All you new cruisers - listen up!

[TiggerBouncy]

I have been seeing a lot of threads lately about new cruisers planning their first cruise, so I figured it's time for another public announcement on... Seasickness!

Are you planning your first cruise for yourself or a loved one? If you have never been on a ship before, make sure to plan ahead. Seasickness can ruin your entire vacation, but with a little forethought and planning can be easily handled or avoided!

There are three most commonly used solutions that I will cover (and of course there are a host of others).

1. the most effective way to combat seasickness is generally believed to be the dermal patch SCOP. This patch contains a small amount of a drug known as scopalamine. It is applied behind the ear approximately 8 hours before boarding the ship. Each patch last 3 days (so for a 3 day cruise, you only need one). They can be worn while sleeping, eating, swimming, or during any other activity. Scopalamine has very few drug interactions so is considered to be generally safe.

Pro's - Very effective. Few side effects. Does not make you drowsy. Effective during activities such as sleeping.

Con's - available by prescription only, so see your doctor (most health insurance plans cover the cost). May not be right for everyone - your doctor can advise you. Not suitable for little children.

2. Over the counter medicines are fairly common. The most commonly used are Dramamine or Benadryl. Both do come in a kids size as well. these medicines can usually be used as preventative or as a treatment once you have symptoms. As a preventative, you should take them one hour prior to the ship leaving (around 3:30 to 4:00 for launch day).

Pro's - available in children's dosage as well. Does not require a prescription. Available on the ship or in most drug stores and airport shops.

Con's - one pill has a limited time release, so if you have a constant problem, you will use a lot of them. Not as effective overnight. Often make you sleepy or dizzy.

3. If you have a lot of concern with drug interactions, or want to avoid drugs altogether, the Sea-Band might be right for you. These are wrist bands with a plastic bead on them. They work by pressing against the Nei-Kuan pressure point on the inside of the wrist.

Pro's - drug free. No prescription. No drug interactions. Completely safe.

Con's - not effective for everyone. Your mileage may vary. Can be risky to get on a ship with this as your only option to find it doesn't work!


please make sure to plan for the right remedy for you and your family. When in doubt, consult your doctor or medical professional. I will tell you that in my family, my wife swears by the SCOP patches. If she doesn't use them, she gets horribly sick. I generally don't get seasick, so don't need to use anything. The most important thing is to be educated and prepared so you can counteract this debilitating symptom and enjoy your cruise!

This has been a public service announcement. You may now continue with your regularly unscheduled browsing.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

And for all medical advice always consult your medical practitioner.

 

[cgolf]

The question I have for those that do get seasick, is it better to try without first to see how you tolerate it, or just take it the first time whether you need it or not? Not sure if once you are seasick, if you are done for the cruise no matter what you try.

I wore the patch the first time for a day or two (wife made me ) and realized I was all good and haven't worn it sense that time even having sailed some rough cruises where barf bags were posted strategically about the ship. In fact I now hope for a rough cruise, the waves make me sleep like a baby

 

[ilovetexas]

My entire family is prone to motion sickness. I take a Bonine on embarkation morning and every morning after that until I'm off the cruise. That helps with the basic stuff. Still, if the sea is really rough (think Gulf of Alaska after Labor Day), then the only solution for me is to stay in bed.

The patch makes me sick, it makes my whole family sick. Strange, I know.

 

[ASchwa]

I would add to this list drinking Ginger Ale, I took a fast ferry to Martha's Vineyard from New York City. The water was so rough that people were thrown about and the crew handed out barf bags. Let's just say, a lot were used by the end of the trip. I felt nauseous but hadn't gotten sick, so I bought some Ginger Ale and sipped it, after one cup, and it was small, I felt better. It had settled my stomach. No medication, and no side effects.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Part of it depends on if you are a risk taker. The problem with Scopalamine patches is that they are a preventative, not a treatment. So you can't take them (or rather they won't be effective) if you are already sick.

