Severe motion sickness: cruise that hugs coast?

[Thorvitz]

I have bad motion sickness, even slightly bumpy flights I get sick -Dramamine, scopolamine patch, hcl; nothing works. My one cruise (Seattle to Anchorage; Princess 3200 person ship) I didn’t vomit but was so dizzy and nervous couldn’t eat. 
 

I love the idea of a cruise though. Will any of these be different?: river cruise, ship that hugs the coast for 3-5 days, or maybe a super big ship (Allure of Seas?). 
 

I live in the LA area. 

[John Bull]

A river cruise for sure.

And a good big 'un is better than a good little 'un.

 

But ships don't hug the coast - creates problems like casinos having to be closed (most countries) and the risk of colliding with the scenery.

And being close to land is only relevant when in the lee of the land.

 

We've never sailed Alaska, but the Inside passage is reputed to be calm. Thoughts, anyone?

Excluding the hurricane season, the Caribbean is almost-always calm - but I've experienced days when there's been movement which makes some people sick.

 

JB 🙂

[d9704011]

One of the problems with sea sickness (motion sickness) is that the motion(s) don't need to be particularly dramatic for many people to bring on problems although rough weather and significant ship movement (mainly rolling and corkscrew-like motion) is more likely to be problematic.

 

I have been in the inside passage on a number of occasions.  It's not exactly the open sea but it's not protected either.  I'd say that those prone to sea sickness would find little practical difference being there compared to just about anywhere else.

[9tee2Sea]

10 hours ago, Thorvitz said:

I have bad motion sickness, even slightly bumpy flights I get sick -Dramamine, scopolamine patch, hcl; nothing works. My one cruise (Seattle to Anchorage; Princess 3200 person ship) I didn’t vomit but was so dizzy and nervous couldn’t eat. 
 

I love the idea of a cruise though. Will any of these be different?: river cruise, ship that hugs the coast for 3-5 days, or maybe a super big ship (Allure of Seas?). 
 

I live in the LA area. 

I to have horrible motion sickness ( i can't even look at a rollercoaster without getting dizzy), but that has not stopped me from cruising.  Alaska ( seattle round trip) is my favorite.  Only 1 day at open sea back and forth, the rest is pretty calm ( almost like glass).  I ALWAYS carry a pocket sized Bonine ( Dramamine) tube in my pocket.  When I start feeling queasy, I always go outside and stare out into the horizon.  I had one experience that is seard into my mind. I was on a high speed ferry from Wales- Ireland, it was the tail end of a winter storm,, so the waters were still very choppy, and freezing temps.  As soon as the ferry departed, I started getting queasy and unrolling my turtleneck so i could breathe.  I excused my self and stood out side grasping the hand rail.  My partner came out and asked if he could help.  Without turning around ( i was just staring straight ahead), I told him nothing can be done, just let me be out here.  I stayed out there the entire 30 min, face frozen, hands gripping the rail.  But at least I did not get sick.  I have  other tricks that work for me, like having my back to the window during meals so I can't see the motion.

[CruisingWalter]

12 hours ago, Thorvitz said:

I have bad motion sickness, even slightly bumpy flights I get sick -Dramamine, scopolamine patch, hcl; nothing works. My one cruise (Seattle to Anchorage; Princess 3200 person ship) I didn’t vomit but was so dizzy and nervous couldn’t eat. 
 

I love the idea of a cruise though. Will any of these be different?: river cruise, ship that hugs the coast for 3-5 days, or maybe a super big ship (Allure of Seas?). 
 

I live in the LA area. 

 

Alaska cruises stay very close to the coast, it's almost like being on a river cruise, but on a much larger ship. If that made you a bit woozy, you may not be able to handle cruising. A friend uses the "Sea Band" sea bands and she swears they work. 

 

River cruise is going to be a much smaller vessel, but depending on where you're cruising, the U.S. rivers can get rough too and the small vessels get moved around a bit. The really big ships like the Oasis Class have very little movement in them, especially when you are low, decks 5, 6 and 7, but that's true of most modern ships. 

