Seasickness

[seven dwarves mine]

Okay, I have never been on a cruise before (So excited!), and I was wondering how much movement you actually feel on the boat. We'll be on the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise in a couple of weeks, and I'm debating whether to bring some sort of motion sickness medicine. Thoughts?

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

I'm going on my first cruise in July & my dr told me to bring meds, in case.
I have heard the ships have good stabilizers.
Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Patinmn]

I am prone to motion sickness, so I do take Bonine on the First night and Last night of the cruise as that is when it crosses the gulf stream and you get a little more movement. I take it just as a precaution because once you are seasick, taking the meds do not help. If I am doing a boat or snorkel excursion I take it on those days also.

 

[JLMDisneyCruise]

I'm on first cruise in sept, and I'm doing a patch from my dr, goes behind my ear...and one patch stays on 3 days.
I love them! Using just in case

 

[terrybsw]

Okay, I have never been on a cruise before (So excited!), and I was wondering how much movement you actually feel on the boat. We'll be on the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise in a couple of weeks, and I'm debating whether to bring some sort of motion sickness medicine. Thoughts?

I will also be on the Fantasy in a short few weeks! I get carsick if I look backwards and am on small boats. When cruising, I always take meds the first day because of the crossing of the currents that happens around dinner the first night. I like Bonine the best. And because I like snorkling excursions, i have some for those days. It is relatively cheap and doesn't take up much space in the suitcase, so I always pack some. In the event you don't have the same thought process, the infirmary carries it for free (; however not the non-drowsy variety. My advice would be to take the meds at the first sign of distress.

 

[bringmethathorizon]

bring it.take something before you get on just in case.better be safe than sorry.our first was rocking pretty bad,people were having a hard time walking around.
we finally give up and went to bed.and we were on meds...............
just depends on the person and their stomach.

 

[seven dwarves mine]

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[Rambler5678]

The sea bands really helped us.

 

[just2girls1]

I make sure I have a patch on before we leave and change it as needed. Although I can say I felt very little movement on our cruise. I can become very dizzy and nauseous just looking at two different items going in different directions i.e. pulling away from a pier, so I was not taking any chances. As stated above once your seasick it will not help.

 

[Four Swampers]

A good idea to bring meds; better to have and not need, than need and not have. At least for something as small as medicines; the saying may not hold true for other items, like a winter parka.

Also, don't be surprised if you get a little land sickness after a week on the ship. It is quite common after a cruise for the land to feel unsteady, like it is swaying a little bit. The feeling typically resolves in a day or two, although I have heard of it lasting several days or more.

 

[TinkGirl]

We took bonine and hated the way it made us feel for our first cruise day--kind of like being on cold medicine. Just not sharp. I wore sea bands after that and was fine. I will be on the Dream in 9 days, and we decided to chance it without the meds. The only time I ever felt motion sickness in my life, though, was five years ago the evening after our Universal day. We stayed on site so could walk on all those simulator rides one after the other.

 

[Msidescooter]

Not that i'm a boy scout, but I always try to be prepared. Like others have stated, I take something the first and last night since going out of or coming into Florida can be rough. Our last night, the ship was rolling pretty good. We have a video of us walking down the hall as we're bouncing between the walls.

Also, don't be surprised if you get a little land sickness after a week on the ship. It is quite common after a cruise for the land to feel unsteady, like it is swaying a little bit. The feeling typically resolves in a day or two, although I have heard of it lasting several days or more.

I didn't take anything when we got back to land and it was the first time that standing on a moving sidewalk felt normal.

 

[sager1969]

I get dizzy not sick to my stomach. I take a Bonine the day before we embark at bedtime. Then, I take one every day just in case. You never know when you will encounter rough seas. I do take it at night in case it would make me drowsy. The first and last night are the worse for me as the ship is going faster. Sometimes, I look a little drunk walking. My son is extremely amused at this. It is pretty funny. If you are prone to motion sickness, I would definitely be prepared. It has not dampened my enjoyment at all. I am usually fine by the next day as I have my sea legs. Also, they hav free seasickness meds at guest services and outside the medical facility. You can find ginger ale pretty easy, too. It was my biggest fear before my first cruise, and it wound up big a lot worse in my head than in reality. I did get nauseated on a catamaran once on rough waters. The captain had me get towards the front of the boat and look at the horizon. It really helped me. If you are really worried, you can talk to your doctor about a patch. I have worn the sea bands, but the medicine helped me more.

