What is the best way to prevent seasickness?

[the other micki]

We will be on the Dream in less than 2 weeks!!!
None of us are particularly prone to motion sickness, but I want to be proactive! What has worked best for you experienced cruisers in combating seasickness? What to use, how far ahead of time, etc.?

Thanks!

[wildernesslady]

I start taking Dramamine less drowsy the night before getting on the ship and continue every night during the cruise. I've never felt sick and I do suffer from motion sickness.

[merciantinkerbell]

On honeymoon we went on a glass-bottom boat on flat sea and I was so sick I couldn't look at the fish! We had a sunset cruise booked too so I got those Sea Bands. They're a Velcro strap that puts pressure on an acupuncture point on the wrist. On our sunset sail turned into huge thunderstorm with big waves but I was absolutely fine. They really worked for me.

[BrerGnat]

The Dream generally moves very slowly through calm waters. I barely felt any movement at all during our two cruises. But, any OTC non drowsy medicine will help if you are prone to motion sickness. Also, being in a midship cabin lower down will help as well.

[DizneyRox]

On smaller ships, I would say it's more of a problem, but as stated, the Dream moves slow, those waters are generally calm, and she's a big ship so it takes a lot to shake her.

Actually, I've found unless I'm on deck I can't even tell we're moving. Even docking, etc I've felt nothing and had to look out the window to see if we were there yet.

[MNNHFLTX]

Meclizine is one of the best moton-sickness meds out there; I know that is what the clinic gave my niece when she got a little queasy on the last cruise I went on and it worked very well for her. It comes in a non-drowsy formula and you should take your first dose before you get on the ship for the best effect.

While on the ship, make sure and stay well-hydrated (not including any alcohol!) because that can contribute to any sea sickness that might pop up.

[Mickey'sGirl]

I have read that ginger pastilles or ginger ale can help. We are cruising in December and I am prone to motion sickness and vertigo, so I''ve been reading up! This thread is particularly interesting to me! Honestly though, sailing on a great big ship (the Fantasy) shouldn't be an issue, right?

[MNNHFLTX]

Honestly though, sailing on a great big ship (the Fantasy) shouldn't be an issue, right?

You're right, it probably won't, Jennifer. I've gone on quite a few cruises over the years and never had a problem, even without meds or sea bands, etc. The big ships have very effective stabilizers these days.

[BrerGnat]

I have read that ginger pastilles or ginger ale can help. We are cruising in December and I am prone to motion sickness and vertigo, so I''ve been reading up! This thread is particularly interesting to me! Honestly though, sailing on a great big ship (the Fantasy) shouldn't be an issue, right?

You may have some issues due to the December timing. The Caribbean can be quite rough in the winter months, with lots of windy days and large ocean swells. On sea days, you will feel the ship moving. I went on a Caribbean cruise on a Royal Caribbean Voyager class ship (the Voyager itself) which is similar in size to the Fantasy. Our cruise was in December and we had some very rough days with lots of motion.

Definitely bring something that you know will work for you. Being able to go outside or at least see the horizon also helps with vertigo issues, so if you start feeling bad indoors, go out on deck. My MIL suffers from that and that helped her.

[DonLefNY]

We've done five cruises and have never experienced sea sickness. On a couple of cruises three was high seas (Disney Wonder & Norwegian Dawn) but we were fine.

[NJDad]

We've done one cruise and there was a fair amount of seasickness the first night, both in the family and around various places on the ship.

[RBrooksC]

I've never been on a cruise but I do suffer from motion sickness. I usually have with me Reed's Ginger Candy. It is pure ginger and it does wonders in keeping my stomach in check.

There have been studies done that ginger actually does a better job at settling motion sickness than Dramamine.

When we finally make it on a Disney Cruise, I will have plenty of that candy with me.

But, with that being said, is motion sickness really a problem on a cruise ship. I have heard both but more people said modern ships usually don't cause motion sickness.

[Christine]

Sprite & pretzels fixed us up when we had really rough sailing one year. And no sleepy side effects.

[DizneyRox]

But, with that being said, is motion sickness really a problem on a cruise ship. I have heard both but more people said modern ships usually don't cause motion sickness.

The ships don't really cause anything, it's the ocean waves! Big waves can toss around a ship, even the big ones.

Check out "gyro pool table cruise" on youtube to get an idea of the ship movement. You're probably looking at the Jewel of the Seas video, which is 90,000 tons. The Dream/Fantasy are like 130,000 tons, the Magic/Wonder @ 85,000. That's all fairly minimal movement in terms of a normal cruise experience. You get above 20 foot waves and you are going to feel it, even on the big ships.

Caribbean, etc are normally pretty uneventful. Transatlantic or Pacific Ocean cruises I've heard are where you're probably going to have a better shot at big waves impacting your experience. That said, we've had a couple "bad" nights on Caribbean cruises. One time the upper decks were closed due to winds, one night we felt like we were on a motor boat on a lake the front end of the ship was bouncing between waves.

[lightyearfan]

ok your talking to someone who gets car sick, if he doesn't sit in the front seat, airsick if he doesn't sit at a window seat, and a guy who can't do any motion ride that has severe turns, me and dw will be going on our 5th cruise on the Wonder, on the previous 4 trips i tooK ginger pills every 4hrs and 1 dramamine 30 min before dinner with a ginger pill and i didn't feel anything, i've only gotten sick on 1 cruise for 1 night and that's because i didn't want to take anything to give my body a break from all the pills i was taking, after i got sick, (not going to say what happened) i felt great and finished the cruise with no issues, and have not had any other motion sickness issues on the other cruises that we took. hope this helps

Victor

[DizneyRox]

Sometimes you gotta get it out of your system (pun intended).