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Is cruising with bad motion sickness possible?


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We're thinking of planning a family cruise but my mom has suffered from bad motion sickness her entire life. One ride at an amusement park would cause her to be sick for the rest of the day. She has attempted to go on local fishing boats in the bay and ocean and doesn't do well. She'd love to try a cruise but it doesn't sound like the best idea.

 

Does anyone here have or know someone who has motion sickness like this and is able to cruise? We've researched the different medications, seasickness bands, etc and people claim they work. Question is, do they always work? If you take Bonine or the ear patches before the trip starts, do you still run the risk of getting sick or are they pretty much guaranteed to work? I'd hate for her to get on the boat and wind up so sick that she has to fly home from one of the islands.

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I get motion sickness when riding anything that spins and have had issues on smaller boats, but love cruises. Most any large ship today has stabilizers to reduce the motion, but you may still feel some movement. I find that Bonine works well for me during the day because it does not cause drowsiness. I will take a Dramamine at night, if needed. Others swear by the patches or wrist bands.

 

One thing I will note is that I usually have no issues while on the ship, but it sometimes takes a day or so after returning to get used to being on land again. I have seen this called “land sickness” and it seems to be an issue with some.

 

 

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Sadly you have no real way of knowing ahead of time what might work. Dramamine has always worked for me, but last cruise we ended up in 15' waves and popping Dramamine pills like candy. Still ended up calling the dinosaurs. Of course I drank myself silly the night before, celebrating my free drink package on the NCL Dawn.

Hope everything goes well.

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Suggestions for reducing the possibility of motion sickness ...

 

Cruise on a LARGE ship. The bigger the more stable.

 

Book a cabin in the middle of the ship and the lower the better

 

If you want to cruise the Caribbean, don't pick an itinerary that goes to Barbados. That is in the Atlantic and can run into some rough seas there. Best is to cruise out of San Juan to stay within the Caribbean.

 

I don't think the patch is still available.

 

Along with the other suggestions, I recommend ginger capsules. Take them on a daily basis whether feeling ill or not. They are safe and will help with nausea if any.

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Dramamine!! The trick is to take it regularly; this means setting an alarm for the two middle of the night doses! Don't miss them!

Also, If your stomach is full of liquid only, this will increase your nausea.

Best wishes.

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I suffer badly from motion sickness. It is something newish for me, I used to be OK but blame my current cocktail of regular medication - the oramorph can me me sick without any motion!

 

I was getting increasingly seasick on cruises, to the point where I thought I would have to stop :( I had tried green apples, ginger, wrist bands, aromatherapy oil and my usual anti-sickness medication but nothing really helped.

 

I now use the patch that goes behind the ear and have found it really helpful. I put it on the morning of the cruise and change it every 3rd day if it is still needed (I'm usually OK once we get to the med, or into the Norwegian fjords, for instance).

 

Many people report nasty side-effects from the patch but the only thing it does to me, this far, is increase the dry mouth. My GP knows that I drink alcohol and is OK with this, some people will say that you should avoid alcohol completely while using it - but that holds true for many kinds of medication.

 

In the UK the patch is available on prescription only. I think it can be purchased from the pharmacy in some countries. I can take my regular anti-sickness meds alongside if I need to but haven't had to do this yet. I am taking a 2 way transatlantic cruise next year, so I will have to see how I go!

 

Finally, your mother must - of course - consult her primary care physician before making any decisions regarding medication :)

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I began getting seasick in 2001. Bonine worked, but was necessary round the clock as others stated. Did research and bought a ReliefBand. It is an electronic device you wear similar to a watch. I now own 5 in case they stop making them again (as happened once when Abbot Lbs was sold). They are remarkable. It works within 5 minutes. Some models are around $70 the mewest USB around $140. It prevents/stops motion sickness for me on sea, land and helped with Chemo. You can google it.

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I also have really bad sea sicknesses, hell I can't even walk on a dock but I love to cruise. I wear the patch and never have any real issues. One cruise to Bermuda we had really rough seas and everyone felt a bit off, the patches worked like a charm. It sticks behind your ear like a bandaid and you can shower and everything with it. Only side effect I experience is my close up vision gets a little blurry because it makes my eyes dialate a little.

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I get terribly seasick and love to cruise. I have to use a multi step approach. I get the patches from my doctor and I always book a balcony. When the patch doesn’t do enough to help, I add the wrist bands. I also sit up out on the balcony and look at the horizon. Laying down is what you want to do, but it will make it worse. I actually find black licorice works even better than ginger or green apples. I can get “seasick” watching television and as long as I prepare I am fine. Also stay away from the pool if the patch is not being completely effective. Watching the moving water from all the people in it can tip you over the edge. Don’t worry, I’ve learned this over many, many sea days (or tender ports). Last time I cruised my friend got seasick one day and I was fine. Watch the alcohol intake, it can also cause the seasickness. The patch increases your tolerance for alcohol (you will not feel as drunk as you are), and that can lead to alcohol poisoning, which is why you are not supposed to drink while on the patch.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am very prone to seasickness....actually, motion sickness of any kind. I can't do amusement park rides at all, and that banking they do on planes just does me right in. However, I have been on lots of cruises and done quite well. The suggestions for what to use and how are wide and varied. The one thing I would suggest, is trying any meds before you go on your trip. I used the patches a long time ago, and they made me so "dotey" it would not have been safe for me to continue. They also made me very sleepy and very congested. The best I have found is to get the meds from my GP. He had me get the generic for Dramamine, which he prescribed and I got from the pharmacist, and for some reason, I found it worked better and made me less drowsy, which made for a better day. He also gave me something stronger, so that if it did get really rough, I could take that and just go to sleep. I find the hardest time is the first day or so. I think it is a combination of being tired after having not enough sleep due to getting ready for the trip, traveling to the ship and getting used to the movement of the ship. I try to make sure I eat regularly and get as much rest as I can while still getting everything done. During this period, I try to find the spot on the ship that has the least amount of movement....it is amazing the difference on where on the ship you go, so yes to finding the right cabin. Your agent will be able to help you with this as I do not think this is an unusual problem. Personally, I have never found looking at the horizon to be helpful.

