Unsure of what to do - seasickness on cruises

hi,

this is probably a really silly question but we have never been on a cruise ship before. We are a family of 2 adults, 5 kids coming to States in late November - orlando, miami, key west, memphis, grand rapids, niagara falls, new york. I am toying with idea of throwing in a small cruise (3 night) around bahamas but dont know if people generally get sea sick on these cruises - dont want to 'waste' day or two of our precious holiday being sick. Would substitute the cruise for a few more days on the coast if there was a strong chance of getting sick. We did go on an Atlantis sub at Hawaii last year and everyone got a little sick on the boat that goes 1km out to sea to meet the sub, despite having had a tablet. Of course the cruise ship is much much bigger which is why i am uncertain.

thanks

Not many people get sea sick.

You can minimize chances by booking cabins more mid ship on a lower deck.

There are also many remedies that you can take.

Keith

Well first of all, a cruise ship is not a "little boat". Small boats bob in the water like corks. A large ship, like a cruise ship is a lot more stable. Also, cruise ships have stabilizers ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilizer_%28ship%29

Stabilizers help reduce the rolling motion (side to side motion) of a ship. So, you are less likely to get sea sick on a cruise ship then on a small boat. That said, if the seas are truly rough, say over four meters, the ship is going to roll.

Seasickness is caused by a conflict between the eyes and ears. If you are inside, your eyes do not see motion. However, your ears will sense the motion and the conflict can cause seasickness (aka motion sickness). So, one thing that helps is to be where you can see the horizon so that your eyes can see the movement.

Next, low and center on the ship will have least amount of movement. The closer you are to either end of the ship the more you will feel the ship pitching (the up and down movement of the ship). The closer you are to the edge of the ship the more you will feel the rolling motion of the ship.

Finally there are things you can take that will help. One thing that helps is to eat bland foods such as bread and crackers.

I get motion sickness easily yet I have never gotten seasick on a cruise ship. This is because not only of the ship's size, but also I take ginger with me, just in case.

Here is some more information on preventing seasickness ...

http://www.goddesscruise.com/SeaSick.htm

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=59876

http://www.top-adventure-tours.com/sea-sickness.html

http://fishntexas.com/tips_seasickness.htm

http://www.motionsickness.net/aboutms.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_13191_prevent-seasickness.html

http://cruises.about.com/od/cruisehealthandsafety/a/seasickness.htm

http://www.nccoastalfishing.com/index.htm?seasickness.htm~main

http://www.heads-up.net/upload_files/SG-ED-47.pdf

Cruizer2 has given good advice.

My question is how bad is your (& family) motion sickness. If the little boat was your first time, I wouldn't be too worried. If anyone gets car sick, bus sick, plane sick then you have to be a little more concerned. I get motion sickness and have enjoyed cruising. We've had a few rough nights at sea and I actually enjoy the motion and have never felt nauseous.

Different Remedies: I personally like the Sea-Bands and they do work for me (though not for everyone). There are ginger tabs, bonine, and the patch (which in the US is a prescription only patch that you put behind your ear). I'm not a fan of taking drugs so my theory is start with the Sea-Bands but bring the other options.

Enjoy planning your vacation!

Well, this is a large topic, and some background information will really help you before we get to remedies.

First of all, most people don't get seasick, and if you do, it almost always passes in a day, once you get your sea legs. Yes, I know, there are some people (a very small number) who seem to take several days to get over it.

Seasickness is primarily caused by a conflict between the eyes (if they are not seeing the motion) and the inner ear which detect the motion. So, prevention is somewhat easy -- stay someplace where you can see the motion until you get your sea legs. Staying out on deck and watching the horizon is often the cure, and the fresh air will help as well. If you are inside, stay near a window so you can see the horizon. If you are not feeling well, do not go inside and lose sight of the seas. The other thing is to eat normally. While this seems counter-intuitive, an empty stomach is not the answer. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

A ship's motion is a complicated matter. The size of the seas (height of the waves), frequency of the waves, and distance between the waves are all factors, and they interact with the size of the ship as well as the direction of the ship as opposed to the direction of the waves. Stabilizers do help, but do not and cannot stop all motion. What seems odd is that you will notice motion, but notice very small seas, and sometimes get little motion in seemingly heavy seas. And do not think that the new, super large cruise ships won’t move in the ocean. The ocean is much bigger and more powerful than any ship no matter how big! Generally speaking the seas on the west side of the Bahamas are very protected and therefore more calm. On the east side, you are more affected by storms at sea that cause the heavy seas in the first place.

As for the old saying of staying in a low cabin, that is not so true any longer. With the very large superstructures on modern cruising ships, the center of motion is significantly higher than it used to be, so the ideal place is often somewhere above the main deck. Being amidships minimizes pitching (bow going up and down), but has no effect on rolling (side-to-side).

