gbwnab

Hi, I don't mean to ask a question that has been asked a million times, but I really am quite worried about the movement. I know that maybe a cruise might not have been the best vacation option, but we've always wanted to try it at least once. I'm not really prone to motion sickness, moreso the anxiety and all that relates to the panic of the unknown. I tend to stay away from the rides at the carnival, but I can stand them if I must go. Can anyone give me any ideas how bad it might get, or maybe that I am worried for no reason? Basically, what can I expect, during calm weather and also during a storm. Thanks a lot!
ps traveling on the Carnival Triumph/West Carrib. tour.

gail

I get seasick thinking about a boat. I got sick paddling on a glass bottom kayak in the ocean and visiting a docked Navy ship (I am not kidding).

I was not sick on either a 3-day Eastern Caribbean cruise or 1 week Bermuda cruise. On latter, one day seas were a little choppy. These big ships are generally really good at not causing motion sickness - obviously in a storm it might be different.

cruznut6

gbwnab

Today's ships are so large(The Triumph, for instance!), you'll sometimes forget you're on a ship. My DW suffers from anxiety and panic disorder,so she was very apprehensive about taking a cruise. After taking our first cruise in 1991, she's "an old pro" now, cruising 16 times. We've travelled in stormy weather and seas, and yes, you will feel the ship's movemnent, but normally not too severe. Go have a great time, and think positive! Life's too short to waste time with worrying, and besides, it won't change anything.

Joy and Peace in Christ,
Bob

gbwnab

Thank you both for the replys, you've eased my mind.

kfusto

The weather and therefore the seas has the biggest impact on motion.

IME, the newness and size of the ship is not as important as the design. Ships that are large and have many stacked decks do not ride as well as those are sleek.

Triumph is a new ship with stabilization so should be fine in good seas.

Unless you are going during storm season, I would not sweat it at all!

pmcp

I have been on 4 cruises & though I am not prone to motion sickness, I always take a Bonine every morning at breakfast just in case. Three of the cruises were fine, but one ran into a storm at sea & the salt & pepper shakers were sliding off the tables at dinner. Many people were sick, but not me & my husband thanks to Bonine! Better to be safe than sorry.

miaspapa

I was on cruise one time it was so bad people were vomiting all around us,it lasted for several days we could not eat and there was no escape.when we would sit in the room i was worse,we finally got medicine it helped ,but what a nightmare.We did not cruise for over 20 years because of that experience ,but we are going on a Med. cruise for 12 days I have my fingers crossed.When we were leaving from florida it was so ruff we were in the lounge people were flying on the dance floor it was really bad.I hate to give you the bad news but I think you should get at least the other side.Whether this will happen to you I doubt it ,if this was the case the cruse line would be out of business.Have fun and foget this post.lol.

Bobmrg

One of NCL's new ships has a bowling alley...does that sound as though the ship rolls very much? We have taken only two or three cruises, but in that limited experience we have had no motion sickness problems at all.

Now if the Coast Guard cutters I served on had had stabilizers as the cruise ships do......

fmpden

Most of the previous postings have an element of truth to them. It is hard to predict your potential experience BUT given the right conditions you can have some serious problems. Hard to forecast what your experience might be.

We have been on 7 cruises with about 90 days of travel. Vast majority of the time has been fine except for a few days. The worse experience was about 36 hours with the ship rolling side to side and up and down and the porthole window in our cabin was underwater most of the day. It wasn't fun.

You will have two types of motion -- one is controllable to a limited degree and the other is not. The roll or side to side motion can be limited with stabilizers -- basically airplane wing like structures that extend out from under the ship and in severe seas will substantially reduce the roll but not prevent it. In light seas the ship may not deploy the stabilizers because the wings increase the friction,slows down the ship, and increase operating cost. So you should always expect some roll.

The second motion is pitch -- up and down. It is simply the motion of the ship riding up and down the waves. Cannot be controlled. Larger, heavier ships do better because of weight and length since they will not ride up and down the waves as easily as smaller, lighter ships. But again, in heavy seas, the ship will pitch.

