How Big A Rock ‘N Roll Fan Are You?

There is no delicate way to say this, but when a container of barf bags is hung on a rail beside all the Maasdam elevators, I know the captain is anticipating high seas and a rough ride.

(If you don’t know what a barf bag is, then you are recent to air travel, but at one time at least two these motion sickness bags were in the pocket of every airline seat, the one in front of you. Cruise lines rarely bring these out this prominently.)

The idea of rough seas and potential seasickness doesn’t bother me. I am lucky, I don’t get seasick. Instead, the rolling of the ocean makes me sleepy. A long time ago when I was a reporter for the now defunct Richmond News Leader in Richmond, Va., I had an assignment to go along for some weekend NATO or U.S. Navy maneuvers out of Norfolk. The reason I can’t be more specific is because the sea was so nasty all I did was sleep. That’s my reaction to rough seas. I’m lucky.

Linda, on the other hand, is of more delicate disposition. She sometimes needs to take seasick pills in anticipation of the motion of the ocean.

Minimizing Ship Motion

When I pointed out to Linda the new addition beside the elevator, she isn’t much worried. Although we might have received an upgrade toward the bow, we prefer to be at the stern—the same place the dining rooms are on most cruise ships. The stern also is referred to as the aft or back of a ship.

Dining rooms are situated at the back of a ship instead of forward, where the most expensive cabins are. Cruise ships like to have their passengers dine as peacefully as possible. Place the dining areas at the bow and the up-and-down theme park motion would be too much for many passengers.

Since the aft area is the part least affected by high seas, this is why we always book a cabin in that area.
Ironically, rooms on the top decks near the bow are often where the most expensive suites are located. They may have great views, but they can be among the least comfortable in truly rough conditions.

The cheaper aft cabins nearest to the dining areas usually have an elevator within a short distance from your cabin. From a stern cabin, there is no need to walk—or be tossed or struggle—compared to getting to the restaurant from a bow cabin.

This is a secret cruise lines don’t disclose: Many of them place their most expensive cabins at the wrong end!

At the end of the 35-day Maasdam cruise, I am surprised to have “land legs” from the moment I step off the ship. On other cruises, sometimes it’s taken several days before I stopped walking like a drunken sailor.

Note: Blog postings about our 35-day Caribbean cruise are not over. We’ve had a lot of reality to catch up with plus all the holiday reunions since returning. And, the need to make a living to help pay for the cruise will make these postings less frequent.

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