Vertigo on cruise?

[tinkerbellfriend]

I suffer from vertigo mainly when I lie back such as in a dentist chair. I was wondering if anyone suffers vertigo with the rocking motion of the boat? Also, do you ever feel unsteady on your feet? I basically want to know how bad is the rocking motion of the boat. I know that weather will play a factor in this but just wanted an idea on what it is like overall. We are taking our first cruise in April on the Disney Dream. I am very excited about this but just little leary since I do suffer from vertigo. I do not get actual motion sickness but just vertigo when lying down too quickly or getting up too quickly. Also, if you do get vertigo on a cruise, do you take anything for it that helps? Any help or info would be great!! Thanks!!

 

[moomy-san]

We sailed the Wonder and I felt 'tipsy' for the first day or two. I'd stand up and feel slightly unsteady... especially in the theater and in Animator's Palette the first night. No queasiness or anything like that. I could still eat and drink... and boy, did i ever!! I didn't take anything because it wasn't a tummy issue. i did get very good mileage out of my first few drinks... I was tipsy before I had the first sip

 

[HappyontheLake]

My husband suffers from BPPV -- he did better when sleeping perpendicular to the forward motion of the ship (in other words on the couch bed instead of the big bed).

But long term benefits medication wise for his vertigo -- the blood pressure medication HCTZ has helped tremendously in managing his vertigo. I am not doctor this is just what has helped him.

 

[develizweb]

I suffer from vertigo mainly when I lie back such as in a dentist chair. I was wondering if anyone suffers vertigo with the rocking motion of the boat? Also, do you ever feel unsteady on your feet? I basically want to know how bad is the rocking motion of the boat. I know that weather will play a factor in this but just wanted an idea on what it is like overall. We are taking our first cruise in April on the Disney Dream. I am very excited about this but just little leary since I do suffer from vertigo. I do not get actual motion sickness but just vertigo when lying down too quickly or getting up too quickly. Also, if you do get vertigo on a cruise, do you take anything for it that helps? Any help or info would be great!! Thanks!!

I too have Vertigo off & on...I did get a bit sick the first 2 days of our MR cruise but nothing that Bonine didn't take care of. I think I would of gotten a bit sea sick with or without the vertigo...by the way, has a Dr. ever told you why you get vertigo? All they told me is wow you are young for that (I am 31)

 

[tinkerbellfriend]

I too have Vertigo off & on...I did get a bit sick the first 2 days of our MR cruise but nothing that Bonine didn't take care of. I think I would of gotten a bit sea sick with or without the vertigo...by the way, has a Dr. ever told you why you get vertigo? All they told me is wow you are young for that (I am 31)

I just turned 40 this year. I started getting vertigo around the age of 32. I just get it off and on too. When I first went to the doctor, he said I had an inflammation of the inner ear. He said that I might have days where it is bad and then nothing for months to years before another bout. That was the case for many years. Now I just get mainly positional vertigo, so I just avoid certain positions and I am fine. I really hate having this because I cannot do things like upside roller coasters. So it really is an inconvenience. I will definitely take the Bonine with me on our cruise. I think I will be fine but thought I woud ask other cruisers if they had issues with this. Thanks for the info!!

 

[tinkerbellfriend]

My husband suffers from BPPV -- he did better when sleeping perpendicular to the forward motion of the ship (in other words on the couch bed instead of the big bed).

But long term benefits medication wise for his vertigo -- the blood pressure medication HCTZ has helped tremendously in managing his vertigo. I am not doctor this is just what has helped him.

Thanks for that tip of sleeping in a chair. I may have to do that if I have problems.

 

[tinkerbellfriend]

We sailed the Wonder and I felt 'tipsy' for the first day or two. I'd stand up and feel slightly unsteady... especially in the theater and in Animator's Palette the first night. No queasiness or anything like that. I could still eat and drink... and boy, did i ever!! I didn't take anything because it wasn't a tummy issue. i did get very good mileage out of my first few drinks... I was tipsy before I had the first sip

I see in your signature line that you have another cruise planned....that is great. I really hope I do okay....I want to go to other destinations too.

