Seasick

[puppymommo]

I've always wanted to go an an ocean cruise. But a couple of movies I've seen in the past year have made me wonder if I can manage it. I got seasick at both San Andreas and In the Heart of the Sea, which I watched last night. Last night I started to get a stomach ache and at first thought it was the popcorn, which I rarely eat. But as it got worse I realized that the scenes of rough waves was making me motion-sick. (When I was a kid I got carsick frequently and still can't ride some circular-motion rides.)

Anybody else get seasick at movies? If so, have you been able to enjoy an ocean cruise? Maybe I'll have to settle for a river cruise.

 

[DeniseM]

I get car sick too, and sometime in movies I have to close my eyes if there is a lot of continuous motion.

On my one and only cruise, I wore acupressure wrist bands, and I took Bonine around the clock - starting the day before I left.

I have only been on one cruise, but I have been on many boat trips in Hawaii, some quite rough, and Bonine also worked well for me on those trips.

Tips -

Start taking the medication the night before your trip - it is easier to prevent it, than to stop it once you are already sick.
Continue taking it regularly (as prescribed) even if you feel fine.
Avoid alcohol and any type of spicy/fatty food that might upset your stomach.
Eat regularly, so you have something in your stomach, but don't overeat.

 

[pedro47]

I've always wanted to go an an ocean cruise. But a couple of movies I've seen in the past year have made me wonder if I can manage it. I got seasick at both San Andreas and In the Heart of the Sea, which I watched last night. Last night I started to get a stomach ache and at first thought it was the popcorn, which I rarely eat. But as it got worse I realized that the scenes of rough waves was making me motion-sick. (When I was a kid I got carsick frequently and still can't ride some circular-motion rides.)

Anybody else get seasick at movies? If so, have you been able to enjoy an ocean cruise? Maybe I'll have to settle for a river cruise.

No problem to the OP, just remember to book a cabin mid-ship / high deck. Cruise ships now ride just like a luxury car. Plus, there are pills on the ship just in case you become sea sick.

 

[Passepartout]

I suppose that if you are super susceptible, the patches behind the ear, or bonine tablets would help. Perhaps trying a short, fairly sheltered cruise rather than an extended, open water one would give you a trial. Alaska's inside passage, or a river cruise, or Greek islands would be smoother. I think motion sickness is at least as much visual as movement. Most people on Cruise ships find the gentle 'rock you to sleep' motion very relaxing. Over more than a dozen ocean cruises, I have never resorted to the free handouts of motion sickness meds.

Otoh, some movies nauseate me, and it usually isn't the sight of water that does it.

Jim

 

[csxjohn]

I've been subject to motion sickness since I was very young and I can tell you there were times I'd have rather been dead.

When dealing with the gentle waves of the ocean, Bonine works for me but it is worthless to me when things get a little rough.

I live on Lake Erie and sail weekly during the summer plus many other boating excursions during the year. The only thing that works for me there is Dramamine.

I've tried the wrist bands and they don't work for me at all. Your doctor can prescribe a patch that you wear behind your ear and many peeps use them for cruises.

I used to get sick on amusement park rides until I remembered that it's simply motion sickness and my Dramamine should work there also. The first time I tried it out I went straight to a Scrambler and did not get sick. If it works on that ride it will work on anything.

I've learned through the years and after some research that motion sickness happens when your eyes tell you something different than your inner ears are telling you. The advice has always been to look at the horizon when getting sea sick so your eyes and inner ears are getting the same message.

Closing your eyes will help because now you are not getting conflicting messages to your brain. That's OK for temporary relief like when out fishing but on a cruise that won't work too well.

Experiment a little before you go. The Bonine worked well for me on gentle ocean swells but one trip when I got home from a week sailing in the Keys I used it the next day on Lake Erie and lost my breakfast.

Regular dose Dramamine is all I use now but it will make you drowsy if you need to take more than one pill. The non-drowsy Dramamine is the same as Bonine and will not work for me on the lake. Take it at leas one hour before you go out.

