To Cruise or Not to Cruise

[griffindesign]

I second the sea bands. That work great for me. I have taken them off and within minutes felt sea sick. Then put them on and been better within minutes. I also take ginger capsules on particularly bad days.

 

[The Sasquatch]

One bit of advice, get out of the room and avoid "room service all day". Going to the MDR's and meeting your servers and having a nice meal is a big part of the experience.

Cruising DCL is fantastic, we never thought we would like it but after our first one we cant stop. Sailing our "gold" cruise in April and just booked October on the Fantasy.

Go for it!

 

[Texas 'Ohana]

We live in the Houston area, and the idea of taking a 4 night Disney cruise out of Galveston is very appealing to me. However, we have never been on a cruise, and I'm so overwhelmed with the "what ifs" that I am paralyzed when it comes to moving forward with the booking. We priced a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah (Category 4B) on the Wonder for November and I am fine with the cost.

So what advice would you give a first time cruise family to assuage our doubts? Should we take the plunge, make the deposit, and give ourselves a few more months to solidify our decision?

Here are my concerns:
Sea Sickness - I get sick riding in a car for more than 30 minutes, so I'm really sensitive. I'm terrified I'll be miserable.
Activities - Are there activities for the three of us to do together outside of the pool? We aren't big on pools / beaches

Here are some things I'm excited about:
Overall Disney experiences
Food - sign me up for room service all day every day.

Thanks everyone!

Do it! I, also, get carsick and have bouts of vertigo. I took meclizine every morning on a 7 night Western Caribbean last Summer and had no issues. The first evening was the only time I felt weird…mostly when I looked out the windows. We had plenty of things to do on the ship and not once did we visit the too small pools.

 

[RedSox68]

We live in the Houston area, and the idea of taking a 4 night Disney cruise out of Galveston is very appealing to me. However, we have never been on a cruise, and I'm so overwhelmed with the "what ifs" that I am paralyzed when it comes to moving forward with the booking. We priced a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah (Category 4B) on the Wonder for November and I am fine with the cost.

So what advice would you give a first time cruise family to assuage our doubts? Should we take the plunge, make the deposit, and give ourselves a few more months to solidify our decision?

Here are my concerns:
Sea Sickness - I get sick riding in a car for more than 30 minutes, so I'm really sensitive. I'm terrified I'll be miserable.
Activities - Are there activities for the three of us to do together outside of the pool? We aren't big on pools / beaches

Here are some things I'm excited about:
Overall Disney experiences
Food - sign me up for room service all day every day.

Thanks everyone!

BONINE all the way. I take it every day and take it on all the excursions so I don't get car/bus sick. It has never let me down and is non-drowsy. If you do get seasick for any reason, ask for green apples or ginger.

As far as activities -- we are neither sunbathers nor pool people, so we like to roam the ship, check out the shops, catch an afternoon movie or attend one of the demonstrations like napkin folding, cooking lessons, etc. On sea days they offer galley tours which are great fun and very informative. Bring a deck of cards and sit in one of the lounges and play cards while looking at the ocean. They also provide board games around the ship.

 

[RedSox68]

Do it! I, also, get carsick and have bouts of vertigo. I took meclizine every morning on a 7 night Western Caribbean last Summer and had no issues. The first evening was the only time I felt weird…mostly when I looked out the windows. We had plenty of things to do on the ship and not once did we visit the too small pools.

If the ship is bobbing and swaying, do not watch the horizon -- look at the water or at the sky. If you watch the horizon the ship is moving irratically, you will get seasick! We used to travel by train from Florida to Rhode Island when I was a child and I always watched the phone poles flying by and it made me sick every time

 

[dkfogt]

We also live in the Houston area and have done two Disney cruises out of Galveston. I am very sensitive to motion sickness as are two of my daughters. Our cruise in March was wonderful. I was shocked at how I didn't get sick one bit! Not even a little. Our cruise over NYE this year was a different story. I was very upset at how bad I felt. Guest Services to the rescue with the meds and I was much better after awhile. It came back our last day at sea and I had to hit up Guest Services again. My daughters were the same way.

Basically what I learned was that the gulf was a little rocky at this time of year, so when we were sailing through it, I needed the dramamine/bonine. Once we got out of the gulf, I was fine without it. In March, it was literally smooth sailing the whole time.

The Port of Galveston makes it so easy to cruise. If you have any other questions, feel free to send me a PM.

 

[KHRfromNY]

Sailing on the Dream 8/19/16 and I have pretty impressive seasickness especially when seas are rough. I've been told going out of Florida vs NY is much smoother so I'm hoping for the best. I use the scopolamine patches, begin the day before and it works well. At least the last time it did. I'm nervous.