Seasickness and Canary Islands Cruise
 

Hi,
We want to book a cruise to the Canary Islands with Norwegian leaving Barcelona. The cruise is late January - early February. Stops are Casablanca, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Malaga and Alicante. We're getting a great deal but we have to decide quickly.
Unfortunately, I am afraid of seasickness (since I occasionally can get carsick). I know that the cruise ships are equipped with stabilizers (we did a cruise in the Caribbean on a larger ship and I had no problems.). I don't mind taking medication occasionally but I don't want to spend the whole cruise taking pills!
I'd like to hear from anyone who has done a similar cruise in January/February. What are the seas like?
Thanks!

Impossible to predict what the sea conditions will be the week or so of your cruise.

There are slow release patches you can get. Most cruise ships provide seasick tablets free of charge. As Roams said, no way to predict the seas.

Very hard to say really. I looked into this out of curiosity and found that your route is less likely to get rough weather at this time of yr. vs. a more northerly route but anything can happen. A storm could hit you too.

Generally speaking get a cabin low and amidships to minimize motion sensation.

There is a nausea med (Zofran slow release) that dissolves under ones tongue, useful if you are too ill to swallow anything. However its prescription so please check with your MD for this and a scoplamine patch. My ex boss loves to sail the Great Lakes on like 30 footers and uses scop all the time with no ill effects. However my wife had to see the ships MD once on the Tahitian Princess who said they no longer prescribe it due to side effects. We had to pay for the visit as well as the meds. I did see OTC meds for sale on board. We know what works for her so we always get a script for it before we go just in case.



There are OTC meds like dramamine and bonine. Some people swear by ginger tablets and others use wrist bands.

Best of luck. Your itinerary sounds very nice!

Sorry I meant to instant release about the sl (sublingual) Zofran, also called Ondansetron.

When Sue was seasick on the Tahitian several crew members said try crackers and green apples now that I recalled it. I don't know why but they must know something about it as they practically live on a ship for sometimes 6 mos. at a time, maybe more.

I know that it's impossible to predict any kind of weather (if it was possible, there would be a lot less rain!). I just wanted to hear about how people deal with seasickness. I also was interested if anyone had taken a similar cruise.
Has anybody tried the wrist bands which press on an acupuncture point?
I am planning on coming fully prepared with medicines etc... and mentally prepared not to get seasick.

As someone else suggested, we always get a cabin as low and midships as possible.
DH starts taking meclizine (generic Bonine) a day or 2 before the cruise.

<<"...I just wanted to hear about how people deal with seasickness ...
Has anybody tried the wrist bands which press on an acupuncture point?...>>

As you know there are lots of different seasickness remedies" on the market and they wouldn't be on the market if they weren't really effective for a large segment of those who suffer from motion sickness. These products have been used by literally thousands of people. Some of the remedies work well for some people and other remedies don't. Some people swear by the wristbands you described and others find them ineffective. The point being you have to be prepared to try several different remedies to find the one(s) that work best for you.

You should check with your family physician and get his/her advice on which of the remedies might be best for your situation, what dosages you should take and when you should start taking the "meds" to get maximum effectiveness.

And, as others have pointed out, if you still experience discomfort while on board the ship you can always consult with the ship's onboard doctor.

We're going to be on one of the higher decks with a balcony - I'll see if I can at least get a midship room. We're going as part of a group and getting a room with a balcony is one of the perks. Does Bonine have any side effects like drowsiness? Does your husband take it during the whole cruise?

Just an opinion, do not give up your balcony to be midship. The fresh air will do you more good than a non-balcony room midship.

For sure!

If you can get an amidships balcony that would be ok. However if you get a forward cabin then you will feel the ships movement much more.

Our first cruise was a smaller ship than today's giants and we were amidships with a window but not a balcony. We woke up the first morning and thought we were in port so I looked out the window to see and we were still moving. We didn't even feel it. Conversely we had a f/w balcony cabin on the smallish Tahitian Princess and my wife became quite ill, too ill to sit outside. We were able to move to an amidships cabin but otherwise would probably have had to get off at the next port. It's up to you.

Best of luck!

Try Ginger for motion sickness!

I did this cruise a couple of years ago in December and there was only one rough day. I took stroganon which helped and stayed in the cabin and read a book.

DH takes the meclizine at night, not usually for the whole trip.
Location makes a difference to him. On an evening with rough seas, we had to leave the theater, which was in the front of the ship.

I don't see any recommendation for a scopolamine patch, which you put behind your ear. It prevents seasickness and doesn't have bad side effects in most people. That's what my parents used to use when they cruised, and they swore by them. They are by prescription only.

Bonine doesn't cause drowsiness, so if you want to try that it's a good option too (that's what I typically use in rough seas).

The issue in the winter is that seas in the Atlantic can be rough, and you should be prepared, especially if you are prone to seasickness. The clinic on the ship can also prescribe seasickness meds if you don't have them, but it's going to be cheaper and better to get them beforehand.

I did mention it actually. Fourth post overall.

The British MD on the Tahitian told us it's no longer used in Europe due to side effects. This was in 2006.

My husband is very susceptible to motion sickness of any kind. He once spent eight hours midship in the lounge at the same table waiting out rough seas, and only came up to the room because he lost his table when he went to the bathroom! On a more recent trip I found a concoction in the ship's sundry shop called "Sailor's Secret". It is a ginger pill that he said worked almost immediately to relieve his seasickness symptoms. I have since recommended it to others. It is available on Amazon and also the manufacturer's website: http://www.sailorsecret.com. It is very inexpensive.

Lots of good advice. I read up about the patches and medicines (prescription) and the possible side effects worry me. But getting seasick worries me more. I read about ginger and the sailorssecret pill is something I will definitely look into. But I will come prepared with both prescription meds and other solutions.

Good idea. It's best to be prepared. Have a great time!