Sick on board

[eforch]

My wife and I really want to go on a cruise, (everybody says we would love it.). The problem is we both get motion sickness and we dont want to spend our time on board sick. We know we can take medicine or wear patches but that does not sound like a lot of fun. Do they really work? What if they dont?

 

Also, we heard the rooms are kind of small. Do they supply hair dryers or do we have to bring our own?

 

Thanks!

[Talisker92]

Welcome to Cruise Critic! Different methods work for different people, but we recommend Bonine (generic meclazine). Take the first one before you board. If they make you sleepy, take one at bedtime.

My wife got motion sick in cars, airplanes and boats until she met me and I introduced her to Bonine. Now she can even fly with me in small planes.

The cabins may be small if you chose a lower price cabin. My suggestion is to go to the cruise line's website, find the ship you are interested in, and they should have the cabin layouts and descriptions.

Then you can make an educated decision about your cruise. We are happy to answer any questions e-mailed to us.

[BlueRiband]

Well, nobody wants to be sick on board. You'll find a lot of advice about seasickness pills and patches but most people need them only on rough seas. Mid-ship, low positions also tend to have less movement than those higher and/or aft/forward.

 

What has me concerned is the contradictory way in which you phrased your question. You say you want to try a cruise but you fear getting sick. There is absolutely no route or time of year where you can be 100% guaranteed that you will have smooth sailing. Perhaps you have health issues which would make you extremely prone to motion and a cruise vacation is not for you.

 

I would say perhaps you should stay on land. If you have worry that you will get sick, and over the counter medications might not work for you, why put yourself through that stress? Would you try a ski vacation if you had fear of getting cold?

Edited December 1, 2013 by BlueRiband

[paul929207]

Many people who have motion sickness are not affected by the motion of the ship. Often, we have to look outside to see if we are moving or docked.

[Seal]

OK--put on the patch and get on the ship and forget about sea sickeness--don't wait until you are sick and then try the patch or bonine or whatever you want. The only way I have realized in the last few decades that I get sea sick is to forget to change my patch after 3 days----been on many rough rides without a problem--before the patch I would get sick in Avalon Harbor with the boat barely moving in the middle of the night--that's what rocks most folks to sleep.

 

Go ahead make reservations now--and its true the more you pay the better and bigger the cabin.

 

Safe Travels

 

Nancy:D:D

 

 

Just curious--if you haven't cruised how can Carnival be your favorite cruise line??????

Edited December 2, 2013 by Seal

[grammy221]

My wife and I really want to go on a cruise, (everybody says we would love it.). The problem is we both get motion sickness and we dont want to spend our time on board sick. We know we can take medicine or wear patches but that does not sound like a lot of fun. Do they really work? What if they dont?

 

Also, we heard the rooms are kind of small. Do they supply hair dryers or do we have to bring our own?

 

Thanks!

 

We went on our 1st cruise last Feb. I was so afraid that I would get sea sick Went on the Royal Caribbean's Allure never got sick once, took everything with me for sea sickness but never needed any. Room wasn't small at all. Had hair dryers. We had a great time. In march we r going on the Oasis,

[caribsun]

Looks like you are from NY, why not take a boat ride on one of New York's lakes or rivers. Should give you a good idea of motion.

[DebJ14]

Looks like you are from NY, why not take a boat ride on one of New York's lakes or rivers. Should give you a good idea of motion.

 

There is no comparison by a ride on one of these boats and a cruise ship. My DH got sick on small boats, large yachts etc. and was afraid he would be sick on a cruise. He was only sick once and the seas were very, very rough and all doors to the outside were locked for safety and dishes were flying off the tables and merchandise off the gift shop shelves.

He got the patch a couple of times, but realized he really did not need it. His doctor said to only use it if he absolutely had to. After 40 cruises he doesn't even remember being worried about getting seasick.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I tend to get motion sickness in moving vehicles...can't even look at a road map in a car without feeling queasy. I've been on little cruises (like three hour cruises around a marina, the boat to Catalina Island, etc.) and had to take something before hand. But many OTC remedies make me drowsy.

 

My hubby (when we first started dating) was already hooked from his first cruise when we first met. So he suggested we go on an one-day cruise (there used to be gambling specials that went from San Diego to Ensenada and back for a day trip). I was able to stand that so we booked a 7-day cruise. Even though there was quite a bit of motion on the way north back to LA, I was able to take it (of course, that was just after we had a major earthquake here so any motion was minor relative to that).

 

I enjoyed all the activities and pampering. Since then (1994), just about every vacation we've been on has involved a cruise. Been on 11 cruises now. I discovered that ginger works best for me, so before every cruise, I head for our local Cost Plus World Market and buy up a ton of candied ginger.

 

One tip is to book a midships cabin as there's less motion there. I have been far forward (on our Alaskan cruise, we were just about as far forward as you can get, but it was a very smooth cruise), but I try to avoid this area on Hawaiian cruises, which generally get rough seas.

 

Another tip I have is to try out various remedies a while before the cruise and find out which ones don't give you side effects. Then pack a few of these in your carry on. Talk to your doctor if you're on prescription meds so that there's no bad interaction (you don't want to take ginger if on blood thinners, for example). My mother, whose motion issues are worse than mine, used the patch successfully for her one cruise. Other people swear by the special wristbands.

[dramaqueenjan]

I Swear by the Sea Bands

[Lerin]

Cabins mid-ship on lower decks tend to feel less movement.

 

Also some regions and seasons are more prone to rough seas.

Cruises in the Med in summer are usually pretty calm while cruises in the Caribbean in fall are often rougher.

