Cruise Ship Adjustment

[Kit Jackson]

Recently, I finished my first cruise. Not just my first cruise on DCL, but my first cruise ever. Overall, I had a wonderful time, especially getting to see the characters in all of their different outfits. The trivia contests were fun whether we won or lost. The adult only events late at night were great. The host, if he had been born in a different era, would have made a fantastic MC/host at a night club. I also enjoyed the other forms of entertainment on the ship, the excursions, and a fun beach day on Castaway Cay.

However, I never adjusted to the ship's motion. It was a 7 day cruise and I kept waiting to get used to the motion, and it never happened. Is this a one time thing? Will it be different if I go another cruise? The sensation of constant motion was not something I enjoyed.

 

[auntlynne]

It took me several years, maybe 3-4 cruises, before I lost my seasickness. I had been the type to get sick in rides at the fair. I still get dizzy if I turn my head when the car is in a curve (and I am the passenger).

I had to leave dinner the very first night I cruised due to the nausea. But it resolved enough to enjoy the 3-night cruise.

I used the simple pressure-point wrist bands and then found relief with the Scopalomine patches until I developed my sea legs / stomach.

Now I do nothing in preparation, but will every now and then take Bonine or Dramamine if the seas are rough.

It never was severe enough to keep me from considering another cruise.

Maybe you will have such luck.

Nice you had a wonderful time.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Did you take anything for motion sickness? My motion symptoms from my first cruise were completely different than my standard nausea from trying to read in the car. It was dizziness, vertigo, crazy dreams and poor quality sleep. I didn't take anything because I didn't immediately tie it to motion sickness. The 2nd cruise I did, I took Dramamine each evening and had no issues, even though one evening was pretty rough. My last cruise I forgot all about the previous cruise motion issues, didn't take anything the whole time, and had no issues.

 

[JM_97]

Take Dramamine the night or two before so that the medicine is already in your system when you sail off. You can also get the wristbands but the Dramamine usually works fine.

 

[Geomom]

Bonine (Meclizine) is a good non drowsy OTC motion sickness medicine. I usually feel off for the first day, and take ginger pills or Bonine. I actually have more trouble with land sickness after the cruise where I feel like I'm still on a ship. DD24 takes Bonine starting the night before the cruise as she was extremely queasy on our first cruise (Alaska) and the free samples of Meclizine by Health services really helped. DD20 will take it occasionally, she didn't have any issues until our 3rd cruise when we left Cozumel. DH has no issues.

 

[bbn1122]

I 2nd Bonine. My DH never has any problems. But we sail out of NYC often and I try to take it before I leave my house.

I will be on my 10th cruise in 2 weeks and I will still take it and the cruise is out of PC. I am just one of those people that feels the rocking and sway of the ocean more than others.

Once we are out to sea I feel much better.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I took bonine in 2017 for our WDW trip and I fell asleep in Hall of Presidents and walked around quite tired due to that. I took it for 2 days before stopping as the drowsy affect was affecting the trip. I know people often take it before bed to help with that but I didn't see a noticeable difference in my motion sickness to offset that drowsy aspect.

But I think there is a difference between feeling motion and being motion sick. Medications are often targeting symptoms like nausea, dizziness, etc. I know how it feels when you feel that motion. When I was a kid and went to FL for several weeks to visit my stepmom's family we swam in the Atlantic ocean for a couple of days total on and off and the roughness of the waters made me feel that motion for days after we were done. It was a strange feeling but that was the only symptom. It was similar to vertigo without it being as unpleasant of vertigo, like for me vertigo often hits with my body feeling like it's moving forwards, then backwards, the back to the first normal position. But when motion sickness hits it's a completely different experience for me.

One of the biggest things you can do though is stay lower decks and towards the middle of the ship. That will have the least movement you feel. While that's not going to help you if you're in other areas of the ship that may help orient yourself more or allow your body some relief at least at night.

