Cruising help for a motion sickness sufferer??
 

Looking for advice and encouragement please...

My husband has set his heart on going on a cruise, but I’m worried about how I’ll manage as I suffer bad motion sickness on most transport. The few times I’ve been on boats (ferry crossings mostly) I’ve felt really sick.

What can I do? I’ve looked up medications, but there are so many to choose from and they all seem to have side effects.

I found this helpful site: www.motion-sickness-guru.com that sets out all the options for non medicated remedies (ginger etc. etc. etc. ) but there seems to be no way of knowing in advance what will work for me, and there’s so much I can’t take it all with me, and I guess I can’t take it all at once. Also it mentions that Puma Method http://www.pumamethod.com/ which is supposed to make you tolerant to motion sickness. I like the idea of this, but it costs money and takes time (all fine if it works!). Has anyone tried it?

My husband just wants the experience of going on a cruise (big cruise ship, city at sea, kind of thing), so he isn’t too concerned about WHERE we cruise! Are some routes smoother than others (for example, I’ve heard that Alaskan cruises can be really rough).

Sorry for the long post.

If you can advise me I’d really love to hear your comments.

Thank you all!

transdermscop.com my best friend when cruising

Eastern Med Black Sea Cruises tend to be the calmest

priceline.com Might have a look at the Musica or Costa

cruise out of Venice my fav Rome Athens Istanbul

very flat calm sailing from personal experience.

Cruising out from Venice-tourism.com

at sunset is truly amazing.

I am extremely prone to motion sickness. My doctor prescribed transdermscop patch and boy did it work. My daughter and friend also went and got perscriptions and it worked for them also. With my insurance my co-pay I paid $15 for 4 patches. Each patch last for 3 days. I only used two for the 5 night cruise.

Thanks qwovadis and tch912! Did either of you get any side effects with the patch? Seems some people get them really bad... Did you test it on dry land before the cruise?
qwovadis: I hadn't even thought of the Black Sea. Thanks!

My wife uses dramamine and that has worked well. In addition to that she had been prescribed a low dose of phenergan which also worked well. The doc on the ship who prescribd it was English and mentioned that the scop patch is not used in Eurpoe due to side effects but there is really no telling what will work for you until you try or even if you will need something or not. My boss loves to sail and recently rented a 35 ft. boat to sail in the Caribbean in the BVI area and she used the patch w/o any issues. The general rule is to try for a low, amidships cabin to lessen the motion sensation. Definitely DO NOT get a cabin high and forward. Todays large cruise ships are pretty smooth unless you run into a storm so your chances are good. Good luck. Larry :-)

Flyfly we did not have any side effects. Jacketwatch my cabin was near the middle on the upper deck.

We usually get a balcony cabin which means we are on the upper floors. As long as we are amidships motion has not been much of an issue. The 1st time we cruised we had an amidship cabin with a window, no balcony. The 1st morning we woke up and wondered if we were in port so I looked out only to see we were still at sea. Didn't even feel it. :D

wrist bands work for me. They have a small 'ball" on the inside which presses on a pressure point that does something to the nausea. There are also patches... Wrist bands can be purchased at any drug store....Always keep your eye on the horizon when the ship is rocky - that helps too.

Scopalamine patches are probably the best bet. They do not so much have side effects as inherent effects that can be unpleasant. Some are more sensetive than others. Dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary retention are some effects, but not all are troubled by them. A lot of antihistamines - Benadryl, B onine, Dramamine also have these problems for some. Do watch out for certain drugs that are readily available outside the US, such as Compazine, Thorazine and many others. These drugs are a class of major tranquilizers called phenothiazines and are very effective for nausea. Unfortunately they have for many horrendous and dramatic side effects. Usually dramatitic, frightening uncontrolled movements. These are easily treated, but only by those who know what's going on and know the Rx - IV Benadryl. But they are best avoided altogether. Their names most often end in ..zine.

I think it best to ask your MD. Cheers, Larry :-)

First, pick the cabin wisely, don't go for "guaranteed" - the cabin should be in the lower middle part of the ship, and must have at least porthole or any window.

Second, whatever meds work for you on buses or planes or small boats will work on cruises. Do you get sick on buses? Start checking. Every body has different reaction. For example, I don't tolerate dramamine well, but OK with bonine - and take it only when needed, ginger takes care of the rest.

Third, hmm... maybe wrong order, anyway, pick a cruise with more stops, less sea days.

I get sick by just looking at boats, and there is no reason for you not to cruise.

Eat raw ginger, both before and during. It works better than pills. Pick a bigger boat, find a cabin near the middle of the ship at the lowest deck possible. Select "calmer" water example: East Med (calmer) vs West Med, Carribean Sea vs Atlantic Ocean. After the first cruise and see how it all worked out. If it works great, then venture into more open water, pick a higher deck etc.

I don't think anyone mentioned Bonine which I've used several times and had no motion sickness problems (without it I do get seasick). It's available over the counter.

In the past, we were also afraid to cruise due to fears of getting sick. I have also been seasick on small boats, i.e from Playa del Carmen>Cozumel and in Istria, Croatia. But we just returned from our second cruise, Princess to Canada and New England, and had absolutely no problems.

The ship is so big & stabilized, no worries! Our first cabin was mid-ship, this second was in the very front, 12th floor, and still had absolutely no issues. I got patches from my Dr before i left, but did not use them. Please go and enjoy!

DW almsot got sick from the Playa del Carman to Cozumel ferry as well. Tendering ports would present a challenge for miotion sickness if the water is "rough". Better be prepared and be safe.

Oh, yes avoid the Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen tender. I had to close eyes,lean and hold onto hubby during the 45 min crossing, and focus on breathing or I would have been so sick. I get sick snorkelling in Mexico from the rolling water, so...when we cruise yearly in February I always pick a large ship with at least 2000 pax, midship cabin from level 6 onward although lower down is the best for lack of motion we prefer not to be that low. The one time we had a low down cabin we didn`t feel a thing.

Hubby wanted to cruise way before I dared to because of the seasick factor but surprisingly I have found in general I experience very little seasickness on the big ships even in a bit of rough weather. Small boats I cannot do. You may find the same. Go for it, perhaps why not try a 4 days first instead of the usual week. Bahamas route I believe tends to be rough.

Same goes for Belize - I was glad I took Bonine as ginger would not be enough.

I too remember that ferry. My wife turned green on the way to Cozumel. terrible. However coming back was with the current IIRC so it was smooth. No problems then.