So if during the cruise you find you are seasick, your best bet is to use Dramamine or Benadryl (both are available on the ship). As ASchwa mentioned, ginger is an effective stomach settler, and can often be used as a natural solution. Another natural solution is mint (peppermint, spearmint, etc...). So if you are a hot tea person, a good mint tea will often settle your stomach. These solutions are homeopathic, and while work for many do not always work. There are prescription medications that the ships surgeon can give you (the most common is Meclizine). However these often have a strong drowsy effect.

While these things are great for treating you if you get seasick, the best method is always prevention first.

My advise is that if you tend to be prone to motion sickness, you consult with your doctor and see if a SCOP patch is right for you. Generally speaking if you see your medical professional on a regular basis, they are in the best position to tell you what your most effective preventative is.

 

[tobikaye]

Also, if you do get seasick, it might be too late once you start to get sick. My mom has gotten seasick on riverboats so I had suggested she start something a couple days before we cruised. I had her check with her doctor to see what he suggested she could take. She decided to wait since she thought the bigger ship would be fine.

The seas on our cruise were quite rough in the evenings and she was sick the first night. She would be okay for the daytime, but each night was horrible. She said that if she does cruise again that she will start something a day or two before.

 

[dclpluto]

I get motion sick. But on a ship you are on a floating city. I just have some Bonine ready when I feel a headache coming on I take a Bonine and everything is fine. I never get a headache except with motion sickness. So most people will probably be fine without going to great lengths to fight motion sickness. Only time I got sick on 18 cruises was DCL first ever Alaska cruise may 2011 that first night was bad.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

Our first cruise was a Disney cruise and my Mom was surprised that she could not get the patches onboard through the medical center. So if you might need them get them ahead of time and try out ahead of time.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I take Bonine which is non-drowsy, but after a few hours, I am totally exhausted. I wouldn't recommend drinking alcohol if you are using any of these types of medications. I only recently started getting sea sicknesses. I take a Bonine now before the ship sets sail and will take it again the next day if I start feeling queasy.

 

[cgolf]

My entire family is prone to motion sickness. I take a Bonine on embarkation morning and every morning after that until I'm off the cruise. That helps with the basic stuff. Still, if the sea is really rough (think Gulf of Alaska after Labor Day), then the only solution for me is to stay in bed.

The patch makes me sick, it makes my whole family sick. Strange, I know.

It did something to my daughter and I too, but I don't remember what it did (it was like 8 years ago now). I was just glad that the rocking of the ship didn't bother me (spinning does due to sinus stuff, but on a ship if we are spinning getting sick is the least of our issues ), because I didn't have the alternative. My wife could use it, but she has switched to Meclizine that is really cheap and over the counter.

 

[party-of-five]

Just to add another couple of suggestions to the original post. (Based on our first cruise experience in September)

My two oldest children started having trouble with motion as soon as we left port. (We did have some rough seas) The sea band helped my son, but not my daughter. For my son, he did better when he didn't see anything outside. My daughter was the opposite, she needed to see outside every so often. The motion, along with being overwhelmed by a long first day, kept us from making dinner that first night. Which leads me to my first tip...

- Room service will deliver green apples, saltines, and ginger ale in addition to a real meal for those who are feeling ok. This helped a lot for us. The kids had full bellies, but we kept it bland, and the green apples and ginger ale do help.

- my second suggestion.... Don't try to convince yourself that you're not moving. Maybe that sounds crazy, but there's truth to it. The kids mentioned that they felt like they were moving. Yes! You are moving! After orienting the kids with what direction we were moving in and telling them to stop trying to convince themselves we weren't moving, they did much better. Fortunately, after a rough first evening/night, we had a much better rest of the trip.

 

[TAK]

It did something to my daughter and I too, but I don't remember what it did (it was like 8 years ago now). I was just glad that the rocking of the ship didn't bother me (spinning does due to sinus stuff, but on a ship if we are spinning getting sick is the least of our issues ), because I didn't have the alternative. My wife could use it, but she has switched to Meclizine that is really cheap and over the counter.

Just FYI, Bonine is meclizine hydrochloride. Meclizine is a prescription drug and Bonine is available over the counter.

