mlarson

My husband and 12 yr old son both get motion sickness pretty easy. Neither can ride rides at amusement parks. Do you think they would do okay on a good sized catamaran boat ride while we're vacationing in Hawaiia? Someone suggested a tour on a catamaran in which you can swim with dolphins and sea turtles that sounds really neat!!! Wanted to know from others if they felt like they could participate and have fun without getting sick. We all know getting sick can put a BIG DAMPER on any outing!!!

Thanks!

janeq

I can relate because I easily become motion sick. I am not familar with the size boat used on the tour you mentioned, but I have been on the catamarans in hawaii for snorkel and whale watching, and I have either become sick or felt close to it. The problem is when the boats stop in the water(and rock and roll) for instruction or to observe wildlife.
Even taking a preventative dose of ginger or Dramamine does not help me. While in Alaska I tried the TransScop patch(need a doctor prescription) for a day cruise, and never felt nausea, so perhaps try that.

Ranger

Have they tried "Sea Bands"?? Worked for my wife.

crazy4Hawaii

My family of three took a Trilogy catamaran to Lanai a few summers ago. We sailed coming back and it was not unlike a small roller coaster. My daughter had to hang over the side and vomit - she was not the only one - but then was able to enjoy the remainder of the trip. Those waters are a little rough even on calm days in the afternoon. My advice: Go in the morning. Take something, if only ginger, for seasickness. Meclizine might be even better.

LLindaC

Dramamine will make you a zombie. Get the patch, apply it 24 hours prior. Don't touch your eyes after using, wash your hands immediately.The side effect may be dry throat- take some extra water and enjoy!!!

LN

Motion sickness and I used to be close associates until I was introduced to TransScop. This is a small patch that you place behind your ear the night before you're going out on a boat, plane, or car. Since my doctor prescribed it I've not had any motion sickness or even the thought of it.

nytraveler

Please be sure to try the patch out before depending on it. I used it on an overnight cruise and it didn;t work at all - I later found out it works beautifully for about 85% of the population and not well or at all for the other 15% (of which I found out I am one). After being violently ill I had to remove the patch, shower off the remaining med and switch to Dramimine - which does seen to work for everyone but does have side effects.

Candy210

Try the scopolomine patch,but apply it the night before. It can last up to 3 days. I had a very bad experience snorkeling & had taking 2 dramamine tablets. Not pretty ! I has a fish attractant as I got sick in the water! What a strange situation! Imagine all of the fish around your head as you bob in the waves. Couldn't wait to get on the boat. Then it was 4 more hours before the snorkeling trip was over. After that trip , I use the patch & have never had any problems. Learn from this mistake! best wishes!

anita

We take one regular Dramamine at bedtime the night before our boat trip. Then we take 2 Bonine or non-drowsy Dramamine about an hour before we leave in the am. So far we've never had a problem.

sfgrace

I agree with anita above. I'm horribly susceptible to motion sickness. Dramamine makes me a bit drowsy, but 2 Bonine (or meclazine, buy over the counter at Walgreens, Rite Aid, etc., blue box, pink chewable tablets) an hour before we leave and I'm good for the day, no drowsiness. If it's a 1/2 day trip, mornings are better. Have fun.

gail

Bonine (meclizine) also makes some people drowsy - it knocks me out more than Draminamine.

Best advice about seasaickness remedies (which you didn't really ask about) is to try anything out at home first - obviously unless you live on a boat you won't know if it works, but you will know about side effects.

marigross

Do these medications work for car-related motion sickness? My husband and me don't get sick but my daughter does. We are planning a mountain vacation with a lot of curvy driving and I was wondering if I should get a patch for her (she is 11). Advice will be REALLY appreciated.

Larry1

Listen up folks- the scopolomine patch is now obsolete- Hope pharmacueticals makes a pill form called "Scopace", which has the same drug as the patch, only you only need to take it one hour before you start whatever activity makes you sick. Each pill lasts 8 hours. Unless you are going on a several day cruise, why would you want to put a patch on the day before a 4 hour boat trip? Scopolomine is the only thing that works consistently for my motion sickness and not having to deal with a patch anymore has been excellent. And although it is true that scopolomine does not work for everyone, I think if you do a little web research, or ask your doctor, this is the one motion sickness cure that is the most likely to be effective for most people who get seasickness easily. So don't fool around with ginger, wrist bands, or over the counter remedies- by the time you find out they don't work, your (perhaps) once-in-a-lifetime boat trip in Hawaii is ruined.

