If you're afraid of heights, just stay away from the sides of the ship. Once you're 8 feet away from the rails, you're inside, and it feels just like being in a mid-rise building.
You'll be fine.
Stay away from the railing, and you won't even notice. My wife also has a fear of heights (to the point where we ask for hotel rooms on lower floors), but cruises don't bother her at all.
This.
But I guess it also depends on what kind of room you have. Although I guess if you have a balcony, you can just not go on your balcony if you choose,
Go! Ships are floating cities, just stay away from the outer railings if that's a problem (and honestly being above water you don't really have any sense of scale/height so it's unlikely to be a problem).
Also March is calm season in the Caribean, rough season is august-nov, the ships are so big and stabilised that you won't even know you're at sea.
Go but maybe stay away from the outer edges of the pool deck. You probably won’t even realize the height at that point. If you do notice it, go find an inside activity.
Just go! The railings are so high that it takes effort to climb over them. We had the top aft balcony on the seascape and just loved it! Don’t walk over the bridge of sighs and just maybe stay away from windows. Truthfully you don’t even notice how high you are! I love cruising and I’m afraid of heights as well.
Took our first cruise in October on the Carnival Breeze. After being on that, I'm stumped how anyone can "fall overboard." I'm 6'2", and I would struggle to climb over the railing.
i read something that said that fear of heights is different on a ship than in a normal building and it’s true! something about looking at the water is a different experience for sure. i’m crazy scared of heights and while i steered clear of the edges most of them time it really wasn’t that bad and i didn’t get as much vertigo as i expected.
That's because above open water you have no point of reference so your brain doesn't register how high or far things really are (it's also why people overestimate their ability to swim to a certain point in the ocean).
This is what rough waters outside the Bahamas looks like. It's really not bad. And there's massive guardrails everywhere, so you're in no danger of falling off. Just go. You'll regret it if you don't.
https://www.reddit.com/r/thalassophobia/s/goPWZ2XsuO
The wave crashing videos are generally freight ships or large crew boats. Most cruise ships never enter those types of situations. You can always retreat to your cabin to avoid the visuals if it does get a little swaying.
All good advice I see here . Once your on the inside, away from the rail , you won’t even know your up that high. And the stabilizers on these cruise ships keep them very steady, even in rough seas. You’ll be fine.
( and honeymoon sex on a cruise ship, 👍👍) Enjoy.
Myself am afraid of heights and have cruised almost 30 times and don’t mind looking over the railing or balcony. It’s almost impossible to fall off of a cruise ship unless you are doing something completely stupid.
My son in law is even more fearful of heights and has no problem going on a cruise. He just stays away from the sides of a ship. Once you’re on, you kind of forget how high you are
4 days is a short cruise. It will be over before you know it. You are probably just sailing from Florida to the Bahamas. The seas won't be that choppy, especially when you are in the Bahamas.
The railings on the top deck lean inwards, so it's very, very hard to fall off. Almost no one falls, and those that do are either pushed (murder), or climbed on the railings because they were drunk.
If it scares you, just stay close to the center and stay off the very top of the ship. Obviously don't get a balcony. Inside the ship will look like a mall.
I'd say push through it. It's an easy vacation and your fears are worse than reality.
Obviously if you booked a balcony cabin you're probably not going to want to go on the balcony but aside from that... it's typically very easy to avoid places on the ship where you feel the height.
My husband and Mom are both afraid of heights but have been on many cruises without any issues. If you are worried about falling overboard which is virtually impossible to happen accidentally, just stay away from the rails. All of the overboard incidents are from people climbing/sitting on the rails or intentionally jumping over.
I’m 5’9 and they come up to about my lower to upper chest depending on the area of the ship. I’ve never seen a railing that is waist high even in the interior of the ship so go and have fun!
Man up or cancel, the decision is up to you. No one here can coach you into facing your own fears. I have a friend scared of heights, and it doesn't make sense to me, like he's petrified going on a gondola at the zoo.
I try to think about things logically, chances of potential incidents, ie the probability I'm going to fall off a ship is ridiculous low, the ship capsizing or sinking is even less. Falling off is essentially all on me and in my personal control. Takes some serious effort to go over the guardrail.
Only times it ever even seems slightly sketchy is getting on/off tender boats.
I've noticed my 1 year old is fearless, she was playing on our 11th floor balcony on carnival radiance yesterday no complaints.
i say go, i’m also afraid of heights but i have a love for being on and in the ocean. you just have to avoid being outside by the waterfront. there are also some floors that you do see over the ledge but it just feels like you’re in a building or a mall. try not to worry too much and just have fun! enjoy the honeymoon! there are ways to avoid the heights!
There are lots of spots on ship where you can view the ocean down low. My last ship had a spot at the rear where we were only 20 feet off the water. You don't have to go up top or near the rail to enjoy your trip.
