First cruise - sea sick advise

I'm going on my first cruise next week to Bermuda from NY.

I occasionally get car sick, not always, and occasionally feel queazy when flying. I'm worried of becoming sick on the ship and ruining my vacation.

I've done alot of research and have found conflicting information. I have read todays ships have stabilizers and sophisticated equipment on board to avoid bad weather and rough seas. I was told these ships are so large they don't move around very much. I also read several posts on recommended motion sickness treatments, bands, pills, and ginger.

Do alot of people get sick. Do these ships move around alot? Why do people get sick if the ships are more stable? I'm sailing on RC Explorer of the seas. Any advise is appreciated.

You might be pleasantly surprised by not getting sea sick at all! I get car sick, but never sea sick. Go figure. OTC motion sickness pills don't help me much for that. Ginger does. If you can find ginger tea, tablets, gum, or all of them, you might consider bringing that. Also, I find an empty stomache gets much queasier than a stomache with at least something in it.

Explorer is a big ship with stableizers; however u will be in the atlantic ocean and it is still hurricane season. cruising in the caribbean sea is smoother than the atlantic ocean. most of the time if u don't hit any bad weather u should have a smooth trip. there is a prescription medicince called transdermscope. It is a patch worn behind your ear. U put the patch on the day prior to sailing; it is water proof so u can wear it all week. It helps with motion sickness both on land, sea, and air. The patch normally is good for a seven day period. It has to be prescribed by a doctor. My wife gets them everytime we sail. She loves them.

cheers

I ditto Sea Hag on not letting your tummy get empty. I don't have a problem with this even in rough sea's but sister does........she avoids looking at the rise or fall of the horizon or even the water in her water glass, but these things only bother her if the sea is really rough.

We just got back from the Glory and had to sail through the Gulf at the same time Ike was headed for Texas. We were in 8 to 10 foot seas on Thursday and there were several sick people. The ship had vomit bags in each of the elevator lobbies.

Good luck

We had one lady in our group this summer who wore a patch and it affected her brain. She was doing crazy things and having trouble walking. The Doctor on the ship told her she should have taken in off some instead of wearing it all the time. I am sure it affects different people, different ways. I have seen alot of people wearing the patch. Our first cruise on a smaller ship was the only time I have seen anyone getting sick.

fuzion35, you are cruising on a large, beautiful ship with stabilizers. However, the seas can be rough at times from NY to Bermuda and back, and I feel it's best to take something preventative just in case. OTC Bonine works for many people, including me. It is simliar to dramamine but won't make you (as) sleepy. And regarding the patch, a friend of mine wears only half of a prescribed patch (you could just cut it in half, for half the dose).

Take comfort in the fact that very few people get seasick on cruiseships these days...and have a great time on the Explorer! :)

Hey there,

My son has been car sick since he was 2 years old, really, really bad. We were advised to use Meclazine from the pharmacists. For him as a child it did make him sleepy, but now he is 14 and it doesn't make him sleepy. This is what we use when we all cruise and nobody hits the bed early and we are never, ever sick. Last year on Conquest they pulled the stabilizers in for several hours making ship a little rocky, not bad though even if they do do this to make up lost time. I am a firm believer in this stuff and would never, ever use anything else. Heck, we pay the money for the cruise we sure don't want to be sick or sleepy, we want to take it all in and not miss anything!!!

Hope you have a great time!!

I know what they say but this is what works for me:

If I feel it rockin, I take 1 Bonine and also put the wrist bands on (the ones you buy from Walgreens or Walmart).

They say to take Bonine or wear the wrist bands the whole trip but I don't.:o

I'm a car sick person, have been since I was a child, and I also suffer from time to time on cruise ships. I take Bonine (Bonamine in Canada) beginning the night before we leave home and find this really helps. If I do get sick on the ship, I have found that by lying down on the bed with my head toward the front of the ship, I feel much better than rolling side to side. The up and down movement is minimized by orienting yourself with the front of the ship. The beds are large enough (when they're put together) that you have plenty of room for two people to sleep side by side comfortably this way.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

I take ginger root capsules from Walmart. Start the day before cruise. One in the morning, one before Dinner. If it is rocky or bad weather I take one also at noon. Sometimes when it is rough I take 2 in the morning.

I got seasick on 2 cruises and found this out and have not got sick since I started using ginger.