[Thorvitz]

2 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

Alaska cruises stay very close to the coast, it's almost like being on a river cruise, but on a much larger ship. If that made you a bit woozy, you may not be able to handle cruising. A friend uses the "Sea Band" sea bands and she swears they work. 

 

River cruise is going to be a much smaller vessel, but depending on where you're cruising, the U.S. rivers can get rough too and the small vessels get moved around a bit. The really big ships like the Oasis Class have very little movement in them, especially when you are low, decks 5, 6 and 7, but that's true of most modern ships. 

Thanks so much for responding. On the Alaska cruise I was great during the inner passage but the thought of returning to the (rough) open seas made me unable to eat and very nervous. And the captain had said seas were only 6-10 feet at worst when we were in open water coming from Seattle. I gave the bands a chance but no luck. I even tried Zofran, prescription strength anti nausea used for chemo patients. Took edge off but didn’t help a lot. 

[mom says]

3 hours ago, Thorvitz said:

the thought of returning to the (rough) open seas made me unable to eat and very nervous.

This should tell you something- that there is more than motion sickness that is at play. On any modern cruise ship 6-10 foot seas should be barely felt. Hugging the coast (difficult to find cruises that always do this) isn't even a sure fire way to avoid sea motion unless you are sailing in the lee of a large land mass.

 

River cruises OTOH don't usually have the motion issues that ocean cruises encounter. However the interesting ones aren't in North America, so you would be faced with airsickness while flying to your embarkation ports. 

[Thorvitz]

18 minutes ago, mom says said:

This should tell you something- that there is more than motion sickness that is at play. On any modern cruise ship 6-10 foot seas should be barely felt. Hugging the coast (difficult to find cruises that always do this) isn't even a sure fire way to avoid sea motion unless you are sailing in the lee of a large land mass.

 

River cruises OTOH don't usually have the motion issues that ocean cruises encounter. However the interesting ones aren't in North America, so you would be faced with airsickness while flying to your embarkation ports. 

Yes you get me! That’s why trying to find something west coast so don’t have to fly. What about the larger ships launching out of San Diego or LA (that go to Mexico)? Im

wondering if maybe a ship double the size of the Ruby Princess I was on before would make a difference? 
 

yes I’m desperate but willing to accept I’m one of the 5% with such bad motion sickness and anxiety that this won’t work.

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, WheresWalter said:

 

..

 

River cruise is going to be a much smaller vessel, but depending on where you're cruising, the U.S. rivers can get rough too and the small vessels get moved around a bit. The really big ships like the Oasis Class have very little movement in them, especially when you are low, decks 5, 6 and 7, but that's true of most modern ships. 

What US rivers “get rough”?  I suppose if you are rafting rapids down a narrow stream - but hardly likely on anything a river cruise might ride.

[crystalspin]

On 1/13/2023 at 8:37 PM, Thorvitz said:

I love the idea of a cruise though. Will any of these be different?: river cruise, ship that hugs the coast for 3-5 days, or maybe a super big ship (Allure of Seas?). 

Alaska without Anchorage from Vancouver would be my suggestion. Going to Anchorage (even by way of Whittier) means crossing the Bay of Alaska which can be rough! Sailing from Vancouver you sail between Vancouver Island and the mainland which is still and also beautiful. You will have visited some of the ports, but look around, try to find a cruise that calls at additional ports than Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway -- Sitka is great! 

[mrgabriel]

On 1/13/2023 at 9:37 PM, Thorvitz said:

I have bad motion sickness, even slightly bumpy flights I get sick -Dramamine, scopolamine patch, hcl; nothing works. My one cruise (Seattle to Anchorage; Princess 3200 person ship) I didn’t vomit but was so dizzy and nervous couldn’t eat. 
 

I love the idea of a cruise though. Will any of these be different?: river cruise, ship that hugs the coast for 3-5 days, or maybe a super big ship (Allure of Seas?). 
 

