Sea Sickness in Inside Passage

[lilmiss]

So were planning an Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver northbound for end of May, but my brother is frightened of Sea Sickness. We cruised the Caribbean 15 years ago and had really rough seas for three days in a row, he was sea sick then, not so bad that he had to stay in his cabin, but he was very uncomfortable the whole time and felt dizzy. That was somehow a traumatic experience for him- I can´t blame him- and he hasn´t cruised ever since..

Am I right if I tell him, that we only sail one day in open water ( College Fjord ) and that the other part won´t be bad, because we are inside a land passage ??? What is your experience ??? How bad can it be ??

I know that there are these patches that you stick behind your ear...where can I buy them ? What are they called and how much do they cost ?? Are they any good ???

Sorry so many questions...but I want to make sure my brother is fine, otherwise the trip is ruined ;)..haha !!!

[krogerlady]

Here is a site with the name and info for the patch. I used it for a carribean cruise many years ago, with basically no previous experience on whether I would get seasick or not. Just wanted to be prepared. I didn't get seasick, as did many of my travel friends, so it must have worked. I don't remember any side effect, but you do have to get it from your doctor. Mine has already told me it would be fine for me to use. Better safe than sorry. You will find many many posts about Bonine, ginger pills, and a bracelet that work for many people. I haven 't tried any of those, but I know with the patch, I did not get seasick.

http://www.transdermscop.com/

[Chat Noir]

Crossing Queen Charlotte Sound always makes me a little queasy as well, but is fairly short-term. Does not ruin the cruise by any means, but I know to prepare in advance.

 

I use SeaBands; they work for me both flying and cruising unless motion is especially rough, the first non-drug remedy I've found to be useful.

 

The scopolamine patches are available via physician prescription only, here in the USA. Many people have excellent results, just be aware of side effects.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a682509.html

 

Some choose to use over the counter Dramamine or Bonine. There are non-drowsy formulas available.

[Budget Queen]

Am I right if I tell him, that we only sail one day in open water ( College Fjord ) and that the other part won´t be bad, because we are inside a land passage ??? What is your experience ??? How bad can it be ??

QUOTE]

 

Sorry, absolutely not. You are going to get a fair share of posters, who will report the "smooth as glass" sailings, but you have NO WAY to predict the future and what you are going to encounter.

 

In my experience, I've had some extremely rough sailings, one time was a round trip Vancouver- the most protected routing- lasting 3 days of rolling and pitching. Many sick passengers. I've encountered this on all the routes.

 

Transderm Scop is prescription only, I strongly suggest a health care professional be consulted.

[TheHub]

A few weeks ago I was awake late at night and couldn't sleep. While channel surfing I ended up watching some scientific show that was testing a number of rumors to find out if they were fact or fiction. One rumor they tested was whether or not ginger would help avoid motion sickness.

 

The details of the test are long and less than interesting, but the conclusion was that without question ginger does indeed help avoid motion sickness. The results were very conclusive.

 

I never get seasick, but my wife does, and based on what I saw on that show I am definitely getting her some before we depart. It's easy to get too - any grocery store will have it.

[CowPrincess]

I've only cruised to Alaska 4 times. Of those times, 3 had slight rocking and rolling (to me, it was slight) for less than 24 hours. My cruisin' buddy still talks about how rough it was, and also complained about the motion from Cabo to San Diego. "Ohmigoodness, this is as bad as that stretch in Alaska". How rough it seems can be very personal.

 

On my 4th trip to Alaska (with my husband, not my cruisin' buddy) we had Gale Force 8 and 9 for nearly 24 hours coming out of Ketchikan. It was dramatic. It was rough. Many people were affected, and the restaurants had notably fewer people in them. Thank goodness my cruisin' buddy wasn't with us -- she'd have been catatonic.

[NMCRUISERS]

We were blessed with smooth waters on September. The only time I noticed any movement was in Queen Charlotte Sound. It didn't bother us, but I know that others were sensitive to it.

[thinfool]

So were planning an Inside Passage cruise from Vancouver northbound for end of May, but my brother is frightened of Sea Sickness.Am I right if I tell him, that we only sail one day in open water ( College Fjord ) and that the other part won´t be bad, because we are inside a land passage ??? What is your experience ??? How bad can it be ??

I know that there are these patches that you stick behind your ear...where can I buy them ? What are they called and how much do they cost ?? Are they any good ???

Sorry so many questions...but I want to make sure my brother is fine, otherwise the trip is ruined ;)..haha !!!

 

While others have posted their extreme experiences, ours was quite peaceful except for the day crossing the Gulf of Alaska. But I slept a lot that day. Otherwise, our inside passage out of Vancouver in August 07 was like being on a farm pond.

So, while there are no guarantees, your chances are better for quiet waters out of Vancouver than they would be out of Seattle.

Also, crossing the Gulf ends about 2 or 3 o'clock when you enter Prince William Sound on the way to College Fjiord. Peaceful waters there.

 

Finally, sail on a big ship, like the Diamond or Sapphire Princess. They are less susceptible to wave action.

 

(or you could get him drunk and passed out so that he wouldn't feel a thing! rofl)

 

The patches work for some people. They have side effects that make me >not< favor them. You get them via prescription from your MD.

 

Have a great trip! Alaska is awesome!

[sredish]

We did the inside route from Seattle - which most say is rockier than Vancouver. No biggie. I consider myself sensitive, and we had what most would consider rocky seas our first day out going around Vancouver Island. I took 1/2 Bonine in the morning and a full pill at night. I never had an issue. I drank with and after dinner in moderation and I never felt sleepy, dizzy or sick. In fact, I remember that first rocky night hearing stuff fall over in the bathroom and thinking, "I should be sooooo sick right now." But I never was. I started the pills the day before the cruise to make sure it was in my system.

 

It was our first cruise and I was terrified of getting seasick. But we had no problems. Obviously everyone is different, but when we said again in June I plan on using the Bonine pills again. Easy peasy.