We have used the patch with great success. BUT!, the doctor did have us try them the first time several weeks before our cruise. He had us use them for a weekend and to let him know of any bad side affects. They were OK for us so he prescribed more for our cruise.

DDWW

PS. They were off the market for a few years, about ten years ago. We had some extras and were using them on a cruise during that time. Some fellow passengers were offering us $100/patch if we wanted to sell them!

I know what they say but this is what works for me:

 

If I feel it rockin, I take 1 Bonine and also put the wrist bands on (the ones you buy from Walgreens or Walmart).

 

They say to take Bonine or wear the wrist bands the whole trip but I don't.:o

I ALSO HAVE THE WRIST BANDS..WORKS GREAT, AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THEM, THEY ARE PART OF YOUR OUTFIT..

EXPLORER OF THE SEAS IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SHIP I HAVE EVER SAILED ON...ENJOY YOUR CRUISE..

Get it all!!!! Ginger gum,ginger candy mints,bodine(??)and last but not least, do yourself a favor and get your Dr to prescribe the Patch. I try it all before I go to the patch-but the patch works wonders-and it works for days!!!! (1 good for 72 hrs)

I got quite sick on my first cruise and spent about 24 hrs lying in bed. I'm allergic to Dramamine, Bonine, and scope so I can't use any meds. I decided that I wouldn't cruise again until I found something to help.

For the next cruise, I tried the wrist bands (Sea Bands) and they worked like a charm!! Even during rough seas. I wear them constantly for at least 3 days, then take them off and see if I have my "sea legs" yet. Usually I can keep them off after that unless we get some really rough seas. I get them at Walmart for about $7.

Last cruise I also took some ginger capsules (2 at each meal), but I think it wasn't really necessary with the wrist bands.

Good luck.

Ever wonder why, in the old days of cruising, that there was always a basket or bowl of fruit in each cabin? There is something in the skin of an apple that will settle a seasick tummy. This is an old seaman's remedy and it works. Always ask your cabin steward to bring and keep fruit, especially apples, in your cabin.

If you do feel seasick, don't stay in your cabin. Come up on deck and look at the horizon. Stay in the centermost and lowest part of the ship, which is the most stable, even in rough seas. Stop drinking liquids. Eat crackers or something solid. If you always keep something in your stomach, your chances of getting seasick are reduced.

If all else fails, see the ship's doctor. They have a shot that will cure your seasickness quickly.

Smooth seas to you and don't worry so much. It will all be great.:)

The most effective medicine to prevent motion sickness is scopolamine. Scopolamine is available by prescription in pharmacies in tablets (Scopace tablets) or a patch. The tablets give approx. 8 hours of relief per dose and allow you to adjust the dose to your weight and needs compared to the fixed dose in a patch. You should google "Scopace" to read more and then ask your doctor about your options.

In '06 me and the kids took Explorer for a 9 day in the Caribbean. We came back up the east coast on the heels of not one, but two hurricanes. It got so bad one night the pool water was gushing down to our friends' 10th deck balcony and they closed all the decks on one side of the ship for safety reasons.

Now - my 17yo had been a bit green whole trip and taking Dramamine regularly. That really bad night my 11yo got a lil green watching the curtains sway in the theater - until then he didn't notice the boat rocking. I only got seasick the day before we got off - I hadn't eaten - felt fine soon as I did. Out of 3000 people on that ship we only saw 1 puke. It really wasn't that bad - the ship is huge -it has stabilizers - and we were on a low deck and in the center when we slept. They give out seasick pills for free at the infirmary and Pursers Desk - they do NOT want a boat of sick people throwing up.

I had the most problems walking on land after 9 days at sea - the walls and floor kept moving ;)

I'm going on my first cruise next week to Bermuda from NY.

I occasionally get car sick, not always, and occasionally feel queazy when flying. I'm worried of becoming sick on the ship and ruining my vacation.

I've done alot of research and have found conflicting information. I have read todays ships have stabilizers and sophisticated equipment on board to avoid bad weather and rough seas. I was told these ships are so large they don't move around very much. I also read several posts on recommended motion sickness treatments, bands, pills, and ginger.

Do alot of people get sick. Do these ships move around alot? Why do people get sick if the ships are more stable? I'm sailing on RC Explorer of the seas. Any advise is appreciated.