 

[Gigi22]

OP, if you have ever taken a train on a not very bumpy track, the motion is close to the motion on a ship. Nothing very dramatic, just a very regular repeated motion. It can be bumped up a notch or two if the ship encounters rough weather, but you generally don't have to worry about that because ships have all sorts of equipment that allows them to avoid bad weather.

 

[Aunt KatKat]

I also have vertigo, and the only problem I had was standing too close to the rail on the veranda. Even holding dh arm was no match for that.

I could sit on the veranda, but couldn't stand at the railing.

Have a wonderful time!

Katherine

 

[AJA55]

I also have vertigo. I didn’t have much problem on the ship. But when I got off the ship the ground kept on moving for a few hours!

 

[MrShiny]

Note too that the prescription drug Antivert is the same as the over the counter seasickness drug Bonine - Meclizine, so you might want to buy a pack just in case.

 

[llachance]

my vertigo acts up and as I get older I seem to have it more often I take Ginger Pills...also natural remedy (recommendation) for sea sickness. Seems to work for me.

 

[DisneyBasket]

I have had the exact same experience that OP describes. It comes and goes, we think it is related to seasonal allergies. I also have a tendency to seasickness, and I think it is all related! My doctor prescribes 12.5 mgs of Meclizine (bonine, or dramamine are the trade names) up to 3 times per day when I am experiencing the vertigo.

Just before our Alaskan cruise, I started taking the Meclizine a day or two before we boarded, three times a day. I continued that through the cruise and for a day or two afterwards. I experienced only mild discomfort on the first night at dinner, where our table was in the center of the restaurant. Although I was not conscious of any movement of the ship, my body was, and my brain (and inner ear) could not reconcile what my eyes were seeing and my body was feeling. As soon as we went out on deck I felt much better, and the discomfort went away after that night. I had no other issues, even at the times when the ship was rocking a bit more than usual.

Check with your doctor before you go to make sure you have everything you need in your bag of tricks. I also used sea bands (I have used them before to good effect), and had ginger pills and ginger candy in my kit just in case. The usual medicine and the sea bands kept me "ship shape" for the whole cruise.

Good luck! And enjoy your trip! (I did "rock and roll" a bit for a few days afterwards, but nothing like a cruise 32 years ago, where I was seasick during the cruise and did not regain my balance completely for months afterwards. I think the Meclizine was the difference!)

 

[MrsScooby]

There are many different types of vertigo. I've had the positional type where when I moved my head either forward or back I would get extrememly dizzy. I never found motion sickness meds to work for this, just time

My ENT told me it had something to do with crystals in my ear and that a specialist could teach me maneuvers to move the crystals to stop the vertigo.

http://www.dizzyfix.com/bppv_faq.asp

Really I found the best way to deal with this type of vertigo is to be careful how I move. I would prepare myself for getting into and out of bed -doing it slowly and holding on to the bed until the spinning stopped. When vertical -not looking up or down if I could help it. (hence looking over the side of a railing is not a good idea)

Of course I am not saying taking the bonine is a bad idea (I'm also prone to motion sickness as well)

I've never had vertigo while on the ship...of course now that I've posted that...Murphy's Law

 

[rtrtx2]

I had vertigo for the first time last month, it was severe, to the point I could not move at all. It took two weeks two really clear and a third week to feel almost 100%. I still have I guess what I see being called "positional" vertigo, I am more careful about getting up slowly, etc. I have been a bit worried that cruising may be impacted. I never get sea sick, but the world sways once back on land. For now I am hoping it was just an inner ear issue that has cleared.

There are many different types of vertigo. I've had the positional type where when I moved my head either forward or back I would get extrememly dizzy. I never found motion sickness meds to work for this, just time

My ENT told me it had something to do with crystals in my ear and that a specialist could teach me maneuvers to move the crystals to stop the vertigo.

http://www.dizzyfix.com/bppv_faq.asp

Really I found the best way to deal with this type of vertigo is to be careful how I move. I would prepare myself for getting into and out of bed -doing it slowly and holding on to the bed until the spinning stopped. When vertical -not looking up or down if I could help it. (hence looking over the side of a railing is not a good idea)

Of course I am not saying taking the bonine is a bad idea (I'm also prone to motion sickness as well)

I've never had vertigo while on the ship...of course now that I've posted that...Murphy's Law

 

[nunzia]

OP, if you have ever taken a train on a not very bumpy track, the motion is close to the motion on a ship. Nothing very dramatic, just a very regular repeated motion. It can be bumped up a notch or two if the ship encounters rough weather, but you generally don't have to worry about that because ships have all sorts of equipment that allows them to avoid bad weather.

