Motion sickness, a problem?

[Aew0431]

Hi, we have booked a cruise at the Nieuw Statendam in september. We have a suite in the middle of the ship. This based upon the advice that there you should have less problems with motion sickness. I particulary have this when I sit against the direction of movement (in a train or bus). Now we discovered that the layout in the suite is just that. When I sit on the bed, I will travel with my back towards the direction of sailing. Has anyone experience with this? Is this going to be a problem? 

[Emme1233]

I have never had a problem with motion sickness in many cruises. However we are all different and how we react. I used to take OTC meclizine to be on the “safe” side…now I don’t think about it. I have had vertigo BPH and it actually was not a problem on a ship. 
 

You might check with your medical professional if you are very concerned about it. There are several things out there that help. More than likely..if you don’t think about it, you will be just fine. 

[Alberta Quilter]

I too usually have to face the direction of travel but I have not had an issue with how the bed is oriented.  If you think it will be an issue, could you try to change cabins to one that has the bed oriented towards the bow?  I realize it may be too late, given you’re sailing in September…. 
 

Good luck!

[Seasick Sailor]

As you can see by my name...

 

We have many cruises under our belts. I have used the ear patch, wrist bands, Bonine and other meclizine OTC, drank lots of water, eat ginger, drink seltzer or gingerale. Stay away from smoke/smokers. That really gets me dizzy.

 

We cruise between 30 to 55 days. Our next cruise is the 53 day Majestic Japan Cruise on Sept. 1st. We have a totally forward cabin on deck 5 (accessible Signature suite for MSH) So, I'm packing my top 3 items, but my best option is the scopolamine patch.

 

I hope this helps you, as seasickness sucks..

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

Bonine and ginger work best. I used Bonine years ago on a tiny ship (less than 2000 ppl) going to Bermuda. We had 25 ft waves coming in (hurricane was out at sea) I never got sick. Started taking it 48 hrs before we boarded (we knew the hurricane was out there) lots of ppl flew home they were sick but we were fine. Try it and ginger. You can get ginger caps in vitamin section of grocery stores. Sip on ginger ale too.

[bennybear]

I feel the same way,  and love cruising.  We’ve had beds both ways and while I’ve thought about it prior, I found no difference.  I do take chewable ginger,  and meclizine just in case I need it.   And green apples onboard!  For some reason they really help.  

Edited Sunday at 05:46 PM by bennybear

[VMax1700]

2 hours ago, Aew0431 said:

(in a train or bus)

That could be the reason as your eyes can see the landscape moving.  In the ship you cannot see the seascape from the bed, only the sky, which does not give a sense of movement.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Green apples 

Saltine crackers 

Patch 

Bracelet 

[3rdGenCunarder]

54 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

That could be the reason as your eyes can see the landscape moving.  In the ship you cannot see the seascape from the bed, only the sky, which does not give a sense of movement.  

 

I agree. If I look out the window for too long facing backwards on a train, it bothers me. But if I'm not looking out, the direction doesn't matter to me. Your brain is used to what you see moving forward, with what you're seeing coming toward you. For some people, focusing on things as they're moving away from you makes your brain unhappy. 

 

@Aew0431, you're right that midship has less motion, especially if the ship is pitching (moving forward and back). Rolling side-to-side affects all areas the same, although for both lower is better. Motion affects different people different ways, so you won't know until you try it. I love the feel of pitching, but DH was uncomfortable with that. His solution was to sleep. Roll was less of an issue for him. The worst thing for me is a bouncy excursion boat. If I'm worried about a rough ride on one of those, I'll take meclizine.

 

Although I'm rarely seasick, I keep ginger ale and crackers handy "just in case."  A ship's doctor once told me if you're feeling queasy, eat. Sounds crazy, but if you're only mildly uncomfortable, keeping something bland in your stomach (hence the stash of crackers), is soothing and may keep you from getting worse.

[doobieb]

I got the patches from my doctor before our cruise last November. They worked great.. Put it on 2 days before we boarded and never had any sickness.They make you very thirsty, however, so drinking lots of water helps. 

I got motion sickness the first time on a cruise to Alaska in an inside cabin, so I would not trust the advice to not look at the horizon. My reaction was to imagine the  waves double in size, which made the sea sickness worse. 
Go prepared and good luck!

[AerynSun_JohnCrighton]

1 minute ago, doobieb said:

I got the patches from my doctor before our cruise last November. They worked great.. Put it on 2 days before we boarded and never had any sickness.They make you very thirsty, however, so drinking lots of water helps. 

I got motion sickness the first time on a cruise to Alaska in an inside cabin, so I would not trust the advice to not look at the horizon. My reaction was to imagine the  waves double in size, which made the sea sickness worse. 
Go prepared and good luck!

Definitely put on a couple days ahead of time if you go with patches or bands. I had a friend who almost passed out from them so you want to make sure you have no reactions Before you get on a ship or leave. 