I hope you have a great time!

 

[Cartcanuck]

Yes you will feel motion. I just finished my first ever cruise and I have had motion issues ever since suffering 2 concussions a dozen or so years ago. I noticed the motion the first night, a nice calm night at sea. It didn't make me sick, but I felt it in my head. Our night from Grand Cayman to Cozumel was bad. Very windy and large swells and the boat at a good list. It was a tough night to move around.

But through it all, it wasn't enough to make me sick or disable me.

I would recommend meds, patches, or wristbands, whatever works for you. The motion might not bother you at all, but take it just in case. If you forget to bring something or lose it, you can buy meds or wriststraps in the midship shops, or *TIP* go to customer service and ask for it. We received dramamine for free.

So there's no way to know if it will affect you or not until you get there, but be prepared for a pretty continuous state of motion.

 

[TimeAndTide]

I usually take Dramamine each night. It helps me sleep in the new environment and, for me, it lasts into the next day - but without a groggy feeling. I find it's more important for me to have some in my system on sea days. I also try to sit facing forward when I'm sitting where I can see the movement of the water.

Our last sailing was the first time our kids (6,4,4) had complained about about feeling seasick and the water was pretty choppy. Our room steward suggested asking our MDR servers to give them ginger ale and green apples. The kids refused to eat the apples but two of them fell in love with the ginger ale and had it with every dinner after that even though they no longer felt seasick. We also had kids Dramamine but only gave it to them twice - once on a small boat excursion - because it really knocked them out. (I will say the boat ride back to the ship with all three kids asleep in our arms and the wind in my hair and the sun on my face was one of the first times I really relaxed on that sailing! Lol.)

 

[jiminyC_fan]

We always take meclizine whether we need it or not. It doesn't make you sleepy. We know first hand that it is important to have it in your system should you encounter unexpected high swells. On our 2005 EB PC cruise Hurricane Hilary took a turn and we had to ride it out. Those of us guests who had it in our system did great. Those that didn't take anything suffered as it takes awhile to get it in your system and play catch up. Even the CM's got sic. I HIGHLY suggest you take it daily.

 

[dotfurio]

My family didn't get seasick, knock on wood, though we brought seaband and otc dramamine just in case. However, I saw a lot of it going around our first day at sea And a lot of miserable people waiting for the doctor or store to open, so make sure you bring something with you on board if you think you might feel sick.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Bring it, but I doubt you will need it. I get motion sickness too, but you barely feel the motion on these new cruise ships what with the stabilizers. I never had to take any on the Disney Dream or an NCL cruise we did, though I needed it badly on a cruise I took about 15 years ago on a smaller cruise ship (don't think stabilizing technology was then what it is now.)


Plus it is always great to have if you hit really bad weather like a hurricane. Then you might need it.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

Okay, I have never been on a cruise before (So excited!), and I was wondering how much movement you actually feel on the boat. We'll be on the Fantasy Eastern Caribbean cruise in a couple of weeks, and I'm debating whether to bring some sort of motion sickness medicine. Thoughts?

I would get some to be safe. My husband knows he gets seasick so he went to the doctor and got prescribed the seasickness patch which worked perfectly for him. I was okay without anything. On our Eastern Caribbean, we definitely felt movement. The servers told us it wasn't normally this bad, so our cruise may have been a fluke but we had a few evenings where it was really rocking.

 

[krisinparis]

I take Dramamine the night before and see how I am feeling. If I feel a lot of motion the first day when I get on, I take another Dramamine at night. If it feels pretty smooth, then I go off the Dramamine. I also wear the sea bands the whole time I'm on the ship. I always get the land sickness after we get off-- it usually lasts about a week for me, but I think I am very prone to motion sickness. I'm not sure if the ginger ale thing really works, but you can buy ginger chews at Whole Foods or other health food stores and they actually contain quite a bit of ginger. You can also buy crystalized ginger in Asian markets-- it can be an acquired taste, but I nibble on them and find them to be pretty tasty!