Alaska is usually calm except for the stretch of open ocean between Seattle and the first port.

 

Try a patch or other medication, most people swear by them. I've never had much of an issue, but family members say ginger really helps. There are many pills or oils that can be taken, though most any form of ginger can help some. One of my aunts takes a box of Ginger Snaps on every cruise and says they work great.

 

Another suggestion would be to take a weekend cruise or Cruise to Nowhere to see how your body reacts. If you do happen to get ill, at least it will only be a day or so and not an entire week or more.

[Colorado Kat]

Try the various sea-sick meds people suggest, to see if you get side effects.

 

Avoid the fall season. Winter, spring and summer in the Caribbean are usually good. Try a short cruise to start.

[WatchHill]

Speak with you physician about motion sickness and medication options. If you are currently on meds, many can interact with the OTC remedies suggested and those patches can give people significant problems - that's why they are dispensed by Rx.

 

Darcy

[uncleg]

I get sick driving small automobiles, Bonine, Bodine whatever it is called works great with no side effects. This last cruise on the Dream wqs so smoth i only took one the whole time and did great...did not even rock for week after the cruise. LOL The Patches will make you sick especially if you want to enjoy and adult beverage or two.

[Keith1010]

There are many remedies you can take to prevent sea sickness.

 

Also try to book mid ship.

 

Amenities that you would find in a hotel such as a hair dryer you will find on the cruise ship.

 

Keith

[SPacificbound]

I have gotten car sick all my life unless I am looking out at the horizon, so I had the same concern.

 

I took Bonine, ginger pills and Seabands with us. We took the Bonine and ginger pills as soon as we got to our cabin and then every evening after that. It was our first cruise, 18 nights Sydney to Honolulu and we did have rough seas for a few days and neither of us got seasick. On a couple of nights we were moving enough that after dinner and the show when we made it back to our cabin and I decided it would be easier to just read in bed. The ship rocked me to sleep quickly. :)

[perkydebrajean]

My daughter gets car sick really bad. She's probably been sick in every state she's ever been through while riding in a car. However, we went on our first cruise last year and my biggest fear was that she would be sea sick the entire time.

 

She only got a little queasy one day when we had run into some rough water for a few hours. We both took some Bonine and it worked. And we were amazed at how smooth the ship was. Hard to tell it was even moving sometimes.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You really need to talk to your family doctor concerning what medication you should take for motion sickness. He knows you better than the people here on CC. He also knows what medications (if any) you take on a daily basis.

[Karysa]

The Adriatic Sea is like glass. It was actually too calm for me.

[Emilycat]

I swear by Bonine. I have been on many cruises, and have never felt sick at all, even during rough seas., Just take one before the ship leaves the dock on the first day, and one at the same time every day.

[cropping cruiser]

I was worried about getting sick, too. I get motion sickness on amusement park rides. My doctor cleared me to take OTC Dramine (meclazine) and have had no problems. If you know you tend to have motion sickness then its best to start the medication asap. DOn't wait to get sick. I take a lot of medication for a variety of medical issues and have been fine. I take it everyday around dinner time and no problems with drowsiness. Obviously, one should not be drinking alcohol when taking medicine. Personally, I have been able to tolerate having one drink but everyone is different.

Unfortunately, you really won't know until you try it. We tried it and loved it. Been on 9 cruises since 2006 and leaving on #10 next week.

One final thing is don't wait to eat, I find that if I get too hungry it feels like I am seasick when really I just need to eat. If in doubt, eat light.

Anne

[smeyer418]

NCL runs one or two day cruises out of Manhattan. They take you off Long Island and lazily run around outside the 3 mile limit. Cunard runs a 4 day cruise every now and then somewhere(out of Brooklyn) and Royal Caribbean runs 5 day cruises out of Bayonne(NJ).

I do agree that the lower more midships you are tend to have less motion. Whether having a room with a view or balcony will be better for you is an individual issue.

Modern large cruise ships tend to have less motion. Smaller ships feel every bump and wave.

everyone is different and how you will react to being at sea is highly personal. They have great medicine if you really get badly sea sick but these only really work if you start them before you get ill. I was just on a river cruise and some people actually wore seasick patches- I didn't feel any motion at all except once when we turned sharply to drop off one of the entertainers.

[Seal]

I get sick driving small automobiles, Bonine, Bodine whatever it is called works great with no side effects. This last cruise on the Dream wqs so smoth i only took one the whole time and did great...did not even rock for week after the cruise. LOL The Patches will make you sick especially if you want to enjoy and adult beverage or two.

 

NOT ME, thank goodness !!!!!

 

Nanct:D:D

[crawfrd7]

My son gets very motion sick but he wanted to cruise so bad. He is 20 years old. We took him and his girlfriend. He put the patch on the morning we left (first time ever on long trip he wasn't car sick). He was fine and he forgot to change the patch. He wasn't sick a bit and it was a 7 day cruise. It isn't as bad as people think

[aussielozzie18]

Apart from speaking to your doctor, I would do your research on cruise critic and speaking with others who have cruised - about when is the best time to cruise in the areas you seek to cruise. Whilst you can never predict the weather these days, there are certain seasons that are calmer than others and certain destinations that are calmer than others.

 

I just came back from my first cruise. I was worried about being seasickness beforehand. I bought tablets from the chemist and started taking them the night before the cruise. We took them every night before bed during the cruise. My son who suffers from motion sickness in cars also took them. We were on a 10day cruise and never felt seasick once.

 

We had cabins in the midships, on the lower decks. We could still feel the motion (we were on a cruise ship after all) but we loved the gentle motion of the ocean, it rocked us to sleep!

 

Good luck!