Seasickness remedies/alcohol

I know many of you have recommended the patch and bonine, etc. but is there anything that does not make you sleepy and you can drink alcohol with? We have never been on a cruise before and are taking our first one to Alaska next month. Do a majority of passengers have a problem or only if there are rough seas? Our route is Vancouver to Whittier so I've heard we'll have more time to get our "sea legs" before possibly hitting rougher waters in Alaska. I think there is a non-drowsy Dramamine out(I've been told) but don't know if you can drink with that also.

You absolutely should NOT consume alcohol with any type of antihistamine (which category both Dramamine (diphenhydramine) and Bonine (meclizine) are in. The alcohol can increase the sedative effect of the anti-emetic. As for scopalomine, you should not consume alcohol with it either, both for the reason stated above, and because scopalomine has a known side effect of causing hallucinations/delusions and it might be difficult to differentiate between medication side effect versus side effects of the ethanol (drinking alcohol). If you want to consume alcohol, your best bet would be to purchase one of the non-medication anti-emetic devices (e.g. Sea Bands). If you feel you will need medication, discuss it with your primary care provider first to determine what would be the safest method for you (NOTE: I am a health care professional). If you are going on one of the bigger ships, you will not feel the motion as much as on the smaller ships and weather is also somewhat dependend on time month in which you travel (i.e. earlier and later in the season you are more likely to experience rough seas than in the middle of the season). Hope this answers your question.

stuff and drank. I felt like I was stoned the whole week. Not a bad feeling! lol

I felt pretty bad in the mornings and after the 3rd day I stopped taking the pills.

Very few passengers get sea sick in the waters of the inside passage. You're correct that you should have gotten used to the motion of the ship before you hit the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska.

SourdoughSteve

Thanks and I will be taking sea bands and ginger capsules-don't think I will have any problem but am hoping my husband and son won't either.

I'm going to Alaska for the first time too (if Northwest Airline strike doesn't prevent me from getting to Vancouver, but I digress). I've been on some eastern Caribbean cruises with huge seas and have never been bothered. Trick comes when you hit dry land again and everything seems to be in motion. I'm just taking the ginger altoids that come highly recommended and taste pretty good. Skip the bonine and have an altoid and a fuu-fuu drink. You'll be fine.

We just got back from a cruise last week and even though we had rough seas around Ketchikan, the ship did an amazing job of not tossing us around. I didn't hear of anyone getting sick. It was really smooth. I use a version of a sea band that emits a mild electrical charge and it works immediately. I've never gotten seasick, but use it when flying. It works really well. I've seen them in catalogs, but I got mine from Travelsmith.com. Worth looking at if you're worried and drinking wouldn't be an issue. It's not cheap, though.

I agree with peggyy - once on land, I was dizzy for days.

I've got some sea bands and the ginger capsules and will look for the Altoids also. It doesn't sound like a lot of people have some sort of problem.