While I don't typically get seasick I did purchase seabands and ginger gum just in case for our cruise last year. I didn't use either for the ship but did use the seabands for a portion of time where we were in a coach bus on a windy road on an excursion. Car sick is my biggest and main trigger for my motion sickness. I did find the seabands help put pressure on the point that helps relieve nausea.

 

[sponica]

I don't like feeling the movement when I can't see outside, that's what throws my brain off.

But I also get vertigo when I wear my headset at work....

 

[CallieMar]

I’ve also recently finished my first cruise. It took me a couple of days to find my sea legs. When I went back to my cabin after sail away the movement was very noticeable and a bit disconcerting. I took Meclazine (generic for Bonine - $4 for 100 at Costco) throughout the cruise and never felt sick or nauseous, even though those first couple of days were in pretty rough water. I could definitely feel the motion, especially in the front of the ship where the theater was, but I guess I just got used to it after those first couple of days. Interestingly, I thought that I felt the movement more when I was on the lower decks vs the upper decks.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Interestingly, I thought that I felt the movement more when I was on the lower decks vs the upper decks.

If you're not mid-ship that can happen, but generally high up decks will feel more motion especially up and down, the closer you are to the lower levels and mid-ship the better if you're looking for less motion.

 

[CallieMar]

If you're not mid-ship that can happen, but generally high up decks will feel more motion especially up and down, the closer you are to the lower levels and mid-ship the better if you're looking for less motion.

On the 2nd day the ship was rocking and rolling. I felt it a lot more deck 5 midship vs deck 15 aft. Weird I know!

 

[Kit Jackson]

Did you take anything for motion sickness? My motion symptoms from my first cruise were completely different than my standard nausea from trying to read in the car. It was dizziness, vertigo, crazy dreams and poor quality sleep. I didn't take anything because I didn't immediately tie it to motion sickness. The 2nd cruise I did, I took Dramamine each evening and had no issues, even though one evening was pretty rough. My last cruise I forgot all about the previous cruise motion issues, didn't take anything the whole time, and had no issues.

Take Dramamine the night or two before so that the medicine is already in your system when you sail off. You can also get the wristbands but the Dramamine usually works fine.

I took Bonine everyday of the cruise, including the day before.

But I think there is a difference between feeling motion and being motion sick. Medications are often targeting symptoms like nausea, dizziness, etc. I know how it feels when you feel that motion.

Yes! This was my issue. It was never motion sickness. I never felt seasick. My problem was that I did not like the feeling of constant motion. It never made me sick, just a little off/uncomfortable; it was not enough to make me sick or miserable, but enough that I noticed the sensation of motion and didn't enjoy it or adjust to it. During the entire seven days I kept waiting to adjust and stop feeling the motion but it never happened.

 

[auntlynne]

Were you having to work to keep your balance - and were others visibly doing the same?

Was this an Eastern Caribbean or at least a significant parts off the coast of Florida (ie, the Straits of FL, a known area of rough water.)?

 

[Husker Mike]

Our first cruise was a Bahamas cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay, and nobody in our family really felt much motion...certainly never got sick, and we never took any of the meds.

Next one is a western Caribbean 7 night cruise...obviously going a LOT farther and probably over more open water in the Gulf and Caribbean. Will we feel anything different?

 

[Kit Jackson]

Were you having to work to keep your balance - and were others visibly doing the same?

Was this an Eastern Caribbean or at least a significant parts off the coast of Florida (ie, the Straits of FL, a known area of rough water.)?

It was Western Caribbean. I never had trouble keeping my balance. It wasn't that bad, but I was always aware of the constant motion and I did not enjoy the sensation.

I am trying to figure out if this is common for a first cruise and I will not have the same experience/feeling again on another cruise, or if cruising is just not for me and it will be a one and done experience.

 

[auntlynne]

It was Western Caribbean. I never had trouble keeping my balance. It wasn't that bad, but I was always aware of the constant motion and I did not enjoy the sensation.