Experiment a little and I'll tell you, a scrambler is a good test. The long arms go around and the cars at the end of the arm spin also. I'm getting queasy just thinking about it.

DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF OF SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO, there are good medicines out there that will let you enjoy what you want.

 

[falmouth3]

I use the sea bands for air sickness. Sea sickness is worse for me and the meds don't work either. Get some candied ginger. It really works.

 

[itchyfeet]

The patch has always worked for me. I believe you put it in place the night before you sail. And make sure it does not interact with medications you are taking. Check with your Dr.

 

[johnsontrio]

I am the Queen of Motion Sickness. Can't ride amusement park rides, can't scuba dive because I can't tolerate the surface intervals bobbing around for 45 minutes, get ill when playing in the waves or floating with a current longer than about 10 minutes, get car sick very easily, can't ride in the back, have had to reach for the airsickness bag when in sustained turbulence. That said, out of 15 cruises, I have only been ill when a large majority of other passengers were ill as well, 14 foot seas coming out of the Port of Tampa. First cruise, did the wrist bands (my hands swelled), ginger tablets etc... Next cruise, did nothing and was fine.

Give it a try. IMHO, you feel very little movement and what you do is just gentle rocking. We started out with a 4 nighter to see if we liked it, we are now enjoying our Diamond status with Royal Caribbean and have seen most of the cruise ports in the Caribbean.

 

[presley]

You could try a shorter cruise to see how you do. I have to take Bonine when I cruise now. I take the first dose when I board and then once per day. I'll drink mint tea as a back up.

When I go whale watching, I've been fine with natural remedies such as ginger pills, homeopathic sea sickness pills and the wrist bands. The cruise ships are different because I end up spending time inside. I was starting to feel yucky during dinners and that's when I started using Bonine instead of the natural stuff. Now, I know I can be indoors on the ship and if it is choppy, it won't bother me.

It's important to try out any remedy before you go on the cruise to make sure you can tolerate it. For example, Bonine is "non-drowsy" but I get very fatigued after about 6 hours of taking it. The prescription patch can be useful, but I've read many reports of people getting extremely sick from the patch - worse than sea sick. You can try out some stuff and see if it helps with the movies or whatever else makes you sick before you take a cruise.

 

[Sandy VDH]

try ginger. ginger caplets, crystallized ginger, ginger ale. All of these should help without making you sleepy.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I was nervous about our cruise in June. I have always gotten carsick and rides bother me. I took Bonine a few times in the beginning, and then I stopped taking it and realized it wasn't necessary. It was a Disney cruise and we were mid-ship and I didn't really get sick; however, we had a balcony, and I tried to go out there a few times, and I couldn't do it. Our son-in-law told us dolphins were all around the ship, and I just couldn't look at the water without getting queasy. The rest of the group could look without getting sick. There were 11 of us!

 

[rapmarks]

I got seasick at an aquarium, and discovered that I cannot look through glass at water. I have never been on a cruise, but wold love to try it, with the patch.

 

[LisaRex]

Went on a cruise back in 1991, and was very close to flying home from Bermuda because I spent 3 days in my cabin, either feeling like I wanted to throw up, or actually throwing up.

I've never been on a cruise since. Every time I wonder if I should try it again, I read in a car for a few minutes and before I know it, I've changed my mind.

Land is my friend.

 

[Greg G]

Went on a cruise back in 1994 and the first dinner that night I had to excuse myself even before getting to eat anything because I was feeling sick (like your going to throw-up type sick). After taking Dramamine that night and the rest of the cruise I felt fine.

Greg

 

[Kel]

Non-Drowsy Dramamine

We don’t get sea sick at movies. Non-drowsy Dramamine works for me and my husband on boats. We are SCUBA divers and have been on hundreds dive boats over the last 30 years and one cruise ship and have never been sea sick.

I can also tell you that we have met many people on dive boats that say they never take anything or they have the patch or they took Bonine and they say they have never been sea sick and then they are hanging over the side of the boat. Not fun. I think sea sickness can happen to just about anyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens to one of us at some point. But, I hope it doesn’t. Happy cruising.