Please help me NOT get sick...

[DisneyTiger]

Hi everyone... we are going on our first Disney Cruise in a few weeks and I am terrified of getting sea sick I have never been on ANY cruise and I am VERY prone to motion sickness. I need you to list EVERY trick in the book to help keep me well. I'm talkig home remedies, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, black market drugs.... whatever it will take. Thanks so much in advance for the tips!!! And here's to a green free cruise

 

[CyndiandChris]

Second of all, go visit your doctor and get some good stuff for backup if you want. The OTC stuff is good, too.

 

[DisneyTiger]

Second of all, go visit your doctor and get some good stuff for backup if you want. The OTC stuff is good, too.

LOL. Thanks! I know I need to relax. I think most of it is excitement more than nerves I just don't want to be sick the whole time.

 

[simbasmom2]

One word- Bonine. It has worked for us beautifully! It is CHEAP, works quickly and we have not become sleepy from it. It is an as needed med, not a preventative med.

 

[Cdaub]

I was nervous about ours too and my dr gave me the patch. You put it behind your ear the night before the cruise and I never felt sick at all. We are going again in March and i plan on having the patch again. I might not have really needed it - but i just didn't want to take the change.
enjoy your cruise!

 

[klarlee]

Sea Bands (little acupressure bands you wear on your wrists, found at pharmacies like Walgreens), Bonine, Quease Ease (topical "essential oils" you put behind your ear, also found at Walgreens), Scopalamine patch (Dr's prescription, you put behind your ear the night BEFORE you board), Ginger Chews (found at places like Whole Foods). I keep all these on-hand for each cruise but have only ever used the Quease Ease myself and the Sea Bands for my son...never needed anything else! It really isn't bad but better to be safe than green

 

[taswira]

One week PRIOR to sailing, I begin taking one ginger capsule per day. I continue to do so throughout the cruise. I also take one Bonine per day during the cruise, with the first one around noon the day of sailing. Coming up on my 15th DCL cruise and I've never had a problem.

If you are on any medications, be sure to check with your doctor before taking ginger.

Also, if the seas are rough while you are dining, consider sitting where any motion for you will be side to side instead of forward and back. It works for me anyway. It's also a good idea to NOT look across the room or out a window when dining with rough seas.

 

[diane648]

We always take Bonine right before bed (in case it makes us sleepy), and use it a few days before & after the cruise.

I also carried sour candies in my purse (like Jolly Rancher) - they always worked wonders w/ morning sickness nausea.

Relax - you'll be fine.

Happy sailing!

 

[TheWog]

DW is also very prone to seasickness and loved our cruises. She used Bonine and Sea-Bands and these didn't make her sleepy at all (Dramamine can make a lot of people sleepy vs. Bonine). She starts to take the Bonine about 24-36 hours prior to departing. That way it gets in your system and you are good to go. She used the Sea-Bands and by day 3 or so no longer needed them. They can become uncomfortable as they do apply pressure, but are great to have. She swears by Bonine and Sea-Bands and fresh air. We make sure we have a verandah cabin so she can get the fresh air in peace. This would be our suggestion to make the cruise the best it can be. A doctor can prescribe you a patch to go behind your ear, but some have complained it gives you a metallic taste in your mouth, but that is an option as well.

 

[mjaclyn]

I am definitely also an advocate for Bonine. On my very first cruise (a Princess cruise) I was feeling awful and Dramamine only made me feel worse. I was SO nervous to go on a Disney cruise because of the motion sickness, but I started taking bonine a few hours before the cruise. I felt a little weird the first night, but every day after that was great. I'm definitely planning on taking it for our upcoming cruise in two weeks.

 

[rainnorsnow]

Hi everyone... we are going on our first Disney Cruise in a few weeks and I am terrified of getting sea sick I have never been on ANY cruise and I am VERY prone to motion sickness. I need you to list EVERY trick in the book to help keep me well. I'm talkig home remedies, prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, black market drugs.... whatever it will take. Thanks so much in advance for the tips!!! And here's to a green free cruise

Bonine worked well for our entire family on our MR cruise last winter. But if you are really worried & money is no object, buy a relief band. You can typically find them on e-bay for $150 to $250, & you might be able to find one online from a retailer in the same price range. My dr prescribed one for me when we took our first cruise when I was 5 months pregnant. They work wonderfully, the only time I got seasick that cruise was the night I forgot to wear it. If you have lots of problems with motion sickness it might be a good investment for you anyway. I also am very prone to motion sickness & I still use it on certain car trips when I think I might need it. It is basically a wristband that sends a small electric shock to your wrist which somehow interrupts the signals of nausea to the brain, don't ask me how it works, it just does! You can't wear it in the water, so I would still take the Bonine, but it is very effective. Good luck. I had no problems on our MR cruise, except for sea legs for the last couple of days & a few days afterwards. Several on our cruise had the same experience, we had very rough seas the last night, no nausea for me so the Bonine/Relief Band combo must have worked.

