Motion sickness and cruising

My in-laws are planning a big family cruise next year that we would love to go to. However, we are a bit cautious since my husband suffers from motion sickness, not when driving but more so when flying and especially when being out on the boat.

Everyone is telling us that he is going to be fine, that its a huge boat, that theres are things he can take to make it go away,etc. but I'm still scared for him. What if we go out on the sea for ten days and he is miserable and sick?!

Does anybody have any experience with this? I'm not booking until I know for sure that he is going to be fine. I don't want him to suffer and I don't want to be stuck by myself with two kids while he is suffering. We are also going to ask his doctor if there is anything that can be prescribed.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

What kinds of boats has he had motion sickness on? Has he been on a huge cruise liner before? What is the ship?

My advice -
1) book early so you can choose your room
2) choose a verandah stateroom. Seeing the horizon as a frame of reference and the fresh air will make a huge difference. if you can't afford it, book oceanview. Seeing the horizon and having your eyes confirm what your body is feeling is important. Avoid interior
3) Book a midship stateroom on a low deck.
4) bring sea-bands, ginger pills, and dramamine or the prescription equivalent.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

We found the same thing. Soothing at night.

I'd also say to study deck plans or work with a TA who has. For example on Disney cruises there's a category with verandah rooms on Deck 5, which is the lowest deck w/verandah, BUT there are no midship staterooms on deck 5, so you'll want Deck 6. Let me know what questions you have.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

Thank you for this! He's never been on a cruise ship. Its the small boats that get him sick. I was definitely thinking of either oceanview or balcony room.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I'm the exact opposite of the what the pp said. I get motion sickness on everything and I have vertigo. Looking at the horizon makes me want to puke. Seeing it move up and down up and down...ugh.

I take bonnine and it works wonders. I start two days before the trip and continue until I get home. One pill at night before I go to sleep and I'm fine. I do it at night because the pills make me sleepy. We are actually leaving for the Disney Fantasy this saturday and my bonnines are all packed lol : ).

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I take Bonine from at least the day before the cruise, take Dramamine most nights before bed, stay in at least a balcony room so I can get fresh air at any time, eat green apples and take a nap on sea days.
Still, there have been some slightly queasy days but NOTHING like getting seasick on a regular small boat or plane which I take Bonine on now to help prevent the nausea.
I would give it a try but be fully prepared with anything that might help.
People also recommend seabands, those behind the ear patches and ginger.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I swear by bonine. I don't recommend getting the prescription patch. I did not like the side effects of it. The motion of a cruise ship is a bit different from a small boat. It's more of a slow rolling feeling (unless you hit some rough seas).

1 bonine evey morning beginning the morn of the cruise. Works like a charm. I also would recommend booking a room that is low and in the middle. You'll find the least amount of movement here.

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Dont let anyone tell you "its a big boat, its fine". Ive been fine 3 out of 4 times. I dont even get motion sickness. I was severely sick on my cruise to Bermuda the first night. It ws awful. I did take Bonine as stated above and it went away.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I've been on 2 cruises and was sick both times. Dramamine helped a lot, but I felt drowsy and out of it. Bonine, which is non-drowsy, did not help at all. I'm glad I went, especially on the Alaska cruise, but I will never go on another cruise again.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I went on a cruise once and suffered from motion sickness. I felt miserable when the ship was at sea (tired, dizzy, headache, vomiting). I was unaware this was going to happen to me so I was unprepared. The cruise can give you pills to take but they won't work if you are already feeling the effects. The key is to prevent it before it starts. I would suggest taking Bonine in advance but as others said, it can make you very tired.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

my husband and I get motion sickness. I get car sick and plane sick if I am nto careful. I can't read at all on anything that moves. I have done 2 cruises. the first one I was fine. the 2nd one we had rough seas. Many people on the boat were sick. I got sick one night. My husband was sick the entire trip except for when we were on land. He took bonine and dramamine. Nothing helpped for this trip. I don't think anyone could pay him to do another cruise. However we were talking to some older couples who said they take multiple cruises a year and that trip was the first time they ever got sick. It was a rough week in the water.

Message edited 4/25/2012 11:40:35 AM.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I get motion sickness too. I went to Waldbaums looking for "meclizine" its one of the ingredients in one of the dramamine/bonine products. Its also what they gave me when I had vertigo. The pharmasist said he had a generic verion so I got 100 pills for $4.80. You are supposed to take 2 pills a day for motion sickness and up to 4 pills a day for vertigo. It was 25 mg/pill.

Never been on a cruise though.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I don't take cruises for this reason. I dont want to spend that kind of money and be stuck in my room sick.

Get sea bands. They do help. I wear them when I fly. Put them on before you get on the ship. I have THESE

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

You guys are scaring me! I really don't want to take the chance... We are sailing to the Caribbean (Bermuda, PR, St. Maarten and Haiti) in June of next year. Its a 10 day, 9 night cruise so if he gets sick, I'm screwed! I'm assuming June still has calm waters since its only the beginning of the hurricane season? Looks like an Oceanview Room somewhere on mid-deck and mid-level would be the way to go...I'm going to look into the drugs you mentioned. When we went snorkling in the Bahamas a few years ago, he did get sick on the boat and Dramamine did help him so hopefully SOMETHING will help him if he gets sick on the cruise.

ETA: I don't know if I want to chance it...I'm ready to just go to St. Maarten or Bermuda for a few days and meet everyone there...

Message edited 4/25/2012 12:12:49 PM.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

There was only maybe like once where I felt a little sick b/c of the ship rocking. They sell these things called "sea bands" where you put them on your wrist and they actually help!

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

Both my mother and DH get bad motion sickness - neither in cars - but on boats and on rides.

My mom takes 3 cruises a year - she has learned by now that if there is a chance it might be rough you take the dramamine BEFORE you sail and continue to take it. Once you feel sick it is TOO late and won't help.

DH hasn't cruised enough to figure out when to take it so he starts out taking it right away and if it is calm he stops and if it starts to get rocky at all he immediately takes it right away before he feels any effect. He has never had a problem on the 4 cruises he has taken.

He even did just fine on our last cruise to Bermuda out of NJ that sailed the day after Irene went though.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I've had motion sickness in cars and on 6 cruises, only once (not physically sick but dizzy/nauseous) and that was in rough waters (we sailed September a week after several hurricanes and tropical storms). Sea bands and dramamine helped a lot. DH has motion sickness and has had no issues on 3 cruises.

I've found that midship is best. Also, in my experience, I felt the ship rocking much more on the lower decks.

BTW, I'm jealous. I'm dying to go on another cruise! It's been too long since my last one.

Message edited 4/26/2012 12:05:24 AM.

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I don't want to say DH won't feel it, but a large cruise liner is NOTHING like a small craft used for snorkeling.

Re: Motion sickness and cruising

I get very bad motion sickness. I went on a cruise using the SCOP patch, applied before I got on. I have used it on other boats, too. I hate the side effect of very severe dry mouth but on a cruise there are lots of beverages or just water available. It was very calm cruising when I went but one night I could tell that I would have been in trouble with the way the ship was rolling. I was fine but I could tell that it was moving inthe way that would have gotten me sick. I felt it at dinner more than I did in my room. I have also used dramamine but the non-drowsy does not work as well.

It is CRUCIAL to take something before the motion sickness kicks in.

I was totally fine on my cruise yet I still prefer not to have to bother with the issue. I will go to an island and take a boat excursion but only with meds. and I know that it is for a short period of time. I generally do not go on full day boat rides.

If you use the patch, make sure it does not fall off. The last few times I had it, they did not stay on.