In our travels around the Amalfi coast we will have to take boats several times, once for our week in Capri from Sorrento and then from Capri back to Naples to fly home. I keep reading about awful boat rides and lots of seasickness. What's the scoop?

I can't give you the scoop, but let me make a general statement.

I think that depends more on how rough the water is and also on the sensitivity level of each person. I have been on a couple of fishing boats and I just can't handle it if the water is choppy. However, some people on these same boats are fine. My husband doesn't know what motion sickness is, no matter how much the boat is moving.

My best advice is to find some good motion sickness meds. I hope you will have more success with motion sickness that I have had. amp;

Hi loc,

The scoop is that if you are subject to seasickness, you want the largest boat possible, and you want to go on days when the water is smooth.

A couple of things we noticed:

a. The boat ride is going to be pretty quick from Sorrento to Capri(under 40 minutes) and the boats are pretty big. They tend to pack people on like sardines though (at least in Positano they did) so make sure you get there early and sit in the open air with a view of the horizon. Going below deck always gets me sick.

The sea can get a bit rough but not enough to cause a lot of distress. The boats are plenty big to handle it smoothly as long as there isn't a severe storm.

It may help to take 2 Dramamine the night before you leave and then 1/2 of one about 30 minutes prior to departure. That way you still have it in your system but aren't completely conked out your first day. Open air and a view of the horizon also help. Focus on one specific point on the horizon if you start feeling bad.

Dramimine is short-acting - taking it the night before it useless. You need to take it 30 to 60 minutes before you get on the boat - and it will last 4 to 6 hours - no more.

You might take it 2/3 hours in advance - but if you haven;t taken it before and don;t know how long it will work for you, you could "run out" if the trip is delayed at all.

you should take a dry run so to speak with dramamine, it makes me sick for hours, so that will pretty much ruin your trip after you land.

I think the hydrofoil skims the waves more and doesnt dip so much so less inclined to make me sick. Like cadillac says stay on top where you wont breathe the exhaust and stare at the horizon. Take some ginger to munch on.

On a hydrofoil from Naples to Capri is the only time in my life I felt seasick. The water was very choppy but the biggest problem for me was that many passengers were actually throwing up. I have a weak stomach when it comes to being around people vomiting. I was scared to death I would be doing the same..but fortunatly that didn't happen.

However loc that was the only time I had a problem going or returning from Capri.

Here is the scoop, from someone who lived on Capri and suffers from SEVERE motion sickness (cars, boats, planes, even swings).

The trip from Capri to Sorrento is short, especially if you take a hydrofoil. Hydrofoils are choppier than ferries, but are also faster. In my personal experience, it's sort of a toss-up. "Do I want to feel vaguely ill for 2 hours, or feel really sick for 20 minutes?" That's sort of up to you.

Also, if you are really squeamish about boats, DO NOT take the boat from Capri to Naples. Both the hydrofoil and the ferry seem to take forever to someone with seasickness. I personally would minimize your time on the boat by taking it to Sorrento and then taking the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to Naples.

The chop of the boat obviously depends on the weather and how big the waves are, and they will cancel hydrofoils if the weather is too poor and the waves are too large.

Sitting outside in the air helps.

They make 24 hour dramamine that does not wear off after 4 hours. You only have to take it once a day, but it does make you very sleepy.

Another thing I have tried is the motion sickness patch. You just put it behind your ear and it lasts for 3 days. Doesn't make me as sleepy, but does make me ridiculously thirsty.

Ginger ale. Have some with you before you get on the boat.

There you go - all you ever wanted to know and more.

Discuss with your doctor a prescription for scopolamine pills or patches.
Many people, even doctors, don't know it comes in a pill, which is a much smaller dose, like a day's worth, so it's good for a ferry or a day of diving or pleasure boating, rather than the 3-day patch, which is good for starting a cruise.
When I put on a patch, I get a dry mouth, slightly loopy, and my pupils dilate a lot. Not so with the pill -- but I get the same benefit.
Either way -- or with the Dramamine, take it BEFORE you get on the boat/moving object and feel queasy.