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Motion Sickness on a Cruise


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We'll be going on a cruise to Alaska - first time for all. I'm rather concerned about possible motion sickness.

I had a horrible reaction to Dramamine the last time I took it - minor panic attack. Besides, I don't want to be groggy and semi-conscious throughout. 

Any tips?

Ginger does not work for me. 

Thank you. 

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the only thing that works for me are the patches. You have to get a prescription for them, the first time I got them I was pregnant and going on a cruise- changed my life.  I am so motion sick that I usually drive my car everywhere, I don't like to even sit as a passenger. 

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The good news is that there is only one large open stretch along part of Canada. You will be mostly in the inland passage where it is protected and not the trouble with rolling seas. I get seasick easily but I am fine on the large ferries in SE Alaska. The cruise ships are even larger. I also like Bonnine and seabands. Have a great trip!

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As someone who gets nauseous on a playground swing, I feel for you. I used to do cruises as a guest lecturer on a small, 100 meter ship. For me seabands and ginger do nothing. The ship's doctor recommended orange juice -- not sure that helped either.

 

I tried the patch. For some reason that I can't remember now (it was a long time ago), I stopped the patch and went with Bonine plus 3-4 cups of cappuccino. (My usual dose of caffeine is none to one cup per day.) For nausea during pregnancy, I used a battery operated wristband (Relief Band) that gave off an electric impulse. It helped a bit, was prescription at the time, might be OTC now.

 

I always carry ammonia ampoules for overwhelming, about to throw up times. The ammonia fumes help immensely, but I would want to check with doctor if I planned to use them often. A physical therapist told me that pt can help control motion sickness.

 

One thing I noticed -- I think it was with the patch -- is that I felt nauseous on land after I got used to the boat motion. Also, after awhile, 10 days of so, I did get used to the motion and needed less frequent Bonine.

 

I hope you are on a BIG stabilized ship!!

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Bonine. I am very prone to motion sickness - I had to keep my eyes closed for 3/4 of an imax movie recently! Bonine is the only thing that works for me. I take 2 before bed, sleep off the drowsiness and it lasts 24 hrs so I'm usually pretty good the following day.

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Definitely try out whatever medication you decide to take on the ship before you leave.  Just make sure it doesn't make you drowsy or loopy.  And, I've read to start taking it the day before you get on the ship.  

 

Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised and not need any!  My family has been on a number of cruises and only one of us got mildly seasck on one of them.  (We had 20 foot waves that day.)  He took Bonine that the doctor was handing out and was fine.

 

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We all used Bonine on our recent cruise. We started the night before we boarded and took it for the first day or two and the day the sea was a little choppy. It definitely helped as we were all quite green by dinner the first night. The adults also had to take it when we got off the ship - something I wasn't expecting. Getting my land legs back took a day or so.

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I would have to say it depends on how serious your motion sickness is on land.  My DH is horribly motion sick (can't swing on a swing set any more kind of serious), and he could not cruise without the patch.  I have a very hard time adjusting back from my sea legs but no problem on the boat.  If your normal issues are mild, you could probably get away with just Bonine.

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I second, third, and fourth the idea of trying stuff out BEFORE the cruise. Bonine knocks me out, just as bad or worse than Benadryl. Sea bands (wrist bands) are helpful for me, but would not be enough. 

 

I think people who normally have mild motion sickness under certain circumstances can probably find something that works. People like me should just avoid cruises (and I do!). 

 

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When DH and I did that same cruise, he used a patch, and it worked great for him -- not drowsy, and no motion sickness. On the other hand, *I* felt urpy when we were in that one sea stretch, because it was the middle of the night, the water was choppy, and we were in a cabin with no windows. I was just about to put a coat on and go sit on the deck all alone in the night, when we finally docked. ;) Other than that, no problems at all!

 

Our family has successfully used Bonine when driving up very windy mountain roads to go camping.

 

Have a wonderful cruise, and hope you have a cabin with a view, as that helps to look way out at the shore, or up at the sky. :)

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Thank you all so much for your very helpful tips. 

 

 

the only thing that works for me are the patches. You have to get a prescription for them, the first time I got them I was pregnant and going on a cruise- changed my life.  I am so motion sick that I usually drive my car everywhere, I don't like to even sit as a passenger. 

