Rhydam seasick?

[TKDgirl2456]

Hi all - just booked my first HAL cruise. I have been on 6 Carnival cruises before and have a question about the motion. We are sailing on the Rhydam in early March and I'm worried about getting seasick. The smallest ship I have been on is the Carnival Elation, holding 2,050 passengers and 855ft long. The Rhydam is 715ft long and can hold 1,200 passengers. I know this isn't much of a difference in size, but I'm still concerned. I haven't been sick yet, but some nights I do feel nauseous. Has anyone been on carnival & holland america to compare the two? Also, any advice for a first time HAL cruiser would be great :)

[catl331]

IMO the size of the ship doesn't matter as much as the size of the seas. The only time I've ever gotten sick in 18 cruises was on the Ryndam, but we've been on sister ships Maasdam, Statendam, and Venndam (twice) with no problem. The night I got sick leaving Tampa the sea was so rough that a Carnival ship (I don't remember which one) couldn't make it back into Tampa until about Noon the next day. I would think a lot of people were sick on that ship too. ;)

[Salacia]

Hi all - just booked my first HAL cruise. I have been on 6 Carnival cruises before and have a question about the motion. We are sailing on the Rhydam in early March and I'm worried about getting seasick. The smallest ship I have been on is the Carnival Elation, holding 2,050 passengers and 855ft long. The Rhydam is 715ft long and can hold 1,200 passengers. I know this isn't much of a difference in size, but I'm still concerned. I haven't been sick yet, but some nights I do feel nauseous. Has anyone been on carnival & holland america to compare the two? Also, any advice for a first time HAL cruiser would be great :)

 

 

Hi TKDgirl. The convention wisdom is to book a cabin on a lower deck, midship. That is the most stable area of any ship. If your cabin is not low, mid-ship, then find a public area to spend time if the sea conditions are rough. May I suggest that since you haven't experienced sea sickness after several voyages, chances are you'll be find. You mentioned that sometimes at night you have not felt well - have you tried sipping Ginger Ale? l've found it works really well. Anyway, often it is the sea that decides what the conditions will be, athough there is a difference in the way any particular ship handles the sea.Sorry, I haven't sailed on a Carnival ship, so I can't make any comparison. Not a terribly helpful post, but I wish you the best.:) -S.

[Copper10-8]

Hi all - just booked my first HAL cruise. I have been on 6 Carnival cruises before and have a question about the motion. We are sailing on the Rhydam in early March and I'm worried about getting seasick. The smallest ship I have been on is the Carnival Elation, holding 2,050 passengers and 855ft long. The Rhydam is 715ft long and can hold 1,200 passengers. I know this isn't much of a difference in size, but I'm still concerned. I haven't been sick yet, but some nights I do feel nauseous. Has anyone been on carnival & holland america to compare the two? Also, any advice for a first time HAL cruiser would be great :)

 

No way of telling; you can get seasick in a bathtub with two paddles and/or on the Emma Maersk, currently, the largest ship afloat (until 2013). A whole bunch of parameters come into play. Go and enjoy the Ryndam and cross that "Say hi to Ralph" bridge when you get there!:)

[PathfinderEss]

Well here is a couple of suggestions, book your cabin more in the center of the ship, you'll feel less movement there. Bring along some ginger, works great to settle your stomach.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have to agree -- book a cabin low and in the middle of the ship.

No one can predict how the seas will be on any cruise.

[kazu]

HAL has green apples available for a reason. They and ginger are natural aids if you are feeling squawmish. I always pack our sea bands. Haven't used them in years - they can really help if you are feeling unwell.:D

[innlady1]

We've never gotten seasick but I do pack ginger capsules "just in case". It works wonders for settling the stomach...even on land! The lower deck/midship suggestions are what you need to do if you're concerned.

We've sailed on two of the Ryndam's sister ships, the Maasdam and Veendam, and it's never been a problem. And, that's in cabins on the stern of the Maasdam; midship on the Veendam. We'll be on the Ryndam in January...very close to the stern. I like that location and book it since we don't have a tendancy to have motion sickness.