As for the remedies:

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can eat ginger snaps, drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot), eat candied ginger, or take ginger pills (available in any drug store). This is a natural remedy obviously, but proven to work. Start taking or eating it before you get on the ship, but you do not need more than a few hours' time for it to get into your system -- you do not need to take it days in advance.

Some people, as noted in a previous post, swear by the seabands, others notice no effect whatsoever. Again, no medications, but not always effective.

Bonine and dramamine are OTC medications available everywhere. They will work for most people who get seasick. They should be started before getting on the ship. Ships also dispense generic forms of these pills.

For cases of severe seasickness where nothing else has worked, there is the scopolamine patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects including hallucinations. If you know you are going to get seasick, and you have tried other medications without success, and your doctor recommends it, get the prescription filled in advance and try it for a week on dry land first -- you don't want to start hallucinating as you walk along the rail while you are at sea.

Perhaps most of all, don't worry yourself into it. If you don't get motion sick in other situations, you are likely to be fine or will be fine after a few hours. If it were a really common problem, you wouldn't see so many cruise ships out there. While cruise ships do move in the seas, and rough seas can cause a lot of motion, bear in mind that they are not anything like small pleasure craft that bob and bounce along all the time. Motion on a cruise ship tends to be much, much slower and less dramatic. For most passengers, the gentle motion is calming. Cruise lines try to avoid rough seas when they can, though that is not always possible, and the seas are not always coming from the right direction (Mother Nature can be soooo finicky). For the most part, though, relax and enjoy. Odds are that you are going to be just fine, and the initial prevention suggestions should be enough by themselves.

A large ship feels different from a small boat if you pick the cabin wisely. I get sick just by looking at the boats :o

The cabin should be in the middle lower section, and should have some sort of a window - even a porthole or obstructed.

Take ginger 2-3 days before the cruise, continue during the cruise and 2-3 days after it to avoid "sea legs" - this is if nobody's taking blood thinners.

If rough weather is announced on the ship TV - take a Bonine at bed time.

I've been on three cruises now and about to take our fourth. If anyone is to become ill from seasickness, I would be the first one to turn green :eek:. To date I have not had an issue with Mal De Mer. In 2009 when we left Ft. Lauderdale they, for some reason unknown to me, delayed deploying the stabilizers until we were quite some distance from shore. The ship was rolling strongly!! As soon as the stabilizers were deployed the rolling ceased immediately! :D

there are alot of different suggestions on here...do a search, but whatever you decide on even the GINGER CAPS if you are on any type of medication check with your DR. also with the childrens dr too!

ENJOY and SMOOTH SAILING!!!

A large ship feels different from a small boat if you pick the cabin wisely. I get sick just by looking at the boats :o

 

The cabin should be in the middle lower section, and should have some sort of a window - even a porthole or obstructed.

 

Take ginger 2-3 days before the cruise, continue during the cruise and 2-3 days after it to avoid "sea legs" - this is if nobody's taking blood thinners.

 

If rough weather is announced on the ship TV - take a Bonine at bed time.

What is the interaction between ginger and coumadin?

What is the interaction between ginger and coumadin?

Ginger can also interfere with the clotting process and cause bleeding. You would want to check with your dr or your pharmacist before taking ginger if you are on coumadin.

I get motion sickness in every situation where there is movement and i"m not driving. Even Disney rides :O I've tried all the remedies out there - the only one that works for me is Bonine (Meclazine) tablets. They are non-drowsy and you take one a day.

Some people claim they don't work unless you start them the day before, but I've found they work fine at the first sign of motion sickness. I take them with me on bus rides, car rides, amusement parks and cruises.

I get motion sickness very easily and last year on our first cruise I got sea sick one night. It was bad enough that I had to go buy the anti nasuea pills and sleep it off :(. I had patches but ran out. The patches are very expensive - like $10.50 a piece! I could not get the sea band to work for me? In the past I have drunk ginger ale for nausea but have never thought of ginger caps.

We just got back on a 7 day RCCL Freedom of the Seas. We were mid-ship on Deck 2 and the rocking was unbelievable. We still had rocking 5 days after we got off the ship. We went on disney cruise in 2009 and were on deck 5 and didn't have any rocking with Disney. Maybe the boats are made differently.....

These are big ships, but nonetheless can encounter seas that will make even the best of us queasy....such as the Tasmanian sea between Australia and New Zealand, or the North Sea around Northern Germany. And, there are occasions where tendering from ship to shore can be bumpy and uncomfortable, even in moderate seas that don't bother the ship. Most cruise lines will offer complimentary seasick pills (Medi-Meclizine) which work fast and do the job. In my opinion, better than patches, since you can take the pills when you need them, as opposed to needing to know in advance when to put on a patch. Most of the posters here agree that seasickness is unlikely, but for sure, if you suffer, take care of it.