I live in the LA area. 

 

I have TERRIBLE motion sickness. I can't even stand on a dock without getting sick. I tried a lot of stuff - Dramamine, the scopolamine patch, ginger - and the one thing that works for me is acupuncture. I get a treatment on the ship right after boarding and have no issues for several days. I used acupuncture on an Alaska cruise last summer and actually went out on a whale watching small boat excursion and felt fine!

 

I will say that it loses its efficacy after about five days. On our last cruise the seas were quite rough on the final sea day so I took half a meclizine and that helped. You can have beads pasted on your ears and use an acupressure bracelet as well. 

[buckeye7]

7 hours ago, mrgabriel said:

I get a treatment on the ship right after boarding and have no issues for several days

Would you mind if I ask the cost for acupuncture on the ship? I’d be open to that as I also get motion sickness very, very easily. Ear patch worked for me but caused side effects for months after. Thanks!

[mrgabriel]

1 hour ago, buckeye7 said:

Would you mind if I ask the cost for acupuncture on the ship? I’d be open to that as I also get motion sickness very, very easily. Ear patch worked for me but caused side effects for months after. Thanks!

It’s not cheap! I’ve paid different amounts on different ships but it ranged from about $175 to $230. Much higher than the cost at home! For our next cruise, I’ve scheduled with my home acupuncturist the day before we travel ($90). 

[buckeye7]

1 hour ago, mrgabriel said:

Much higher than the cost at home! For our next cruise, I’ve scheduled with my home acupuncturist the day before we travel ($90

Thanks for info and I think scheduling ahead sounds really smart! Thanks for the idea!

[Aquahound]

On 1/14/2023 at 12:03 PM, Thorvitz said:

Thanks so much for responding. On the Alaska cruise I was great during the inner passage but the thought of returning to the (rough) open seas made me unable to eat and very nervous. And the captain had said seas were only 6-10 feet at worst when we were in open water coming from Seattle. I gave the bands a chance but no luck. I even tried Zofran, prescription strength anti nausea used for chemo patients. Took edge off but didn’t help a lot. 

 

Take an Inside Passage cruise out of Vancouver, not Seattle.  I'll disagree with WheresWalter's generalization of AK cruises because sailings out of Seattle do go well offshore, and the waters west of Vancouver Island can be very rough.  We hit 30 footers last year on a cruise out of Seattle.  Whereas, Vancouver cruises go up the Canadian Inside Passage.  

[SeaTeach]

Having a stateroom mid -ship should help. The center of the ship has more stability. Never had issues before this winter. Was on a smaller ship without stabilizers/ or non working ones,  and in the front. Those cruises were the worse. We see sawed  back and forth, then from side to side. Back to larger ships and mid -ship rooms for me. I also ate many green apples, sipped ginger ale, nibbled on dry toast, and ate dry rice and mashed potatoes.

[Hlitner]

I have a SIL that also has a history of motion sickness on just about anything that floats.   Last year she took a European river cruise (Viking) and never felt comfortable (although she was never violently sick).   I also like to repost an incident that happened when we were on HAL's Rotterdam.  We were taking a transatlantic commerative cruise and the Rotterdam was embarking from a pier at Rotterdam NL.  Rotterdam is located many miles from the sea and the cruise port is located on the New Meuse River.  That river is generally as calm as a highway and that was the case when we boarded for our cruise.  We did not depart from the pier until after 10pm, so that first night's dinner was when the ship was securely tied up at the pier.  We had dinner with a lovely young German couple, and the lady quickly turned a shade of green and got sick, as soon as she sat down.  She left the table (and her disgusted husband) and we never saw her again during the entire cruise.  Her husband explained that she gets sick just looking at water :).  

 

For whatever reason, some folks just cannot handle being on water.  One can certainly try Seabands, Bonine (Meclizine Hcl), or even the patches (transderm Scopolamine) which help many folks.  But perhaps there are some folks who need to stay on land.

 

Hank