Middle of ship vs bow/stern

[ptcbass]

Nauzene huh? I will look that one up. I am also going to take whatever I get before the trip to test it out. Thanks everyone! Fears calmed and looking forward to it!

 

[storknurse13]

FWIW I get motion sick easily and I start taking Dramamine at least 24 hours before the ship sails! That gives me enough time to get over the drowsiness and I never have any problems on the ship! I take it as directed on the bottle and continue to take it a few days after getting home to calm down my sea legs! We have stayed in forward, midship and aft and it really doesn't make much difference where you stay. If you really want a concierge room look around the time the final payments are do and you may be able to score one! Also check as soon as you check in to the Port to see if something is available if you didn't get one prior. We love the concierge on the Fantasy. The service, staff and benefits are unlike no other! Well worth the extra money!
Happy Sailing!

 

[Desnik]

We sailed on our first cruise last week on the Dream & I was really worried about all of us getting sick. We aren't prone to motion sickness, but I was still worried.

Our DS(10) didn't get sick nor did he feel any discomfort and was fine the entire 4 night cruise.

DH, DD(16), and I started to feel the swaying the first night at the Walt Disney theater after our 8:15pm show. DD & I almost fell over when we stood up & we noticed others grabing onto things for balance. We felt a little quesy & I took Dramamine (1 pill) and DD & DH took Bonine (sp?) and within minutes we were all fine. We didn't have any issues & didn't need to take the meds again until the last night. (Dramamine made me super tired the next day & in the future I'll try something else. Can't use the patch cause I'm allergic to adhesive)

The last night was terrible. The ship was really moving and I haven't felt that sick since I was pregnant. DH didn't feel it as much as DD & I did. Again DS was fine! DD & I had a rough night and both took 2 pills & they took awhile to kick in. It was bad for us but thankfully we didn't actually get sick, but boy did we feel like we were going to. But, it won't stop us from going on another cruise! We loved it so much.

 

[southerngirl528]

One thing that has been mentioned little is that LOWER decks, midship generally have less motion that the higher decks. When we have anyone in the party that has this issue, I try to make sure to get midship and avoid the upper decks. One of my children has had dreadful motion sickness since she was small, and her pediatric neurologist recommended Bonine, which has worked fabulously for her and any other family members that get motion sickness. The trick is to take it BEFOREhand. What we love about Bonine vs. Dramamine or scopolamine patches is that it does not make one so drowsy.

Disney's ships are all newer, so they have stabilizers, and the Caribbean is typically calm. It's not the motion of a ship forward to back (picture a boat heading into large waves, with the bow going up, then down as it meets the waves), but the "rolling" that will get motion sickness prone folks. Rolling is where the ship does a more side to side motion. On the October 2012 sailing from LA to Hawaii, the ship was rocking and rolling like I had never experienced the first couple of days out of LA. The ship was creaking and groaning, and the closet doors kept sliding back and forth. Fortunately I do not get motion sickness & I rather like the feeling of being "rocked to sleep". I know. I'm a little crazy! Some folks did get sick, but as mentioned before, Guest Services has medication if you forget yours.

My personal preference for a stateroom is either aft or midship.

 

[Zandy595]

I've said this a million times, but it bears repeating... I cannot stress this enough, it is much easier (and more pleasant) to prevent seasickness than it is to treat it. I have seriously wanted to die on some boat trips I was so sick. I will never go on any boat/ship ever again without taking Bonine first. If anyone has been on that jet boat from Cozumel to mainland Mexico, you know how rough that trip is. A LOT of people around us were really sick, but we were fine and I know it was because of the Bonine.

One note about Bonine, it can make some people sleepy. I have learned to fix this problem by taking it at night, right before I go to bed. This way it helps me sleep better (which I don't do well if I'm not in my own bed) and I'm wide awake in the morning.

 

[southerngirl528]

Zandy said much better what I said about the importance of taking medication BEFORE you board the ship. Once the symptoms of motion sickness start…… even the best meds will have to play catch-up to help.

And Zandy brings up a good point. One must read labels these days (for food AND medication!). The active ingredient you want is Meclizine. Meclizine is the Bonine to which I refer as being very effective, and does not cause drowsiness as Dramamine does. In recent years, I have seen what is called "non-drowsy" Dramamine, and picked it up to read the ingred. Sure enough, Meclizine (Bonine). If I recall correctly, I saw a type of Bonine that did NOT have Meclizine as the active ingredient as well. SO, be SURE to read the label!! As a rule, Meclizine doesn't cause drowsiness, PLUS you don't have to take it as often. There are of course, always exceptions to the rule.

 

[Desnik]

And Zandy brings up a good point. One must read labels these days (for food AND medication!). The active ingredient you want is Meclizine. Meclizine is the Bonine to which I refer as being very effective, and does not cause drowsiness as Dramamine does. In recent years, I have seen what is called "non-drowsy" Dramamine, and picked it up to read the ingred. Sure enough, Meclizine (Bonine). If I recall correctly, I saw a type of Bonine that did NOT have Meclizine as the active ingredient as well. SO, be SURE to read the label!! As a rule, Meclizine doesn't cause drowsiness, PLUS you don't have to take it as often. There are of course, always exceptions to the rule.

That's the Dramamine I used, "non drowsy" with Meclizine in it. Guess what? It made me so sleepy & I did take it before bed. The next day I was like a zombie! But it was better than being sea sick! Maybe I'm just not normal, even non drowsy cold medicine puts me to sleep