Motion Sickness

[steamboatT]

I tend to get motion sickness on boat rides and flights. I plan on taking dramamine but my question is where is the best place for my stateroom to be? Does anyone have an opinion on this or have some experience with this? I am told the best place to be is in the middle of the boat top and bottom side to side. If I get an inside stateroom it looks like most of those are way in the rear of the ship. Has anyone with motion sickness stayed in these staterooms?
Thanks

 

[musicgirl]

1st, know that there is hope. I can get motion sick driving myself!

2nd-make sure you get the less drowsy formula. This is what I do. I take it before the flight and I don't stop taking it until I'm on my way home! I take one at 6am and then one at 6pm to keep it in my system.

3rd-I've heard all different opinions about where to get the room. Personally, we don't really stay in the room too much anyway.

We had aft inside and then also aft back balcony of the ship (Princess). I generally only feel sick when it is rocking pretty well.

Here is my best tip: If you start to feel sick, get in the pool. It works everytime for me. Now if they could bring my dinner to me in the pool that would work great.

Another tip: If you are feeling a bit woosy, don't go into the theater where the curtains move. This is a big no no!!!

 

[lbgraves]

We usually cruise in a forward room on an upper deck. We have experienced 20+ foot swells and thanks to Bonine I have never gotten sick onboard. There are inside staterooms forward on the ship.

 

[MAJPLO]

Take it from me, and I even get motion sickness from playing video games: do yourself a favor and go to your doctor to get a prescription for the patch. I did it and I think it saved my trip. I never got a hint of seasickness, and I wasn't bothered by any of the side effects that are listed. I did seem to be thirsty a little more often than normal, but who's gonna complain about that versus feeling sick? We had some rough seas on the first and last days of our Mexican Riviera trip and when I felt the ship lunging up and down, back and forth, it gave me the familiar feeling of "oh no, here we go!" except without the sickness part that would usually come with it.


Forgot to mention, I was in a verandah room on deck 7 port.

 

[Goofy4Ever]

My son gets seasick so he always wears those sea bands along with taking dramine. Last time we cruised we tried the patch with the bands and he still got seasick, but at least it was a lot better than in the past. We have always stayed on the 2 deck and tried to be close to mid-ship as possible. We were told the lower and mid-ship you are the better for motion sickness.

 

[jerseygal]

Nervous about seasickness..

We were told middle of ship, middle deck! Hope it works! Think I'll get patch from doctor!

 

[musicgirl]

I also have an electronic wrist band. The problem with regular bands is that if they are not placed correctly, they don't work.

With the electronic wrist band, it sends a pulse through your fingers. It should go up the middle finger and a little in the adjacent fingers. If you feel the pulse in the other fingers stronger or your thumb/pinkie, you have it on incorrectly.

I use this on days when it is rocking when I'm not in the pool!

I also just purchased anti-nausea ginger gum. I haven't tried it but I'm anxious to see if it works (that is IF I have any problems). It says also safe for morning sickness and chemotherapy induced relief.

I also found at Penzy's Spices soft ginger. It is chewy and not too strong. I kept it in the car for a while. My motion sickness will be fine for quite a while and then it kicks in for a bit.

Keep your tummy filled....I know that is difficult on a cruise...no food and all! Pack some saltines as well.

 

[twinrx]

Motion is sensed by the brain through three different pathways of the nervous system that send signals coming from the inner ear (sensing motion, acceleration, and gravity), the eyes (vision), and the deeper tissues of the body surface (proprioceptors).

Wrist bands are purely psychological. They have no real benefit but MAY work as a “placebo.”

Over the counter meds in the meclizine class work well for some people and that would include Bonine and Dramamine.

Prescription drugs would be of the belladonna class such as the Transderm Scop patch.

Pre-medicate with oral medications because if you’re so sick that you’re puking an oral medication is useless.

All medications have side effects and don’t listen to anyone who claims that they did or didn’t have any. That has no application to you. You are unique and all drugs effect people to a different degree. It may have no effect on someone else but may knock you horizontal. The only way to know is to take it.

The ship moves along three axes, pitch, yaw and roll, and the ship can be doing all three at the same time. The best place to be is where all three axes meet and that would be at the waterline of the ship and at the center of the ship.

Hakuna Matada

 

[FLORIDA_DAD]

Ginger Pills help my DW. You can get them at any Walmart or Pharmacy. Ginger or Ginger Root.

 

[MaverickMom]

I take Bonine (Meclazine) starting 24 hours before the cruise and don't have any problems.

My recommendations echo a few others

NUMBER 1 - take your medication BEFORE you get the first sign of sickness.

Keep something in your stomach. Snack periodically. Not huge, just something small every 2 or 3 hours.

If you are feeling out of balance - avoid the movie theater.

I also find that being outside helps alot. The light breeze is very comforting.

Avoid any glass bottom boat excursion - I don't care what I take, those will have me ill within 5 minutes.

As for location of stateroom. I know others feel it matter and I am sure it does for them (each person is unique), but we have stayed all over the ship and can't tell a difference. Of course I am medicated with Bonine.

Personally I like about Deck 5 to Deck 7 Aft.

 

[ekatiel]

Take it from me, and I even get motion sickness from playing video games: do yourself a favor and go to your doctor to get a prescription for the patch. I did it and I think it saved my trip. I never got a hint of seasickness, and I wasn't bothered by any of the side effects that are listed. I did seem to be thirsty a little more often than normal, but who's gonna complain about that versus feeling sick? We had some rough seas on the first and last days of our Mexican Riviera trip and when I felt the ship lunging up and down, back and forth, it gave me the familiar feeling of "oh no, here we go!" except without the sickness part that would usually come with it.


Forgot to mention, I was in a verandah room on deck 7 port.

Nervous about seasickness..

We were told middle of ship, middle deck! Hope it works! Think I'll get patch from doctor!

Just wanted to say that the "patch" can have some pretty horrible side effects. I used it on a 4 day cruise just a few months ago and my vision became VERY blurry. It did not clear up completely until about a week and a half later. I will NEVER use the patch again. The less drowsy version of dramamine has always worked just fine for me-- I just thought the patch would be easier! Boy was I wrong! As far as stateroom position: lower deck and midship should be the least amount of movement. My DH gets motion sickness much worse than I do (we had to wheel him out of Animal Kingdom in a wheel chair in Decmeber b/c I convinced him to ride Everest twice in a row -- He was even on dramanine at the time). He has been on 5 cruises and never gotten sick. He always takes the less drowsy version of dramamine. --Katie

 

[tvguy]

Ginger Pills help my DW. You can get them at any Walmart or Pharmacy. Ginger or Ginger Root.

Check with your Doctor before taking Ginger. It's one of those things that can have fatal side effects if you are on certain prescription medications or have certain health issues.
( I take blood pressure medicine, and I can't eat grapefruit because it too can do nasty things)