Just returned from an East Caribbean cruise last week. Surprise - the first 24 hours were spent in bed praying for the boat to stop moving. We are going on another cruise in April to Panama. Lifestyles of the rich and famous - no - just march break and a family reunion in the same year. Took Bonine and was sleepy for the following 6 days. While this trip will not follow the same path (Atlantic Ocean) and we are mid ship instead of aft, I would still rather be prepared. Any recommendations for meds before I board?

I'd suggest the non-medical wrist straps. But you will certainly not notice as much motion mid-ship. Aft cabins are (for me at least) the worst. I had breakfast in the aft dining room one morning on Norwegian Pearl and though I wouldn't make it, though I was better once I actually started eating.

I swear by non-drowsy dramamine. I just take 1 or 2 tablets about an hour before sailing away and then one a day every day at sea.

If you use the SeaBands, you must be sure to have it placed correctly, with the accupressure button between the 2 tendons in your wrist, about 3 finger widths away from the wrist crease or else it does not work. You can try the scopolamine patch (goes behind the ear) which is effective but causes a fair amount of dry mouth. Take some meclizine tablets on board with you to take in case. By the way, the seas in April should be much less rocky than your last cruise!

Isn't that a horrible feeling.. been there, done that. Here is a solution... and it works for me.. Go to your local health food store and buy ginger tablets..(remember taking flat gingerale when you were a kid).. as soon as you get onboard the ship take one.. and then I take one at everymeal. You can try the non-drowsy type of over the counter medication, but in Bermuda I've bought Sturgeron which is what the yachtsmen use and that helps.. The patch will/may give you blurry vision and the wrist bands didn't help me at all..

Consult your health care professional. But you can split your Bonine dose, 1/2 in the am and the other 1/2 at bedtime. If you didn't you can take the dose at bedtime, instead in the am. It is a very good product for some people.

I hope the better cabin location and hopefully more favorable sea conditions will help. Meclizine is the active ingredient in both Dramamine and Bonine so neither of those should help if you became woozy for 6 days after one dose which BTW is a reaction for the books! My wife took a small dose of phenergan prescribed by the ships MD once and that worked. However if Bonine makes you woozy to that degree phenergan, being stronger could have such unfavorable SE's as well. You never know however. Drugs effect people differently. It may not effect you as one would think. Good luck. Larry

Scratch that. Meclizine is the active ingredient in Bonine, not Draminine.

I used the sea bands with great results. Make sure they are tight enough, I use the childs version, and correctly positioned.
I used them for the first 3 days of a fairly rough voyage then left them off. I had no feelings of sickness at all. The cruise after I did not need the bands and suffered no sea sickness. Maybe I am cured?

I am one of those who get dizzy just by looking at a boat. Or a bus. Or a plane.

First of all, the location of the cabin is very important. I did only one cruise (was scared to get sick) and my cabin was in the middle of the ship on a lower (but not the lowest) deck - deck 3, cabins started on deck 2.

Why not the lowest? People from deck 2 said they could feel the engine working.

Then, the day before I start ginger - the way ParrotMom described. It works for me.

If you have a doctor, ask him/her. My doctor advised Bonine (meclizine). I had it, and also Dramamine, with me, just in case. Didn't need it.

Drink a lot, try to have some food (anything!) in your stomach all the time. Cut on caffeine, alcohol. Don't go on a balcony.

On the way back we got strong wind. For me, it was only fun to see the waves.

The sea bands work for me as well. We just took our 6th cruise and I didn't have to use them this time even though the seas were so rough they closed the pool off and the water was coming out onto the deck. We just sat at the pool bar drinking bloody mary's and laughing. Guess after 6 cruises you get used to it.

Don't forget to get some fresh air as well if you're nauseous. Big mistake lying down in bed and closing your eyes. Try to focus on the horizon which is a "fixed" line.

There are many herbal remedies that can be used to stop motion sickness all you need to do is a quick search. Also you can find motion sickness medication in gift shops onboard as well. I would rather go with herbal remedies as they last longer and are not hard on the stomach. Additional information can be gotten by doing a quick search on the net.

My sister swears by the wrist bands and non drowsy dramamine. she is a very sensitive person and I swear those bands work where she sometimes takes them off. She says that the first day is usually the hardest and after that she is just fine.

I vote for ginger capsules. I have used the wristbands and they work fine, but I don't like the feeling of having something around my wrists all the time. We had very rough seas in the Great Barrier Reef on a small boat last summer and so for the 2 days we were out there I took 2 ginger capsules every 4-6 hours. I had absolutely NO queasiness at all. I took them along with me again on our recent Mexican Riviera cruise and one night we were rocking and rolling a bit so I took a couple before I went to bed (I have more trouble when I lie down than when I am up and about) and I was fine. I got them at Whole Foods and they have been a wonderful find. They were reviewed on Mythbusters along with the wrist bands and a homeopathic remedy. The ginger tablets were the only thing that worked for both "testers".

great to know about the giner tablets...spouse has suffered on two of our cruises. so far, i have pretty good sea legs. Hope that continues.

I made mention in the TAtlantic query post of The Shot from the ship doctor if the seasickness isn't responding to anything else. Even for those turning green, it seems to work like a miracle.