sea legs help !!

[sanfly]

hi ... first let me say thank you to all those who commented on my two posts ... have not been a member long and was happily surprised at the response I received ... most helpful ...

 

and my question this time is !!

 

do you think I will need any sea sick tablets ... we are on a 10 day Caribbean cruise but have not sailed before so not sure if I will need them ... would rather take them with me than have to see the Doctor

 

thank you for your replies

 

happy sailing Sandy

:)

[LMaxwell]

Ginger Ale /Ginger Pills / Ginger Gum (check Walmart, Target, Local pharmacy) are all helpful.

 

Bonine is the next level up. Bonine is NON-DROWSY.

 

If you are really seasick Dramamine will help but it PUTS YOU OUT LIKE A HIBERNATING BEAR.

 

I bring Ginger Gum and Bonine, but usually do not need them. I understand the ships medical center will give you some type of sea sick aid if you want but I do not know what it is.

[bubba83]

I would always make sure to pack some sea sickness remedies just incase.... your doctor can also write a script for a patch that goes behind your ear if you need it.

[sr4mjc]

Ginger Ale /Ginger Pills / Ginger Gum (check Walmart, Target, Local pharmacy) are all helpful.

 

Bonine is the next level up. Bonine is NON-DROWSY.

 

If you are really seasick Dramamine will help but it PUTS YOU OUT LIKE A HIBERNATING BEAR.

 

I bring Ginger Gum and Bonine, but usually do not need them. I understand the ships medical center will give you some type of sea sick aid if you want but I do not know what it is.

 

I don't know what it is either, but on the Mariner once I got something from medical that knocked me out like a light for an entire day. I didn't get sick though lol. I won't take it again.

[ColoradoGurl]

It depends on your tolerance for motion sickness. I have a major problem with it. First cruise I got really sick and it was miserable. I took some of the ship's Dramamine (or whatever they give you for free) and it didn't work; in fact I threw up, in a public place, because I was so sick I couldn't even make it to a bathroom. I also had those bracelets with me- total quackery for anyone with a serious motion sickness issue. Second cruise I got a prescription for the patch that goes behind your ear, it was amazing. Not one second of seasickness at all, even though my daughter (who never gets seasick) ended up in bed for an entire day with nausea. I would highly recommend getting that patch from your doctor.

 

There are caveats to the patch though, from my experience. First off, it gave me a sore throat about a day or two in. Second, after wearing it for 4 days, my vision started to get blurry. I couldn't read menus or small print at all. I mentioned this to some people on the ship who said you're not supposed to wear them for that many days in a row (not sure if that's true), so I took it off and those problems went away completely. The medicine left in my body kept me from getting sick for the rest of the trip as well.

Edited April 22, 2015 by ColoradoGurl

[Cigar King]

+1 for the patch. I get seasick, and the patch really seems to help. YMMV.

[Turtles06]

The best person to ask for medical advice is your always your doctor. :)

 

That said, since this is your first cruise, no one can predict whether you will get seasick. You can certainly come prepared with some over the counter drugs in case you do.

 

Re the comment above that says Bonine (generic name meclizine, and usually much cheaper when bought as generic) is non-drowsy, that's just not the case for everyone. It does work, but if you take it, you should be prepared to feel drowsy. (Not saying you will, but you may.)

 

Enjoy your cruise, and here's hoping you have sea legs! :)

[impatientlywaiting]

I am very prone to motion sickness (can't even ride in the back seat of a car). I buy the cheapest over-the-counter non-drowsy motion sickness pills in the pharmacy (usually 100 pills for less than $5) and they work just fine. I take them every morning when I get up and every night before I go to bed. :)

[alfaeric]

+1 for the patch. I get seasick, and the patch really seems to help. YMMV.

 

The patch is awesome for motion sickness.

 

But I'm not a fan of the side effects- the worst being that it dries your head totally out. Sounds good, but you are very thirsty, and it's kind of sore. The next worst thing- it blurrs my vision (which is a side effect on the container). I hate trying to read with the patch on.

 

Last trip, we had bonine, and liked it.

 

Regardless- do bring something with you. The patch can be gotten by calling your doctor to phone in a perscription. Bonine and Dramamine are over the counter. Oddly enough, finding the candided ginger or ginger gum has proven more difficult for us.... Any suggestions for those?

[westcoasttech]

I'll add to the recommendation for Bonine. I've heard some really bad things about the patches (blurred vision, hallucinations and contradictions with alcohol), but acknowledge that some people swear by them.

 

However, most "cures" are most effective if you take them before you start to feel sick. I try to carry Bonine with me on my cruises and will take one (or half a one) "just in case" whenever there's a chance of increased movement. I'll make sure I take one before getting on any smaller boats for shore excursions (I was really glad I took one before taking a catamaran trip around St. Maarten a few months ago - that thing was rocking and rolling!)

 

The only problem being I have to stock up on the tablets whenever I take a trip to the US - I'm in Western Canada (Vancouver) and they don't seem to carry them at the pharmacies here anymore!

[Kellie in Texas]

I've used it on three cruises now. I start taking it about three days before we get on the ship, and then I usually only need it for about three days after we get on the ship. It works for me and since you take it at night, you're asleep anyway. I've never experienced any side effects from it.

[trihawks1]

I have vertigo issues on land and have been on 3 cruises and booked a 4th. First cruise tried just Dramamine and it sort of worked. Second cruise I got the patch (3 of them) and put it on the day before the cruise. Also had nausea medicine from RX doctor gave me. Did better but also larger ship (voyager). Last time I took the patch and bonine. Had nausea medicine just in case. Did fine entire trip. We were on the Indy.