Also, Might I suggest that you try a short "beginners cruise"...perhaps something that will only be a few days to see how you like it. I agree with the suggestion that you go on one of the large ships...I can't do a fishing boat at all...ugh! I think you will find that while you may have to restrict some activities some of the time, you will still do well with the right amount of planning and caution. Good luck, and happy cruising.

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We have always found the patches to be very effective....

 

:eek::eek: HOWEVER :eek::eek:

They are currently on backorder from suppliers......actual terminology: "LONG TERM BACKORDER".

 

 

To Those With Cruises Booked: If you rely on those, you might want to begin EARLY to try to get them. Of course, with suppliers "out", that may still be futile...but possibly worth a try....

and certainly have other options for dealing with sea sickness 'in your pocket'....

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I get motion sickness when riding anything that spins and have had issues on smaller boats, but love cruises. Most any large ship today has stabilizers to reduce the motion, but you may still feel some movement. I find that Bonine works well for me during the day because it does not cause drowsiness. I will take a Dramamine at night, if needed. Others swear by the patches or wrist bands.

 

One thing I will note is that I usually have no issues while on the ship, but it sometimes takes a day or so after returning to get used to being on land again. I have seen this called “land sickness” and it seems to be an issue with some.

 

 

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I second JT1962's opinion. I also do not like spinning amusement rides or small boats in heavy seas, but find that cruise ships do not cause me any problems. We been in some rough seas and I have not had to use medication. I carry it with me, just in case, but have never used it.

 

When the seas were at their roughest, it seemed that the patch meds were the most popular. Just make sure that whoever uses the patch does not exceed the dosage. I've heard of people forgetting to remove the previous patch or thinking two might be better, and making themselves sick from the meds.

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I have Vertigo & during our first couple of cruises had an awful time with seasickness. After ending up with a very large bill from the medical center on a cruise in 2007, I bought a Relief Band. https://www.reliefband.com/collections/reliefband. It's drug free, has no side effects & it works.

 

I use the original version which is looks just like the 1.5. The 2.0 looks really neat but it's not necessary to spend that much money. The only issue I've encountered is when there are consecutive sea days, I make sure to swap wrists because the first time I used it, I got a sore after wearing it on the same wrist for 3 days.

Edited by phoenix1181
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I also have really bad sea sicknesses, hell I can't even walk on a dock but I love to cruise. I wear the patch and never have any real issues. One cruise to Bermuda we had really rough seas and everyone felt a bit off, the patches worked like a charm. It sticks behind your ear like a bandaid and you can shower and everything with it. Only side effect I experience is my close up vision gets a little blurry because it makes my eyes dialate a little.

I was so car sick during a road trip that I put on the patch and then put on contacts. Holy moly- they were so dialated! I must have not washed my hands very well before touching my eyes?! Lesson learned.

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As someone who can get sea sick on a lilo I was dreading my first cruise. Picked a midships cabin and the Caribbean cruise was surprisingly fine very stable on Thomson/Tui Dream. Also packed wristbands and joyrides type travel sickness tablets but really not needed. Nothing however can combat the sickness on the tender trip from Cozumel fondly called the vomit rocket. The bad psychology of them handing out sick bags as you board! Nearly everyone was in the same boat so to speak so a good bit of bonding! Strangely the dreaded return trip was fine no bags... Might just want to avoid that one.

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We have always found the patches to be very effective....

 

:eek::eek: HOWEVER :eek::eek:

They are currently on backorder from suppliers......actual terminology: "LONG TERM BACKORDER".

 

 

To Those With Cruises Booked: If you rely on those, you might want to begin EARLY to try to get them. Of course, with suppliers "out", that may still be futile...but possibly worth a try....

and certainly have other options for dealing with sea sickness 'in your pocket'....

 

The name brand patches are available! :) I just got my prescription filled after the run around about backordered. Seems it's the generic ones that are on long term backorder.

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You can, it is possible to cruise and have severe motion sickness, i am living proof. When I say I have tried everything, I do mean everything. I am now going on my 16th cruise in Nov. What I now use is regular meclizine 25 mg, which is the regular over the counter stuff, take 2 the night before you cruise, then take 2 every morning and 2 every night, works like a dream. The patches have side effects, for me it blows my pupils out, HUGE, look like some kind of dope head. The bands you wear, didn’t work for me at all and the electric pulse bands I was turning on high and shocking myself silly. It took me some time to get it figured out but so worth it. Happy cruising !

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It sounds like everyone has their way of fending off motion sickness. I'd also suggest a short cruise to see how mom reacts. I get so seasick that being on a noodle in the Gulf of Mexico on a calm day makes me sick in 15 minutes. But I love to cruise. My solution is the Transderm Scop patch. Nothing else works as well ( or really, at all) for me. I think all ships have otc meclizine. If that works its the cheapest option but you just can't know ahead of time and the patch needs to be applied before sailing to be effective. Maybe mom can practice at home on a carnival ride or a car ride.

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