I am trying to figure out if this is common for a first cruise and I will not have the same experience/feeling again on another cruise, or if cruising is just not for me and it will be a one and done experience.

As I and others have experienced, some people adjust over time.

I must have enjoyed myself enough that we did a second cruise 4 months later. It might be that a history of surviving nausea (sometimes worse) was always a temporary condition. If the unpleasant condition had persisted throughout a cruise, I might have had to resort to land vacations.

If you decide not to risk it again, here’s hoping you have some great travel experiences. There’s a big world out there - a lot of it not within reach of a cruise ship.

(I was curious as to where you had cruised, as there are some known rough areas. My post did sound rather nosy, with no explanation given.)

 

[Geomom]

It was Western Caribbean. I never had trouble keeping my balance. It wasn't that bad, but I was always aware of the constant motion and I did not enjoy the sensation.

I am trying to figure out if this is common for a first cruise and I will not have the same experience/feeling again on another cruise, or if cruising is just not for me and it will be a one and done experience.

I think part of it is that the ship is traveling at 20+ knots most of the time in the Western/Eastern Caribbean cruises to get to the next port. You tend to feel the motion more at higher speeds. If you went on a cruise where ports are closer together it might not bother you as much.

Our first cruise was Alaska from Vancouver, and everyone says it's so smooth...but the 2 sea days have them going full speed and there were definite swells. We watched Pete's Dragon (live action) in the Walt Disney theater and it felt like we were flying on that dragon. Did Art of the Theme Show tour and our tour guide had to hold onto a railing as she could feel the motion too. But ..the 4 days with glacier viewing and 3 ports in the inside passage was smooth as glass,..it was just going to/from there.

 

[tvguy]

It can be an issue for some. Never had an issue on the ship, but every port, and the first few days after the cruise, it feels like the GROUND is moving.
Amazing how well the stabilizers work. My first cruise was on a small ship with no stabilizers. That ship had a LOT motion. My last cruise, on Celebrity was a bit disappointing because we never felt any motion. No getting rocked to sleep.

 

[HaveCourage&BeKind]

It was Western Caribbean. I never had trouble keeping my balance. It wasn't that bad, but I was always aware of the constant motion and I did not enjoy the sensation.

I am trying to figure out if this is common for a first cruise and I will not have the same experience/feeling again on another cruise, or if cruising is just not for me and it will be a one and done experience.

My first cruise was February 2023 on the Wish. I did NOT like the feeling at first either. We were on deck 11 forward and the seas were rough, but it was only 3 nights and I was instantly bitten by the Disney cruising bug.

On subsequent cruises (Wonder, April 2023 | Scarlet Lady, July 2023 | Magic, Feb 2024 | Wish, May 2024) I actually started to enjoy the feeling. Now, when I get that weird sort of woozy sensation in my head (always during a show!), it either 1) doesn't last long or 2) I choose to focus on it and try to "ride the waves" if you will, until it subsides.

In other words, I still feel it, but not constantly like I did on the first cruise. I'm used to it now (mostly through sheer stubbornness and expensive "exposure" therapy...ie sailing as frequently as my spouse will allow ). If you still want to give cruising a go, perhaps try a shorter cruise and go sooner than later? It's also okay if cruising just isn't your jam - you still get to keep the great memories and your "one and done" was with the best!

 

[Kit Jackson]

As I and others have experienced, some people adjust over time.

I must have enjoyed myself enough that we did a second cruise 4 months later. It might be that a history of surviving nausea (sometimes worse) was always a temporary condition. If the unpleasant condition had persisted throughout a cruise, I might have had to resort to land vacations.

If you decide not to risk it again, here’s hoping you have some great travel experiences. There’s a big world out there - a lot of it not within reach of a cruise ship.

(I was curious as to where you had cruised, as there are some known rough areas. My post did sound rather nosy, with no explanation given.)

I understand why you were asking the question and it didn't feel too nosy, personal, or intrusive.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to answer my question. I am not sure what I will do, but everyone here gave me really helpful feedback.