Experience with sea sickness, and can enjoy cruising?

[bobbiwoz]

A friend has booked the DVC Member Cruise to Bermuda with us, two rooms, 5 friends. She has recently told me that she has experienced sea sickness symptoms while snorkeling, kayaking and on small boats. She took over the counter meds before these experiences.

I suggested she visit a doctor, but if she’s so sensitive, does she stand a chance to enjoy cruising? Out of NYC??

 

[kenthanson]

I was really seasick for two days of our trip but used dramamine and those wrist magnet bracelets and was fine withing 30 minutes.

 

[Donathius]

My wife gets seasick even on huge ships like Allure of the Seas. She gets the scopalamine patches from her doctor and those work great for her - JUST DON'T TOUCH YOUR EYES AFTER YOU TOUCH THE PATCH! It'll make your pupils dilate and you can't do a thing about it. It just has to wear off. Discovered that the hard way last summer.

 

[Jess_S]

I get seasick. Being on small boats is much worse for me than being on a cruise ship. I take bonine daily when cruising -- and other than a little drowsiness -- I enjoy my cruise. (I also pack ginger chews and aromatherapy oil for vertigo, which help if the ship really starts to rock. I haven't had that be much of an issue, but I like to be prepared).

 

[lilsonicfan]

This is tough, I myself find that as I get older I get more seasick on cruises than I used to - so now I plan to start taking Bonine in advance. Usually if I have taken it on the first day then I'm okay for the rest of the cruise. I do know someone who is always seasick to the point where she can barely make it to dinner on a cruise (which does beg the question of why she would want to cruise).

 

[Meriweather]

I've been sea sick on a couple of cruises. I always carry meclizine now. One tablet at night and they are good for 24 hours. They are inexpensive and they make you drowsy (why I take them at night.....then I sleep better places I normally wouldn't)

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thank you. I have sent this link to my friend in the hope she can get some insight.

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I tend to get motion sick easily. ACars, small boats, theme park rides, ect.. I take meclizine every night beginning the night before we board and never have issues. The only time I have been sick on the boat was in 19ft seas. I did the patches on my first cruise and didn't like them. The dry mouth from the was awful, and after I got off I had eye symptoms. I would try the meclizine and have the patches just in case.

 

[pascalspal]

I like many of the other posters here experience a great deal of motion sickness (theme park rides with screens, car rides, planes, small boats, even standing in the ocean gets me sometimes), and have only been sick a small handful of times on DCL over the 10+ cruises we have done. I take bonine now starting the night before I get on the ship and continue to take each night until disembarking the ship. I take at night to help with drowsiness. I never get sick unless there is unforeseen bad weather, usually the first night sailing on Bahamian itineraries out of PC. I don't like the scopolamine patches for many reasons, but like someone else said I couldn't stand the dry mouth. They made me feel quite foggy and "out of it" as well. I take them with me in case the bonine does not work.

Be careful of mixing seasickness medications! I've always gone to the medical unit on board to check if it is safe before taking two different kinds!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Bobbi, please ask your friend to do a run through with amy medication she tries. Before we first sailed, DH and I tried Bonine and we were soooooo out of it. Huge headache and more. And, I got violently ill one time when wearing a patch before going whale watching. I never even made it on the boat as DH had to pull over for me to vomit on the side of the road.

So, with all that, I bought the ginger capsules From GNC that I read about about here and the Sea Bands and ginger gum. Sailed successfully on three cruises armed with those items, one of them out of NYC.

Good luck!!

 

[Jess_S]

I had one more thought as I read through everyone's posts. Your friend might want to check to see if she has any other medical issues that are contributing to her sea sickness. In my case, I had another health issue that causes vertigo and getting treatment for that has also helped.

What everyone else says about taking Bonine at night is true for me too. If I take it during the day, I get super drowsy. If I take it at night, I sleep through the worst of the drowsiness.

 

[jrabbit]

Less likely to get sea sick on the ship vs. a snorkeling boat ... I take Dramamine EVERY DAY at Walt Disney World and Disneyland ... in over 150 days onboard ship, I have really only gotten sea sick about 3 days. So now DW "makes" me take Dramamine every day on every cruise (this started about 15 sailing days ago) because with the "Less Drowsy" formula I do not have any side effects. That being said, before going snorkeling or on any excursion where we will be on a boat (vs. ship) I "double up" on the Dramamine - I take a dose before bed and then again in the morning. I typically only take the pills to start the day onboard.

<><><><><><><><><><>
And now for way more information about meds than anyone cares to know about ... follow the link below.
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As far as Sea Sickness meds - here is a post that gives you a LOT of info about the various meds.

it's "old" and I am sure that there are new meds, but the info is still good.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I appreciate all the information here, thank you!

 

[Strawberry's mom&dad]

Look into acupuncture. I had it done on board the Fantasy in 2012. I have not had any seasickness since I had it done.

 

[Barbydoll8]

I get sick in the car if you go in reverse too fast. I cannot cruise w/o a patch. Nothing else works. It's the only way I can enjoy a cruise. And I do.
Now, the patch doesn't work for everyone and it is a prescription drug so she should talk to her doctor & pharmacist first. But I've done sea bands, dramamine/bonine, ginger etc. Nope not a one worked other than the patch.
There are some side effects but I can live with them. Dry mouth and dry eye and it can blur your vision a bit. Also if you wear it longer than 3 days it can give you withdrawal when you take it off so it's recommended that you take it off on a port day after 3 days if you can. Then put it a fresh one back on. I experienced this on an especially rough February 5 day cruise.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I take Bonine. I have to take it around 3 - 5 pm so that I sleep through most of the drowsey stage. It wears off before the 24 hours, which is why I like to take it a couple hours before dinner. Dinner is the worst time for sea sickness for me. If I take the Bonine in the afternoon, it will make dinner tolerable.

 

[darnheather]

My children suffer from severe motion sickness. They start taking bonine two days before any travel. I start the day before embarkation. We take them at dinner and do not feel drowsy.

 

[fredandkell]

I get motion sick on small boats and sometimes in the car, but I’m usually fine on cruise ships.

 

[MsOnceUponATime]

I am on the same page as those who say acupuncture. It totally works for us and moreso- if we visit our acupuncturist a day in advance she gives us acupressure patches to put behind our ears and viola! - no seasickness. The Wonder had an acupuncturist a few years ago and when we visited her and she also gave us the acupressure patches to put behind our ears. These patches are sticky (like bandaids) and have little bump on them which press into your pressure points. They've absolutely no medication in them so no worries about that. I highly recommend them!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I am on the same page as those who say acupuncture. It totally works for us and moreso- if we visit our acupuncturist a day in advance she gives us acupressure patches to put behind our ears and viola! - no seasickness. The Wonder had an acupuncturist a few years ago and when we visited her and she also gave us the acupressure patches to put behind our ears. These patches are sticky (like bandaids) and have little bump on them which press into your pressure points. They've absolutely no medication in them so no worries about that. I highly recommend them!

Wow! I have another friend who can use this information.

Thank you all again!