 

[TAK]

The thing about any seasickness advice is that it's all dependent on the individual. Some people get it, some don't. It changes throughout your life. Some people respond well to some drugs, some don't. And so on. I think the best thing to do is, if you're worried about it, talk to your doctor before hand, and then bring anything you might want to try -- ginger, prescriptions, over the counter meds, sea bands -- with you on the cruise. Yes, they sell some of them in the shops, but in some cases for a LOT more (says the woman who spent a small fortune on Dramamine last cruise).

 

[tryin]

Ginger ale did the trick for me too!

 

[tinkerone]

The thing about any seasickness advice is that it's all dependent on the individual. Some people get it, some don't. It changes throughout your life. Some people respond well to some drugs, some don't. And so on. I think the best thing to do is, if you're worried about it, talk to your doctor before hand, and then bring anything you might want to try -- ginger, prescriptions, over the counter meds, sea bands -- with you on the cruise. Yes, they sell some of them in the shops, but in some cases for a LOT more (says the woman who spent a small fortune on Dramamine last cruise).

this! its all so individual and everyone is so different. i get sea sick on boats, very sick. so i prepared for our first cruise, went to the doctors and got a prescription, and never had to use it once. the only time i felt queasy was when i spent some time in a friends cabin that was an inside. i felt the motion more there then anywhere on the ship. i would never cruise inside. i need to see outside in order for my mind to understand that we are moving in a fashion we should be.
i do always take ginger tablets with us just in case and will pop a couple before we sail but have never needed to use them after the initial use. i like the ideas that are coming out though. great information to share. keep the ideas coming.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

The thing about any seasickness advice is that it's all dependent on the individual. Some people get it, some don't. It changes throughout your life. Some people respond well to some drugs, some don't. And so on. I think the best thing to do is, if you're worried about it, talk to your doctor before hand, and then bring anything you might want to try

That was the point of my post - as well as to give a couple of "common" solutions that people use. Since a lot of people are first time cruises, I was giving a heads up on some things to consider and plan for before you cruise (mainly, see your doctor about seasickness).

 

[rwhistler92]

Is ginger ale readily available on the ships? Or only through room service?
We will be on the Wonder and my son is prone to motion sickness.
He did okay on our Alaska cruise, but I am worried about the Bahamas.

 

[cgolf]

Is ginger ale readily available on the ships? Or only through room service?
We will be on the Wonder and my son is prone to motion sickness.
He did okay on our Alaska cruise, but I am worried about the Bahamas.

Ginger ale was only free that we found in the main dining rooms for supper and if you choose the sitdown lunch in one of the main dining rooms. I am sure that you could purchase a can at one of the bars since it is a pretty common mixer. If they have it on tap, you could hope for a nice bartender that would give it out for free

 

[PrincessShmoo]

1. the most effective way to combat seasickness is generally believed to be the dermal patch SCOP. This patch contains a small amount of a drug known as scopalamine. It is applied behind the ear approximately 8 hours before boarding the ship. Each patch last 3 days (so for a 3 day cruise, you only need one). They can be worn while sleeping, eating, swimming, or during any other activity. Scopalamine has very few drug interactions so is considered to be generally safe.

Pro's - Very effective. Few side effects. Does not make you drowsy. Effective during activities such as sleeping.

Con's - available by prescription only, so see your doctor (most health insurance plans cover the cost). May not be right for everyone - your doctor can advise you. Not suitable for little children.

I'll have to take issue with this comment. There are many side effects. Not everyone will get them, or even one of them, but they can be quite debilitating.

• eye pain or redness, seeing halos around lights;
• blurred vision and increased sensitivity to light;
• confusion, agitation, extreme fear, hallucinations, unusual thoughts or behavior; or
• urinating less than usual or not at all.

Less serious side effects may include:

• drowsiness, dizziness;
• dry mouth;
• dry or itchy eyes;
• feeling restless;
• memory problems; or
• mild itching or skin rash.

http://www.rxlist.com/transderm-scop-side-effects-drug-center.htm


Yes, there are cases of people wandering the ship disoriented.

Most common side effect is extreme dry-mouth. But blurred vision is fairly common, also.