[doobieb]

14 minutes ago, AerynSun_JohnCrighton said:

Definitely put on a couple days ahead of time if you go with patches or bands. I had a friend who almost passed out from them so you want to make sure you have no reactions Before you get on a ship or leave. 

Oh, no!

Wow. 

[julia]

@3rdGenCunarder explains this very well.  You will feel the ship "roll" side to side, if your bed is oriented fore or aft. This (for the most part) is a soothing motion.  If the seas are higher, then the ship will "pitch" forward and back, but this too, can be a gentle motion that invokes sleep.  Once in bed, you will NOT actually feel which "direction" the ship is heading.

 

I just experienced a few restless nights on the Noordam in an aft cabin, (which we love) because the bed faced to port side. The rocking was actually pitching and it took some getting used to!  My go-to is a nightly meclazine... totally helps with sleep!

[vlbradley21]

I have found that I do best when I take a meclizine every night at bedtime.  I start the day before we embark.  It makes me sleepy if I take it during the daytime.

[d9704011]

For sake of accuracy, pitching is the up and down movement of the bow and stern (rotation around the transverse axis of the ship).  The back and forth movement (which is unlikely to be experienced on a cruise ship due to its size) is known as surging - translational movement along the longitudinal axis of the ship.

Edited Sunday at 08:34 PM by d9704011

[regan3]

Anybody have any experience using Emeterm or Relief Band for motion sickness? 

[0106]

55 minutes ago, regan3 said:

Anybody have any experience using Emeterm or Relief Band for motion sickness? 

 

[Wayward Son]

As stated previously, sort of, if you are in bed with no view of the outside, you will have no idea which direction is forward or aft. You will feel left to right (the roll) sometimes more intense, sometimes none at all. This is soothing to most on a cruise. 

 

For us, the wristbands are awesome and work just fine if we are in "rough" seas as high as 20+ foot waves.

 

[Ileneilene123]

8 hours ago, Aew0431 said:

Hi, we have booked a cruise at the Nieuw Statendam in september. We have a suite in the middle of the ship. This based upon the advice that there you should have less problems with motion sickness. I particulary have this when I sit against the direction of movement (in a train or bus). Now we discovered that the layout in the suite is just that. When I sit on the bed, I will travel with my back towards the direction of sailing. Has anyone experience with this? Is this going to be a problem? 

We will also have a mid-ship Vista suite on our upcoming cruise on the Zaandam. I’ve seen photos of several Vista suites but not our particular cabin. I am curious how you were able to find out the direction of your bed in your assigned cabin? Does it go by odd/even cabin number by any chance? Thx. 

[d9704011]

27 minutes ago, Ileneilene123 said:

We will also have a mid-ship Vista suite on our upcoming cruise on the Zaandam. I’ve seen photos of several Vista suites but not our particular cabin. I am curious how you were able to find out the direction of your bed in your assigned cabin? Does it go by odd/even cabin number by any chance? Thx. 

If you look closely at the deck plans you'll notice that the entry doors to the suites are not exactly located in the centre of the rectangle showing the suite's location; there are slightly longer and shorter portions of wall.  The bathroom is located along the longer portion and the head of the bed is located on the same side as the suite's bathroom.

 

Take a look at suites AA6118 and AA6120.

Edited Monday at 12:51 AM by d9704011

[ger_77]

@Aew0431 I feel your pain, as I’ve gotten sick in planes, trains, automobiles, and sadly, cruise ships.  My magic potion was meclizine, also sold as Bonine.  I was introduced to it on our first cruise in 1989 and I haven’t looked back since.  I start taking a half tablet at night starting about 2 days before leaving home, that way it’s in my system when I need it.  Also, if it’s going to make me sleepy, no problem, I’m going to bed anyway.   And, I find I can still enjoy a few cocktails and wine, and it doesn’t make me loopy.
 

The one thing we did do in one cabin when we were rolling side to side, we changed the orientation of our pillows so we were laying crosswise on the bed which made for a much more comfortable ride in high seas.  

Edited Monday at 12:52 AM by ger_77

[Wayward Son]

5 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

The one thing we did do in one cabin when we were rolling side to side, we changed the orientation of our pillows so we were laying crosswise on the bed which made for a much more comfortable ride in high seas.  

 

That is the silliest, and most fascinating, thing I've read about motion. Hmmm.

 

[Navybikermom]

4 minutes ago, Wayward Son said:

 

That is the silliest, and most fascinating, thing I've read about motion. Hmmm.

 

My husband got very seasick on the only cruise he went on. He slept on the sofa, which put him at a right angle to the bed. He felt better with that direction of motion. 

[ger_77]

1 hour ago, Wayward Son said:

 

That is the silliest, and most fascinating, thing I've read about motion. Hmmm.

 

Changing orientation on the bed made more sense than getting sick in it.  

[Wayward Son]

2 minutes ago, ger_77 said:

Changing orientation on the bed made more sense than getting sick in it.  

 

For sure. Which is why, forever onward, I will always remember your advice when in high seas.