 

Just a couple non medical ideas for you too...make sure to get mid ship and lowest deck you can book. For example on the Indy we were on Deck 6 room 6338 I think. I prefer a hump cabin for views and also close to the AFT vs forward. And when we were eating in the MDR, we were in the Romeo & Juliet dining room about 5 tables back directly in the middle. All these things plus having a balcony I think helped me enjoy my last cruise. We have also always cruised in December or March...we avoid anything from June to first part of November. I won't be cruising on anything smaller than a Freedom size ship regardless whether RCCL or any other cruise line. I check the beam width of other cruise line ships and compare to the Freedom size ship. However, realize that the seas can always get rough and make things a bit more of an issue no matter the size of the ship or placement of your cabin. Hope this helps.

 

 

 

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[awestover89]

The patch is awesome for motion sickness.

 

But I'm not a fan of the side effects- the worst being that it dries your head totally out. Sounds good, but you are very thirsty, and it's kind of sore. The next worst thing- it blurrs my vision (which is a side effect on the container). I hate trying to read with the patch on.

 

Last trip, we had bonine, and liked it.

 

Regardless- do bring something with you. The patch can be gotten by calling your doctor to phone in a perscription. Bonine and Dramamine are over the counter. Oddly enough, finding the candided ginger or ginger gum has proven more difficult for us.... Any suggestions for those?

 

If you have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's near you they almost always carry them, but I don't like the taste of ginger :( Any health food or all natural store should carry at least candied ginger.

 

I get really bad motion sickness and have always used Dramamine, doesn't make me drowsy but it puts my husband out like a light. Last year we got the non-drowsy version of Dramamine and it seemed to work just as well and neither of us had any side effects from it.

[Medicalley]

It looks from your profile that you're from the UK. Tablets containing meclizine (US- Bonine/ Dramamine) are no longer available over the counter in the UK- I tried recently! If you have time, they are cheap to buy from a pharmacy or supermarket in the US- I got some before our recent cruise. Never had to take them, but better to have some with you. The patches are great- my husband uses them, but they do give him a very dry mouth and he sleeps a lot for the first 24 hours!!

[Cigar King]

Oddly enough, finding the candided ginger or ginger gum has proven more difficult for us.... Any suggestions for those?

 

Amazon has them both. I've also seen them at World Market.

[Cigar King]

It looks from your profile that you're from the UK. Tablets containing meclizine (US- Bonine/ Dramamine) are no longer available over the counter in the UK-

 

The motion sickness pills available for free in medical are meclizine. You could always stop by as you are boarding and grab a couple just in case.

[Sherri914]

Oddly enough, finding the candided ginger or ginger gum has proven more difficult for us.... Any suggestions for those?

 

Trader Joes carries real ginger "mints". They're always up by the counter, and they're in a little tin. It's their own brand. They're basically crushed ginger made into a tablet form that you can suck on - I'm assuming with a little sweetener or something . I don't know if you have a Trader Joes, but I keep these in my purse always. They're fantastic!

[jules815]

I've used it on three cruises now. I start taking it about three days before we get on the ship, and then I usually only need it for about three days after we get on the ship. It works for me and since you take it at night, you're asleep anyway. I've never experienced any side effects from it.

 

This is what I do. I'm prone to motion sickness in a car and even some video games. I start taking Bonine at bedtime the night before we sail and continue that way throughout the cruise. It's preventative. I'm not even sure if I would get seasick, but don't want to find out. I learned about Bonine here on CC before my first cruise, and have never sailed without. We were even out during Hurricane Sandy, and I had no issues. Also, I've never had any side effects from Bonine, even with alcohol. I usually buy the generic if it's available.

[sippican]

Oddly enough, finding the candided ginger or ginger gum has proven more difficult for us.... Any suggestions for those?

 

Ginger can be found in capsule form also.

Available in many health food stores or vitamin sections in pharmacies and stores.

[alfaeric]

thanks for the ginger sources!

[Natmom]

DH has terrible motion sickness and the patch works so well. He did have the dry mouth but he said he would take that side effect over most others. Dramamine puts him to sleep and he just feels groggy all the time. On our upcoming cruise he is going to try the patch for the first few days just to get his sea legs

[cruisedancemom]

I'm very prone to seasickness - start taking Bonine a day or 2 before cruise and take it every night at bedtime. It needs time to build up in your system.

I get zonked from Benadryl but never had a problem with Bonine.

Enjoy!

[Mabbiesmum]

Like you I didn't know if I would be sea sick or not before our first cruise so I bought a giant tub of ginger capsules (literally just ginger in a gelatin capsule, great if you don't like the taste) before our first cruise and we both took one every morning, including the day of departure.

 

Happily we have never been sick and discovered that we both like rough seas but we still take our capsules very morning, just in case :D

 

Hope you enjoy your first cruise.

[margarita fan]

They sell bonine on the ship, too usually. It is the only thing that works for me. Apparently there is a meclizine shortage here in the UK so you can't currently buy any meclizine medicines.

[Moremajor]

hi ... first let me say thank you to all those who commented on my two posts ... have not been a member long and was happily surprised at the response I received ... most helpful ...

 

and my question this time is !!

 

do you think I will need any sea sick tablets ... we are on a 10 day Caribbean cruise but have not sailed before so not sure if I will need them ... would rather take them with me than have to see the Doctor

 

thank you for your replies

 

happy sailing Sandy

 

 

I was on the Carnival Breeze last summer. On our way to Aruba, I woke up in the middle of the night because I thought someone was shaking our bed (I know how a piece of chicken feels in a Shake and Bake bag now). Needless to say, the sea was very rough. What saved me from being sick was laying very still, on my back. I also had wrist bands on that put pressure on the pressure points on my wrists. Normally I would have been sick, but these bands really worked. We were also on deck 12 which made things much worse!