Nice! I take trains all the time and sometimes on VERY bumpy track..and really like the motion..soothing. We shall see about the ship and I plan on Bonine, SeaBands and Ginger aplenty

 

[lenshanem]

I get motion sickness badly and I always wear a patch on the cruises. Unfortunately, it makes my mouth EXTREMELY dry. We just got off the Dream last week and I'm still having issues feeling slightly dizzy. It seems this happens to me each time I cruise. I took the patch off as soon as we got off the boat, but it takes me forever to get my land legs back. Very odd.

 

[miry]

Our first cruise was a three night on the Wonder a few days ago. I had never had vertigo before and felt horrible the entire time we were on the trip, I thought that I was sea sick. In talking with our server, he was telling us that the waves were three to four times higher on that particular cruise than what was normal. When I came home after a couple of days of still feeling horrible I saw a doctor and was diagnosed with vertigo, given medication and minor therapy for it. It turns out that on a ride at DW world the day before I hit my head pretty hard, but was so scared on the ride I didn't remember it. My son did, but didn't think about telling me.

Anyway, second cruise two years later. No problems what so ever. The last night was a pretty bumpy, but other than that everything was great. I didn't take any medication or do anything to prevent the vertigo or sea sickness and did really well.

I hope that helps you and you have a great time!

 

[SeaSpray]

Note too that the prescription drug Antivert is the same as the over the counter seasickness drug Bonine - Meclizine, so you might want to buy a pack just in case.

I have had the exact same experience that OP describes. It comes and goes, we think it is related to seasonal allergies. I also have a tendency to seasickness, and I think it is all related! My doctor prescribes 12.5 mgs of Meclizine (bonine, or dramamine are the trade names) up to 3 times per day when I am experiencing the vertigo.

Just before our Alaskan cruise, I started taking the Meclizine a day or two before we boarded, three times a day. I continued that through the cruise and for a day or two afterwards. I experienced only mild discomfort on the first night at dinner, where our table was in the center of the restaurant. Although I was not conscious of any movement of the ship, my body was, and my brain (and inner ear) could not reconcile what my eyes were seeing and my body was feeling. As soon as we went out on deck I felt much better, and the discomfort went away after that night. I had no other issues, even at the times when the ship was rocking a bit more than usual.

Check with your doctor before you go to make sure you have everything you need in your bag of tricks. I also used sea bands (I have used them before to good effect), and had ginger pills and ginger candy in my kit just in case. The usual medicine and the sea bands kept me "ship shape" for the whole cruise.

Good luck! And enjoy your trip! (I did "rock and roll" a bit for a few days afterwards, but nothing like a cruise 32 years ago, where I was seasick during the cruise and did not regain my balance completely for months afterwards. I think the Meclizine was the difference!)

I want to echo the sentiments regarding Bonine (meclizine). When our family cruises, we start taking it a day or two before we board, then take it each day (we take it at breakfast), and we have never felt dizzy, sea-sick, or felt the rocking of the ship afterwards like some people do. Bonine is often prescribed for people with vertigo, cruise or not, and my DSs' pediatrician approved it for their use, as well (they were 13 and 16 on their first cruise).

I hope you have a great, dizzy-free cruise!

P.S. Non-drowsy Dramamine is the same as Bonine. The origial Dramamine is not non-drowsy. Just look for the name meclizine, it comes in that generic form as well, at most pharmacies.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

I also have vertigo. I didn’t have much problem on the ship. But when I got off the ship the ground kept on moving for a few hours!

On my first cruise on the Disney Magic, I had bad sea sickness the first two days (the first night I was practically green and thought about getting off the ship at the first port and flying home). After I got my "sea legs" I had no issues however once back on land, it took two weeks for me to feel "normal".

On my B2B Carnival cruises I took Gravol on the first day and no seasickness at all during the 14 days (though I don't know if it was solely because of the gravol or because it was a bigger ship, we were at the front instead of the back, or there were better stablizers) but it still took me two weeks to get my land legs back and feel normal.