My husband and I took our first cruise in April. One of the questions we asked when we booked we asked where was it most stable on the ship. We booked our room on the 4th deck (or as my husband referred to as 'steerage'). The first night out of NYC was stormy. We were on deck 12 and could really feel the motion so we decided to go to our room. You could still feel movement, but not as bad. It was a good thing we had gone to our room because the next day we found out how many people ended up feeling seasick. Also, I ate green apples which seemed to help.

The ships are usually large enough and the seas calm enough that normally I would say that your crew would be fine, but the the three day cruises to the Bahamas are usually older ships and often do not have stabilizers on them. I live in Florida and many people take the three day Bahama cruise. Most come back very disappointed. I think that there is so much to see and do in Orlando that the kids would be happier staying there. If your children love space, a visit to the Space Center on the east coast might be fun. There is not anything that you can do in the Bahamas that you cannot find in Florida. BUT...if the ship is one of the Disney ships then do the cruise. You and the kids will have a blast.

PatandDust

hi,

 

this is probably a really silly question but we have never been on a cruise ship before. We are a family of 2 adults, 5 kids coming to States in late November - orlando, miami, key west, memphis, grand rapids, niagara falls, new york. I am toying with idea of throwing in a small cruise (3 night) around bahamas but dont know if people generally get sea sick on these cruises - dont want to 'waste' day or two of our precious holiday being sick. Would substitute the cruise for a few more days on the coast if there was a strong chance of getting sick. We did go on an Atlantis sub at Hawaii last year and everyone got a little sick on the boat that goes 1km out to sea to meet the sub, despite having had a tablet. Of course the cruise ship is much much bigger which is why i am uncertain.

 

thanks

Hi, European cruisers,

There is nothing which can spoil a cruise faster than seasickness. My husband and I just returned from a wonderful cruise on the largest cruise ship in the world, "the Allure of the Seas." My husband gets seasick riding in a car, standing on a dock or anytime he isnt in charge of the driving. This was our first cruise, and we sailed on a pretty calm ocean to the Eastern Carribean. My opinion is...dont waste your time getting off the boat in Nassau..but I digress..His doctor recommended the patches for this cruise and he followed the directions to the letter. He had a wonderful time. Of course, this was a much larger boat than most cruise ships. We stayed midship on the 7th deck and it was glorious. A couple of times, we noticed a rolling motion, but it was more like, "What was that?" than alot of rocking and rolling. I'd suggest cruising when the weather is calmest and dont go cruising on a ship during hurricane season, generally worst in August. Eat sensibly and dont drink alot of alcohol. Get your exercize aboard ship as well. Enjoy the activities aboard ship and keep yourself entertained as much as possible..I had no problem, but if we were to cruise on a smaller ship, I'd definitely get the patch as well. Have fun and keep busy. With 5 children, you'll be doing alot. Use any and all suggestions given here..Bon Voyage!

Hi, European cruisers,

 

A couple of times, we noticed a rolling motion, but it was more like, "What was that?" than alot of rocking and rolling.

That is the same thing we say in California when an earthquake first hits.

I get motion sickness easily from cars, planes, and boats but that hasn't stopped me from my love of cruising!! I have a list of tips I'm used and collected on my blog: everything from where to book your cabin to what to take to prevent sea sickness and what to do once it happens:

http://moonprincess.com/travel/108/

Hope it helps!

I got a bit queezy on the Atlantis sub too, but I am convinced it was because it was a small closed in space. I also had problems on my first cruise back in 1996, smaller ship, small inside cabin without adequate ventilation. I have been on two cruises since and have Freedom booked for this March, didn't have any trouble on either of those, but larger ships one balcony, one inside on Navigator. The ginger ale, or chews work well for me, I have also tried the patch and the bands, but the ginger works just as well. Do it you will have a blast!

We have friends who swear by ginger to prevent seasickness or other motion related problems. Start taking ginger capsules/pills two weeks before your trip and continue while traveeling. It's also good for you digestion. I hope this helps.:)

My wife used to get violently ill on a airplane or boat or car. I introduced her to Bonine (generic Meclazine) and it helped her totally. She can now even fly in a small plane with me.

There is a Cruise Critic article on this subject ...

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=48

A lot of good suggestions already. The Ginger thing was new to me. My wife likes the Ginger candies that they sell at some of the markets. I guess I'll have to join her.

A little history..........as is commonly known, cruise ships are famous for the quantity of food available. One of the main reasons they started this tradition in the days of much smaller ships was so that the passengers' stomachs would stay full. People with a full stomach are much less likely to get sea sick. So, after you board take advantage of the opportunity to eat some snacks as you get acclimated and EAT! EAT! EAT! :)You can burn off the calories later.

Have a good time.

I am glad to see this thread. My DH gets car sick even if he is driving and we really want to take a cruise for our 20th anniversary. I think that we need to try ginger for him. I would hate to go on a cruise and have him sick the whole time.