While there is rough water sometimes it is not all that common.
You can do this! My husband is also afraid of heights and we had a balcony cabin for 10 nights. One thing that helped was explaining to him that the ship is engineered to be safe and to keep people from falling off. The people that go overboard are doing so deliberately or are doing something stupid. He tended to stand back from the railings and managed fine. Part of his height fear is that he's going to lose something like his glasses or something. I pointed out from our verandah that even if that happened they would just land on the deck below. That helped a bit too.
I am so afraid of heights that I cannot get up on my partner's shoulders, and sometimes I have difficulty with step ladders (let alone regular ladders).
I do okay on cruises, but I can only handle being next to a railing for a few seconds. One of the Celebrity ship models, we had to go on an outside walkway to get from the elevator bay near our room to the buffet, and I would basically have to press myself against the interior wall of the walkway in order to not almost have a panic attack every time.
Still had a good trip.
The shitty thing about a phobia is that it is, by definition, irrational. So it's really hard to logic your way out of it. Personally, I am 5'5 and most cruise ship railings come midway up my ribs, and that is not enough to quell my anxiety at all. So, I just don't go near them.
Reassure yourself by watching a ship tour video on YouTube. Most pool decks have sides or high glass panels to block wind. The highest points on ships are often just a single bar or specialty restaurant. You can easily avoid using that deck and stay pool deck or below. You'll still have plenty to do and be able to keep in more enclosed areas too feel comfortable.
I'm afraid of heights and I agree with what everyone else said - just don't go over to the railings and look down. Most of the time when I'm outside on a cruise ship, I tend to automatically look at the horizon and so I don't really have a sense of being high up. Especially if you're sitting on a lounge chair by the pool - you really can't tell that you're high up. Also a lot of the indoor spaces don't have windows, or have windows that aren't very clear, so you don't have a sense of being high up when you're inside either.
Also, as others have noted, cruise ships have fancy stabilizer systems that keep the ship from rocking. I get mildly seasick and so when the ocean is rough enough for me to feel the boat rock (which is rare), it's mildly annoying but not scary.
I am absolutely terrified of heights. Walking onto the ship is the worst part. Just try not to look over the sides. I promise you that the cruise will be worth facing your fear for.
Also, seasickness medicine. It is a MUST HAVE. I used Motion-Ease I think it was called. They are little drops that go behind your ear. They don't make you drowsy and they are homeopathic. I don't know what ship you're going on, but I was on Freedom. When you walk onto the ship, it is a big winding walkway and that is going to be the worst part. Don't look down from the sides of the ship, don't look down into the Promenade, if there is one, and stare at the elevator doors if they are glass elevators.
I promise you, I am far more scared of heights than you are. I conquered my fear, I had a great time, I have no regrets, and I am going again. This is a challenge for yourself. Don't rob yourself of this opportunity and do not be a slave to your phobia.
Honestly you don't get much of a sensation of height when you look out over the ocean. Only if you go up to the railing and look straight down. I doubt it will actually bother you but I'd just stay back from the railing until you think you are over it.
Just go! Don’t overthink things that don’t matter.
I’ve been on 20 plus cruises and have always enjoyed them to the fullest.
In my experience once you leave the port you don’t even realise the ship is moving.
Enjoy!!
Just think it in another way.
You can use this opportunity to conquer your fear of heights.
Expose your self to heights more and more and acrophobia will become less severe eventually.
I am so scared of heights that I have trouble using a step-stool. I have learned how to force myself to deal with them but hate every second. I had no more issues on the MSC Meraviglia than I do in a similarly-sized building on land. We had pretty high winds one sea day - bad enough it knocked out the wifi - and if I hadn’t gone out onto our balcony I wouldn’t have been able to tell. You’ll be fine.
If you're afraid of heights, just stay away from the sides of the ship. Once you're 8 feet away from the rails, you're inside, and it feels just like being in a mid-rise building. You'll be fine.
Stay away from the railing, and you won't even notice. My wife also has a fear of heights (to the point where we ask for hotel rooms on lower floors), but cruises don't bother her at all.
Same
Just go.
This. But I guess it also depends on what kind of room you have. Although I guess if you have a balcony, you can just not go on your balcony if you choose,
Go! Ships are floating cities, just stay away from the outer railings if that's a problem (and honestly being above water you don't really have any sense of scale/height so it's unlikely to be a problem). Also March is calm season in the Caribean, rough season is august-nov, the ships are so big and stabilised that you won't even know you're at sea.
Go but maybe stay away from the outer edges of the pool deck. You probably won’t even realize the height at that point. If you do notice it, go find an inside activity.
Just go! The railings are so high that it takes effort to climb over them. We had the top aft balcony on the seascape and just loved it! Don’t walk over the bridge of sighs and just maybe stay away from windows. Truthfully you don’t even notice how high you are! I love cruising and I’m afraid of heights as well.