I hope I can get that here where we live. We'll only be in Seattle for one day and being able to get something Rx may be very difficult. I'm similar to you. I can handle sitting as a passenger, but I do need to sit in the front for long drives. 

 

I have never tried these on a cruise(they do help pregnancy nausea imo :lol:) but I a friend of mine found some relief with wristbands.
. http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/sea-band-wristband/ID=prod2662944-product
 

I tried those many years ago and they didn't work for me at all. 

 

I always carry ammonia ampoules for overwhelming, about to throw up times. The ammonia fumes help immensely, but I would want to check with doctor if I planned to use them often. A physical therapist told me that pt can help control motion sickness.

One thing I noticed -- I think it was with the patch -- is that I felt nauseous on land after I got used to the boat motion. Also, after awhile, 10 days of so, I did get used to the motion and needed less frequent Bonine.

I hope you are on a BIG stabilized ship!!

Your tips are very helpful. Thank you. 

Yes, our ship will be very big - one of the biggest ones - and we chose a cabin that apparently and hopefully has less motion. 

 

Most of those Alaska cruise ships are massive.  And most of the Alaskan cruise will be in calm waters.  So, I bet you'll be fine.  

 

That's very reassuring and that's what others have been telling me. 

 

I second, third, and fourth the idea of trying stuff out BEFORE the cruise. Bonine knocks me out, just as bad or worse than Benadryl. Sea bands (wrist bands) are helpful for me, but would not be enough. 

 

I think people who normally have mild motion sickness under certain circumstances can probably find something that works. People like me should just avoid cruises (and I do!). 

Yes, I will try out before. I've avoided cruises for all my life for this very specific reason, plus the fact that we're not really cruise types. At all!  :lol: But then we figured we wanted to do something different and I always knew that if I do only one cruise in my life, Alaska's the one I would choose. 

 

 

Have a wonderful cruise, and hope you have a cabin with a view, as that helps to look way out at the shore, or up at the sky. :)

I'm thinking that maybe we need to get a cabin with a view :confused1: . Does that help, I wonder? In an effort to cut cost, our cabin does not have a window, but it's in a good location (as far as less motion). I wonder if we should pay more and go with that. Last I checked, the cost was significantly greater, but it may be necessary. Anyone have thoughts on this? If I just take the Rx stuff and all that, do you think that will suffice? 

 

Thanks again everyone.  :grouphug:

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I'm thinking that maybe we need to get a cabin with a view :confused1: . Does that help, I wonder? In an effort to cut cost, our cabin does not have a window, but it's in a good location (as far as less motion). I wonder if we should pay more and go with that. Last I checked, the cost was significantly greater, but it may be necessary. Anyone have thoughts on this? If I just take the Rx stuff and all that, do you think that will suffice? 

 

Thanks again everyone.  :grouphug:

 

I can't make scientific comparison of window versus non-window, but I remember feeling queazy in port. Opening the large window in my cabin and sticking my face into a breeze did not help. It should have, but it didn't. I did find that being on deck at the prow of the ship (not the side) made me feel better. Overall, what made the most difference was getting accustomed to the motion over a week or so. But my experience is on much smaller ships than what you will be on. Oh, and the ship moving (as long as seas were not rough) was better than the ship bobbing around in port. Your big cruise liner should be fairly stable, shouldn't it. 

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Bonine!  It works so much better than Dramamine.   When we did the Disney cruise, our ship was the smallest in the Disney fleet (10 or 11 decks IIRC), and the first 2 days James Bond and I both had a small bit of motion sickness (on and off), but the Bonine really helped.  The first day, we were walking down the halls like we were drunk, because we didn't have our sea legs.  It was pretty hilarious, to be honest but was't associated with the sea sickness.  After day 2 though, neither of us had any issues with motion sickness.  I get terribly motion sick too, so this was a good thing.  Oh, we did feel a bit weird when we went ashore, because we had gotten used to the motion.  

 

On the Royal Caribbean cruise, the ship was much larger (15 or 16 decks IIRC, and really long), and we never even felt the motion of the ship.  We had an aft cabin with a balcony (we were on of the cabins hanging off the back of the ship), so we could hear the engines and the churning of the water (quite soothing!), and tell when we sped up and slowed down, but never felt the motion.  

 

I hope you guys have a wonderful trip!  We want to do the Disney Alaska cruise next year.  Cruising is so much fun.