[peaches from georgia]

Start taking Bonine the night before you embark so it is in your system before the 'motion of the ocean'. Take one every night going to bed whether the seas are calm or rough. I am very sensitive to seasickness. I also have vertigo which is the same inner ear condition that causes motion sickness at sea. I used to get seasick the first two days of a cruise even in calm seas, but have had no problem even in the roughest of weather since I started taking Bonine. (It used to be doctor prescribed only, but now is OTC.)

 

Many many posters also recommend Bonine. No side effects, but you need to keep it in your system with just a 1 pill a day dose.

[George C]

We were on sister ship Veendam in May and the crossing was preety rough going to Bermuda it is a small ship, we had no problems but some others did, talked to people on another ship that was about 80,000 tons bigger and they had no problems with sailing. Might want to talk to your doctor can never tell if you will run into storms.

[lettienets]

........Has anyone been on carnival & holland america to compare the two? Also, any advice for a first time HAL cruiser would be great :)

I have been on several ships in both fleets and am prone to seasickness. All depends on seas. Even the huge Carnival Dream around Bermuda was feeling the ocean, rocking and rolling. So I try to do what others have suggested, a cabin on a low deck, inside, gravol or bonine, bland food if necessary. One day I came down on the pool slide on Elation and was dizzy but the bread and tea in the Lido helped settle that problem! Been on transatlantics that are calm in a small ship and rough in large ship at times. Hard to say. Like the boy scouts, be prepared.

[innlady1]

Hi Lettie! Good to see you posting on here!

[VioletHorse]

We've sailed on the Ryndam (Inside Passage from Vancouver to Seward) and never felt any movement in our midship ocean view cabin. We've also sailed the Carnival Miracle (2600 pax rt NYC) and felt a fair amount of movement in our aft balcony cabin.

 

It really is all about the particular motion of the ocean at the time of your cruise and your cabin location. I'm more sensitive to motion than others and I cannot take any medication for it (it works but it turns me into a zombie for 24 hours) but I find that my Sea Bands work just fine.

 

As far as the HAL vs. Carnival experience, you'll find that HAL is quieter and more refined overall, and we found the food on Carnival was not as good as on HAL. The most fun about cruising a new line is to let yourself be surprised. Explore the ship when you embark, and let your cruise unfold before you.

[lindaler]

My first cruise was on the Amsterdam to Alaska. We were at the front in a verhanda and when the seas got rough enough to raise you off of the bed or you bounced down the halls from side to side, I did feel sick to my stomach. That was only one night when there was a storm. Since then we have booked in the center and I have been fine.

 

I would like to know more about the bonnie. I haven't heard of that before.

[KitKatK]

I would like to know more about the bonnie. I haven't heard of that before.

 

The brand name is Bonine, but its generic name is meclizine hydrochloride. I get very easily motion sick, so I swear by it, not just on cruises, but on bus trips, when flying, for amusement park rides and long car rides when I'm not the driver. What's better about it than Dramamine is that it doesn't make most people drowsy, although it does affect some that way still. I take 2 every 24 hours at the same time each day and have always felt great on board even in the roughest seas.

 

KK

[RuthC]

What's better about it than Dramamine is that it doesn't make most people drowsy, ....

Plus, you can drink when you use Bonine. :D

[jtl513]

I would like to know more about the bonnie. I haven't heard of that before.

 

The brand name is Bonine, but its generic name is meclizine hydrochloride.

KK

You can get all that you want (under the brand name Sea-Calm) free at the front desk or infirmary, .

[TKDgirl2456]

wow, thanks for all of the posts! I will try the bonine and maybe ginger capsules. I'm assuming that the ginger is OTC. Unfortunately (and fortunately) the cruise is a gift from my boyfriend's grandparents, so we are not picking our cabin, but I did tell them we preferred middle of the ship. I believe we have a verandah suite, so we will not be as low as possible. Here's to hoping for calm seas! :D