Planning cruises to unique destinations around the world is exciting. While there's nothing wrong with a tropical vacation to the Bahamas or Caribbean, there are so many different regions that can be explored via cruise ship.
When planning on venturing to a new place, however, you must research what the weather is like. If you are prone to seasickness or are concerned about a bucket list port of call getting canceled due to poor weather, some bodies of water might not make for an ideal cruise.
Even so, canceled ports of call can occur on any cruise, even to The Bahamas! While there are certain precautions that you can take, such as booking during a specific month, nothing is ever guaranteed.
Whether you're looking to take an adventurous trip or are just curious, here's a list of the roughest seas in the world:
🌊 The Drake Passage
🌊 The Bay of Biscay
🌊 The Gulf of Alaska
🌊 The Atlantic Ocean
🌊 The Mediterranean
🌊 The Caribbean
🌊 The Pacific Ocean
🌊 The North Sea
🌊 The South China Sea
The Drake Passage
While mainstream cruise lines do traverse through the Drake Passage, those looking to cross off all seven continents will have to board an expedition vessel with hopes of stepping foot on Antarctica.
Where exactly is the Drake Passage, though? it's the body of water that lies between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands. In order words, the Drake Passage is what connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The lack of nearby landmasses causes strong currents. In fact, the water currents can be as fast as 150 million cubic meters per second in some areas. Combined with the strength of the waves, the Drake Passage is one of the roughest seas in the entire world.
The Bay of Biscay
Those hoping to have a leisurely European cruise should approach the Bay of Biscay with caution, as it's known for bad weather and rough seas.
This body of water, which is located off the west coast of France and northern Spain, is home to parts of the continental shelf that extend far into the bay, resulting in some shallow waters.
Additionally, the Bay of Biscay is known for heavy storms during the winter months, meaning that you can reduce the chance of poor weather by cruising during the summer.
Cruises that often sail through the Bay of Biscay include those sailing from Southampton to Portugal and Spain. Transatlantic voyages that begin in the UK and Northern Europe will often sail south and visit the Azores before beginning to cross the ocean, too.
The Gulf of Alaska
Thankfully, the majority of any Alaska cruise will be done within the protected waters of the Inside Passage, as the presence of land provides a good deal of shelter.
Select sailings, however, must cross through the Gulf of Alaska. These waters are much rougher due to the strong surface currents and cold air.
Ships subject to traversing through the Gulf of Alaska include those sailing to/from Seward, Whittier, or Anchorage. As these tend to be one-way cruises that visit more remote parts of Alaska, if you want to avoid cruising through the Gulf of Alaska, consider a round-trip cruise from Seattle.
Read more: Ultimate Alaska cruise packing list
The Atlantic Ocean
Whenever you cross a large body of water, you're more likely to encounter some rough waves since there's no land nearby to provide any protection.
Typically, the winter months are the most intense. Transatlantic cruises tend to see their roughest waters in November, December, and February. Thankfully, the majority of mainstream cruise lines do not conduct transatlantic cruises in December and February.
If you're going to embark on a transatlantic cruise in the winter, it'll most likely be on either a luxury cruise line like Oceania or Cunard from New York to Southampton and vice versa.
Of course, that doesn't mean you won't be impacted at other times throughout the year, particularly during hurricane season.
The Mediterranean
Wanting to stay in the Mediterranean and visit culturally rich ports of call like Barcelona, Rome, Naples, etc.?
While the sea itself is relatively sheltered, it can be subject to rough waters in the fall and winter, as this is when the winds are the strongest. Of course, you never know when your ship will encounter random swells in the spring and summer.
As like with the Bay of Biscay, if you want to minimize your chance of rough seas, it's best to cruise during the summer. There are, however, pros to sailing during the winter.
Since there's less of a demand to cruise during these months, you can often find lower rates compared to those in July and August. With the majority of mainstream cruise lines having deployed their fleets to North America, you'll have fewer cruise lines and ships to choose from, though.
Read more: Best time to cruise the Mediterranean
The Caribbean
The Caribbean is one of the most popular year-round cruising destinations for a reason. Nothing quite beaches sinking into the white sand of a famous beach while admiring the turquoise waters with a fruity drink in hand.
Even if you aren't a beach person, the Caribbean is home to numerous ports of call that all offer different excursions, ranging from active ATV tours to breathtaking zipline tours.
