Cruising and motion sickness About This Page:

[omd]

We are thinking about a 3 day cruise to the Bahamas in April. I have never been on a cruise and I am a little nervous about going. I get motion sickness but have been having good luck with ginger.although I have never used it on a boat We would try to get a stateroom on an upper deck and hopefully with the bed facing forward. Has anyone out there with motion sickness cruised and not had a problem? I don't like taking Dramamine or Bonine because they make me feel very lightheaded and sleepy. Any thougts or suggestions?

[CollinsFamily]

My first cruise was a short 3 day "out and back" (no ports, just boat) a couple years ago, and ginger worked very well for me. I would definately recommend it. And with a short cruise, you get to test your sea legs to see how you would do. Honestly, there's so much going on I rarely noticed the motion. It was only when I sat still that I felt it at all, and the ginger took care of it. One thing that helps me is to be in open air or moving air. Barring that, being able to see the water is good. I'm not sure why seeing the water helps, but it does.

[nurse_mom]

My personal feelings are lower is better. Deck 2 is a favorite to me and my family, forward. You are only 2 flights up to the theater, hardly anyone uses the forward elevators. ABOVE all, my DH get motion sickness and loves the lower rooms, with an ocean view!

[Dave Marx]

I'm not sure why you'd prefer a room on an upper deck. The higher you go in a vessel, the greater the side-to-side ("rolling") motion is. Most folks with motion sickness do better on lower decks. Definitely aim for a room midship. As to forward-facing beds, in nearly all staterooms, the queen bed will be forward-facing, while the convertible sofa and upper bunk will be side-facing.

The good news is that a Bahamas itinerary takes you on mostly gentle seas, as the waters are sheltered by the surrounding islands. You're most likely to feel the motion at the beginning of the cruise, as you're in the open Atlantic for about 8 hours (5:00pm until around 11:00pm or Midnight). After that, you'll be in sheltered Bahamian waters.

There are many who report success with ginger and also "Sea Bands," wristlets that stimulate accupressure points. However, if those don't work for you and you're having problems that first night, take a Bonine before bed (they're available free from the medical facility) and take advantage of the drowsiness that comes wth it. Things should be much better in the morning, as you'll probably awaken after you're docked in Nassau.

[Starbright]

We are going in April too and this will be our first time. I am on deck 9...I think. Is that that first number or is there a secret code? I gotta look that one up lol. But I digress, sorry.
I asked this type of question too and I got soo much info that I am writing down and talking to my dr about it this fall.
For me, it is just anxiety of knowing the ocean is sooo deep and I am so small-the same way for airplanes-it is sooo high and I am flying in a tin can (but again, I digress lol).
Take a look and see what the others wrote to me too. I will be watching your thread too to see if I can learn new things also.
Do kids get sea sick?? hmmm.......
So exciting, I wish I could go before April

[Dave Marx]

No secret code! The first digit(s) of your stateroom number refer to your deck. On the Magic and Wonder, all staterooms have four-digit numbers. 8010 would be on Deck 8, for example (there are staterooms on decks 1-8). On the Dream and Fantasy there are staterooms on decks 2-12. Rooms on decks 2-9 have four-digit numbers, like on the Magic and Wonder, and rooms on decks 10-12 have five-digit numbers (first two digits are the deck).

[Starbright]

So, Dave, right now, they have just given me a code....correct. I have a category with a number and a letter. Then, later, they give me the room number is that correct? Is there a diagram for the Dream so I can see where our room is? We went with the higher numbers I think deck 6,7, and 8 because it was quieter. I do hope the motion won't be as bad but as you stated, that might be a trade off.

As always, thankyou!!

[Dave Marx]

Category (such as 09B) doesn't tell you deck, it describes the style of accommodation (some categories are only found on a specific deck, other categories can be found on several different decks). When you make a reservation, you usually get a stateroom assigned immediately. If a stateroom was not assigned, you reserved a GTY (guarantee) - the cruise line guarantees that you will receive that category or better (the price of a GTY stateroom is often a bit lower, in exchange for not having a firm stateroom assignment). Your paperwork should either say 09B GTY (for example), or Stateroom XXXX.