Gail has a ggod point above- no matter what drug you choose, always "test" it before your trip to make sure the side effects won't be worse than seasickness (although anyone who gets seasick will tell you that NOTHING is worse than seasickness). For Scopace, the most common side effect is drymouth and a very slight drowsy feeling. For me at least, that's far better than hanging off the side of the boat vomiting and praying for the trip to end.

sinehat

I had an uncle who used to say that there was only one cure for sea sickness....the shade of an old oak tree.

ParrotMom

Try ginger tablets... works on the same idea as flat gingerale when you are sick. The patches have side or did effects of giving you blurry eyesight... there must be products out there now that are of a non-drowsy type.. I've been able to buy something called Sturgeron in Bermuda and Europe..something that yachtsmen use... Wonderful..

Larry1

Sturgeron (cinnazine) has one "pro": no side effects, and two "cons": not as effective as scopolomine (according to clinical studies) and also not available in the US.

Again, I suggest to mlarson that since her husband and son get motion sick easily, don't go out to Hawaii hoping that ginger or dramamine is going to work. As long as you have health insurance, getting a persciption to the patch or pill form of scopolomine won't be very expensive, so get some now, have them take it, and see if dad or son think the side effects (if indeed they have any) are too much for them.

placeu2

My wife has motion sickness issues. No way she could do a catamaran. Like mentioned earlier, it's the stopping and rocking that gets to her.

That said, a couple of years ago she got a wrist watch looking device that is adjustable in it's strength that she really loves. I think it is a sharper image item. Wears it on a plane all the time or on curvy roads. We have not done any cruising but she is working up the courage to try it.

I am thinking this wrist device is near $100 but she would not do without it. Has done the bonine and dramamine thing as well.

Marilyn

larry1, you have made my day! I am a huge fan of the scopolamine patch, but I would greatly prefer a pill as the slight side effects of the patch seem strongest during the first of the 3 days.

Actually, if anyone out there does use the patch, you can try my technique of cutting one in half. I have found that is an adequate amount of the drug for me and really cuts down on the dry mouth. Especially useful for anyone smaller in body weight.

Cassandra

"mlarson," my heart goes out to your husband and son -- a lifelong affliction for me too.

And I notice the same thing happened to you here that always happens to me when I've posted similar questions here and on other boards. What YOU were asking is how bouncy the cat boat ride is. What everyone feels compelled to do is to tell you how to treat motion sickness.

No one seems to believe that if you know you get motion sick, you've TRIED it all! All you're asking HERE is about the quality of the boat ride.

SO (rant over): glad to see janeq, carzy4Hawaii, and placeu2 had some useful comments and hope someone else can comment -- I hope to go to Hawaii myself sometime -- already know better than to get on a helicopter, but might want to do some boating, so I'm interested too.

kamahinaohoku

mlarson - I truly sympathize with your husband and your son, because I have thrown up on almost every boat I've ever been on! Catamarans included. Actually, sometimes all I have to do is stand at the dock, watch the boat moving in the water and ...it's not pleasant.

I'm surprised that no one else has mentioned sea sick shots. I was invited on the QE2 about 9 years ago, and even though I knew how queasy I'd feel, I couldn't pass up the invitation. The second day out, while I was turning green, a bartender suggested that I go to the hospital and get a "seasick shot". He said that many of the crew used them. So I went to the hospital on board, got in line for the shot (paid around $25US), and asked the doctor what was in it. He told me it was a shot of antihistamines. He also told me to go back to my cabin, because in 20 minutes, I was going to take a 3 hour nap. Which is exactly what happened. What also happened was that once I awoke, I was no longer seasick, and that the shot lasted 5 days. Needless to say, everyone else I knew got the shot as well.

I've often wondered if taking antihistamines orally would work as well as the shot, but I don't know.