowing horizontally into the dining room!

At this point, they evacuated everyone from the dining room.

2nd sitting was half an hour late, while they boarded up the window

[Stephen]

Ours was sailing from Southampton into Storm Imogen in February 2016.

For most of the first day of the cruise, we just laid on the bed, and the ship was crashing around so much, but we decided to make the effort to go to dinner.

While we were at dinner, there was an almighty bang, and glasses and empty chairs went over. We had been hit by a freak wave, and it had cracked one of the dining room windows, just the other side of a divider from where we are sitting. They started clearing that part of the dining room, and the medical team were called for an older chap who'd had a nasty shock by all this. Various crew were milling about, and all of a sudden I saw one crew members turn away with his hands over his head and the whole glass panel shattered. The curtains were blowing horizontally into the dining room!

At this point, they evacuated everyone from the dining room.

2nd sitting was half an hour late, while they boarded up the window

That was well out of order

[Whynd1]

Artemis,the storm was so bad we just moved berth and didn't sail till the afternoon of the following day.
It was predicted to be so bad passengers were offered the option of leaving the ship before sailing and some did.
It was awful you went up and down in the bed . Hardly anybody in the dining room and it took about three days to reach Vigo.
They shortened the cruise we only went to Madeira and then sailed back so the ship could leave for the next cruise.
On writing to P and O passengers were offered a hefty wedge of Inc towards another cruise.
One thing I will say is they bought a customer's service team on at Southampton and I mentioned to one of them that I was worried as I was sailing on my own, and she made sure that the passenger services manager checked in with me for a few days to see if I was okay. That was much appreciated.

Lindsey

[GillD46]

Oriana October 2004. We were doing a one week Iberia cruise and in the BoB the ship “fell into a hole” in the middle of the night. It was terrifying, the bang was almighty and the ship pitched and rolled alarmingly - and we all know how badly Oriana can judder.

We had an invitation the the bridge next day, as we had dined with Capt Mike Carr on our previous cruise and he issued us the invitation based on that, it was he who said we’d fallen into a hole. His wife told us he’d shot out of bed assuming the worst, but in fact all was well - apart from me being very, very sick all night long!

[Manoverboard]

Had a couple of note …

The first, our maiden cruise, was in 1997 in a converted ferry called ????. We were on the Med fighting a Hurricane without stabilisers, I suspect that we survived only because our table steward was called Jesus.

The second was in October 2004 on the old Adonia, we were in a mini suite on the aft going up n down like a roller coaster. Fortunately not side to side, the ' Officer ' said it was a Force 12 experience … we really enjoyed it

ps ….. The 1997 cruise was with ' Festival ', it was Christmas and the ship was MS Azur


..

[Onelife]

In a force 12 Mob l'd have been praying for 'Jesus'

[barney]

I was brought up in Australia as ten quid poms.
In 1969, my folks decided to return to the UK and also decided to sail back.
What an adventure for a young lad !
It was fantastic until we hit the Bay of Biscay in November
Wow! What a shocker that was.
The ship was called the TV Castel Felice and the tonnage was about 15,000
It was a right old tub by any standards.

Can you imagine crossing both the Pacific and Atlantic in such a small vessel, and when just a few days away from Southampton, all hell broke loose.
I must admit that I thought it was quite an adventure at the time, but to look out and see another ship heading towards you, in fog and storm force winds would terrify me now.
The skipper did a very hard turn and things flew everywhere, literally.
Hair raising but quite exciting at the same time.

That may explain why I've been an adrenaline junkie most of my life.