Gulf Stream and Dinner?

[Colorado DISers]

I have read here on the DIS that some people report that they did not make it through the Main Dinner seating on the first night due to being sea sick. Is this due to the crossing of the Gulf Stream? If so, how far out are you when you start to feel it and how long doesit take before tha ship is through it? We have the Main seating and was just concerned about missing our first meal onboard due to not feeling to good. It would be greatly appreciated if some of you Cruise Veterans out there could shed a little light on this for me.
Thanks in advance

 

[glindamood]

I always take Bonine on the first day just so I don't have an worries. In all of our cruises, I have never had any problems but seems I remember being in the show and "feeling" it a bit (not ill, just the rocking) - we always have late seating so it would have been during the first show.

 

[lbgraves]

I start taking Bonine the day before we cruise to make sure that it is in my system & have had no problems yet. We did feel the ship moving during early seating & the show though.

 

[GeorgiaVol]

It can be pretty bumpy when the ship crosses the Gulf Stream, especially during the winter months when the prevailing winds are opposite the current. The motion really isn't a big deal at the dining room level, though Palo's can be pretty iffy on a rough night. You won't experience much motion at the first night's dinner.

 

[staceymerrill]

i recall some folks being sick the first night at late seating dinner...it is true, that first night can be a little bumpy.....maybe eat something lighter the first night....also, i've read here that some people swear by ginger capsules as a natural remedy for motion sickness....while we are not really prone to motion sickness, I think I'm going to buy some for our upcoming cruise just in case....

 

[Aisling]

i recall some folks being sick the first night at late seating dinner...

This is what happened to me. I even took bonine, but I guess not early enough.

I didn't actually feel the motion of the ship, but my stomach and my head must have sensed it, because I had to leave the table halfway through dinner, and rested for a couple of hours. I was feeling a lot better late that night, enough to join in some adult club activities. This time, I'm going to take the bonine the night before, as has been suggested. Good luck!

 

[ScouterJT]

On a 3-day Wonder in April, I did not feel any motion on the first night (but then, again, I am not susceptible to sea sickness). However, the Captain did announce on our last night that it was going to be a bit rough crossing the Gulf Stream. I didn't notice anything, but DS12 did feel a bit woozy.

 

[KSDisneyDad]

My Mom got sick the first night. Perhaps it was the moving horizon while looking thorugh the window at Lumiere's. She took some medicine for it and was fine from that point forward. No one else in our party got sick, but we could feel movement. No one had any problems the entire rest of the trip. It was quite smooth sailing!

 

[Colorado Mom]

That first night was the worst for me, sick, sick sick. Our server told my husband that that is the nights most people get ill, roughest part of the trip. Next trip I'll start the Bonine earlier.

 

[Flagger]

The key is to start BEFORE you get sick. Once you get sick OTC medication will not help. We always start the day before our cruise and continue it until the last day of our cruise (disembarkation day).

Did you know you can get a bottle of Meclizine hydrochloride (generic Bonine) for much cheaper than the name brand Bonine? You have to ask at the pharmacy counters (we found ours at Target) as it is not usually on display. Much cheaper, seriously.

 

[JLSE50]

Five cruises--no medicine--no herbs--no nausea.
I can sense the motion but it is a gentle rocking, part of what I enjoy about the cruise. Seems to take very little time for me to get my "sea legs" which to me means my brain accommodates to the motion of the ship. The funny thing is when I get on land I can still seem to feel the motion. What I think I am feeling is the accommodation my brain has made to the motion. It is fun, not sickening.
Jan

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I do not notice it until I get off the ship then the land seems to move under my feet????????

 

[glindamood]

I do not notice it until I get off the ship then the land seems to move under my feet????????

I get that after some cruises too but the worst was the first cruise. Seems to happen in closed in spaces (like walking down a hallway or standing in the shower). Never bothered me that bad - sort of a reminder of where I have been.

I have also heard (sorry not firsthand info but it isn't posted in this thread) that if you are ill, eating a green apple is supposed to help.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I get it anywhere when i get off the ship for a while the land moves like the sea

 

[Skallywag]

Did not notice any movement on our cruise but find the stabilised movement for the ship a different sensation to the usual roll and pitch and toss we have had crossing our English channel in a force 11 gale.

The only strange sensation I found was in the foyer waiting on the official photograph session and the floor just seemed to vibrate slightly not what I was expecting on a boat.

Nothing to worry about large boat and well stabilised just enjoy yourself.

 

[CamColt]

We have taken 2 of our 3 Disney cruises out of Florida. On our last one we barely felt anything the first night, or any movement for the entire 3 night cruise. On the first one we had 14+ft seas the first night and at dinner the dining room was probably half full. There was lots of cleaning up going on that night.

 

[mott]

For the first 3 cruise I took (non-DCL and not out of PC), I never had any motion sickness, nor did my DH. Our first DCL out of PC my DH was feeling ill, I had to return to the room 1/2 way through the show and lost my dinner and DD, 4 also got sick during the show. Last cruise, DH and I took sea calm (that we got from GS) and while we both felt a bit quezy(sp?), we made it thought the night. DD now 8 was about the same as us. We have decided that it must be due to crossing the GS right during dinner...or just crossing the GS in general. This past cruise, we had rougher than normal seas that night due to a TS down by Cuba (yes, all the way down there).

Just a note, we were all fine the rest of the journey w/o medication (both times).

 

[thomprod]

The key is to start BEFORE you get sick. Once you get sick OTC medication will not help...

Flagger is absolutely correct. I am prone to motion sickness, but as long as I take Bonine every morning, starting with the morning of embarkation, I have not had a single problem on three Disney cruises. My advice is this: If you have cruised before and have not been bothered by seasickness, that's great--you don't need medication . But if you have a tendancy, or have never cruised before and don't know how it will affect you, take the medicine WELL BEFORE you feel any symptoms. The OTC meds are very effective as a preventative, but they don't work to relieve any symptoms after they develop. If you have not taken any medication and start to develop symptoms, it's much harder to treat them at that time. "Better safe than sorry" is good advice.

I have also used the scopolomine patch on two cruises previous to Disney's. The patch also works well, but in my case, it caused some side effects like drowsiness, dry mouth and blurred vision. I would rather have those than be nauseous, though. The Bonine did not cause any of those side effects for me and was just as effective at preventing seasickness.

 

[BrinxFam]

When we cruised in '03 on the Wonder for 3 days, DH and DD, then 13 both got ill the first night during early dinner. They headed back to the cabin and went to bed. Our head waiter told us that at 11:00 p.m. we would be through the Gulf Stream and we would not feel any movement at all. He was right! At 11:00 p.m on the dot the ship seemed to stop! DD got up and headed to the Teen club only to return famished and order a burger from room service. DH was a different story though. He didn't know anything until the next morning.