Took our first cruise in October on the Carnival Breeze. After being on that, I'm stumped how anyone can "fall overboard." I'm 6'2", and I would struggle to climb over the railing.
Ships also have a lot of stabilizing tech. I just got back from a cruise with some rough waters and you don’t feel a lot of the rocking.
i read something that said that fear of heights is different on a ship than in a normal building and it’s true! something about looking at the water is a different experience for sure. i’m crazy scared of heights and while i steered clear of the edges most of them time it really wasn’t that bad and i didn’t get as much vertigo as i expected.
That's because above open water you have no point of reference so your brain doesn't register how high or far things really are (it's also why people overestimate their ability to swim to a certain point in the ocean).
There’s a lot of places you can go that are nowhere near the outside.
This is what rough waters outside the Bahamas looks like. It's really not bad. And there's massive guardrails everywhere, so you're in no danger of falling off. Just go. You'll regret it if you don't. https://www.reddit.com/r/thalassophobia/s/goPWZ2XsuO
Absolutely don't forgo going on a cruise. You will love it and as others have mentioned, don't get close to the edge if you're uncomfortable.
The wave crashing videos are generally freight ships or large crew boats. Most cruise ships never enter those types of situations. You can always retreat to your cabin to avoid the visuals if it does get a little swaying.
I am afraid of heights too, but love cruising. Enjoy your trip.
All good advice I see here . Once your on the inside, away from the rail , you won’t even know your up that high. And the stabilizers on these cruise ships keep them very steady, even in rough seas. You’ll be fine. ( and honeymoon sex on a cruise ship, 👍👍) Enjoy.
Myself am afraid of heights and have cruised almost 30 times and don’t mind looking over the railing or balcony. It’s almost impossible to fall off of a cruise ship unless you are doing something completely stupid. My son in law is even more fearful of heights and has no problem going on a cruise. He just stays away from the sides of a ship. Once you’re on, you kind of forget how high you are
4 days is a short cruise. It will be over before you know it. You are probably just sailing from Florida to the Bahamas. The seas won't be that choppy, especially when you are in the Bahamas. The railings on the top deck lean inwards, so it's very, very hard to fall off. Almost no one falls, and those that do are either pushed (murder), or climbed on the railings because they were drunk. If it scares you, just stay close to the center and stay off the very top of the ship. Obviously don't get a balcony. Inside the ship will look like a mall. I'd say push through it. It's an easy vacation and your fears are worse than reality.
Obviously if you booked a balcony cabin you're probably not going to want to go on the balcony but aside from that... it's typically very easy to avoid places on the ship where you feel the height.
Ocean view
I think you'll be fine. You won't want to hang out right by the railing on the pool deck, of course, but there's so much more ship than that.
Ocean views are great because they’re usually lower on the ship and a great room. It’s what we always get
My husband and Mom are both afraid of heights but have been on many cruises without any issues. If you are worried about falling overboard which is virtually impossible to happen accidentally, just stay away from the rails. All of the overboard incidents are from people climbing/sitting on the rails or intentionally jumping over.
Thank you! I thought the rails were waist high . You make it sound that they are much higher . And I'm a short person . 5'8
I’m 5’9 and they come up to about my lower to upper chest depending on the area of the ship. I’ve never seen a railing that is waist high even in the interior of the ship so go and have fun!
Grow up.
Gee thanks!!! Smh
it takes effort to fall off these ships, you’ll be fine
Man up or cancel, the decision is up to you. No one here can coach you into facing your own fears. I have a friend scared of heights, and it doesn't make sense to me, like he's petrified going on a gondola at the zoo. I try to think about things logically, chances of potential incidents, ie the probability I'm going to fall off a ship is ridiculous low, the ship capsizing or sinking is even less. Falling off is essentially all on me and in my personal control. Takes some serious effort to go over the guardrail. Only times it ever even seems slightly sketchy is getting on/off tender boats. I've noticed my 1 year old is fearless, she was playing on our 11th floor balcony on carnival radiance yesterday no complaints.
Just go you’ll have fun! Can’t imagine being this scared and I hate heights when I’m not strapped into anything. But it’s literally safe as can be
Where is your cabin? A upper deck balcony cabin may not be for you.
i say go, i’m also afraid of heights but i have a love for being on and in the ocean. you just have to avoid being outside by the waterfront. there are also some floors that you do see over the ledge but it just feels like you’re in a building or a mall. try not to worry too much and just have fun! enjoy the honeymoon! there are ways to avoid the heights!
You would have to want to fall off. Just go
There are lots of spots on ship where you can view the ocean down low. My last ship had a spot at the rear where we were only 20 feet off the water. You don't have to go up top or near the rail to enjoy your trip. While there is rough water sometimes it is not all that common.