If you got a GTY stateroom, you can check your reservation info on the DCL web site from time to time. Once they make an assignment, it'll show up there. Commonly, the assignment won't be made until you're less than 75 days from the cruise date. 75 days is the full payment/full refund of deposit deadline, so many people wait until then to cancel their rooms. After that, DCL starts assigning staterooms to the GTY reservations.

[kurtholley]

We just took a 3 day to the bahamas. I was worried about the motion sickness,brought all the drugs with me just in case. first night was a little bumpy and saw a bunch of people with sea sickness but lucky I was fine. actually felt way better after we ate dinner. We were also on deck 2 near the front so really didn't feel anything at night rest of the time couldn't even tell we were on a ship

[jackieurban]

The patch, the patch, the patch. I get very motion sick and used this on our three night Bahamas cruise this April and was perfect. We were deck 7 mid ship and while yes, you can still see and feel the motion - I did not feel sick. Nor did I feel drugged and yes I had wine at dinner too. The last night while returning to port I did feel the ship rock side to side gently - and I could see on the TV channel that shows the wind direction that it was blowing across the ship while the rest of the time we were sailing into the wind. But, no issues.

[CJDrew's Mom]

If you're going to do the patch, I recommend you try it out at home first. I used one on a cruise and it made me so dizzy that I basically crawled back to my stateroom during dinner and slept for 16 hours! Sea bands worked but after a couple of days, my wrist really started swelling up. Bonine works well for me!

CJ Drew's Mom

[Starbright]

Are the patches very expensive? Can you try them out at home and be o.k with it? Can you drink while having it on???? Will it work for flying?
What do you do for kids if they get motion sickness???

[Dave Marx]

The Scopolamine Transderm Patch is a prescription medication, and your physician may also charge for the consultation. I don't know what the common price is, but as far as I know, it's quite affordable. If you do need it, I'm sure it's well worth the price compared with the ability to enjoy a fairly expensive vacation. The flip side is also true - it can wipe some folks out, which is why it's better to test it before the trip.

It is a good idea to try it beforehand (presuming it won't interfere with work, driving, etc.), to make sure you don't have an adverse reaction during your vacation. In heavier doses, Scopolamine has been used as a "truth serum." (See WikiPedia) Yes, it will work when flying, too.

For kids under 12 (or of very low body mass), both Scopolamine and adult Bonine are not appropriate. There is a Bonine for children that is actually old-fashioned Dramamine (so count on the kids getting a bit drowsy). Kids are also good candidates for ginger or sea bands. While neither of those work for everyone, they're non-drug approaches, so they're at least worth a try.

A lot of the non-drug "treatment" for motion sickness has to do with teaching the mind to accept the sensations it encounters. That's why looking at the horizon is a good idea - your mind then knows that your body is in motion, and can begin to adapt (that's why some folks get motion sick only if they try to read or play games while riding in a car, bus, train, or plane - they can no longer see that they're in motion). When your body has adapted, you have your "sea legs."

[Gin]

I'm a big fan of the patch, too. (CJ Drew's Mom, I'm sorry you had a bad reaction, that sounds awful!) At my pharmacy, I paid about $15 per patch, and each patch is good for 3 days. I think it's well worth it! My husband was so impressed by how well it controlled my motion sickness, he said he's going to talk to his doc about getting some for himself for our next trip.

[heatherwillmom]

My DH gets motion sick very easily. Even for riding rides at WDW, we have to prepare. We have been on 1 cruise before children. I get him Ginger capsules as well as the Trans Derm Scop Patch. I am a Health Care Provider so I can prescribe them. If you have a regular Health Care Provider that you see on a regular basis, you can call their office to see if they will call you a prescription in. I typically will call them in for someone that I see on a regular basis. The Ginge capsules are great with no side effects, so unless you need something as strong as the patch ( rough seas predicted, etc), try the Ginger capsules first.