seasick on Oceania marina

Taking oceania Papeete to Sydney on Jan 24/15. Anybody know how rough the sailing, esp crossing over to Sydney from the Fiji? Really worry about being seasick as the Marina is only 60,000T.

Taking oceania Papeete to Sydney on Jan 24/15. Anybody know how rough the sailing, esp crossing over to Sydney from the Fiji? Really worry about being seasick as the Marina is only 60,000T.

"Only" 60,000 tons? That's still 15,000 tons larger than Titanic, and only 10,000 tons smaller than QE2! It's still a big ship. Heck, we rocked and rolled on Queen Mary 2 on the Atlantic and she is 150,000 tons.

Wear a patch.:D

Seas can be rough, or calm, any time, any place, and are not predictable more than a few days in advance. If you have an issue with sea sickness, you must be prepared everyday you are on a ship.

I've come into Sydney Harbour 4 times in the last two odd years, twice from the South Pacific. Once was quite rough and even a ship the size of the Oosterdam rocked and rolled but once it started getting rougher I took sea sick tablets and kept in open areas where I could see the horizon and coped surprisingly well.

The other time it was as calm as a millpond, its the chance you take when you cruise, if you are worried mid ships low down is your best option. On all four of my cruises I have hit rough weather in one spot or the other and three of those times we were not out in an open ocean but fairly near land, I have usually experienced calmer waters in the open ocean.

As we found out on our first South Pacific cruise the ship's captains are marvellously adept at avoiding rough weather, in our case it was a cyclone bearing down on us that chased us all the way back to Sydney.

None of us can know what motion of the ocean we'll experience on any given cruise.

You're sailing on a large ship. Hopefully, you'll get your sea legs early. :)

Have a great cruise.

Taking oceania Papeete to Sydney on Jan 24/15. Anybody know how rough the sailing, esp crossing over to Sydney from the Fiji? Really worry about being seasick as the Marina is only 60,000T.

Just a bit late to be asking this question?

It's a ship. Sometimes they all rock.

If you do end up feeling queezy, get yourself to a location where you can see the horizon. For most folks this will clear up the miscommunication between your vision and your inner ear. Worst place to be is inside where vision sees no motion but inner ear does.

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Go to your cruise prepared with seasick remedies..... whichever you prefer or your doctor recommends. Do not wait until you feel ill to start them. Seasick meds usually work better the sooner you take them.

FWIW, the Tasman sea between New Zealand and Australia is known for having rough/high seas. Not sure what your itinerary is from Tahiti to Sydney, but you should be especially prepared.

And, as others have noted, you should always be prepared for rough seas. It can happen anywhere, at any time. Sailing the ocean is NOT a Disneyland ride, with 100% controlled conditions.

If you can't handle seas....don't cruise. Simple rule, albeit harsh.

DH sailed over 800 days and never suffered seasickness until one night, in the Caribbean, when the seas were calm and weather was fine. Friends who sailed many days/miles with him were so surprised when we all saw his green face. That was the one and only time out of many nautical miles he 'took to his bed' feeling a dose of mal de mer. :D Can happen to anyone at anytime.

It has been noted that the Marina is big enough to handle the seas, but as has also been said, any ship can pitch and roll, it depends on lots of factors, and is really a large discussion and too complicated to resolved here.

Seasickness 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 detects 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 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, and is part of the problem. Keep away from greasy foods and don't overeat, but eat normal meals at normal times.

As for the remedies:

Ginger is clinically proven to dramatically reduce or prevent all motion sickness. You can take ginger pills (available in any drug store), eat candied ginger or ginger snaps, or drink real ginger ale (though you might need a lot). 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.

Some people 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 patch. The most common side-effect is dry mouth, but there can be some serious side-effects up to and 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. 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. If it were a really common problem, you wouldn't see so many cruise ships out there. 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.

As for the comment to not go cruising if you cannot take it, besides being a bit harsh, is also not very realistic. As I have said, even if you do get some motion sickness, it will pass. Bear in mind that man has not built the ship that will not rock or pitch in the seas, except for a submerged submarine, and the cruise industry is expanding fairly rapidly. Almost 20 million people cruise per year, and many are new at it and unsure if they will get seasick. Again, if they do, they will get over it. Keep a positive attitude and do not panic when you do experience motion. You will likely be fine!

What exactly the seas will be like is anyone's guess. It can be glassy smooth or very rough, or anything in between in any area of the oceans at just about any time.