 

[threeboysny]

Just a heads-up about the patch (Transderm Scop) - it's prescription, and make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get them. Apparently the manufacturer is having trouble keeping up with demand, and some pharmacies (including my local Target and our mail-order place through insurance) don't know if/when they will be able to get them. I called 6 local pharmacies last week before I found one that had them in stock.

 

[TwistGrl101]

DH REFUSES to do a cruise, because he is afraid he will be seasick the whole time. It is a huge fight in my house...I keep reading everywhere that he can take a pill/patch, etc. and everything will be fine, but he doesn't believe it. So, can we hear from someone who HAS been sea sick? Did the stuff NOT work for you?

 

[sayhello]

Another caution about the patch. While it does work wonderfully, some people have been known to have side effects from them (especially with extended use). Things like blurry vision and dizziness. So if you do get them, it's a good idea to try one out for a few days before you go on vacation so you know if you can actually wear them or not.

I've also had very good short term results using Sea Bands.

Sayhello

 

[kimistry6]

I used the sea bands and Quease Ease drops the time we were on our cruise. They worked great for me as long as I didn't take the bands off. We also took bonine but we didn't need it. I got the bands and the drops at Walgreens.

 

[Tracerr00]

I'm going on my first cruise next week! I'm very nervous about this as well because I get motion sickness in cars and on rollercoasters. So I went to the doc and she prescribed the patch as well. We're going to Universal the day before the cruise so I plan to test it out the day before to see if it also helps on rollercoasters and the Forbidden Journey. Wish me luck. I might bring Bonine as a backup as well in case the patch doesn't agree with me becuase it sounds like people here really like it.

I'm a little worried about the patch because one of the side effects is heatstroke if you get overheated while wearing it. I was planning to do the 5k on castaway cay and I know I get pretty hot when I run (probably even moreso in the Bahamas!). I wonder what would happen if I took it off mid-cruise?

 

[janiebubble]

This was by far my biggest worry when we cruised last summer for the first time. I have a poor motion sickness record ... I can't travel in the back of cars, on buses, I felt like I was going to die after I rode Mission Space, I have been ill on numerous cross channel ferries.

I wondered why I was even attempting the cruise. I started taking ginger tablets the day before we sailed and I was fine. I felt a little motion in the theatre a couple of nights but nothing that would spoil my holiday.

Try not to worry - with any luck you'll be fine

 

[pb9000]

My wife and I felt sick the first night on the ship. So we went to Guest Services and got the free tablets they pass out. Don't know what was in them, but they worked perfectly. We took them everyday after and felt great.

 

[Disney On A Dime!]

Here's another vote for Bonine or Dramamine Less Drowsy (Same ingredients.) Like many others...we start the night before our cruise with taking 1 Bonine at dinner time. Then every night at dinner we all take a Bonine. Now...my youngest son is very prone to motion sickness...and sometimes if the ship is rocking or rolling (Even gently)...he will take another Bonine at bedtime, too.


I believe that there are store brands of the Bonine now also. Anyhow...this has become our cruise routine...and we absolutely love cruising!


Oh, and don't forget to keep taking the meds. or using the seabands or wearing the patch after the cruise is over. It will be a few days before you get your land-legs back!


Crystal

 

[manitobamickey]

Our first cruise my daughter and I who are prone to sea/motion sickness tried the ginger before cruising trick and it worked, right up until we pulled away from the dock in PC. Our server recommended going to the medics and getting some of their free motion sickness tabs. They worked well.

Our second cruise we went to the dr. and got the patch. We did have to wait for the RX to come in as they only had one box in store, but got them before the trip.

I had no problem sailing with the patch. no motion sickness at all.
My daughter loved the patch for about 3 days, then she did begin to get blurred vision so discontinued use. her vision came back right away, and her sea sickness was at bay for a day or so, then she decided to put the patch on for the last day on rocky waters and was fine.

Be careful not to touch your eyes after applying the patch if this is the route you are going to take!