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Bonine definitely works better than dramamine, but even better is the OTC version that is kept behind the counter at the pharmacy. It is the same active ingredient as Bonine - meclizine - but is generic. It is way cheaper and works just as well.

 

BTW, the wristbands didn't work for me at all.

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I'm thinking that maybe we need to get a cabin with a view :confused1: . Does that help, I wonder? In an effort to cut cost, our cabin does not have a window, but it's in a good location (as far as less motion). I wonder if we should pay more and go with that. Last I checked, the cost was significantly greater, but it may be necessary. Anyone have thoughts on this? If I just take the Rx stuff and all that, do you think that will suffice? 

 

Thanks again everyone.  :grouphug:

 

My DH prefers the inside rooms without windows when cruising.  This last time we had a balcony (trip paid by someone else) and he could only be on the balcony in port.  My parents had a large porthole one trip we were on and walking into their room made me sick feeling because of the motion of the water was perpendicular to my motion. 

 

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I have been on three cruises and have not experienced motion sickness; I can't watch IMAX movies or video games without getting motion sickness.  DD had some motion sickness but found that the wrist bands helped her.  If you do have a view of the water, looking far into the horizon and not straight down helps.  Interior cabins in the lower, rear section of the boat tend to have less motion and are said to be better for motion sickness. We have stayed on lower levels interior and exterior; dd couldn't tell a difference between the interior and exterior cabins but she did find that she had less problems on lower decks when she didn't feel well.  Drinking some ginger ale helped, also.

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We've been on a few cruises. I've used a patch, Dramamine, and Bonine. Of the three I preferred Bonine for sure. I get terrible motion sickness (I can't even read in the car) and I thoroughly was able to enjoy our last cruise with Bonine. :)

 

Oh. Bring enough for the entire trip! They sell it onboard, but they will charge you a ridiculous amount for it!! Ask me how I know

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Thank you all again. :)

 

As far as the cabin, a window's unlikely to make a difference. Going out on deck can help, or lying down and keeping eyes shut.

Good to know. Thank you. 

 

 Your big cruise liner should be fairly stable, shouldn't it. 

Yes, that's what I'm hoping for. :)

 

On the Royal Caribbean cruise, the ship was much larger (15 or 16 decks IIRC, and really long), and we never even felt the motion of the ship. 

 

I hope you guys have a wonderful trip!  We want to do the Disney Alaska cruise next year.  Cruising is so much fun.

Good. Ours will be about the same size as your RC cruise. 

The Disney Alaska cruise sounds fun also! 

 

Bonine definitely works better than dramamine, but even better is the OTC version that is kept behind the counter at the pharmacy. It is the same active ingredient as Bonine - meclizine - but is generic. It is way cheaper and works just as well.

 

BTW, the wristbands didn't work for me at all.

Very helpful. Thank you so much. I'm going to look into the generic version also. 

 

My DH prefers the inside rooms without windows when cruising.  

We have inside rooms specifically because that's what I read would help. :)

 

I have been on three cruises and have not experienced motion sickness; I can't watch IMAX movies or video games without getting motion sickness.  DD had some motion sickness but found that the wrist bands helped her.  If you do have a view of the water, looking far into the horizon and not straight down helps.  Interior cabins in the lower, rear section of the boat tend to have less motion and are said to be better for motion sickness. We have stayed on lower levels interior and exterior; dd couldn't tell a difference between the interior and exterior cabins but she did find that she had less problems on lower decks when she didn't feel well.  Drinking some ginger ale helped, also.

Thanks. 

 

We've been on a few cruises. I've used a patch, Dramamine, and Bonine. Of the three I preferred Bonine for sure. I get terrible motion sickness (I can't even read in the car) and I thoroughly was able to enjoy our last cruise with Bonine. :)

Oh. Bring enough for the entire trip! They sell it onboard, but they will charge you a ridiculous amount for it!! Ask me how I know

I'm like you. I can't read in a car. I can read on most flights - except when they're bumpy. I'm fine with swings and carousels - that sort of stuff. Yes, I'll make sure to bring enough Bonine/the generic version mentioned above (not sure which), etc. for the entire trip. 

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I remember a couple telling about a trip on the Mediterranean Sea years ago.  It wasn't a huge ship and they were turning green.  Someone from the ship came around with pears for everyone that was feeling ill.  They ate one and felt better!  I have no idea what type of pear it was but they insist it did the trick.  Who knows!

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