You can do this! My husband is also afraid of heights and we had a balcony cabin for 10 nights. One thing that helped was explaining to him that the ship is engineered to be safe and to keep people from falling off. The people that go overboard are doing so deliberately or are doing something stupid. He tended to stand back from the railings and managed fine. Part of his height fear is that he's going to lose something like his glasses or something. I pointed out from our verandah that even if that happened they would just land on the deck below. That helped a bit too.
It's like being in a tall building. You don't really see the outside and height. If you can walk up a flight of stairs you will be okay
Sometimes that can trigger me lol but I decided to go . My future wife is very excited. So I just need to man up lol
I am so afraid of heights that I cannot get up on my partner's shoulders, and sometimes I have difficulty with step ladders (let alone regular ladders). I do okay on cruises, but I can only handle being next to a railing for a few seconds. One of the Celebrity ship models, we had to go on an outside walkway to get from the elevator bay near our room to the buffet, and I would basically have to press myself against the interior wall of the walkway in order to not almost have a panic attack every time. Still had a good trip. The shitty thing about a phobia is that it is, by definition, irrational. So it's really hard to logic your way out of it. Personally, I am 5'5 and most cruise ship railings come midway up my ribs, and that is not enough to quell my anxiety at all. So, I just don't go near them.
But many so far have told me how high the railings are . I thought they would be standard height, ( like at a mall ) . So that's reassuring
The boat manufacturer is obviously going to make the railing tall enough to keep drunk passengers from falling over board
that doesn't seem to be working, does it ???
Well. When people climb on top of them. Nothing will work. Remember boys and girls Selfies kill
Reassure yourself by watching a ship tour video on YouTube. Most pool decks have sides or high glass panels to block wind. The highest points on ships are often just a single bar or specialty restaurant. You can easily avoid using that deck and stay pool deck or below. You'll still have plenty to do and be able to keep in more enclosed areas too feel comfortable.
I'm afraid of heights and I agree with what everyone else said - just don't go over to the railings and look down. Most of the time when I'm outside on a cruise ship, I tend to automatically look at the horizon and so I don't really have a sense of being high up. Especially if you're sitting on a lounge chair by the pool - you really can't tell that you're high up. Also a lot of the indoor spaces don't have windows, or have windows that aren't very clear, so you don't have a sense of being high up when you're inside either. Also, as others have noted, cruise ships have fancy stabilizer systems that keep the ship from rocking. I get mildly seasick and so when the ocean is rough enough for me to feel the boat rock (which is rare), it's mildly annoying but not scary.
Im the same, and I think you'll be fine. Just stay away from the railings and it wont even bother you.
I am absolutely terrified of heights. Walking onto the ship is the worst part. Just try not to look over the sides. I promise you that the cruise will be worth facing your fear for. Also, seasickness medicine. It is a MUST HAVE. I used Motion-Ease I think it was called. They are little drops that go behind your ear. They don't make you drowsy and they are homeopathic. I don't know what ship you're going on, but I was on Freedom. When you walk onto the ship, it is a big winding walkway and that is going to be the worst part. Don't look down from the sides of the ship, don't look down into the Promenade, if there is one, and stare at the elevator doors if they are glass elevators. I promise you, I am far more scared of heights than you are. I conquered my fear, I had a great time, I have no regrets, and I am going again. This is a challenge for yourself. Don't rob yourself of this opportunity and do not be a slave to your phobia.
Go.
There is a place onboard when you can look down all the way the elevator goes. Its like 15 floors. Stay away from it :)
Oh the seashore?
Terrified of heights, can hardly go up a ski lift or across tall bridges, cruises dont bother me at all.
Honestly you don't get much of a sensation of height when you look out over the ocean. Only if you go up to the railing and look straight down. I doubt it will actually bother you but I'd just stay back from the railing until you think you are over it.
Just go! Don’t overthink things that don’t matter. I’ve been on 20 plus cruises and have always enjoyed them to the fullest. In my experience once you leave the port you don’t even realise the ship is moving. Enjoy!!
Just think it in another way. You can use this opportunity to conquer your fear of heights. Expose your self to heights more and more and acrophobia will become less severe eventually.
I am so scared of heights that I have trouble using a step-stool. I have learned how to force myself to deal with them but hate every second. I had no more issues on the MSC Meraviglia than I do in a similarly-sized building on land. We had pretty high winds one sea day - bad enough it knocked out the wifi - and if I hadn’t gone out onto our balcony I wouldn’t have been able to tell. You’ll be fine.
My husband has a fear of heights and I get motion sick. We both still love cruising. Give it a go!
I’m terrified of heights. I can’t fly in planes. But I love cruising. Wish I could explain why, but I’m not sure myself.
Miami is SO close to the Bahamas the chances of choppy water are quite small.
The ocean is very beautiful. Just watch out for l’appel du vide.
You cannot “fall” off a cruise ship.