You can offset some of the effects of pitch and roll by the cabin selection. The ship has a center of gravity or axle that the pitch and roll rotate around. The closer your cabin is to that center the less effect you will feel in your cabin. Think about it --- a cabin high on the stern or bow will move a greater distance as the ship pitches and rolls. We always select a cabin that is as low as possible in the ship and as close to the middle as possible. Sort of a win/win situation as these are always the lowest priced cabins and the best for sleeping or retreating to if the worse happens.

Remember a day of cruising even in bad weather is better than day on dry land.

Frank P., Centennial, CO

Chilepepper

As I get older I get a little sick even on a playground swing! But . . . I was on Carnival's Miracle literally DURING Hurricane Katrina and had no problems. They rerouted us from Tampa, via bus, to Ft. Lauderdale so we wouldn't travel through the eye of the storm, but the water was pretty rough that first day. We took someone's advice and took Dramamine when we got on the ship "just in case". We all just about fell asleep in our dinner plates that night! We didn't need ANY medicine the whole time. Suggest NOT taking Dramamine, unless you are going to sleep your cruise away! :0)

ROSWALT

Mostly it is not the motion that is bad but how your body responds. It is very individual. It never bothers me but I've seen some people really sick and green in color.

katybird

You can take the non drowsy which is Bonine[generic Meclizine].Original Dramamine is dimenhydrinate and can make you drowsy. Check for the generics..of course, much less expensive.

marysmommy

I understand your anxiety, but you're going to have a great time. I just took my first cruise (age 45) this summer to Bermuda and was terrified of getting sick, being miserable, and ruining it for everyone. My sister-in-law and I stocked up on every possible remedy, from patches to bonine to dramamine, to seabands, etc. We both wore patches upon boarding and believe it was too strong--neither of us got sick, but it blurred my vision a bit and made me thirsty and MEAN (I'm usually the "happy" daughter-in-law) and her NICE (she's usually the sarcastic one). It was like we switched bodies. I finally took mine off 8 hours into the cruise and took a dramamine instead, but it took a day to wear off and get my vision back to normal. Neither of us ever felt the least bit sick, despite rough water and wind, and we still laugh about it. If you are not prone to motion sickness, just relax and take a bonine or dramamine--the patch may be too much. You'll see a lot of people on here advise you to cut them in half, but then others say that is not a good idea, as it ruins the time-release mechanism and you can wind up giving yourself an even bigger dose. Have a wonderful cruise!

NatureGirl19317

Hi gbwnab!

Id never had any problems with motion sickness, however, before I took my first cruise my mom (wisely) made me go to the dr to obtain a preventative measure.

Im glad I did. The dr gave me the little patches to put behind my ear. I wore them but didnt like the side effects (slightly blurry vision and increased thirst-both previously mentioned) so I stopped wearing them for a few days and became ill. I put the patch back on and was ok. Based on these facts, I presume that the patch was helpful!

As someone previously stated: everyones different so theres really no telling!

That said, I have “risked it” on subsequent cruises and am usually ok. I bring the patches with me just in case though!



Also, my mom always told me that if I start to feel sick I should go outside and look out to the horizon. This has helped, also. Not sure if it was looking at the horizon, getting the fresh air, or thinking of my mom that helped make me feel better but it worked!



Have a great time!!

inthechips2

My husband used to get motion sick on the WA state ferries through the San Juan islands (typically quite calm waters during the time of year we'd choose to be on them). He discovered ginger caplets. We get them at any health food store. Takes them for a day or two before we do anything on a boat of any size and never has had a problem with motion sickness since. One each morning while on the ship does it for him.

Charlene29

Hello,

Having worked on cruise ships for 4 or so years sea sickness is always something to deal with...lucky for me I don't get sea sick!

However, a few tips, try and get a cabin midship not too high up, if you pass through a storm head for the lower decks and if you aren't going to soaked by upcoming waves get some fresh air.

I know this sounds strange however this is what we did on all the ships I worked on, bowls of apples and crackers were put out for pax.

The onboard DR can give you a shot which will stop any sea sickness you may experience.

If you aren't prone to sickness then you may find you enjoy a bit of yawing! I always found it very soothing.

You will hardly feel a thing during rough weather, have fun and don't worry!

Charlene