During certain months, however, the Caribbean can get rather stormy. If you want to avoid all chances of your cruise being re-routed from an Eastern Caribbean cruise to a Western, don't sail during the busiest hurricane months.
While the season technically lasts from June through the end of November, peak activity usually occurs during August and September.
Additionally, some regions are less likely to be impacted by hurricanes, such as the Southern Caribbean. The majority of hurricanes tend to make landfall in The Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean, including the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, etc.
In November 2023, I sailed on a 5-night cruise onboard Carnival Vista and felt some of the most intense rocking that I've ever felt on a cruise ship. My cousin and I would often sit still in our cabin and watch the horizon move up and down. Each night, our stateroom would creak with the rocking of the vessel, too.
There were times when we'd be walking from one venue to another and remark about how we felt as though we walking like we had a few too many drinks!
The Pacific Ocean
Like the Atlantic Ocean, any crossing over a large body of water with minimal land surrounding it is subject to encountering some rough seas. The Pacific Ocean, however, is larger than the Atlantic, so it's not uncommon to hear about swells impacting sailings from North America to Hawaii, Australia to Hawaii, etc.
Avoid sailing during February, March, and April to miss the roughest waters.
The North Sea
Sailing through the North Sea is often accompanied by rough waters and thick fogs, as it is susceptive to high winds and waves. If you're cruising to North Europe (i.e., Norway), the British Isles, or even Iceland, you'll likely have to voyage through the North Sea.
While trip interruptions are a risk all cruisers take, you don't want to be left with the disappointment of missed ports.
Cruise.Blog writers Hayley and Allie experienced first-hand what the rough waters of the North Sea can be like during a cruise to the British Isles in October. Halfway through their voyage, a massive storm swept through the UK, and their scheduled stops in Isle of Man and Dublin were canceled.
"The roughest seas I’ve ever experienced was while sailing onboard Norwegian Star during a British Isles cruise," Hayley said, "Sailing from Southampton to Edinburgh, we passed through an Autumn storm that caused our ship to rock rather aggressively through the night. At one point, our travel companions compared the experience to the feeling of riding a roller coaster!"
Read more: I accidentally booked a cruise on one of the world’s most dangerous seas
The South China Sea
Did you know that mainstream cruise lines are beginning to increase their presence in Asia? Disney Cruise Line, for instance, is homeporting their brand-new ship Disney Adventure in Singapore, and Royal Caribbean is set to return to China in April 2024.
Typhoon season in the northwest Pacific Ocean runs from July through November, with the peak occurring in August and September, which is similar to the Atlantic hurricane season. Storms, however, can happen at any point during the year.
The South China Sea is also home to what's known as "The Dangerous Ground," which is an area that is infamously dangerous due to its low islands and sunken reefs that sometimes rise from ocean depths. It's also a poorly charted area and has had its fair share of territorial disputes in the past. Thankfully, it's avoided at all costs on Asian cruises, regardless of embarkation port.
Don't worry, cruising in rough seas is completely safe
Despite horror stories you may have heard about cruising during storms, it's totally safe. Cruise lines have teams that actively monitor the weather, and ships will do their best to reasonably sail around any storms that pop up.
Stabilizers are a crucial component of any cruise ship. Their primary function is to minimize the amount of rocking guests feel while onboard. These fins or rotors lie beneath the water line and extend from the ship's hull. The newer the cruise ship, the more advanced the stabilizer system is.
That, however, doesn't mean you won't feel mega-ships rocking. Once while onboard Symphony of the Seas, barf bags were placed in every stairwell due to how insane the waves were.
Sometimes, the cruise ship's Captain will restrict passengers from going outdoors. This happened on my cruise onboard Carnival Vista. Our stateroom was located at the very front of the ship on Deck 9 near a public observation deck, and throughout the entire sailing, there was a sign that read, "For your safety, please do not enter. Extremely windy conditions."
Regardless of when and where you're cruise is, it's best to come prepared with some motion sickness remedies, such as over-the-counter medications like Bonine or Dramamine.
You can also book a stateroom that's located in the middle of the ship, as this helps to act as an "equilibrium point." Additionally, the stateroom should be located on a lower deck because they tend to feel less motion than those on higher decks.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
